James the manager is not friendly at all. He's like Ok this is what it is This is the price that we have here. He doesn't help at all so I wish they can remove him from this guitar center and put him somewhere else out of this store. He's doesn't have customer service skills and I have been buying from guitar center for the past 25 years for my studio and this is not the first time he has been with poor customer service skills. It will be better to remove him out of this guitar center before you lose all you customers. read more

Okay-- in the spirit of full disclosure: I don't play the guitar. I play (and am only starting to learn to play) the ukulele-- that much-maligned instrument that makes everyone roll their eyes and think of Tiny Tim or Don Ho. So I go into a guitar store with some trepidation. Unless it's a specialty place that has a lot of ukes, I know what I'm in for. That said, this place still really didn't live up to my expectations. The staff was unhelpful, unfriendly, and unknowledgeable. Their selection of stringed instruments other than guitars was decidedly lacking. My roommate went there last week to shop for a guitar. I asked her, since she was going anyway, if she could pick up a classical guitar strap-- classical guitars, like most ukuleles, don't have those little knobs for attaching the strap, so you need something that reaches around and attaches to the sound hole. She came back telling me that they "didn't know what a 'classical guitar strap was' and that I should go myself. I was kind of incredulous, and figured she'd phrased the question oddly or something. Nope, when I went in, it took rather involved discussions with three separate members of the staff before I found someone who knew what I was talking about, and knew where to find it behind the counter. I went into the acoustic room on a whim. Spotted two ukuleles near the door. One was a cheapie that they hadn't even bothered to put up on the wall, that was sitting on a pile of cardboard boxes. The other was a rather eye-catching one that ran around 100 dollars. I knew when I saw it that I was about to make a larger-than-usual impulse buy. I picked it up, and tried to get a sense of how good or bad it sounded. There were no tuners or anything around, and let me tell you, it's nearly impossible to tune a quiet little uke when four guys are playing off-tune renditions of "Stairway to Heaven." After about ten minutes, I was able to get the sales guy's attention-- he was trying to con a mother into buying her 13-year-old son a guitar that was about 100 bucks more than you should realistically pay for a starter guitar. I inquired if there were any more ukuleles around, other than the two I'd seen. He told me no, brusquely, and walked off to see another customer. A couple minutes later, I flagged him down between "real" customers again, and asked about the instrument, and said that I wasn't sure if I liked the sound, but thought it might just be the strings. Rather than trying to upsell me on some decent strings, and possibly a fee for a restring, he said "oh," and walked away. As I was waiting to flag him down a third time to try to actually make a transaction, I looked around. GUITAR Center is right. While there was a drum room-- hippies need love too, I guess-- in the acoustic section, there were maybe three banjos and two mandolins, and the two ukes mentioned earlier. I know that when I visited my parents in Dayton Ohio over the holidays, the Guitar Center there had at least four different ukes, and probably twice the number of mandolins and banjos, too. So this isn't a chain problem, as much as a problem with the buying habits of this particular store. Finally getting through to the guy that he was making a 100 dollar sale with little to no effort, I got him to lead me to the front of the store, where he, after running my card, started asking me a ridiculous number of rather intrusive questions-- name, address, first born... I'll probably go there again if I need something in a hurry, but honestly, the customer service I've gotten from ebay vendors in Hawaii has been 100 times better than what I got there. But definitely-- if you want to be treated like an annoyance by surly guys in their early to mid twenties who obviously have had a minimal amount of training, this might be your place. read more

Horrible customer service to say the least!!!! I was interested in selling a guitar and an amplifier so I looked at Guitar Center and filled out a sales request and sent it to the Fairfax location. Several days went by and I still did not receive any contact regarding the submission. I went back to the Guitar Center web site and filled out another request and again sent it to the Fairfax location. Several more days went by and I still did not hear anything regarding the submission. I then contacted them directly by phone and I left my name and number and I got the "someone will get back to you when they get in" line. Again, I never heard anything back from them. So I called them one more time and again I got the 'someone will get back to you" line. Of course no one ever did, I figured it would be easier to talk to someone and see if they could buy my gear instead of me having to waste my time and take it to the store only to be told "no" or "we can't sell it." It's not that hard to pick up the phone and hear what I have to say and get a simple "yes" or "no" answer to what I want to sell. I don't know if all Guitar Center stores operate this way but, I would not recommend the Fairfax location if this his how they deal with customers. read more

I've had a hate / hate even more relationship with Guitar center. When it first opened, it was great, because you could sit down and try out guitars. However, after this thing called the "Internet" you realize that guitar center charges and arm and leg for everything, and they're not the only game in town. It's hit or miss with the staff - sometimes, you get a great rep. Most of the time, you are ignored or they sadly seem like bitter former rock star wanna-bes. Case in point, I wanted my guitar set up and they guitar originally cost around $595 and they quoted me about half that to set up the guitar (plus, of course there were "other things" wrong with my guitar). I only found that out by leaving my guitar with them for about a week, since the "tech" wasn't in. Of course they would recommend that I just get a new guitar. By the way, you can learn how to set up your own guitar on the interweb, So, sarcastically, I told them that it was out of my budget, so I should give up music. They just agreed that girls indeed should not learn the guitar... the nerve. I went to action music in Falls Church, and even with a battery change, it cost 20% of what guitar center quoted. Sure, I still stop in sometimes, just to try out my future Internet purchases. Although, their selection is not as good as it was when it first opened, and their ukulele section looks like 10 kids just trampled all over it. Most of their inventory is used guitars and I see that almost all of their martin guitars are damaged. Sure, I'll buy a cracked martin ukulele with a repair that looks like my kid cousin used Elmer's glue on to fix... Also, it's just messy. Guitars looks like they are just strewn about, cables everywhere, and the carpet seems unvaccumed. I really don't want a guitar that's been tossed about. I would recommend that if you absolutely, positively have to come here to just try, don't buy, the Interweb has better deals and you won't get any attitude. read more

I was about 16 years old and wanted to learn how to play the guitar. Interested in self-teaching myself, I decided to go to Guitar Center and scoop up a guitar. Immediately, I got the vibe there that if you do not know how to play Stairway to Heaven or rock Metallica licks then you are not welcome. This feeling was a little intimidating. The customer sales rep seemed like he was rushing me out of the store while I was asking Fender questions and deciding the best shredder to buy. Later, I picked out my guitar and amp and jammed out. The customer service was lazy at best. To make matters worse, I found out through a former employee that they stop making commission on instrument sales. So the customer reps really have no motive to help now. Few years later, I was in the market for a MPC sampler and nobody there was knowledgeable or helpful with assisting me with a future purchase.... read more

Great selection, helpful staff. I've gone in there countless times to purchase items, and many more just to try out new products. Highly recommended! read more

Life is good with a guitar in hand, or a drum, or a mic, or a keyboard, or a bass, or practically any other kind of musical instrument of any kind. Guitar center Fairfax is awesome for when you have just consumed a Chipotle Burrito (conveniently located right across the street) and now that you're feeling satisfied and happy you'd like to play some guitars. I agree that the staff isn't perhaps exactly the liveliest group of people in that they dont seem to pursue you in the store, which is actually something I appreciate. I hate over-zealous salesmen who will keep pestering me and cling to me like some kind of disgusting overgrown commission seeking wart. On the contrary the staff tend to allow me to keep to myself which is definitely a plus. However, I have always found them to be helpful and informative whenever I had a question about equipment, and theyve always been very accommodating and generous at least in my experience. I used to feel bad for asking them to get the Gibson located on the middle of their gigantic wall of guitars but they would steadily suggest other guitars to try out, some of them being located at the very top of the wall (maybe they liked climbing the ladder)... However, I would agree that their equipment is pretty over-priced in my opinion, the only reason I would buy from them is A. Convenience, B. Variety. If I need to a piece of musical equipment, and I need it NOW, I have no choice but to go to a music shop, and sometimes Guitar Center is the only one that carries the product that I need... HOWEVER If this is NOT the case, the best advice I could give to the future-purchaser, is go to Guitar Center and find the product you're looking for, test it out, try it, and after thoroughly experiencing the product and after being sure that, that is what you're looking for... go online and buy the same product for loads cheaper. EBay is a great resource, there are alot of small music shops located all around the US and the rest of the world, that are in strange parts of the land and as a result they dont get much foot traffic. Rest assured, many of these vendors are legitimately great shops, and you are getting a quality product. Just make sure you ask the seller the appropriate questions, and that you check their seller rating, NOT their buyer rating, and read any negative reps they may have received. The only drawback from this method is should you get buyer's remorse, returns become a bit more difficult if even possible... So if you're going to go this route, make sure you have patience to wait for the product to arrive in the mail, and make sure you do your research to know that this is what you're looking for. All-in-all guitar center has a pretty great range of instruments and equipment, and their staff is typically very knowledgeable and willing to help if you ask them for help, most of them being active musicians themselves anyways. read more

I guess I'm giving this review more for an individual, than Guitar Center itself, but....every time I have gone into this location, Lyrion has been the most helpful, kind, and attentive person there! He literally SAVED me today with some wonky wireless headset equipment. He was so incredibly helpful that I had to return with a gift - I have never had such understanding, helpful service from someone!!! If you need any audio help, Lyrion is your guy!!! read more

I like this location and I've been their customer for a long time. Sometimes, maybe only occasionally, it is hard to get their attention when trying to pay and get out quickly, but it doesn't bother me much. I feel like staff are knowledgeable and honest about their products. I think they are there because they are musicians themselves. For a while I instead used an Internet based music store (Musicians' Friend), but I was so tired of receiving defective products. Their price was good and they didn't charge a tax, but it was frustrating. When I needed to get some guitar pedals, I went to Guitar Center, got advice from staff members, and bought them at a good price. Thanks for good work! read more

Outstanding service, good product selection and amazing return policy. My sales associate (Kevin) and the store manager (Steve) were very patient and helpful during the search for my new favorite acoustic guitar, unexpectedly a Taylor 416ce. read more

Guitar Center - Taylor 416ce - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

I am writing to commend and compliment you all for your great development of staff in pro audio. This team has given me great service. I will spread the word to all fellow DJs that i know to go to Guitar center for all their needs and especially visit Peter Brown and his team (CJ and Noah)if they can make it to Fairfax. Khemeran Ing (Dj phenomenon) read more

I was told, "YOU DONT HAVE TO BUY IT" by the fat guy with tattoos in his arms (for lack of a better description) who I believe is the manager, when I politely asked him for a 10% discount on an amp that was on display. I had walked in to the store with a 100% intent to buy a Supro guitar amp, but left without it because of his attitude. First of all the Supro blues king 8 which I was interested in retailed for $399 everywhere else including the guitar center website and this particular location was the only one with the retail price of $469. So I asked him if he could price match their own website and he asked me to show him the listing. When I showed it to him on my phone, in disbelief he grabbed my phone and looked into the details and hesitantly agreed to match the price. As they only had one of those amp in the store which was on display and considering it was a floor model I politely asked if I could get a 10% discount like GC does for every floor models, I instantly got a big "NO" from the guy and he started arguing that it's a brand new amp which only arrived yesterday and I'm the only one who has played it so far, which wasn't convincing as I was there yesterday and a few days before and pretty sure played the very same amp at the very same spot. Paying the full price wasn't a deal breaker but I had to give it a try as I've bought many amps from guitar center in the past and through out these years they have always given me a 10% discount on any amp that's been out of the box and been on display at the store. When I explained this to him, he told me that I didn't have to buy it, which is quite ironic that a salesperson would say something like that to a customer. It would've been understandable had I been rude or kept insisting on the discount, but I had been nothing but polite and had only spoke a couple sentences after he denied me the discount. I would've still bought it without the discount had he not been an ass. This is a really nice location but it seems the manager needs to learn a thing or two about customer service. It seems the brunette girl who works at the returns department is the only employee who goes around and checks on the customers all the time, maybe the manager can learn something from her. read more

I had credit card issues at this store and said out loud that it was weird because it was a credit card. I knew for a fact that I hadn't maxed the amount or anything. The sales person decided to chime in and state that credit cards max out as well in a judgmental tone. I later realized that I had had fraud detection issues with it before and hadn't fixed it. I thought it was rude for them to chime in with a smart ass comment like that but whatever. I don't recommend this shop. read more

Went in to compare my Boulder Creek Fretless acoustic bass to a Ibanez Fretless electric bass they have. That wasn't the important part as the Fretless electric didn't provide what I was looking for. I asked to try the MXR Phase 90 with my bass as I had always wanted a phaser pedal ever since borrowing my brother in law's Boss Ph1. The employee went and got one out for me, but brought out a second phaser pedal, one by TC Electronic. He stated that the TC was so much more for the money, and he was so very right. After playing through it and the MXR I purchased the TC Phaser and am very thankful for the assistance! Do I miss Vienimens music, yes, am I sad that Mars music killed all of the smaller shops, and then failed leaving a giant whole in music supply, yes. Does it suck that Music and Arts, Guitar Center, Musicians Friend, and Music 123 is now a giant corporate monster, yep. Does is bite that the corporation dictates what they will have in store...hard. But the staff is not at fault for that, and the Fairfax location's staff tries really hard to help the best they can. read more

My family has been coming to this location for about 10 years. Right now they are under a huge renovation and construction. Even during this rebuilding phase the store is very organized and filled with staff ready to help. I want to give a shout out to Steve "with the bun" for his willingness to work through an issue until its completion. I am confident leaving the store that the issue I had with my live wire 16 channel snake is resolved. The is the essential market for musicians in Fairfax and beyond. Rock n Roll read more

Staff are lazy or irresponsible or both. They disregard customer's request. My request for cancellation of a guitar lesson 24 hours in advance was not processed. So I had to lose the day's tuition. Later the same happens again. Not until I called again, was the cancellation processed. Thus I asked the manager to do something against such abandonment as these. The manager said cancellation is processed now I don't know what is the problem. Early this year I bought a guitar here which was defective. So it was left to repair but I haven't get it back for two month!!! All they say again and again is you will have it soon. read more

I've been to this place several times. They have a wide selection of equipment that is guitar-related: the guitars themselves, accessories, amplifiers, anything that a guitar player would need. Acoustic guitars, electric guitars, classical guitars, guitars, guitars... What I like about this place is that it's not a "Keep Your Hands Off" place. On the counter they have a basket of picks, and you can just grab a guitar, plug it in and play it. They have a room in the back where you can test an amplifier. They also have some used equipment, and you can trade in your old equipment if it's in decent condition. I was in there a few years ago, and Precious wanted to buy me a Gibson Les Paul for my birthday. It's very expensive, but I noticed a used one. So I saved about $400 getting the used one. It was only a couple of years old, and it's in great condition. read more

I am updating this post. I was able to get in touch with Williams, who indicated that they had a 1-year warranty and that the store would be able to help me out with the exchange. I went back and explained this, and the store assisted with the return. I was still frustrated by the back and forth created by the bad information that the store clerk had given me, but I am updating the post and rating because my problem was solved. Old Post -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Horrific return policy. Bought a keyboard there 59 days ago. Key on the keyboard broke and the store said that the return policy was 45 days and that they are unable to help with repairs. "You will have to contact Williams to find a repair center." Couldn't even be bothered to point me toward a repair center. Last time I ever return. read more

i've come to this location a handful of times this summer to pick up/check out a lot of gear as a newbie (cables, picks, straps, pedals). the staff are not only very attentive and helpful each time i have been through but they appear to be very diligent with cdc guidelines. i'm always greeted as soon as i walk through the door and someone will occasionally check in with me as i peruse the aisles or checkout the guitars on display. i have witnessed the staff to be very knowledgeable and eager to help customers who seek their assistance. i appreciate that on the other hand, they offer less vocal customers (like myself) the time and space to browse independently. i always look forward to visiting this gc! read more

I will come back here for all my musical equipment needs. Steve B. is a great guitar salesman....super helpful and knowledgeable. They let you try out the equipment without hawking over you or pressuring you. They do a good job of bouncing around from customer to customer - almost like a wait staff - but never forget about you. They have a solid selection of new and some used equipment that runs the gamut of guitar, basses, drums, keyboards, DJ equipment, software, amplifiers, etc and all accessories. They actually carry some vinyl LPs / albums as well. Overall, I've had multiple positive experiences at this location. read more

One shop for your next gig. Excellent customer service and support knowledge. If you are a Musician then it's a must go place.

I stood at the register for 30 minutes trying to purchase about $500 worth of stuff and no one even said hello to me so I just walked out. You can save 20-30% buying their inventory online if you have time to wait anyways. read more

I'm trying to learn the piano as an adult and was helped by Greg. I bought a digital piano. I've never been to this store before and felt really welcomed. Learning music can be intimidating but Greg spent as much time as he could explaining the products for beginners like myself. I think he may have been a radio host in a past life because he's just got that cool vibe and friendliness. I will definitely be back to this store again for my future musical needs and sign up for lessons. Here's to learning new skills during these unusual times at home! Thanks for the encouragement, Greg! read more

I went to Guitar Center in Fairfax to pick out a new amp. I was able to try out any that they had, and they let me test it out with a super-nice Strat. I eventually purchased one and after getting it home and playing it, I didn't like the tone as much as another one I had tried that same day. I went back the next day to return it, they did with no questions asked. I also printed out a coupon from their website and got 20 bucks off my purchase of new cables and other things I needed. I checked out most of these items online, and Guitar Center actually was less expensive for most items. All in all, they were helpful, courteous and fair and I was able to save money to boot. I recommend them for any guitar purchase. read more

The best thing about this store is that you can always jam and as loud as you want. This is also the worse thing about it because it is usually packed. The overburdened staff is helpful when you can get on of their ears. Again, it is crowded and sometimes it's hard to find the help you need. read more

Hobbs, the store manager, was extremely accommodating. He was very professional and understands customer service. Being a business owner, I hope that my customer service representatives provide the same level of customer care and satisfaction that he possesses. I hope this review reaches the corporate office so they employee more store managers like Hobbs. Because of his willingness to correct an issue (a possible corporate issue of mislabeling a sales ticket) I am a satisfied customer that will speak Guitar Center praises. Guitar Center watch out, if Hobbs decides to leave, I would love to have him work for me. Hobbs-- I hope this review reaches you and/or corporate lets you know of this positive review. Good employees are hard to find. Keep up the good work. You will be successful in your endeavors. I like to sleep at night and I did not want to be a total d!€k. read more

the service was bad, call first to know the status of my order, they did not give me information, when I arrived at the store I was more than ten minutes without anyone asking me if I needed help. It is the first and last time I buy in guitar center. I will let my friends know that the service is bad. read more

Had a good experience with Walter in the Live Sound/Speakers department - He worked with me on two separate occasions to help me get the right gear for my needs. In addition, he also took the time to give me a quick tutorial on how the equipment works and ties together in the overall schematic. That really helped when I had a gig soon thereafter. There was a lot of back and forth and a change in approach mid-way through, so I appreciate his patience and assistance throughout the shopping/purchasing/returning/purchasing processes! read more

I think it's often we talk about the poor customer service of the guitar centers and their personnel. Today I went in for a trade in and was pleasantly surprised when I approached the front desk and the gentleman behind the kiosk politely directed me to the back and helped me load my gear while supplying a hand truck as a common courtesy. Upon relieving myself of the gear in the rear of the store adjacent to the bass nook another younger gentleman by the name of John quickly proceeded to process my transaction in within almost twenty minutes I had a reasonable quote and was on my way skipping to the pedals with a little cash in hand. I think guitar center is coming back with experiences like this but, the roll of toilet paper on the ground in bathroom is where I deduct a star here. Cables and guitar crap being everywhere is cool because shit we're all knocking headstocks around enjoying these instruments we can't actually afford. So let's not leave previous butt pleasantries on the floor when there for our butt. read more

Online order wasn't even processed 2 hours after placing it. Waited for cashier for over an hour with no follow up. While in the store, I was followed around everywhere, stared down by this old guy, just felt so unwelcome. At first they told me, one of the headphones I ordered wasn't in stock but then the 2nd one was also broken and couldn't be sold. I bought two of the same headphones because they were cheap and nice studio headphones, it's like they didn't want to sell me the product. The cashier I original dealt with, all of sudden was helping other customers and I got a different cashier. I guess they must have spend more, so I was passed on, thank you so sweet of you LOL. Overall I spend only a little over 850.00 but I feel worse then before I bought all of this stuff. Awful, I had no plans staying in your store for longer then I had too. The product it self is perfect I have no regrets. read more

Out of all the Guitar Centers I've been to, this is the worst. If you want to get the worst customer service you could ever get, go to this one. They don't have as much product as the one by route 50, and definitely not very helpful. We have waited for someone to help us for 30 minutes, only to ask a simple question and then another 20 minutes to be checked out. Employees walk by you and won't say a word. Terrible. Also it's very depressive looking from the outside. Great for a indie short film at a workplace that nothing ever happens? Haha read more

Lousy. Guys don't know customer service. Can't run a retail shop. Don't know their products. no clue about a Product advertised on their own store website. Useless. If you're a professional musician looking for what you need, go somewhere else. This place is a joke. read more

We came in 5 minutes before closing to buy a $2000 guitar and the manager John pretty much refused to assist us. All he kept saying was we are closing. If he had bothered to check our records at that store they would have know we were serious buyers since we have spent a lot of money there in the past. When you treat your customers like this they won't be back! Especially, now that there are more stores opening nearby. Get your act together Fairfax or you'll be closing soon enough!!! read more

We have purchased a guitar from this guitar center in the past and the staff was extremely helpful. Today we went back selling a guitar and a electric keyboard. One of the employees said we would have to speak to the manager, we were a bit skeptical because we had called and they said to bring them in. Once the manager Brendan came out, what a gentleman and great service he gave us, from his greeting all the way to the time he paid us for the instruments. Guitar Center is lucky to have such a great employee. read more

Be sure not to miss the wild chicken place next door here if you come hungry. My brother loves this store. I am not a musician...so kind of hard to rate it myself. read more

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Guitar Center has always been a great place to go anywhere in the country as far as I'm concerned. But unfortunately, this particular store has been very problematic since I have moved here. My friend and I tried to purchase a guitar which had to be ordered to the store since they did not have it in stock. A lot of fun watching the rep stop helping us and start to help other customers behind us. This happened repeatedly while quite a few other reps just walked by doing absolutely nothing (not even bothering to help out the other customers as well). After 2 hrs. we finally got out of there. Before that, we bought two speakers, that experience went smoothly until we found out that one of the speakers we got was a dud and needed to be exchanged for a new one. We of course purchased a warranty on it, but they wouldn't let us use it and state that we have to go through the manufacturer warranty which forces us to pay a ridiculous amount to ship it back to them to get a new one. Final blow, that made me sign up for yelp a few minutes ago and write this review was having to fix a shipping problem because someone there did not put our correct address on the package and it was being sent to Chantilly for us to pick it up at the UPS store. We paid for next day delivery so the packaged should have been delivered on the 31st, It is the 2nd. Having not been shipped correctly nor within the time frame that we paid for I called Guitar Center to get the shipping refunded. From in-store purchases, to products and warranty, to shipping: nothing has gone well with this store. I guess the third time is the charm! Not going back to this place again. read more

I used to frequent this store every weekend for a decade+ with my dad. The service was generally phenomenal, and we've only had pleasant experiences here after all these years. read more

Their prices were actually cheaper than Amazon.com and good service. Go during non-busy hours to maximize service quality. They will rush you when you go during busy times like weekends. read more

Outstanding customer service. They will go the extra mile for you. The minute I walked in I was approached by a salesperson asking if they could help me. I got good directions to the area I wanted. I wanted to sell my guitar and they went the extra mile to find the best price even though it took more work on the salesperson's part. I really appreciated their friendliness and helpfulness and kindness. Great place. read more

Went here for an easy Internet return. Fast and quick. The employees seemed really happy to be there and clearly know what they're talking about. read more