CD shops on a trip through west USA (San Francisco -> Las Vegas-> Los Angeles)

Soon I will be on a trip through the West Of The USA. Starting at San Francisco, I will be visiting Yosemite (Bass Lake), Las Vegas, Grand Canyon Village, Parker and Santa Monica (LA).

Are there any interesting shops where they sell used CDs? I’m trying to fit in some CD hunting in the tight tourist schedule I already have.

 

Rasputin in San Francisco (and Berkley) could take an entire day to get through. There's another one in Stockton, which could be on your way to Yosemite, if that's how your trip is structured (large, but not as large as the Bay area locations). In Vegas, stop at both locations of Zia. The stores have large used CD stock - you'll find them similar to the Stockton Rasputin location (if you get to that one). Another favorite of mine in Vegas is Record City, which makes up for some of the quantity you'll find elsewhere, with quality. Vegas has a couple of very good vinyl-centric stores but you did specifically say CDs, so I won't bother.
In LA, there's Amoeba and... hey, if you still have any money left after hitting Amoeba, look up some places on Yelp. I almost never make it to another store when I'm in LA.

 

You'll probably also want to go to Amoeba in SF, if the Haight is on your tourist schedule. Amoeba in LA is in Hollywood, just slightly more mind-boggling than the SF location (it's hard to "pop in" to buy just a couple of CDs, at least from personal experience). Will you have a car? You'll want to budget time for the traffic! The Berkeley location also has a good CD selection.

 

I have studied at Berkeley and remembered me the day I visited Amoebe for the first time. It was so big that my feet didn't know where to go to...

 

Vegas is tough for CDs. The Zia stores are your best bet, but the stock there tends to be picked over. The Record City locations have some CDs too.

Wax Trax Records also has a significant amount of CDs, but the owner does not price any of them. He told me the minimum he would sell one is $15. It is a very peculiar store, but worth a stop for the experience.

 

Visited Amoebe in San Francisco yesterday. I don’t think I ever saw so many LPs and CDs in one place. It took more time to get there than planned, so my fellow travellers were not amused. Still managed to buy a used Janelle Monáe’s Metropolis EP on CD. I’m happy because it’s hard to find in Europe (and it’s a nice warming up for her new album that will be released next Friday, April 27th).

 

Yep, Vegas is a true desert for discs. Wax Trax is a real head scratcher. Oddest business model I've ever seen. Peculiar is an understatement. More as if it is his personal museum.
Did find this on Craigslist & might check it out soon.

 

I live in the Bay Area and would say the best record store is Amoeba in SF, as far as the sheer number of albums. Rasputin is a little bit cheaper though, and I prefer Rasputin's Berkeley store over their SF store. That being said, you could hit both Amoeba and Rasputin, in either San Francisco or Berkeley, and not be disappointed with either option.

Other cool smaller bay area shops:
* EconoJam Records, in Oakland, Econo Jam Records | New and used vinyl, turntables and amplifiers in Oakland (no relation to Mike Watt)
* Down Home Music, in El Cerrito, Down Home Music – The World’s Jukebox – The best in American Roots music since 1976 (also the home of Arhoolie blues label)
* Red Devil Records, in San Rafael, Home
* Strictly Vinyl, in Albany, Strictly Vinyl Records (very small shop, not to be missed especially if you're into reggae/dub music)

I also have spent time in LA and the Amoeba down there is awesome! I personally think LA is the best of Amoeba's stores.

 

I am sorry, I re-read OP and it was for cd's, my info is regarding vinyl. My bad!