Good prices on guitar strings! Quick service, we were in and out in 15 minutes! Staff is helpful. read more

I had to return an online order from Guitarcenter.com - the guitar was faulty (piezo pickup not working) and was sent from a Guitar Center in IL. Matt the manager helped me and was able to track down a partial refund that was stuck in the IL store and then refund the entire amount to me. He was obviously super knowledgeable and was giving directions and help to staff while waiting for my refund to go through. No hassle return, very quick considering he had to track down the partial refund, and no pressure to buy another guitar. Guitar Center Brea is a great brick and mortar local store, thanks to staff like Matt. read more

No wonder this place is going out of business. Two employees helping one person .. one is looking up stuff while the other is twiddling their thumb. Stop hiring such incompetent employees read more

First off, thank you to Elias for ringing me up and repping the store in a professional, courteous, and friendly way. Every team member at this store has a great ability to make you feel welcome and they're all very knowledgeable about the products they sell. The first gentleman that helped me out- didn't catch his name but he was working the desk by the keyboards- gave me the info I needed on some books I was looking for and reviewed what might be best for me. I'm definitely coming back. read more

Went in last night to pickup a guitar I ordered. It wasn't to my expectation and the manager and staff went above and beyond to get me/re order what I needed. They were friendly, patient and understanding. They didn't make me feel like I was being a pain in the a. They also offered advice on how I could avoid the purchase problem in the future. It was also nice to see the manager supportive and helpful of his staff, whom needed to complete many steps on the computer to complete the refund and reorder. I love guitar center brea and will make all my purchases there. I hope this store in particular will remain in business despite the recent company bankruptcy-its so refreshing to go in and have a helpful, kind and considerate staff at a major music store. read more

Went in the other day. Store was very slow. "Sean" kept ignoring me. Helped the gentlemen who had just walked in and refused to help me. I finally asked him for help, and he shrugged and said ok. He continued to ignore me and help people just walking in. After half hour I left. Never going back again. read more

I've been coming here for years. I never really buy actual guitars or amps here but I do try out instruments for feeling and sound purposes. I do, however, buy little things like picks, stands, cables, straps, and occasionally books here and so far they've had everything I've needed. I haven't been stiffed by arrogant jerks yet like a lot of people have said. In fact, I was just there last week to get a strap and a simple stand for my new Yamaha Bass and there were 3 different guys who asked if I needed help which was great and refreshing, considering how many bad reviews regarding service have been posted already. I'll be honest... Every time I've been to this guitar center since I got my first bass and my first acoustic in 2008, I've been pretty pleased. Everything is pretty much biased as far as when you ask an associate what they feel is whatever. The second guitar amp I ever got was a Vox Valvetronix 50-watt an associate told me was the best which turned out to be terrible and complicated but he played them and loved them. Another associate tried to sell me a Blackstar amp because he said they were the best. My first bass amp ever was a Hartke A30. Point is, don't get mad when a recommendation goes your way. Just cuz it works for the associates who you ask, doesn't mean it will for you necessarily. You're pretty much rolling dice for any equipment you buy and this guitar center is pretty chill. They don't have as many choices of cheaper guitars and basses to try as some other places, but they let you let loose with what they have as much as you want. I've heard people who are really great try out guitars and basses and drums and keyboards and some who suck but the staff doesn't get mean about it at all. I will say this though... I am not the type of person who is snobby about being greeted in this kind of store. I am the type who comes in and whether I have a goal to buy something specific or not, I will ask them if I need help so not being asked right away doesn't faze me like it did most of those who complained so that may be a problem with my reviewing it. However, I sympathize for those who did complain because if there are that many complaints about the same thing, then something has to be true, right? Hope they fix that for others, because I'm pleased so far. By the way the white guy with the curly hair behind the register helped me a lot. He was really nice too. Dang I forgot his name. But yeah, he was really nice. Thanks dude. Rock on. read more

I got my electric guitar string changed by Aaron. When I got my guitar back, it looked exactly like how it brought to the store. Still so dusty and dirty under the fretboards and so oily. I asked about the oil and he said it was applied to keep the wood in good condition. The oil was excessive and I told him. He wiped the oil with the cloth. He looked so annoyed and could be careless about me or my guitar. He then said the store would give me refund. I was so baffled by his attitude. I said the job was done and I don't need refund. The reason I mentioned about the oil was because it was applied too much and I wasn't used to it as it was never applied this much when I had other guitar tech changed my strings in this store. He already took my receipt and brought it over somewhere, so I asked for receipt back then he would be like "over there, he has it" I looked where he looked and there were a whole bunch of guys and don't know where exactly he was pointing and who. He eventually went over there himself, grabbed the receipt but a wrong one and handed it to me. When I told him it is not my receipt, he got me the receipt looking careless and annoyed. Poor work ethic, poor customer service & just downright rude. I would give 0 star if I could! read more

One of my rare reviews, been coming here for over 10 years and sad to say I probably won't be returning. I don't blame the employees for the shortage of equipment but it needs to be talked about, you're better off going to a different store or just straight buying online if you are looking for the product you are probably going to want. Also the employees on the main floor near all the guitars sucked. I'll give someone about three to five minutes before I say they're taking too long to get to the register, not only did they take too long to get us ringed up, there was a totally free employee standing next to the register just sticking around talking to some guys while Me and my friend were just blatantly standing there with our thumbs in our asses. This would only be a one star review if the guy that worked drums/percussion department wasn't so cool. read more

I have been coming to this Guitar Center for over 10 years. They always provide great customer service and have great selections of music equipment! These days, I tend to order online and pick up in-store since I do not want to pay for shipping, or have an item damaged in transit. Have yet to have a large purchase from Guitar Center but I buy all my accessories here (ie guitar strings, cables, music stands, and etc). There are always store associates around to help and never pressure you to buy something. I did try trading in an immaculate acoustic-electric guitar last year but they wouldn't take it. Turns out the pick-up wasn't working and they wouldn't take the guitar without the working pick-up. Never knew since I don't use the pick-up. Every time I stop by the store, there are a few people here and there trying out guitars and amps. It's a nice option especially for those who like to try before they buy. Their acoustic guitars are located in a humidified room to the left of the entrance, while the electric guitars are hanging on the wall right when you walk in. Never had an issue with parking since there is ample parking, day or night. Not sure about the other stores/restaurants in this plaza but the Italian restaurant to the left seems to be quite busy. I know that Guitar Center now offers some free classes, not sure if any are offered at this location but I do like how Guitar Center wants to get everyone involved and reaches out. It's not just a brick and mortar store, or an online store, but it also offers way for us to interact with them. That is the way a business should be. read more

This is my place! I spend way too much money here haha I've been going to this location since high school, I always ask for Jimbo, dude is super knowledgeable about the gear, especially drums! read more

Excellent customer service everytime I come here Especially Luis and Roslyn appreciate you guys both thank you so much read more

I would like to inform people to NOT WASTE your hard-earned money at Guitar Center, Brea, CA. The employees are rude, crude, slovenly, harassing and demeaning to clients and they think they can justify their outrageous behavior! Any other guitar store would be better! I would leave a zero star if it were offered !!!! read more

I came in with my dan electro hoping to fix it at a reasonable price. The repair guy I believe Ernest was his name repaired it no problem no charge. read more

I go to Guitar Center Brea for all of my local musical needs. This time, I needed a new, hard-to-find Akai MPC Live II sampler and ordered it from guitarcenter.com for pickup at the Brea store. Because of the pandemic situation, UPS had issues delivering the item, so it took much longer than expected. When I finally got the item, I powered the machine on only to find the screen was defective. Disappointed, I brought the item back to the store for a refund. When I got to the store, I was helped by a manager, Vince who went out of his way to make things right. Thanks to Vince's great customer service, I decided to do and exchange instead of a refund. He even gave me a discount I didn't ask for. Incredible service. I would highly recommend Guitar Center Brea and Vince for all of your musical equipment needs. Thanks Vince! read more

My husband and I are both musicians. I have personally spent thousands here...... My husband has bought almost every guitar here PLUS gear... And tonight I had the WORST customer service EVER!!!!! Guitars drums mics and p.a's and amps.... I'd like to return EVERYTHING. If my home wasn't full of equipment I would. You'll never see another cent from us or any of MY colleagues.. Believe it. read more

Glad they had what we needed. Very average out of all the guitar centers I have made purchases from or simply visited, nothing made this particular location stand out. The customer service is mediocre. My husband and I may revisit this location as it is the closest to us #convenience read more

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

This store sells open-boxed items as "brand new".Apparently this is wide spread, check the reddit forums and see for yourself, Buyers beware! I am sharing my experience in this review. I had Called the Brea store to confirm they had a "brand new" in box Arturia Microfreak. Spoke to store rep on the phone before making the drive to the store. The rep assured me the unit was brand new. When I arrived at the store I again asked him to make sure and he told me that it was brand new in box. After getting home and unboxing I found that it was obviously not "new" as he claimed. The power supply had been opened the wires were not even in the small box. In addition the keyboard itself had finger prints and dust all over the unit and plastic screen protector was missing. This is incredibly frustrating because this same issue has happened to me the last two times I made in-store purchases at GC and in one instance couldn't even register the supposed new product because it had already been registered. I couldn't download the included software either. Now i am noticing a pattern of dishonesty and unethical practices which is why I won't be doing business here any longer. I have shopped with guitar center since 1998 but no more. I expect honesty and professionalism, I don't feel good spending my hard earned money when i make a purchase and find out later it was a open box. I especially don't appreciate being lied to by the sales representative. I am writing this in order to inform you of my experience. GC is going downhill fast and they won't last long because they lost their core values and abandoned customer service. read more

This place sucks I drove a hour and a half just to be told the guitar they were holding for me got sold how? I called them twice to make sure it was going to be okay and was told no problem then all of a sudden it disappeared that's crap the manager with not a care in the word just gave the sleaziest "sorry about that" I've ever heard avoid at all cost way to lose a customer of over 15 years read more

I just wanted to say thank you to Chris in Pro Audio for his help today getting our Bar Method Tustin studio back up and bumpin! His patience and knowledge steered us into the right path and we're up and running with plenty of time for our next class. I don't think our speakers have sounded this good ever! read more

Guitar Center - Crown XLS1502, Yamaha MG06X, Shure GLXD4 - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - Brea, California

I traded in and purchased a guitar at this guitar center at the end of 2017. The trade in process was fairly quick and straight forward. They were honest with me about how they came up with my trade value. I was there to purchase a used guitar but after some looking around I decided to purchase new. They had a great selection of new guitars and were able to answer all my questions about each model I was interested in. When it was time to purchase, the manager was very easy about price matching (found it cheaper online). Today I returned to the store to have strap locks installed. The tech onsite was friendly and completed the install quickly. I will definitely be going back to this location. read more

Usually has everything I need that i see online, which is great so I don't have to wait for online shipping. Awesome service from the workers there and they were pretty knowledgeable when I needed help with purchasing things for my guitar. No question was unanswered! read more

Took a chance on getting a used Martin Dreadnought Junior shipping g in from a guitar center back east. When I came to pick it up and inspected it i found that the back had a sizable crack in the back and it definitely hadn't been humidified properly. Vince who helped me offered me a few options. The first was just a refund of my money. The second was to order a new one from the warehouse and have it shipped to the store and the third was to order a new one and have it shipped to my house. To make up for the other guitar coming in damaged he asked his manager Andrew if there was anything they could to help me out on the purchase of a new one. Long story short the manager gave me a little bit of a discount on a new one and I went a head a placed the order to have the guitar shipped to my house. Super thankful that an awesome associate like Vince was working and I ended up with a great deal on a new guitar, rather than being bummed that the used guitar I was taking a chance on was damaged and just got a refund. read more

Great service experiences, both for guitar and drums. Had an available expert in both areas, answered questions and did a guitar repair on the spot. WAY BETTER than that Block at Orange location. read more

Just wanted to say the Manager at this Brea location is a complete d-bag. Real big man type, with a buzzed cut and pants way too tight, but more in the yeehaw kind of way. Stood waiting in front of the pedal section while the manager and half the staff was bs'ing. Probably thought I wasn't going to buy anything even though I asked about the voodoo labs ps, they even served some other kids behind me before helping me out. I had to wait another 20 minutes, on top of standing around like an idiot for 20 minutes waiting for help because they lost the box. All this, while the manager is literally at the counter 5 ft from me. After waiting around he said no luck, and I asked if they would give me a couple bucks off and the manager goes on this rant about how you just throw the boxes away and how he's not going to be going around giving discounts just because they lost the box. Fair enough, but pretty douchey and completely inappropriate to say in front of the customer ringing up a $400 tab on pedal board supplies. Not to mention, pretty lame this meat head is bullying me now because I'm a pedal nerd and keep my boxes. Very surprised this trash place is still around and honestly regret giving them my money. read more

Ordered online ship to store and picked up my item, as I walked in the staff greeted me and were very friendly and helpful. They got my order in the back and let me check it . I walked around the store a bit and it's pretty clean and the staff don't bug you when you're testing the instruments. Everyone there is really friendly. I would totally come back to shop at this location read more

I've been coming here for years. Sad state of gear, no picks out, good guitars top shelves or locked up, cheap gear around, employees laughing with each other, no help, no friendliness. This used to be the best GC anywhere in the early 2000s. Now it's like one of those sad neglected music stores where snobby employees roll their eyes, and the gear looks sad and shabby. Dude just walk in, you'll feel the bad vibes. This store badly needs a refresh. Bad stock, bad attitudes, bad lighting, bad customer service, even bad restrooms. Bummer. Back when Jason Vanderpal was the manager this store was one of the best in the country. Needs attention read more

Workers have no idea what they are talking about. DO NOT trust Guitar Center with your instruments especially if they are expensive. I came in the other day with a 000-28 MD and the technician claimed that my truss rod was missing and that I should return the guitar. That didn't make sense to me so I took it to another shop called Mo's Fullerton Music Shop and they were able to find the truss rod adjusting screw. Turns out that the technician from guitar center was most likely using the wrong allen key to adjust it and just made up his mind that it was defected since he couldn't latch onto it. It makes absolutely no sense how a technician who claims he is a certified Martin technician or whatever couldn't find the truss rod adjustment screw and just made a claim that the guitar is defected and that I would need to return it. Clearly this person didn't even try to find it and just hastily said I should return a perfectly fine 4,000 dollar guitar. The workers seem to have no idea what they are talking about and have poor quality of service when trying to fix your instruments. Not only has this happened to me but I have a friend who took their bass in to get fixed at this GC and it didn't get fixed until the third time they took it here. Technicians have absolutely no idea what they are doing; they are just trying to take your money. read more

Amazing service that was fast and easy. The workers were extremely nice and helpful. I would definitely come back for any guitar needs!

I've been practicing lately at the guitar center and I just want to say thank you for giving me the opportunity to do that.I just moved last June and prior to that , I had my own garage for 9 years which I practice everyday. I wanted to point out 2 people that make my visits at the guitar center very comfortable. The first gentleman name is Jimbo, for quite a few years Jimbo has helped me, he always has a smile on his face and a positive attitude. Gentlemen number 2 is Daniel for being such a young guy that guy is always smiling ask me how I'm doing, if I need any help read more

I Just cannot say enough about Colton, The manager in last night Wednesday June 22nd.. genuine, and the real deal.. super knowledgeable which is very helpful.. from the moment I met him, I knew he would get things done for me and he surely did..! I almost want to tell the customers to call ahead of time and make sure Colton is working.. hahaa..! read more

I have to leave this glowing review about the service I've received on at least 2 separate guitar purchases (and subsequent exchange unfortunately due to a factory defect) specifically with Colton. I've been to different guitar centers in the past, but definitely what makes this location stand out in particular is Colton's customer service and can-do attitude. We ran into an issue with trying to exchange one of my guitars, but Colton was attentive and communicative the whole way and consistently checking in with me as he did everything in his power to problem solve. read more

Jimbo is the man. He was super cool from start to finish of the selling process and is genuinely stoked on music/drums and it shows. Thanks man, really appreciate your help. Thank you for not making feel weird or rushed cause of my lack of knowledge, felt like a friend going over all the items I brought in. Made me feel better about having to sell some of my late uncles gear, confident it's in good hands. Keep rockin brother. read more

Let me give you the typical run down of your visit to one of these shit holes. Lets say you go in because you need to buy some strings. Prepare for a 30 minute wait at the counter, and don't bother asking the clerk for recommendations or suggestions, because these glamed out abercrombie models have no idea what the fuck they're selling. You could tell them a stainless steel vibrator was a slide for a pedal steel and they would be impressed with your knowledge. If you're fortunate enough to be there on a Saturday every hour on the hour you'll get the one kid who decides to walk in, pick up the pointiest guitar on the wall and proceed to plug it into the loudest full stack being endorsed by some jock chode that's gracing the pages of the latest Guitar World. Your 30 minute wait will now feature in house entertainment as said kid will then serenade you with his rendition of one of the following: Enter Sandman Master Of Puppets Smoke On The Water Generic Blink 182 riff Fucked beyond repair Jimi Hendrix riff Stairway to Heaven (if he's that asshole who failed to see Wayne's World) Duncan Hills Coffee Jingle Generic metal guitar solo (sweep picking is all the rage these days) There's a plus side to this train wreck. You eventually do get your strings and you get to have a hot chick check your bags as you leave. It makes the accusation of being a thief much easier to cope with... read more

Wow haven't walked into a GC for more than 2 decades. Time has changed. This place turned into the Wallmart of music stores. Huge selection but kind of drifted away from the business model I remember. Nevertheless I promised my 12 year old daughter that if she got good grades she'd get a guitar. 4.0 GPA yahoo! Happy fathers day to me. So we head over to GC in Brea to find a guitar. The older tech that helped us was very informative and wasn't overly pushy. He suggested a rather inexpensive narrow body model that fit my daughter better and fit my budget too. He looked up the price and it was 20 bucks cheaper than the sticker plus I found an on line coupon for fathers day for an additional 10% off. 200 dollar guitar reduced to 145. I was happy and from the smile on her face so was my daughter. When we got up to the register is when the bait n switch was applied. Would you like an extended warranty? Tuner? Stand? Pics? Case? Strap? Nope, Nope, Nope, Nope, Nope I repeated over and over to the kid working the register, but he kept pushing until my NOPE voice was a lot firmer. Then he backed off. As we got to the door the Costco receipt checker guy stopped us....WTF? Still got a good deal on the guitar but boy GC sure has changed. read more

Jimbo was the Man! I called and asked for specific things. He had them ready for me! Was great to deal with friendly and knowledgeable. I will drive out here next time just for the good service. This dude knows his shit! read more

I dislike being at Guitar Center longer than I have to, so I walked in to this Brea location knowing what I wanted and found everything within 5 minutes or so. Got to the counter, took me about 1.5 hours to get out, what with the guy unable to decipher the return receipts I had from yesterday, unable to find my account, unable to check item prices on his computer, unable to order item for me, and finally, unable to print me out a receipt. To be fair, he was trying REALLY HARD and was nice enough, but his manager glanced over his way a few times and left him alone to sweat and me to say it's cool, I'm not in a hurry. But after an hour, it was not cool. Not cool at all. I guess this is what happens when budding and/or fading rock stars have to work retail for the man. I'm never coming here again. Or any other Guitar Center for that matter. read more

Took my son to get his bass guitar repaired here, as this is where we purchased it 2 years ago. The staff here are friendly. Service tech was helpful and recommended we leave it overnight. He called the next day and said he can fix the audio plug issue but didnt have the tuner key in stock. He gave us an approximate time it will be ready. Came in later the next day to pick up and all was good. I will probably just order the tuner key on amazon and install it myself since it looks easy to do. It can get busy on the weekend so wait time might be of concern. Probably best to visit when they open or come on a weekday. read more

I hate going into this Guitar Center (or any other Guitar Centers for that matter), even to just get strings. The employees say all kinds of stuff to make you spend more and I don't appreciate it. Not only that, they want your address, phone, email when you're paying; you want my SSN too? I shouldn't have to go through this hassle just to get some strings. Also, don't be so overly aggressive and have pushy sales attitude; give me some respect, I know what I'm doing and what I'm buying. At least there's some cool guitars inside the room, so if you're not buying anything but just there to see and try the guitars out, I suppose you can have a decent experience. read more

I came here a couple weeks ago to purchase a guitar for my boyfriend's birthday. I placed a sitting fee on a left handed ibanez acoustic/electric and was told it would take at most only 2 days to ship it from their Murrieta location to the Brea one. In fact, the salesman AND manager PROMISED me that without a doubt it would be there for me to pick up a week and a half after I purchased it. Well, the day before I was going to pick it up, I called in to make sure it was ready. The manager put me on hold twice and told me he'd give me a call back. One hour later he called to tell me that someone in murrieta "really dropped the ball on this one" and my order "fell through the cracks" since someone got fired. "We'll know by 11:00AM tomorrow when the shipment comes in if the guitar will be here or not. If it's not here by then, your salesperson will be GLAD to go wherever he needs to go to pick it up so that you'll have it by 6:00PM" - MANAGER At 5 o'clock, I'm getting off work and decided to check my voicemail and what do I get? "Hi Jennifer, this is blahblahblah your salesrep from guitarcenter. I heard about what happened and am really sorry about this whole mess. I can go pick up your guitar from one of our other locations or you can pick it up yourself, whatever your prefer. Let me know" Well at this point there was no reason to rely on these num-nuts to get me my damn guitar that was suppose to be there a week and a half ago. You would think that at least 1 of the things they PROMISED me would have happened. Ya know, having my guitar on time, having someone go pick up my guitar by a certain time? I received 2 customer satisfaction survey calls from them a couple weeks after. Both asking if I wanted another customer service rep to give me a call..... please someone tell me why in the world I would want to continue dealing with these idiots...... I love how they claim to be allllllllllllllllll about customer satisfaction but could really give two shits about "satisfied" their customers really are. Sorry about this long rant but BUY YOUR SHIT ELSEWHERE PEOPLE!! read more