About Us
Tonewood & Courage is a destination music store and gathering place focused on stringed instruments and serving the entire Napa Valley musician community. Tonewood and Courage is located in the walking mall of the First Street Shops in Downtown Napa, behind the Archer Hotel, next door to Deuces Market.
We are official dealers of internationally recognized guitar and bass brands Taylor, Lowden, Gallagher, Galloup, Breedlove and others. Our larger brands are featured alongside hand-built instruments by local artisans. We have the ability to special order and/or customize instruments to your personal preferences and specifications. Accessories include strings, pics and other needed items from leading brands D’addario, Dunlop, John Pearse, Ernie Ball, Ken Smith and many others. The selection of high-quality instruments and accessories ranging from those for the beginning stringed instrument student to the professional musician are curated by the former group publisher of The Music Player Group of magazines and websites—Guitar Player, Bass Player, Keyboard, and Gig—and former professional musician, Brian Courtney.
In the evenings and on various weekends, Tonewood & Courage transitions from a retail instrument shop into a small intimate music venue for noted local and touring national solo and group artists in the Americana singer/songwriter, bluegrass and folk genres. Tonewood & Courage welcomes parents and guardians to bring their children to our shows. We are looking to inspire a lifelong love of music playing, music listening and music community.
Tonewood & Courage, Music Store and Gathering Place, provides an inviting and inclusive place for all to discover the musician within.
Staff:
Brian Courtney, Owner—Brian Courtney has had a long career in music and music adjacent professional environments. He’s worked for Washburn Guitars, and played as a professional bassist in Los Angeles, Nashville, Chicago and San Francisco. Brian was group publisher of the Music Player Group of magazines which included Guitar Player, Bass Player, Keyboard and Gig Magazines. He helped re-launch the acoustic guitar magazine Frets. He then became President of TooFar Media, a Bay Area-based cutting-edge experimental adult literary fiction publishing house that combined literature, art and music into a singular experience. Tonewood & Courage, music store and gathering place, is his latest endeavor bringing him full circle back to direct involvement with music making and the musician community. Home is now Napa, where Brian has settled with his wife Debby and his children, Lucas and Danielle.
Ryan Johnson, Sales, Setup & Repair—Ryan Johnson has twenty-plus years of guitar playing and guitar building experience. Ryan has recently joined Brian Courtney at Tonewood & Courage in order to build out the instrument repair and service aspects of the store. Ryan can help you with sting changes, instrument set-up and repairs. If major repairs beyond the scope of our shops' workbench are needed, Ryan can help coordinate those as well.
Nolan Mendenhall, Sales, Pizza Chef—Nolan Mendenhall is the youngest member of our staff. He's a Napa Vintage High Crusher, a knowledgeable guitar enthusiast and player, and helps keep Tonewood & Courage in customer-ready shape. Nolan has mastered the workings and timings of the Tonewood & Courage pizza oven on our live music nights.
Special Thanks to our shop photographer, Barry Schwartz. Many of his photographs are seen on this website. Barry is a singular talent in the Napa Valley and we are honored to call him friend.
Barry Schwartz
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