I have been a guitarist for almost 18 years and worked at a guitar store for 5 years while studying classical guitar in college. The store I worked at was a lot like guitar center as far as product line and customer base, but it was locally owned. Let me tell you if my store had given the piss poor customer service that this place does we would have gone out of business. On TWO separate occasions I have walked into this store ready to buy a guitar. Once a $1,200 Breedlove acoustic and today a Ibanez bass as well as recording software. The first time with the Breedlove, I stood at the counter for 20 minutes with the guitar in my hand. Not one single person came to check me out, so I hung it back up and left. Today, I was seeking some advice (more than what I had found on the guitarcenter website) on some software and the interface needed. The software guy didn't answer a single question and only told me that they had one version in stock and then proceeded to show me the website to show me what I already knew. Then my wife and I stood staring up at the basses for a good 15 minutes. I saw staff chatting, laughing, and various other fun activities, but not once did someone ask us if they could help. I'm sure we could have hunted someone down to help us, but jesus christ, I'm the customer. I'm there to spend money and you should help me do that. I'm a super easy customer. I don't just want to sit there and have a rehearsal with my friends or show off like so many guitar store customers do. I just want to buy what I know I want and get the f*** out. I know what it's like to work in one of these places, so I have sympathy for them. But this guitar center is basically a hang out spot. When we left today I thought to myself, "You know better than to go here. It's always like this." What a huge waste of time! I will never go back to this store or order from their website. read more

I just had the worst experience at guitar center with a person who has allegiance to someone else in town that I know. Guitar center can't keep their personal beliefs out of business and they don't deserve my money. There is no recourse through corporate office and the store manager did nothing to make me feel as if the situation would be any better than next time.music go round in Albuquerque is owned by some wonderful people and I suggest you go there for all your musical instrument needs. I also suggest using z z o u n d s read more

What an amazing selection for musicians. There are four areas, the main floor with electric guitars, amps, music books, etc. There is the acoustic room with a vast variety of caustic guitars you can play. The next two areas are the percussion and the piano/track room. There's everything you'd ever need. It's unfortunate that no one greeted us or ask us if we needed help. read more

Guitar Center - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

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My regular guitar tech was out of town and needed work done on a Strat. I went in to Ralf and got a quote. The work was finished quickly. I went in to pick up guitar and was charged almost twice the quoted price. The Guitar Center manager was of no help. If you go here be prepared for ridiculous surprise charges. I suspect the work was complete on the same day because no one else is foolish enough to bring there guitar in to Ralf. Live and learn. I recommend that you find somewhere else to go. read more

Always used this store to buy quality music instruments, unfortunately I came cross this rude representative, I believe called Kellam, very disappointing, most of the personal has been nice in the pass but this individual definitely not the right person to represent Guitar Center. I rather buy online from Sweetwater.com or other retailers from now on. read more

I have not felt it necessary to write a review until now. I have been in to GC on many occasions and service was fair. The past two times I have gone in with the intention to purchase. The first time I simply waited in the drum shop for help and nobody showed. I looked for my favorite drumsticks and they were out. I left. Tonight I went in to buy a new practice pad and snare stand. I only needed someone to get them for me. I waited in drumshop for 10 minutes. I went to front to ask someone for help and they asked for a minute. I went back and waited for another 10 minutes and simply walked out right past the guy who was gonna come help. Nothing said. I came home and ordered the item from another company on line. I won't go back again read more

Guitar center is chain, and has essentials for musicians. I went there to buy a connecting chord as two of mine crapped out recently. They have a decent selection of chords, strings and sticks. Not to be a snob, but I prefer more carefully put together shops like GuitarVista. They however specialize more in acoustics. Rumble seat is amazing and so are there prices. Marc's is geared towards the beginner and like most of those style shops the gear is second to trying to get people to sign on for lessons. So there is a real gap in buying electric guitars in Albuquerque, and I guess guitar center fills the void. Staff are attentive and friendly, so do them a favor and do not play eruption or stairway for the love of god. The pros of a chain If something does not work bring it back and cry see if they take pity on you. If you move there may be another store in the area to relocate. Most instruments are new, I know they do sell used stuff and you can source it online. Cons Most of the instruments are new You may have to hear a young lad or lass butcher stairway or whatever is popular now. It is a corporation why not support the little guy, you actually may get a better deal. read more

Manager was super, super rude and didn't care at all that I almost lost $1500. The refund went to credit at the store and no one bothered to tell me. read more

Rayce was super helpful. We were looking at a guitar for purchase. He took it out out of the box and something was wrong with it. He tried it again. Well we ended up ordering one online to get at the store. He was just a really great professional guy. Other people may have just sold it to us without checking. Awesome! read more

Great service and nice election of used gear. Unlike many guitar centers this one in ABQ had plenty of staff on hand to help us out. Great service and great selection for what we needed. read more

Guitar Center - Guitar Center Alburqurque - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

If I could give 0 I would, I was waiting in line along with several other people ready to pay. I know my items were just guitar strings and picks. So mild in amount, however it was crap that someone who hadn't been in line just went up to the register and because they were purchasing a bass got two employees to help them find what they needed while I still had to wait. I decided to just leave and will just order online. I don't feel the need to deal with people. This guitarcenter keeps getting worst with services. I don't think I'll be going to them anymore. Unfortunate, as I've spent thousands through them for so many years, but just don't like how their employees want to tell me after I ask if anyone else could ring me up since the two on register decided to help one person instead of divide up the work like anyone else working in customer service would, that they are now all of a sudden after helping this person who cut in line and because they were buying something of higher value was treated just a bit better and catered to better. read more

I drove from Santa Fe to the Guitar Center in Albuquerque today just to get totally ignored...and I wasn't the only customer, but I was the one who waited the longest. I was ready and willing to spend at least $200 in drum equipment I needed, but ended up leaving after waiting 45 minutes. When I got there, the employee working in the drum section told me he would be right back to tend to me, but never came back and neither did anyone else. Meanwhile, the customers there were piling up. You'd think someone working there would notice! But don't worry GC...I won't be back! I only wish you all could reimburse me for the time and gas, cuz I wasted a whole Sunday afternoon. read more

They have probably the worst service I have ever seen. They were waiting on me and in the middle of waiting on me they left to wait on another customer, who I guess they thought was more important. This happened twice! read more

Great people! This is one of my favorite guitar centers I've been to so far, because the workers are helpful, knowledgeable, and friendly. I'm here from out of town and needed to get some gear. Though not everything I needed was in stock, they helped me find alternatives...and compared to the other guitar centers I've been in during the pandemic, they actually have a lot more stuff available in store. read more

I had a guitar to sell. It took a few minutes to track some down but when I did, everything went well for me. I know what I could sell it for on the open market isn't what you can even closely expect from a store. That said, the guitar was checked out completely and played. He looked it up and made me an offer. I accepted and was promptly paid. Just remember you should expect to take a 40% haircut for not selling to a guy who pulls a gun and walks away leaving you nothing. In my case ease of sale and secure surroundings was worth it. read more

I have a 2007 Taylor T5 Limited. It is a beautiful guitar, the top looks like the sun setting on the underside of clouds. One of my favorite guitars, stays in tune, easy to play, low noise recording and low maintenance. A great range of tones. I live in New Mexico. The desert climate is hard on wood. Without a humidifier, guitars dry out. I use a humidifier. However, my T5 started to "choke out" on the higher frets of the top E string. Usually the answer is to check and adjust the neck relief. This time the problem persisted. I do simple adjustments to guitars myself. For fret work, I use the local guitar shop. For complex maintenance and warranty work I prefer sending the guitar back to the original manufacturer. I had a great experience sending an RG to Ibanez. Shipping hollow body guitars is risky. I had Taylor renovate an 18 year old 12 string and the shipper managed to damage the guitar on its return journey. I contacted Taylor and they referred me to the Albuquerque Guitar Center. This is a new relationship. Apparently Guitar Center has invested a lot of time and money to become certified as a service center for Taylor. I drove to Guitar Center and explained the issues I had with the T5 to Brian Hammer, the Taylor Silver certified tech in the store. Being local, Brian is very familiar with how the climate can affect a guitar. We discussed the issues with the T5 in the store, the bridge had always been low and there were frets that needed to be tapped back in. Brian wanted to spend more time with the guitar and to make the adjustments to bring the guitar back to factory specifications. I left the guitar with Brian on a Friday. On the following Wednesday he called and explained the the work he had done and that the primary issues had been resolved. He also gave me the option to crown and polish the frets which I agreed to. I picked the guitar up on the following Friday. The set up was perfect, and Brian had cleaned up the fingerboard to the extent that it was better than when I original purchased it. Fantastic job. I think Taylor and Guitar Center have made a great decision to join forces in the servicing of Taylor's fine instruments, it removes the potential for the shipper to damage guitars. With certified techs of Brian's high quality standards, I think this is a winning combination. read more

I've been going to Guitar Center since 1996 in Los Angeles - I have been a loyal customer since.I have been playing Music since 1988. I've personally spent over 80,000 dollars at the Austin TX south location in the 16 years I played music there - I've been to Guitar centers across the USA - but never have I been so let down and disappointed at this Albuquerque store. Are you going out of business or something? is that why you have let your store go to sh#t? Please tell me - to even call this location a music store is a joke.Even worse is that it is the only all around music store in New Mexico.I guess they just want us to order online- but any real musician will tell you buying a guitar online is like buying a car online - you gotta test drive it first. Hanging out at a music is part of life for me- I love it. Shoot I'll even offer to work there to make it better experience for musicians everywhere- what's up guitar center? read more

I have played guitar for 25 years and been a musician for 48 years. I have shopped in Guitar Centers in Los Angeles, Minneapolis/St. Paul, and St. Louis. So, quite a few years ago when this Guitar Center opened, I was eager to see what treats they would have for me. This Guitar Center caters to young men, so entering as a middle aged woman took alot of courage. In the early years, both the acoustic manager and the accessories staff happily greeted me and obtained what I wanted to purchase. Perhaps the recession has made things change, but in the last year, I am ignored in the acoustic section, because they no longer have full time staff there. Yesterday was a great concern in the accessories section. There was a mobile ladder in my way as I looked for a sturdy guitar stand. Nobody came to get it our of my way, so I kept pushing it til I could see what I wanted. (One would think their insurers would have a problem with a customer moving the large ladder, but I have also had to do that in the acoustic guitar section.) Never did the clerk in the accessories section come to see if I needed help. (That would not have been the case in the past.) Rather, somebody had brought in a guitar and amplifier and played these while the clerked chatted with that gentleman from behind his register about clarity of sound. (I think that perhaps the man was looking at cables.) I could have used some help with my purchase, because once I got it home, I found the stand broken and fabric to be torn. Perhaps if the clerk had paid attention, he could have pointed that out to me. Rather as he ran my card (ignoring me), he called out to the gentleman with the guitar and amp, "I'll just be two seconds." I told him that he was optimistic, so he called to the man "four seconds." Now, I know I am one of the older people to go to Guitar Center, but to me customer service requires some face-to-face interaction with the customer rather than treating him or her as if they were a bother. When I wanted to purchase a Martin Guitar, I looked at Guitar Center Albuquerque, but chose to get the guitar that I wanted at Guitar Center Crestwood in St. Louis. I am glad I did. If a store cannot give good service in small purchases, one cannot expect good aftercare for expensive instruments. I will see if the manager at Guitar Center Albuquerque will exchange or refund my money for the broken guitar stand that they sold me. I hope that this finishes in a good transaction. read more

I've been in and out of this store for years. One time, I was purchasing something that cost about $900. The guy that was helping me said that he had to take the call from someone who purchases 20k worth of merchandise at a time. It was as if my business didn't matter and I ended up purchasing the wrong instrument because I was shoved second to someone who spends more money even though I was there, in person, first. I notice that they hire a lot of young garage musicians and maybe c class musicians who have the attitude that they are young, soon to be, rock stars. They are arrogant, judging, and to be quite frank, they help others who are on the same path, although, they put more time and energy into letting these kids tear up their equipment. It's pretty much a free-for-all opportunity to hammer on any guitar they have on the lower shelf and any amp any time they want to. Really, they should have an amplifier room and only let one guitarist in at a time. Seriously, how can you tell the sound of a guitar when there are 5 other learning musicians slamming their equipment around. So, if you want a good used guitar, all of them are on the lower section. They are used daily by most who can't afford to buy them anyway. I would prefer to work with a seasoned professional who is knowledgeable than a want to be rock star who thinks he already know it all. read more

I drove all the way from Colorado to Albuquerque NM for a vacation. I decided to stop at a guitar center and throw down a couple hundred bucks on cymbals. I couldn't get the guy In the drum shop off his ass! Couldn't get any demo sticks or any sort of customer service! I walked away without spending a dime. Guitar centers are there own form of hell on earth for musicians. Shop locally! read more

Love the friendly customer service from Matt, he helped me pick out the perfect Valentine's Day gift! Also staff very helpful when we had issues with a guitar. This Christmas we also bought an awesome Ibanez bass for only$199. I would give it 5 stars but in the past I have been met with less than friendly staff. read more

I called the corporate office because I was so offended and disappointed with my experience and they told me they would get back to me but never did. I left this review on June 11th 2018 and still nothing has been done. I felt completely unvalued as a customer. This was the review I lef... "I don't often leave reviews but todayI was very disappointed with my service. Clark was the gentleman helping me today and I told him I was shopping for a gift for my boyfriend with a budget below $1,000. My boyfriend would always talk about guitar center so I went there first and I was pretty decided I was just going to buy there. However, Clark did not help or fill me in on anything. I told him I didn't necessarily know what to look for and he still didn't make any recommendations what's so ever. I could tell he didn't take me serious. He practically just took me into the room and I pointed at guitars and he would just say things like "yeah that's a good one for starts" didn't tell me why or why not. So me confused of what I was buying he went to go ring it up for me. I had a feeling in my stomach not to buy from there. So when I told Clark never mind I'm going to go look a few other places before I decide. He just said okay and closed the screen he was working on and walked away. I was offended and very disappointed." I felt like a fish out of water. Now that I know even corporate office doesn't care to fix it. I will never go back. (Spent my money at "Music Go Around" instead. Ruben the manager was AMAZING THERE.)" read more

In my experience, the service is great but not a good place for serious buyers. I don't think I've ever been in the store when there wasn't some "god damn" kid trying to show everyone how awesome he is at shredding metal scales. The acoustic room is almost as bad. I would like to see the staff offer an isolated space where serious buyers can sample the merch. read more

Guitar center Albuquerque is poorly managed . I often go to guitar centers out of state because they are educated. Here I'm abq there accessories are never up to par sales staff needs training . but I Dont think it will happen here read more

I bought my drum set here and had a problem after the exchange period had expired. They contacted gretsch for me and got the set exchanged. They helped me then trade the gretsch in for a better Yamaha set up. They are easy to work with and are very knowledgeable. I like this store, I would recommend to everyone. Also, I have bought several guitars from them with no issues! read more

Great experience. Renee in the drumming section really went out of his way to help us out. We are highly impressed. We will return.

Tried shopping for some electronic equipment but all personnel just completely avoided me. No greet, no "how can I help you"? Just long weird stares. I'll stick with amazon. read more

Admittedly I'm no musician but since starting work in media I've used Guitar Centers' for purchasing production/recording equipment, which was my reason for stopping by at the ABQ store. Having forgot to pack a microphone and in need of a mixer I ran to Guitar Center for my last minute shortfalls before a going on the air. Tyrone was awesome. He saw I was in a hurry and helped me find what I needed and get out of there within minutes. He also made sure I received a military discount, which I forgot to ask for. That alone will make me a return customer as I return to ABQ. For all those reasons I find their customer service top-notch. The only hit I would have is the store hours but since it caters to the musician crowd, who tend to have late hours I fully understand. All together I have to say that I'm a fan of GC, 4 Stars. read more

Kali helped me navigate a complicated situation with an audio mixer. He solved the problem easily and was super helpful. I will definitely return when I have other audio-equipment needs. read more

workers were friendly and helped out , lovely place :) great atmosphere and things were easy to find :)

I have played guitar for more than 20 years. I own 14 of the things and a room full of studio rack equipment including things like a Mesa/Boogie Studio Pre and a Marshall JCM900 SL-X a full Yamaha electronic drum kit, and all sorts of stuff I don't use and wanted to get rid of. The staff at guitar center abq just looked at me like stunned sheep when I walked in to their store, like I had three heads or antennae or something. They refused to budge from the counter to help me, so I wandered around a little bit. Their guitar inventory was just the usual fare of overpriced Gibson and Epiphonies and a bunch of the typical Fender junk. They had an Egnater head that got me kind of amped up, but not even playing around with the unplugged head and twiddling knobs on it brought sales assistance. They were far too busy telling each other how cool they are. Reminds me of Guitar Center LA. read more

Worst guitar center in America. My band tours all over and they are so rude compared to the other stores. The Manager, Chris is condescending and less then helpful. No one is ever in pro audio or drums to help me grab what I need behind the counter and when I ask for help they assume I don't know what I'm talking about. Very annoyed they make commission when I helped myself. Don't go here, they do everything they can to make you feel like a pile of mud. read more

Back in September 2015, we bought a new bass and amp from the Albuquerque guitar center. They were helpful and friendly, and it all worked fine. The amp has since failed and is still under warranty. guitar center in Albuquerque did not act like they cared at all when we brought the amp back down (a 200 mile journey for us). They sent us to some other place in town that supposedly works on them (guitar works, also in Albuquerque). After two tries, we successfully got the amp to guitar works (they are open three days a week), only to be told they don't do warranty work. Really? They reluctantly took the amp, said they would call guitar world and get back to me. So we have no amp at present, and no information as to how it will get repaired. Thanks, guitar world. I will never patronize this store or any in the chain again. read more

Today, (3/24/19) I drove to the store from Socorro, NM because we have no music stores in our town. I got there 5 minutes before their Sunday opening of 11:00 am. When the employee unlocked the door, I let him know that I needed assistance in the drum section and knew exactly what I intended to buy. He then referred me a fairly young man with blond, sort of long curly hair who said he would be with me shortly. After waiting 10 minutes, I made sure to walk towards him so that he would see me still waiting, and he did. He again told me he would be right with me, so I again waited another 10 minutes. As I was waiting, I noticed that 4-5 staff were all stationed at the front counter with another staff person stationed at another counter closer to where I was waiting. As he was standing there doing nothing, I approached him and asked if he could come with me to the drum section to get me two cymbal stands that I wanted to buy. So he walked back with me and I pointed out the stand that I wanted from their demo section. He then told me he didn't know how to get the stands and called for assistance through the intercom. After 10 more minutes, no one showed up and I knew they wouldn't because no one there ever leaves the front counter. So I left totally pissed! The drive back to Socorro was long because of how mad I was. But I know that I will purchase my equipment through online services from now on. It amazes me how this store is still in business, not just because of my bad experience, but because of the other similar negative stories I read from their yelp customer service ratings. They're all the same and similar...BAD. read more

Big ticket item purchased to see if it would work....it didnt...returned the next day....only to be subjected to the most awkward return ive ever had...they wanted to tell me what i should do instead of returning it ie ...down load this driver....get a new computer etc...i had to basically strong arm them to give me a refund...it was the same guy that sold it to me...right before he sold it to me...happy as a clam...told me the return policy which i adhered to ...turned grumpy af when i tried to return it...almost like trying to make me feel guilty or bad ...not a positive experience at all read more

I went into this Guitar Center with a lot of questions hoping they could answer them about Digital pianos. I am a beginner and wanted a good piano that could last. I waited for about 30 minutes wondering around for someone to help me, no one seemed to really care that I needed help. I finally got someone's attention after standing at the check out area for about 8 minutes and the man who "helped" talked to me like I had no knowledge of anything. Very rude. I had did my homework on pianos and what I wanted but only online. I went in hoping I could get some more help before I could buy one possibly there but I just thanked the man and walked out. Not planning to return to this store. read more

Over the last year, I have bought all of my audio equipment from here. This has included a mixer, MIDI controller, nice (150$) headphones, and most recently two KRK Rokit 5 studio monitors. I try to go at least once a month as well to look at new things and talk to Jarrod, one of the employees. Jarrod has sold me everything on that list minus the MIDI controller. He is very knowledgeable when it comes to most sound and DJ equipment. He's just a great guy who is always happy to help. Everyone else there is pretty helpful too. I've never had anyone try to sell me something more expensive that I didn't need. They really work with you to figure out whats best for you. read more