Great customer service and very helpful especially with product knowledge thanks so much Andrew !

This is the worst guitar center I've ever been to. Terrible customer service. Trying to upsell me instead of solve problems. They have a speaker here and in their online inventory but they won't sell it to me because it's only a demo speaker haha. I asked for a manager and while I was trying to talk to the manager the other rep was still trying to jump in and bark at me. I was like "hey bro, I'm trying to talk to your manager not you." And the manager told me to take my business somewhere else. Honestly after ten+ years in retail and going to guitar center and spending thousands of dollars there I've never seen anything like this. Don't go here if you want a solution. They create more problems and then try to sell you over priced goods and services to solve that new problem they created. read more

Needed a new guitar case for a Les Paul Special that I bought, and was helped by Andrew in Customer Service. He made sure I was getting the right sized case for my guitar before putting the order through. He was pleasant and patient, and got me what I needed. Thanks, Andrew! read more

A small Guitar Center location, but had what we were looking for. The staff is really nice and plenty of parking and easy location to get in and out of. I would recommend if you are looking for Drum, Guitar, Bass stuff. read more

I understand that GC is having a tough time and this is not about kicking them while they're down. I'm hoping to open someone's eyes to where they see they're not helping their cause. I've been shopping GCs for over 40 years. I loved going into the store that once was in Santa Ana and trying out equipment i could never hope to afford. The walls were full of basses and guitars - I could spend a whole day trying different ones. When Santa Ana closed, Brea became my store of choice. Along around that time I became aware of an outfit called Sam Ash. They were a good rival for GC. Skipping ahead to this past summer (2021) I went in with cash on me to buy a bass that I wanted. I'm telling you, I couldn't get arrested at this store! I played the thing for an hour, motioned to a couple of sales people to come help me BUY this bass. I wound up walking out empty handed and dumbstruck at the lack of help and lack of inventory I had just witnessed. Now today I'm calling the store to check on an item. 3 phone calls - NO ANSWER! At 5 in the afternoon! Sam Ash, here I come. read more

Did not even come here to write a review but then I saw these butcher job reviews of my local Guitar Center and I'm not having it. These GC guys have always been good to me. In spite of employee turnover, they're cooperative, helpful, smart and friendly and patient and don't push to upsell me. It's a great store and I hope they stay in business and do well. These naysayers may have had a bad experience; I can't comment on that, but in these past ~15-20 years that's NEVER been my experience. read more

Brad was amazing on helping purchase my Taylor acoustic guitar. Very helpful and knowledgeable on providing great customer service. Much better customer service compared to the one in Cerritos. read more

This is for the Lessons Department. We have been taking our Autistic son for guitar lessons and his teacher is Mr. Renee, he has been truly AWSOME!! He has been so patient and firm at the snake time with him and he has learned so much because of him. He was able to perform one of his favorite Elvis songs during their Recital! And the Supervisor (Oscar) has been great with us as will for been flexible and understanding with schedule changes!!! Highly recommend them!! read more

Gabriel is the man! This is the best Guitar Center in the area 100% they resolve issues with friendliness and knowledge. Come here, not the block. read more

I brought in my guitar for a repair and I'm sooo happy they had Aaron today, such a competent, helpful, and friendly expert. My guitar sounds so much better now!!! He happened to be a multi-instrumentalist and helped me pick my first pair of drum sticks as well. He was super kind and patient while I was trying out different sticks. Thank you Aaron for your help and kindness! You made my day! read more

Bought a 13-pack of D'Addario picks marked $7.99 on the shelf - they somehow became $9.99 at the register. When I made the cashier aware, he shrugged and explained he scanned it. Then I go online to purchase light gauge/tension classical guitar strings to discover they are available for pickup at your Pasadena store. If I have to wait days for them to become available at your Brea store, I will get them elsewhere. read more

Has been a while since I last updated this review for my favorite GC location. Have continued to have exceptional service (even better than before), from the team here. Sean Dougherty has been extremely helpful, especially during the pandemic and has gone out of his way a few times to communicate with me both by phone and email to keep me posted on my orders, and to ensure that customer service has been nothing short of top notch. I live and work closer to other GC's but I return to Brea because of the guys who work here -- they are all fantastic and always go the extra mile, know their gear and department, and know how to treat their customers. Proud to support brick n mortar music stores and would head over to this location over online or the other ones in a heartbeat! read more

I am a new guitar player and was in the market for an entry level guitar around the $600 price range - came in and wasn't planning on buying a guitar today, but was approached by a super helpful employee named Colton who was very nice and helpful in helping me pick a guitar that was right for me. Pleasantly surprised at the customer service and came home with a new guitar! read more

Guitar Center - Martin X series - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - Brea, California

Nice variety for guitars, no violins though, my daughter takes guitar lessons at $139 per month. Accessories are expensive though. read more

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I've been doing business with this location for years, son takes lessons, etc. most excellent service. Today Michael helped me out with an order that went wrong online. He was helpful, professional and very customer service driven. I respect that as a business owner myself. Great job Michael and crew!! I'll be a customer for life. read more

I went yesterday to join String Club....$20 to join and a $5 allowance each month towards the purchase of guitar strings. There is a nice high end room, but most of the stuff is locked up. There are a few guitars on floor stands that you can play. The main floor has changed since I last visited. A few big displays in the center have been removed. So it seems emptier. It's cool that you don't get hassled, and I found some good deals. read more

They sold me a used dj stand for a brand new priceand when I tried to returning it less than a month later, they rudely denied my refund and started yelling at me. This is unacceptable as I spend my hard earned money here. Not anymore. Why do some employees go above and beyond to make customers feel unwanted. No need for this , I got scammed and disrespected here. read more

4 stars but 5 stars for effort! I had a pretty complicated situation arise on some used speakers which I bought from this location. Long story short, after being at the store for over an hour trying to get it figured out, I ended up just returning the used item and getting a refund. Overall, just be careful when buying used gear! But don't worry, the manager Shane and pro audio member Chris will make sure to do ALL that they can to try and help in as best a way possible. Thanks for your help guys! read more

Walked in for information today, left with much more! Was greeted by 3 gentlemen and told them I wanted to look at mics and recorders for podcasting. Chris directed me to the audio area with the mic display and case of recorders. I knew exactly what I was looking for but did not have much knowledge about the inter-workings of these products. Chris had a wealth of knowledge, some personal experience too. Had Chris not known so much I would have likely sat on the decision to buy. Easy, painless and EXTREMELY helpful! Sean (manager) also made the purchase simple and reassuring. Their return policy sh*ts on that of Nordstrom... 45 days and they also offer several reasonable 2 year warranty options for "accidents" (meaning user error/carelessness. Thank you guys so much for all your help today! *Happy Customer read more

shout out to Brad and Carina. they were able to fix all my issues and left me very satisfied. this experience alone made me a better guitar player. I was being pretty difficult but they got me sorted anyway. come here for decent service read more

The best Guitar Center hands down. Staff is friendly. refreshing to have a top notch repair dep, and the store manager is concerned about your needs and understands getting you the right gear. I have been to other GC's where the staff is only concerned about ringing you up with no help taking heavy gear to your vehicle, have 0 understanding about any instrument, don't mind selling you garbage gear that you cant try or will help you hook up, and get angry over a return. The Brea store is a stand alone quality music store that exceeds expectations of any other location or music store and will squash the GC myth ( which unfortunately is usually the case) of non caring un-employable people selling whatever without knowing jack about anything except a price tag. Wanna say, Great job guys. Definite THE STORE to shop at. read more

Buyer beware - just discovered that the bone nut I paid to have installed on my 12-string acoustic at this location a few years ago is not in fact, bone. They had me buy the bone blank and everything. Small print on it says Nubone. I can't believe I didn't notice it when I picked it up or anytime since then till now. No longer have the receipt or proof - it's been so long. Could have been a mistake due to a mix-up or miscommunication or maybe just plain fraudulent; but it's either careless at best, or just plain fraudulent, at worst. Either way... Damn, I feel so duped, stupid. I'll never go there again, that's for sure. If you have work like this done there by them I'd advise you to check what you get back... thoroughly - or better yet, just avoid this place altogether. read more

Guitar Center - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - Brea, California

They don't know the words Customer service. Awful my guitar was shipped on another guitar box and it was broken from pick selector. Nobody did anything to fix it fast or get me a same replacement. At the end I called to replace it and they hang off on me and they cancel the order without confirmation. Just Terrible!! read more

This review is for the service and poor communication I received from the crew working the evening of 11/02/2022. At about 5:30 I call the store to ask if an appointment needs to be made in order to have used gear appraised for potential sale. I was informed by the person who answered that any salesperson can perform an appraisal of used gear as long as I arrive before 8:00. I arrive at 7:25 to an empty shop with 5 employees hanging out on the main floor. I say, "what's up guys, just here to get some gear appraised." One of the employees replies simply that they don't inspect used gear after 7:00. (I get that 7:25 was less than ideal but was not informed of a 7:00 cutoff.) I told the employee I was informed that inspections were done prior to 8:00. The employee then shortly stated there was no computer with which to test my gear and asked who I spoke to over the phone, (I did not get her name) and I said that I didn't know. At which point the employee asked if I had informed the person I spoke with over the phone what kind of gear I had planned on bringing in for inspection. I said I had not because it was not asked of me. To which the employee responded "exactly." As though to imply that I'm somehow responsible for their inability to assist me by not asking them the right questions or anticipating their ability to inspect the gear I brought. Another of the employees suggested that I go to the Guitar Center in Orange, I guess because maybe they'll have a working computer and a helpful staff? I simply turned around and walked out I was so shocked at the poor communication. If the inspection process was too time consuming to perform at that time or that store for some reason just didn't have the necessary - computer - to test my gear, fine. But i can think of a million other ways of conveying the same message without wasting your customer's time and then smugly turning the blame on them. Here are just a few examples: "I'm sorry for the miscommunication but our inspections may take up to an hour or more so we're unable to assist tonight" "Unfortunately we don't have the necessary equipment to inspect your gear. I apologize we didn't clarify with you over the phone." This was my first attempt selling used equipment to Guitar Center after years as a buyer and now I don't think I want to do either. The 3 stars were for all the cool employees I've dealt with over those years. read more

I drove out here from Glendora because I was told this was the only location that had a pedal in stock and after walking into an empty store and standing at the counter for a few minutes I had to find someone and ask them for help and after having me wait while they helped about five other customers that came in after me. They finally told me they couldn't find it. Thanks for nothing. Oh, I did get a "sorry for the wait". One star for "looking" and one for the apology it was the least they could do. read more

IAN!!!! My family and I are beyond Thankful for the Pleasant experience of purchasing our new Family instruments!! Ian was extremely knowledgeable and patient with our picky taste. After feeling out a few guitars, Ian helped me get the perfect fit for me; all while understanding and prioritizing my specific needs. Along with some studio gear and even helping my 5yr old with a flute lol, all very pleasant experience. It's so awesome when you go to make personal purchases that are special to us with STELLAR Service like Ian's. Feels like we were shopping with a Friend! We appreciate You so much! Thanks again for the Genuine service and your input! read more

So I don't know anything about music or music equipment, this is based purely on costumer service. I went in looking for a record player and speaker set up for a Christmas gift. I had no idea where to start, what I was looking for or what was considered "good". Josh helped me beginning to end and I was stoked. He helped me figure out how much I was looking to spend, showed me different models of turn tables and speakers and made sure I had the right cables for the whole set up. Then someone helped us carry everything out to the car. They were very busy helping many people just in that section of the store. I was super happy with the service and my bf, who's a musician, is soooo stoked on the whole set up. A+ guitar center! Shout out to josh! read more

I popped in for the first time to see if I could get my collapsible guitar repaired for some buzzing. I met Lou at repairs, and he adjusted the truss rod for free since my guitar is new and in good condition. I'm thankful, Lou! Your kindness and stories made my day. read more

I am in no way a professional musician, however, I do like to annoy my wife with my playing. Recently, I made an IG video of my kid and I having a jam session. I mean, we sounded good, but the tone of my guitar sounded like crap. I was in the area for business, my meeting was wrapped up early, so I decided to walk in to see if there was a cost effective alternative to improve the tone of my guitar, I have a fender American elite btw. Earnest was approached me with excellent customer service. I told him what I was looking for, he showed me a few options. He blew me away with how far technology has leaped in the musicians world. He sold me on the Fender Mustang amp with all the knick-knack effects built into it. This is an amazing bang for your buck item. But did I want to spend $xxx.xx on my down time? Well that's where Shane the manager stepped in. He negotiated a more than fair price for the amp. Thank you. On my way out, he asked how my experience was, I told him that I'm in spitting distance to the lake Forest GC, but the Brea store has been the best experience to date. I do business quite often in this area, I'll be sure to stop by again if I'm afforded the down time to do so. read more

Garbage. The clerks at the front greet other people but not us? We also stood at the counter forever to buy some accessories and all the employees either just passed us up or stared at us from a far with no intent to help at all. Oh, and let's not forget the ancient artifacts they use as computers... news flash GC, it's 2023. Time to get rid of grandmas old type writers and get with the times. I've been in there for so many years and often I get this statement: "I'm sorry, our systems are down." Well, OBVIOUSLY they're down. Lol piss poor customer service and they use fossilized technology. Abysmal. read more

So had a pretty bad experience here today. I brought my Martin in, which I paid $1700 for about 6 months ago. I played it for about 30 minutes total since I've owned it. The guitar is in 10/10 condition. Even the case doesn't have a scratch on it. And of course, all original hang tags etc... So I went in there to trade it in. I was thinking 900-1000 would be an ok number that I could live with. Being how Martin increased the price of mine and are now selling for 1950 new. So I put the case on the counter, and the young women working there said " we don't buy cases". As if a guitar being INSIDE the case wasn't a remote possibility. She looked super out of it, I don't want to make any accusations, maybe she was just tired. After all, it was 10:30 in the morning. So I tell her there's a real life guitar inside the case, and her response was oh. To make a long story short, and after 20 minutes of waiting I get the $700 offer. I said that was real low, considering the condition of the guitar. And I said that I wasn't looking for cash, but to trade it in on a new Strat. So I said $900 is the lowest I'll take. Well, you would've thought that I asked the manager for his testicles or something. I get the " no way, and we have to make money on it." THATS JUST WHAT A CUSTOMER WANTS TO HEAR, that they're not making enough money on me! So then I said, well how about the $3500 I just spent in the orange location on a new les paul standard and new hot rod deluxe amp? Doesn't that count for something? Didn't you make enough money on me? Didn't even make a dent. Even got the "who gives a shit" look. Well perfect. I get to return $3500 worth of Guitar Center shit. Keep catering to the little kids that mommy drops off so you can babysit them for a couple of hours. I'm sure they'll keep your profits going as they take pictures of the guitar they like, and mommy buys it on Amazon for a lot less. Nice job GC. When you guys go out of business, I'll be standing by the fire sale door laughing read more

Guitar Center - Well, I got my Strat deluxe at Sam Ash. They gave me $950 for mine,( $250 more than Guitar Center), - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - Brea, California

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Matt is excellent and way too good to be working at Guitar center. You can tell that Matt is running things well because him and his staff greet you when you walk in the door, ask if you need help, get you a bass cable, offer to search stock, etc. This is totally opposite from the Ontario location where they ignore you, don't know anything and complain about how awful customers are right in front of you. Only complaint is the bass room was converted to a acoustic guitar room. It should be for bass again. read more

I went to this guitar from Norwalk because I needed better service since Cerritos guitar center has bad service. I would ask the employee for questions and help, and they didn't know anything at all not wanting to help. They were also very lazy in helping and getting the objects for us. Overall just bad service in this place. Especially from the employee: Eradley C.Y read more

Just had a problem with a purchase at this store. After a couple attempts to fix my uke Shane said it would be better to exchange it. The manufacturer didn't have a replacement in stock but he tried to find the same one. Long story short Shane gave me credit and I bought another uke. I complained earlier about the lack of a technician on the weekends but the store didn't have the workload for another tech. I understand And Daniel tried his best to fix my problem and the instrument still buzzed where it wasn't supposed to. I really appreciated the attempts. Overall I'm very satisfied with the way my purchase and adjustments were handled. Shane, Matt, and Daniel great job guys. A happy customer read more

Having spent thousands of dollars at this store over the years, This last visit may be my last... I recently acquired a brand new still in bag & box Guitar Center Rogue Guitar which was immediately signed by an artist (I did not personally purchase it from Guitar Center). When I got it home and tried to tune it like I do my Martin or my Uke, I was unable. So I brought it to this Guitar Center and one of the employees gave it a shot and was also unable and recommended that I speak to their repair shop the following day. That next day, at the repair shop, the tech quickly found the reason why, a defective "G" string was installed. Rather than offering to just replace the string since it is a Guitar Center brand, like they should have, I was sold a complete tune-up for $50 which is really about the retail value of the guitar itself. Even though the service included adjusting the bow of the next and a bit of filing, I really feel that I was taken advantage of and as a new unused store brand Guitar, they should have made it right initially and then charged me to upgrade all the string or customize it further should I have chosen. Totally upset, yes it's a small thing, I will be returning percussion items I also purchased and getting them on-line as a savings. I'm done with Guitar Center even though the service otherwise was very pleasent. read more

Did an online order and had it delivered to the Brea store. It arrived missing a brackett. Thank goodness Vince figured out who to call and hooked me up with the replacement piece! Customer service rocks here!! Love this store! Love that there's a place that employs fellow musicians. Been coming here for years and will be back! read more

Btw Mr. Erland...a Fender Handle "Dogbone" is $ 9.99 ...you said $60 to replace it. Shame on you, you should give the good example considering your position as Store Manager. Check Guitar Center website and learn the prices of your company P.s. Just in case, the handle - leather is $24.99 if you know what I mean... read more

Guitar Center - www.guitarcenter.com - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - Brea, California

I went to go exchange my Fender amp for a higher priced amp. I was disappointed with the level of service the sales person seemed dismissive with me. I explained to him exactly what I was looking for then he pointed me in the wrong direction. He obviously was not paying attention. So he excused himself to go help another person briefly. Then I went to ask the guitar tech some questions about what I need to do to my new Fender Tele all he said was the cost and that they would include new strings. No real detail as to what is included. He couldn't even stop and look at me. I had to ask for a card. Overall the service was poor. I would understand if they had a lot of customers but it was only me and one other lady. I wont be going back! I forgot to mention the sales guy said they would price match anything online then declined. No explanation why he couldn't he just said it wasn't possible. read more

There's some things to like about this store, & some things that need improvement. The best part is the staff. They are engaging and work hard to help the best they can. Different people tend to have different proclivities, and so the help can be great, or can be mediocre, if not earnest. Sometimes it's good just to have a sympathetic assistant, but generally it's best to have one that is also expert in the exact thing you're discussing. I worked with Vince on a recent purchase and he let me have as much "alone time" as I wanted with several guitars and an amplifier, yet was readily available to help out & answer questions. This store has always been fair to me when I've purchased used equipment. This stores prices also tend to be some of the best anywhere, including better than other Guitar Center stores. Where they need improvement is in their in-store stock of guitars & guitar amplifiers. That's usually, though not always, of primary interest to me. Their stock of both of these categories tends to be smaller than their competitors and other Guitar Center stores. The location is great, and parking is readily available. They have bathrooms (My reviews reference these because I use them as a proxy for how a place cares for it's customers when nobody is looking. When the staff is on stage and everybody is looking, of course they put on their best smile & put their best foot forward, but how are they behind the scenes when nobody is looking. THAT'S the bathroom.), which I was NOT expecting, I figured they'd have zero for customer use, but they have two spacious, scrupulously clean ones. Handy because when handling music equipment, especially equipment as tactile as guitars, having clean hands is a darn good thing. read more

Awful, awful awful! This place is under staffed- seriously. I was standing by the counter for about 5 mins waiting for someone to help me and nothing. This will be the last time a do business with this store or ANY Guitar center for that matter. My over all experience was a huge mess. read more