I brought my guitar to Ike's expecting nothing more than a quick pickguard swap and a tightened…read moreoutput jack. But after a short consultation, I decided to go for a full setup and I cannot overstate how glad I am that I did. For $135 (including new strings), Ike completely transformed my guitar. I had a setup done by a respected local luthier just a year ago, so I assumed another wasn't necessary. I was very wrong. Ike is operating on another level entirely. He immediately identified an issue with the floating bridge and dialed everything in with surgical precision. The result? Unreal. The frets now feel like glass where they meet the neckboard on sides. So smooth, fast, and effortless. My Squier Classic Vibe Jaguar, which I already loved, suddenly feels like a high-end, custom shop guitar. And here's what really sets Ike apart: not just his technical brilliance, but the way he infuses the process with excitement. He doesn't just set up guitars; he unlocks their potential. His work has reignited my joy for playing, and I just love the feel. If you care about your instrument, take it to Ike. He's not only a master technician but a freakin' artist!

Isaac is knowledgeable, friendly, honest, and charges reasonably for his work. Very highly…read morerecommended.

I love this store! They have a wide range of used gear, but they don't just have anything. They…read morehave nicely curated stuff for sale. Everything from expensive to affordable... but even the affordable stuff is good (imo) affordable stuff. I picked up a cool discontinued JHS pedal. Jeremy, who works there was very helpful and set up an amp and bass for me to try it out before I made up my mind. I'm definitely visiting this shop again!

My son's eyes lit up the moment he walked in. He had been searching for a music store that carried…read morea Rickenbacker, and they actually had two in stock. This place is a dream for any music lover. They let you try out the instruments, and the selection of guitars, equipment, and accessories is impressive. The employees were friendly, knowledgeable, and genuinely helpful. I highly recommend checking this place out if you're looking for hard-to-find instruments, gear, or specialty equipment.

Walked into Guitar Center Pasadena with my brother, our unleashed service animal, and a budget that…read moreclearly needed adult supervision. Things got off to a rocky start when there was some confusion about the dog, but Evan checked with his manager, got it sorted, and we all survived the great leash controversy of 2026. From there, Evan was awesome. Super cool, patient, and actually knew DJ gear because he DJs himself -- which is always better than someone confidently explaining equipment they've only met that morning. By the end, we were joking with him: "You really did everything you could to not sell to us... and somehow we still bought anyway." Funny start, great ending, and Evan helped us leave with a new DJ setup and speakers. Guitar Center almost fumbled the bag, but Evan recovered the sale like a pro. Shoutout Evan.

I get that they're understaffed and busy, but you have to try hard to be as unhelpful as they are…read more One gentleman kept rolling his eyes when I approached to ask a question. I made a purchase of a couple strings and an accessory that required me to take out my inhole sound pickup, so I asked if I could borrow a screwdriver (to literally turn the screws to the left a grand total of two times). He tells me "sorry, we don't usually loan tools out for use," which is totally understandable! So I ask if he can then just help me out and turn the screws himself if I'm not allowed to touch the screwdriver -- he audibly groans and looks at me, then finally turns, practically dragging his feet as he grabs the screwdriver to help me out. I was starting to be pretty stunned by this point. Then, when I was about to leave and putting my purchases in my gig bag outside pocket, the other guitar technician, Mike, starts staring daggers at me across the floor, then tells me to show my receipt to the guy at the door-- he thought I was stealing. After I'd been walking around the store for 2 hours and making multiple purchases. My jaw literally dropped. I don't know what's going on at this store, or if they treat every customer this way, or just me. I would speculate that because I dress quite basically (like a skateboarder, roughed up clothes, maybe?) they assumed I had no money/was poor to justify how they decided to interact with me. No matter who I am or what I might look like, staff should treat EVERY customer the same. I was considering buying a guitar from this store, the Yamaha AC1R specifically that they have in the acoustic guitar room, but now I don't ever want to come back.

This is going to be one of those odd reviews. I've never been to the store or had anything…read morerepaired. I called and had a conversation with Jack. He proceeded to take quite a bit of time on the phone giving me advice on how to go about troubleshooting or attempting to fix an issue and giving me general advice that seemed super honest. THIS is the sort of business I can get behind. This is what will make me call here when I need something. It feels like a business that actually cares about synths and their customers.

Jack helped me and was super kind. Definitely check out this spot for your guitar needs!read more

My guitar came with active pickups that I didn't really like, and when they stopped working I came…read moreto Nomadic to replace them altogether. Steve did a great job, the guitar came with a 5 way switch and 2 humbuckers so he wired it up to go bridge, bridge single, split bridge/neck, neck single and neck. I can't say enough good things plus Steve is a great guy to boot. I will be back.

Perfect setup, rad guy, fast turn around, simple and affordable process. Couldn't ask for more.read more

Make time for your guitar tech! I'm realizing how important and fortunate I am to live in a city…read morewith talented guitar techs like Mike who go above and beyond--at an amazing price too. My previous Fender build broke down after being worked on by a random tech who took longer and did an average job. Mike showed me the value of going to someone who's truly #1, and he proved it with my new custom Fender Telecaster: better wiring, a careful setup, better strings, and great advice on what the legends use--all done within the same weekend Overall, my experience with Mike was amazing. He's got a great sense of humor, an old-school attitude, and he's still working like he's 40.

Mike is incredibly knowledgeable and friendly. He tells you the price up front and never adds extra…read morefees or anything. He did a setup on an old Yamaha acoustic I hadn't touched in years. It plays beautifully now. I can't recommend this guy enough!

Ernest helped me out with a small problem that I had with my amp. The input jack fell off and I…read moredidn't know how to repair it. Ernest easily repaired it and gave me advice to be careful when using the amp. Ur the man Ernest!!

had a frustrating experience with Guitar Center that came down to a lack of transparency and clear…read morecommunication. I sold my LTD ST-213 guitar to them for $250, assuming that was a fair reflection of its market value based on how it was presented to me at the time. However, shortly after, I saw the same guitar listed for $458. While I understand that businesses need to make a profit, this kind of markup--without any clear explanation upfront--feels misleading. At no point during the transaction did anyone clearly explain how their pricing works, what margin they typically apply, or what my guitar might realistically sell for on the used market. Had I been given that information, I would have made a more informed decision or at least understood the trade-off between convenience and payout. The issue here isn't just the resale price--it's the lack of full disclosure. Customers deserve transparency when they're selling valuable gear, especially when there's such a significant gap between the buy price and resale price. Overall, the experience left me feeling like I wasn't given the full picture. I would strongly recommend that anyone selling gear here do their own research beforehand and ask very specific questions about resale value and pricing structure before agreeing to a deal.

Yesterday, I took my acoustic-electric to Dave to figure out why the pickup system didn't seem to…read morebe working. I was greeted with a friendly smile and he asked me to put my guitar on the work bench to check it out right then and there. After some diagnostics, it came down to user error (mine). He was so kind and friendly and even caught a few little anomalies with the current setup. I'll take it back to him when the strings deaden for a full setup. Great customer service and fixed my problem within a few minutes. I highly recommend Dave.

Once again...David Neely to the rescue! I bought a used…read moreMartin D28, not the HD, but a standard model. It already had the Fishman Matrix Infinity pickup that I like. The guitar was in nice condition overall when I bought it, but it had a buzz which was driving me crazy, seemed like the volume was a little low both acoustically and plugged in, and had a couple of cosmetic issues. I just couldn't get it all sorted myself. So...off to Neely Guitars! The guitar now looks and plays great with what he calls "the Nashville Setup"! Low action but no buzz, much louder, very well balanced, and all the cosmetics fixed nicely! I couldn't be happier!