Almost every Southern California garage, closet, or spare room has one: the guitar nobody has played since high school, a drum kit in the corner, a band-class clarinet, or an electric organ that came with the house. Musical instruments are tricky to get rid of. They feel too valuable to throw away, many are too bulky for the curb, and the electronic ones can’t legally go in the trash in California at all. This guide covers how to donate, sell, recycle, or haul away old instruments in Los Angeles, Orange County, and the Inland Empire.
Before you decide anything, sort each instrument into one of three groups:
A quick tip: a dusty instrument is not a dead instrument. Let a donation program or music shop make the call before you toss it.
Los Angeles has an unusually strong network of music education programs that put used instruments into the hands of students. A few to look into:
Every program has its own rules about what it accepts and how drop-off works, so check their current donation page or call before loading up the car. If the group is a registered 501(c)(3), ask for a donation receipt. Your tax preparer can tell you whether it’s deductible.
Name-brand guitars, professional-grade brass and woodwinds, vintage amplifiers, and complete drum kits often hold real resale value. Local music stores, consignment shops, and online marketplaces are all options. Student-model instruments and off-brand keyboards usually sell for very little. For those, donation is faster and more useful.
This is the part most people miss. Electric keyboards, digital pianos, electronic drum kits, amplifiers, mixers, effects pedals, and old home organs all contain circuit boards. Under California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) rules, electronic devices are managed as universal waste, and households are prohibited from putting them in the trash. They have to go to an e-waste recycler or a household hazardous waste collection program.
Watch for batteries too. Wireless microphones, tuners, some pedals, and portable keyboards may have lithium or alkaline batteries inside. Pull them out and handle them separately. Our lithium battery disposal guide explains why that matters, and our e-waste disposal guide covers where electronics end up.
Wood string instruments are almost always worth donating, even with cosmetic damage. Truly broken ones are mostly wood and metal hardware.
Trumpets, trombones, tubas, and saxophones are made mostly of brass, so a horn that can’t be repaired still has value as recyclable scrap metal. Clarinets and flutes are smaller and are among the most requested items by school programs.
Acoustic drum kits are bulky but mostly wood shells, plastic heads, and metal stands and cymbals. Metal hardware recycles easily. Electronic drum kits fall under the e-waste rules above.
Older electric home organs from the 1960s through the 1980s are the hardest instrument to place. Few programs want them, they’re heavy, and they’re full of electronics. These usually need professional removal and e-waste recycling. If you’re dealing with an acoustic piano instead, see our piano removal guide, since pianos are a different job entirely.
Instruments often turn up during estate cleanouts, downsizing, and moves, usually mixed in with sheet music, cases, stands, and old stereo gear. Families sometimes don’t know whether that trumpet in the closet is a student model or a collectible. If you’re unsure, have a local music shop take a quick look before donating. Sheet music and method books can go along with the instruments, or see our book and media disposal guide.
When you book with us, our crew does the lifting and loading, including heavy organs, full drum kits, and amp stacks from garages, upstairs bedrooms, and storage units. We sort what we haul: usable items go toward donation when possible, metal goes to scrap recycling, electronics go to e-waste recycling, and only what’s left goes to disposal.
Pricing is based on how much space your items take up in our truck, not a flat fee per instrument. A single guitar amp and a box of cables costs far less than a full music room cleanout. We give you the price on-site before any work starts.
Got an old organ, a drum kit, or a closet full of band instruments you’re ready to clear out? 911 Junk CA serves homes and businesses across Los Angeles, Orange County, and the Inland Empire. Contact 911 Junk CA today for a free quote, and we’ll handle the heavy lifting, the sorting, and the recycling so you don’t have to.
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