Watermelon Music - Davis, California

Eric M.

I frequented Watermelon when I was a college student in the early 2000's. I'm glad it's still around.

I recently came here to fix my bass guitar. The customer service was good and the people really helpful. One of the managers, Eric, gave me a lot of good info and if you get a set of strings, Watermelon will change them for free.

When I visited in Sep 2024, there was fundraiser outside going on where they had some young bands. I get their emails so they have a lot of local and unique musicians holding concerts.

Obviously the way we shop for music has changed, amazon/reverb/sweetwater/guitar center/etc. Everything is now online and so mom and pop shops take a hit.

But Eric said they are sticking around, the store will be downsized to half, while the other half will be a non-profit consignment instrument store. So I for one, am glad they are sticking around.

People can still come to learn music with they instructors and if you need music scores, strings or tuners or picks immediately, Watermelon's got them.

I remember the previous (or co-owner) Jeff, and he's just a groovy dude. Always honest and frank, and helpful.

To be fair, I'm not the biggest fan of the selection and brand they carry. They may still do custom orders. However, the quality is good and it's a good stepping stone for more high quality brands (e.g. Fender/Gibson/etc).

But simply for the warmth, and the history- I want a place like Watermelon to thrive, and that's kinda what Davis is about! So support Eric/Jeff, and the young bands that come through here, and support local business.

R T.

Formerly a 5+ star joint...a fantastic place, now just a shell of its former self. They should have kept the GoFundMe going & got some operating capital rather than shut contributions down early once the amount owed to creditors was reached. Pretty sure the people of Davis funded it to keep it open as it was, & not some scaled back shell with hardly any instruments in stock and/or shutdown completely.

I went there to literally buy a guitar from them. Zero guitars in stock, neither electric nor acoustic. Nothing on the walls anymore. Staff acted like I was intruding by asking where the guitars all went, lol. Drum & symbol section gone too (along with all of the guitars). Huge disappointment. Entire vibe of the place has changed, & not for the better, unfortunately, lol.

2 stars for the memory of what it once was. Otherwise would be zero stars. A d*mn shame, this is.

Addendum: Here's hoping that the owner wasn't 'playing' the City of Davis residents to pony up $100k to satisfy Covid debts with the GoFundMe, with no actual intention of again making Watermelon Music what it was like pre-Covid, only to wind down the store & sell the building for $2.5 million a year or so later. Because that would be taking advantage of the kind nature of Davis residents.
Here's a thought...if you sell the building, pay back the $100k GoFundMe. Otherwise, it has the appearance of a 'retirement strategy', regardless, lol.

Reply to Reply:
Thanks for the reply.
Yes, what it says about me is that these days I'm highly skeptical of people's motivations, no offense intended. And no, I don't know you. But here's hoping that you indeed stick around long enough so that hopefully I get that chance, as again, that used to be a very cool place pre-pandemic, and a valuable community resource for musicians.
(Maybe something along the lines of what local bike shops do...i.e. regular instrument repair 'fairs', with local entertainment acts & grub, etc., would help. Lots of room outside there for that.)
I would personally much rather buy stuff in person where I can touch something & then instantly purchase the item, but since stores largely stopped carrying any inventory to speak of (even prior to the pandemic), they've brought that on themselves.
Another star for replying & apparently trying.
If need be do another GoFundMe for the Friends of Watermellon non-profit for some operating capital to tide the biz over for say, 24 months time, & once its back to profitability, sell it to the non-profit if you want to bail at that time.
All manner of other solutions to keep the place running as opposed to simply closing up shop, fyi.

For the record, "down" would be having to shut down the biz, sell the building, & pay off the $100k Covid debt yourself. An awful lot of businesses went that route these past 5 years. You effectively got a bailout courtesy of the citizens of Davis. Huge difference. You're up, not down, friend.

Mariana ?. A.

Great Music Store and I’m glad it’s still around!
One main issue is that it seems fairly disorganized as sometimes different employees tell me different things.
An example is rentals; an employee showed me a clarinet i wanted to rent and potentially buy in the near future as it was within my price range. I forgot my ID so the employee told me to come back tomorrow as they “weren’t gonna run out of clarinets anytime soon.”
I come back the very next day and a different employee tells me that “they don’t rentals anymore.”
It was frustrating because I got my hopes up;
what’s the deal with rentals? Does Watermelon still do them?
Normally a great store, and I will continue to support this store! But this experience was quite frustrating. Thank you.

Abbie Z.

I consigned an instrument through Watermelon a few months ago. Damage happens, and I was expecting minor scratches that would need to be polished or oiled, etc. I have bought from Watermelon, and it’s a pleasant experience.

When I picked up my instrument today, there was a brand new obvious front and center chip that must have knocked the instrument out of tune when it happened. I found out when I got home by looking at the guitar. There was no mention of new damage on the receipt or communication about it from the store. Moving forward, I’ll be selling with Reverb.

Regina G.

We always have great experiences here, so I am finally writing a review! Prices are very fair and they price match if you find a better deal elsewhere. The saxophone specialist is so helpful and always goes out of his way to help my daughter with her instrument. Also, they are very patient, even when dealing with difficult customers -- which I have unfortunately observed at times, like today :(. Also, I appreciated the free service of stringing our guitar - again, they took special care to do a great job. Thank you for being such an awesome local business!

Jord N.

Great live show at the Melon Ball! Jeff gets very interesting and talented musicians to play in the intimate environment. He's a very skilled mixing engineer as well and gets the most out of the space.

The G. R.

Every once in a while you run across a group of people who restore your faith in humanity. Watermelon Music is exactly that place. I came in from out of town and needed a guitar practice amp on short notice. I called 5 minutes to 6 being 10 minutes away by car. I spoke to the wonderful and kind James who spent all the time with me I needed. I had no idea that they closed at 6. Not only did he rush me, but he kindly offered to stay later knowing that may need was urgent. So I went in and was greeted warmly, kindly and patiently by both James and Mark. They just have easily spent 15 minutes past closing with me. They held the item for me on trust and came by today first thing and purchased it. This kind of care, customer service, kindness and friendliness is almost unheard of. I’m a Jersey guy, so I’m tough on retailers. Above and beyond doesn’t even begin. Also, their inventory is amazing. If you’re anywhere near Davis California and you need anything musical, go here!!! They have a loyal customer for life.
Derek Ferwerda, former guitarist for Cindy Lauper, Joe Cocker, Hall & Oats, Rick Springfield, Chuck Berry, Spin Doctors, Marvin Gaye……..

Elron M.

Though an "out of the way" location, the staff were Friendly and knowledgeable! Well established, and lots of Positive feedback from other customers & long-time Davis locals!