We've received great service every time we've been in. The sales associates are very knowledgeable and helpful. They work on commission but aren't pushy and will give you their honest opinions about products. The guitar Center has a great staff of technicians who do great work. We've had several guitars cleaned up and restrung and the work was great. Will not hesitate to return in the future! read more

It used to be, if you ever wanted your music retailer to go that extra mile for you, take care of the little things, use their powers for good, not for evil, you would have to deal with a family-owned, independent business. The music retail version of a "big box store" is supposed to be soulless and impersonal and inefficient, with poor product knowledge or customer skills, something akin to a used car lot. Once upon a time, it sort of did feel like that. I wanted to take a moment to thank Guitar Center La Mesa for proving that to now be a false narrative, at least at their location. San Diegans are lucky to have a place with such variety that also has staff, especially management, who are players, pros, and genuinely cool people who care about what musicians want and need. I've witnessed it first hand, benefited from it greatly, and I thank them and salute them for it. Thank you for exceeding expectations on the daily. Every music store has its ups and downs, but when it comes to do or die, GC manages to be my go-to Hail Mary pass every time. Above-and-beyond-manager awards go to Norm in drums, Ernie on the floor, the big boss (don't know his name but very cool), and all the members of your staff, who help keep rockers rocking. Cheers! read more

Shout out to James! My favorite instructor! If you're looking for an instructor for guitar he would be the best choice, not only does he have the passion for it. He has the patience to teach others. read more

My experience here at this guitar center was absolutely ridiculous. Pompous condescending bunch of degenerates. I came here to sell a guitar and the looks and words they used during the transaction, I was forced to change my mind. Never at this guitar center again. Wow. read more

Bad bad bad customer service tonight. That guy(skinny dude in his 20s and wears a thick ass broken glasses) from the drums area is lazy AF! Always on his cellphone. We went to Sam Ash instead. read more

About a month ago, I purchased a used LtD 401 arrow from this location. Spoke with associate Dave in regards to this item. He provide answers to all my questions about the guitar and helped me out in the kindest way. Even though, I am located in AZ. Dave provided great customer service and for that I can't thank you enough. The guitar plays great and was delivered fairly quickly less than a week. read more

I don't hate Guitar Center as much as so many San Diegans appear to hate them. Honestly, I think there's a lot of piling on happening with the abundance of negative reviews. GC is the big dog on the block and it's an easy target. Sure, there is little to no supervision over the instruments for sale on the floor, and some of it gets damaged, most of which is undisclosed by the staff. I would guess that a lot of that is based on staff being unaware. But the bottom line, as ALWAYS, is BUYER BEWARE. Positives: The selection is unmatched, the price match guarantee is handy, financing is fairly easy, prices are good, and Mike Walter (in Guitars) in particular is a good natured, helpful and honest subject matter expert with good taste in music and a wealth of knowledge. If you get Mike, you hit gold. read more

Very disappointed with the lack of communication recieved by them. I ordered a keyboard setup on a net spend card and was supposed to receive it on certain date but do to a back order problem they couldn't process the order. So instead of notifying me of the problem promptly they wait a few extra days to try and fill order but my authorization on my net spend card is released. So now I don't have my order, the card is gone with my money still on it, which means I have to call in for a new card and wait 4-8 business days on top of whatever it will take to now receive my order. Way NOT to go guys, EPIC FAIL!!!! read more

I bought a guitar for my son yesterday. Today in the morning I received an email saying that my order was ready for curbside pickup. I got there at 6:30 and it was already close.. why do they say its going to be open from 12am -7pm when its not true. read more

--this is for the one in grossmont center-- Ok, so I have had my problems with various Guitar Centers around the country. there are certainly some "not-so-great" ones, but I think this one is actually quite nice. the employees are smart, friendly, and helpful. This is my favorite GC, and I've been to a bunch of them. You can tell it's well managed and staffed, and that makes you feel comfortable buying there. :) read more

PERFECT service. These folks at the La Mesa store are great! I have only recently gotten back into playing music after a 5 year hiatus. I got an ipad as a gift and there - garageband has propelled me back to the industry with self recording made easy. So I go to this Guitar center for the first time and found everyone extremely helpful. Even though I have 20 + years experience playing music, I don't know the first thing about recording. I wanted to record with my ipad and got great help buying some gear to go with it, plus new strings on those dusty old guitars. Great service. But then something happened. I really just didn't know how to get the iRig mic to work with my ipad using garageband. I spent over $150 on the mic, a warrantee, and the mic stand. But I didn't know how to use them, and realized I reallly actually need that money for rent, bills, etc. However, I lost the receipt and the box covering of the mic. I went back to Guitar 31 days after the purchase, nervous that I wouldn't get the return. I WAS SHOCKED by how awesome they were. Before I could finish explaining my return details the guy said in audio said, "No problem, let me take care of you." 5 minutes later I got my full refund. WOW!! They were so cool about it. I'm going back soon to buy a guitar from them. SERIOUSLY great service. They even help my 2 year old boy hold a guitar-aleili - a mini guitar. My boy likes it there too. read more

Hands-down the best guitar shop in San Diego! If you need work done on your guitar or a new set of altogether this is definitely the spot to go. These guys are down to earth talented and know their stuff. I brought in my cherished Gibson SG that had unfortunately met its demise via a broken neck. After coast to coast tours, mosh pits and general chaos, it was a guitar case that eventually took this beast out of commission. I thought that my baby was going to be sidelined for good and ultimately funds place on the wall of rockstar memories in my home. However I decided to give it one last shot brought it into Marks guitar. I was thrilled when I found out that not only can they fix my guitar, but it would be like new and even stronger. When I picked it up a week later (incredibly fast right?), I was thrilled to see my guitar look brand-new as if nothing had ever happened to it. The charge for the pair was a little over $100 and they also gave me an awesome deal on a used case. I couldn't have been happier and I cannot recommend these guys more! read more

If I could give 0 stars I would. The worst customer service I've experienced in a long time. How many people are employed here?? Employees walking by, clearly sees that I've been waiting in line for 10 minutes waiting for 1 customer ahead of me. Another employee walks over and brings a customer with him, checked him out at a nearby register, walked him to the exit, came back, tinkered with the register, clearly seeing me standing there but did not acknowledge me then walks away. At this point, I'm already super annoyed and I see another customer walk by that just paid for her item, I ask her if there was another register open and she points me to the center registers. When I got there, there was already another customer being helped. I'm clearly super frustrated at this point so I flagged down an employee who was walking by and asked him if he could help me. I expressed my frustration with the whole situation and he tells me next time just flag someone down. Why do I have to do that?! Never coming back again if I can help it. read more

I edited this, why? Because I just got back from the best customer service I've ever had at guitar center. He is one of the real music lovers there. It's rare, but he made give GC another star. You can continue to read my unedited post below... Guitar Center is a place for musicians. Musicians are free spirited but sometimes big headed. For some reason, GC hires the big headed ones. All they give a ____ about is making a sell. They will not even greet you when you walk in the door if you aren't wearing a suit and tie. They will do everything in their power to manipulate you into buying something and will literally show their disgust when you don't want to spend a lot of money. It's ridiculous. It's a good and bad thing that they match any price. Good because, well...it's the best price. Bad because they are putting everyone else out of business and aren't even respectful to their customers. I really do think that their business model is perfect , but I wouldn't be surprised if their ugly attitude ends up making them lose a lot of business. I have literally been filled with anger after going to guitar center on many occasions. And I am not one to EVER file complaints. read more

I'm completely ignorant when it comes to instruments and other music-related paraphernalia, so walking into Guitar Center is like walking into a foreign country for me. But my companion needed to get some items here (and he's a supremo musician), so I tagged along for a quick drive to La Mesa and into this wonderland of music. I was really impressed by this place at first. Apparently Guitar Center is a nationwide chain store, but it doesn't feel sterile or mass-produced the way Target or Wal-mart do. There are lots of rooms, each for different specialties -- a guitar room, a drums room, a sheet music area, a DJ equipment room, etc. Most of the rooms have demos available that you can play with. However, even though store was crowded and kind of cluttered, finding the items we needed was a breeze. The only downside was the lack of available staff. True, the store was full of people, but there wasn't a free salesperson anywhere. We finally flagged one down, and he was ultra-helpful and friendly. I don't know if he's a musician or not, but I did complement him on his tattoo and mohawk. The main thing we were looking for was a 3-legged chair that rotates, meant for somebody playing drums or piano. In my naive little world, such an object is called a "stool". But in the ultra-hip-and-rad-and-awesome world of Guitar Center, this object is called a "drum throne". Yes, it's a throne. Shelling out a hundred bucks on this item turns you into royalty, apparently. I'm still waiting for my knighthood. read more

Guitar Center left nearly 400 fans waiting outside as they closed their doors on the Dave Mustaine meet and greet that took place tonight (8/15/12). Nowhere in their promos did they a) place a limit on how many fans they could "process"; b) designate an end time for this event; c) state that it was necessary to purchase a Dean guitar in order to ensure your 'meet & greet' would in fact take place. One of the security guards stated that they could not anticipate the effects of social media. WHAT?? Have you not heard of Arab spring? Take responsibility for your failure. You started the social media ball rolling to line your pockets. From a young man who waited at your signing with his Dave Mustaine signature series Dean guitar for 3 1/2 hours: "You piece of shit Dave Mustaine. What is megadeth without me and millions of other dildos like me who care enough to buy your shit? Nothing. I guarantee you that your Aston Martin didn't appear out of thin air. You only have what you have because of dildos like me who give two shits about your music, so the least you could do is sign a few more fucking autographs. I didn't stand in line for over three hours just because thats what I felt like doing today. I did it because I have a shit about you and your music. And also being under contract to only sign Dean guitars is bullshit and is not what you used to stand for. But I guess money, fame and Aston Martins can get the best of everybody. And to the tall bearded man in the suit: lick my crusty asshole, you piece of shit. This isn't the Dave Mustaine that I represent with shirts, books, music, and guitars. The Mustaine that I represent is one who gives two shits about the people who are paying him and one who realizes that the only reason he has what he has is because of regular jack offs like me." The fans are pissed, Guitar Center. I can confidently say that none of my family will ever buy from you again. (My son, brother, father, 4 uncles, and ex husband all play guitar- we have collectively spent millions of dollars in your store over the years.) read more

Went here to drop off my German Hofner Bass, it needed a setup and possible filing of the nut/zero fret. Was told it would be done by the following day. I called the store the next day mid afternoon, the tech said it's next up for repair. Two and half hours later I called and asked for an update and to update my phone number on file. The tech then changed their story claiming there was a couple people in front of my repair. That already started to get me concerned about their lack of transparency, and started to question wether I could trust them with my repair. I waited another four hours and stopped in the store. When I walked in my friend and I saw the tech just sitting on his phone in the repair room. Someone else came to pickup up a repair, rang the bell, and startled the tech who came running out. After about 15 minutes of him checking out the customer, I asked what the status was, and he tells me that it might be down tomorrow. This is a big corporation, why is there only one tech working the late shift to get through the repairs. I understand it takes time to work through the mounds of repair tickets, but three days to do a basic checkup? And then also the incorrect and inefficient system they have to keep in time with repairs and staffing, and the speed they work at... for a big corporation like this, is extremely unacceptable. For 50 dollars too... I might just go to a small shop down the block that has no problem keeping up with time, and consistently delivers better service than this corporation. I want a tech that takes pride in their work, and can be honest with me. I expected a lot more professionalism. Oh well, they have the string selection I like, so I might be back for that... Definitely will not be recommending anyone I know to go here for repairs, sadly. read more

The only reason I come here is out of necessity. They seem to have put every other non-pawn shop music store out of business in my part of town. I'd like to preface the below by saying that this is my only negative yelp review I have ever written. They have a pretty good selection of stuff, but honestly, you'll find better customer service online. Every piece of advice I've ever gotten there was in an attempt to upsell me. And they have never listened to a word I've said. For example: Me: "I already have music software and am looking for a non-proprietary external interface." Guitar Center: "How about buying the Mbox/Pro Tools bundle? It has both an interface and software." Me: "Did you listen at all when I said I already have software?" Another example: Me: "What do you know about tambourines?" Guitar Center: "There's not much to know" Me: "Really...There's not much to know about a 5,000 year old instrument that has thousands of variations and can be constructed in a million different ways? You're going to tell a percussionist that there's not much to know about tambourines!" They also seem to think that getting something for the market price is somehow both fantastic and only achievable at guitar center. They will also offer to help you with things, "hey bring it in and we can set it up." I've tried to take them up on this and they looked at me like I was drunk. Everything they have told me is colored by so much subjective personal preference...it's like asking a Mac fanatic to recommend a good computer. This place is full of toys but really really really sucks in terms of service. If anyone knows a good employee there, give me their name and I'll make sure they get all of my business. Better yet, how about recommending a better music store. read more

This is a "Try before you buy" store and that is it. RUN fast and far to another place to make a purchase. "0" stars for custumer service. This place is Notorious for having the worst ever employees and custumer service. It's been that way for years. But because of the large selection of various equipment available this keeps people coming back. So you can go to check out what you are looking for and try it out but I highly recommend you make purchases on line or at another location. I've seen so many people walk out pissed because they were ignored, couldn't get any assistance or just plain being treated poorly. It's like anyone with a lanyard on won't make eye contact with you and if they sense you walking towards them they dash off to the back to some unknown abyss. Might as well just help ourselves behind the counter. Not like they gonna know or even care. It's funny coz they all have the same attitude. They carry themselves like they are elite rock stars and we aren't worthy of their time. But none of them are house hold names and look like washed up roadies. We're trying to give you business and you're shooting yourself in the foot. Good luck on getting any kind of service. They found Osama faster than any patron can find a worker willing to assist you. They now carry a small selection of ukulele's which made me laugh. Being rude to customers isn't worth spending money at. It's just going to kill your good vibe read more

I hate guitar center. I was actually just going to leave the review at that, but I guess I owe some sort of an explanation. Every time I go here I feel like no one wants to help me. It takes nearly 15 minutes to get someones attention but they are always helping someone else. Is there a sign on my forehead that says, " I SUCK AT PLAYING MUSIC AND I'M NOT WORTH YOUR TIME"? I went here to pick up a wah pedal and explained that I had never used a pedal before and so I would like to be walked through it. I was then promptly led to the pedal table or whatever, handed two different pedals without any explanation, and then the sales person told me to find a guitar a plug in, then skittering away before I can think to ask how to set it up. So I grab a guitar, pick a few strings, it sounds like shit. No surprise there as I think to myself, "I wonder when the last time any of these guitars were actually tuned?" After going through two more guitars and finally finding a guitar that sounded somewhat in tune I jump into trying to figure out how to set this thing up. I'm pretty lost, and yeah, I probably look like an idiot because I know it's not rocket science. So I grab the first guy I see. "Hey bud, can you help me set this thing up? I've never used a pedal before." And I bet you can guess what his reply was! Whaddaya you know - he's busy helping another customer! So fast forward a couple minutes and I say fuck it. I just bought the Cry Baby and got the hell out of there because I was leaving for sea the next day and didn't have time to screw around! You got my business this time Guitar Center... but never again. For shame. read more

Bumping it up because of the quick response by corporate and local management. Within a few days a corporate guy reached out and wanted my contact info to share wit the local manager. He reached within a few days with a promise to improve his team and to make it right... read more

Super friendly, very helpful, lots of selection. I really like how helpful they are, and friendly. Superior customer service, worth the drive from OB. read more

What can i say?? The only best place to buy musical equipment. Everywhere else is overpriced. Once, you walk in Guitar Center, you'll be greeted by some hot chick. Then, I'll feel obligated to buy something because of her so I could look cool. Anyways, I love the way you could test out any equipment you want to purchase; from acoustic/electric guitars to electronic/acoustic drums. I usually go to the drums section because that's my expertise. I've been purchasing my drum equipment for 6 years because that's how long I've been playing. The employees are really helpful and nice. Overall, this is the only place I would purchase my equipment. Here's a tip. They price match!!! read more

I was in there today for 20 minutes and not a single person said anything to me or even attempted to help me. Last time I'm ever going in there. read more

Had to rent speakers and a sound board for a party down in San Diego so I called around to get some pricing. Most other places I called were rushed and a bit rude. When I called Guitar Center, James answered the call and was SO helpful and patient with all of my questions. His phone etiquette is the reason why I rented with Guitar Center. When I came in to pick up the equipment, James was there and totally remembered our phone conversation, which put me instantly at ease. He went through all of the equipment showing me how to use it and to troubleshoot if anything were to go wrong. The event went excellent and I got many compliments on how great the sound was. Upon returning the gear, James was genuinely interested in how everything went. He was friendly, knowledgeable, patient, and quick. Thanks James for making the whole experience easy and problem free!!!! You ROCK! read more

I called to ask a question about one of their guitars and got put on hold for TEN MINUTES!!! And on top of that, I got hung up on before anyone heard my question! I called again and told them that i had waited for ten minutes on hold only to be hung up on, and the only reason I gave this place two stars instead of one is because the man on the line apologized and said they were busy so someone must have accidentally clicked the wrong button, then proceeded to actually make an effort to help me without putting me on hold or hanging up. read more

i like going to Guitar center, even though i know that I'm not going to buy anything, but it's great to just walk in try the instruments and no one will bother you. My friend bought a guitar from them and spent about $600 dollars and they had a special where he got another guitar (fender acoustic) for free. It's awesome when they have specials like that. read more

I purchased a violin from Guitar Center, To be honest I was in a hurry for last minute Christmas shopping for my daughter. I took the violin home, the following morning I opened the violin to check it for any discrepancies. The following was discovered. The turning peg for the G string was not holding and slipping and the high string was missing. After several redirections I went to the repair department which prove to be completely incompetent. They let me know that the violin subject matter was not going to be in until Wednesday, I found that acceptable. What I did not understand was the charge I was told I would incur to set up for a new violin which had a slipping tuning peg and missing string. The charge an additional 150 dollars. Please help understand why I should be charged for substandard gear sold as new. I obviously returned the substandard instrument and went to Allan's music also located in La Mesa. I purchased a beautiful used violin which was tuned, the bow had rosin applied and I was giving top notch instructions on the care and tuning of the instrument. Guitar Center I found very lacking in customer care or satisfaction. They proved only interested in the sale. I wont be back and shall spread the word to all I know about their substandard service. Merry Christmas, Ba humbug, Ho Ho Horroble experience. read more

Fun store, knowledge and friendly staff. When it comes to repairs, setups and making my guitar sound and play like a million bucks, Paul in repairs is my go to guy. He always goes above and beyond ensuring his clients are well informed and get their guitars back in much better shape than they were before. He's done some pretty extensive and complicated work to some of my guitars, that at times, weren't even worth it, but he went out of his way regardless to do his best. I'm talking, full re-fret jobs, fret levels and crowns. Complete rewiring of guitar electronics. I brought this guy some real nightmare jobs and he always came through. Ask for him by name when go in for a repair and you'll be glad you did. read more

Upon entering the store, I was greeted by a really kind and courteous door man. I informed him that I was looking for a guitar to start learning how to play and he directed me to the back, ensuring me that the guitar experts would assist me. Once I arrived in the back of the store, I saw 2 guys. One was at the counter, who seemed to look down on me for being on a budget. The other was in the acoustic guitar room; he greeted me and after browsing for a bit,I looked for him to ask some questions but he was nowhere to be seen. I was disappointed. The guitar I was looking for wasn't for me but the attitude I received from the guy at the counter who practically scoffed at the price I told him I could afford ($50) made me glad that I didn't send the person I was asking about it for. I saw on their website that they did have a few websites for that price range and I was even willing to go up to $60. But I felt I was pushed away. The customer service is lacking. They could have offered to look for a similar product and let me try it out or even offered to send me somewhere else that could have what I needed. I will not be coming back and I will not be purchasing it on their website. I was excited to browse their piano and drum sections personally since I wish to start learning to play those myself...but I think I'm better off at going to a small pop shop than going to a chain. read more

This place absolutely sucks in regard to customer service. As for used equipment it can be a bit pricey especially used DJ equipment. The price matching system the claim to have is non existent. They won't even price match other guitar centers WTH??? I was looking to drop $2000 dollars but I waited 45 minutes and no one even asked of I needed help i finally flagged Someone down and they had no idea how to answer my questions or just re read the back of the box where is the damn owner??? read more

I gave them a 3, only because GC has uber inventory. GC shopping rules 1. play but don't buy. I'm talking about guitars They'll mark up instruments at a decent price, but won't tell you that other places have similar brands that are much better in quality and cheaper or same price. Plus the guitars there are like the village bicycle, everyone's had a ride on them. So even if you're buying new its probably been used. Cleaning really works wonders. Sometimes you might find a used guitar (of good make) that someone sold there at a good price. Also really good guitars are sold else where like electric guitars go to Buffalo Bros (its a drive to Carlsbad but WORTH IT, wide selection, new and used) or classical go to Blue Guitar (they know their stuff and the Romero brothers take their guitars there for repair). GC totes stuff like Gibson / Fender that are overpriced and lower quality than G&L, Heritage, Guild etc . .. 3. Equipment / Accessories wise, GC is best hands down. Electronics, or keyboards (make sure you get it in a box with the original plastic intact and not some cleaned up demo model). They're stock is insane and the prices are pretty decent, plus the price matching is great. Amps, speakers, headsets . . . tuners etc . . . 4. Know what you're getting. Guitar center trains their sales people to sell and if you don't know what you're getting you'll be leaving with something that might not be the best match for your price range. I was in there 2 years back buying my Boss TU12 chromatic tuner and this suit and tie fellow was being sold on a Gibson Les Paul Standard Traditional Plus Electric Guitar for $2400. The kid selling it went to the manager like a car salesman. And another GC gal chatted him up. They didn't like it when I told the guy in the suit about Heritage guitars and go to http://www.buffalobrosguitars.com and take a look. He could have a guitar for 1400-1900 that was made with better parts and by the original Gibson guys. The gal gave this blank look while the sales guy tried to tell us that Heritage broke away from Gibson and are making copies. I then asked about Kalamazoo and he didn't know what that was. I told him Gibson was in Kalamazoo, but moved to Nashville for a better selling location. But all the old luthiers with combined hundred or so of years of experience, the guys that did all the original Gibson designs, didn't want to pack up and sell their homes / uproot their families and leave so they bought the original factory and made their guitars under their own brand. The sales people didn't even know what a luthier was LOL. But they were pissed when the suit n tie customer said the magic words "I'll think about it." Even the manager came out and offered a $200 discount and said I was just your regular opinionated guitar player. I shrugged and just bought my TU-12 and walked. The suit and tie followed me out. We talked out in the parking lot and I told him to google Heritage etc. I said spending 2000 on guitar I'm going to research and make sure I know exactly what I'm getting. Don't be that guy who runs his car into the ground then tries to invoke the warranty and when they ask for receipts of oil changes and he goes "You mean I have to change the oil??". read more

I will not rant too hard as I found my equipment from another vendor for a cheaper price. To expand on why I was pissed, guitar center's web site told me they had my gear in store. I saved it by placing an on line purchase. They told me to roll in and pick it up. This location is in the arm pit of San Diego, but I made the best of it. When I arrived I politely asked to get my pickup which was paid online. The guy at the "front desk" was a complete prick. I politely explained what I was there for and I even let his mongloid hands handle my phone, just to show him I had an email which said "purchased, pick up from La Mesa GT Center." That spineless cocksucker talked shit to me and said "look buddy even though our inventory says we have your purchased product, we do not" Sal, or whatever your name is, do some inventory check as it seems like you are being robbed blind. read more

Poor customer engagement. I walked around for a full half hour and no employee in that hole said a word to me. I had on khakis and a dress shirt and $2000 dollars in my pocket for a new A&H mixer. If anything the employees just mad dog you and look away. Almost every GC experience is a poor one. I wish they would just go out of business already. read more

OK!!!! So damn ive always wanted to do a review for this place. SUCKS! There im done. haha jk. LONG REVIEW.Seriously the people are so rude sometimes. They start out nice, but dont tell em your just looking or seeing prices becuase they will quickly turn into ass holes and not help you at all or help you, but with a complete attitude. I remember it when i was like 13 or 14 it was fun to go, heck we used to ditch school just to go jam and chill their then go eat after haha. When we used to buy stuff some of the guys even hooked it up or would to price matches, but now they are totally different. I dont know if its becuase im mexican, which i dont even look that mexican by the way, but one of the workers would not stop following me and asking if i needed help. NO F OFF! haha. I know they here the same shit over and over, but hey dont like it quit. Dosent give you the right to be assholes. Anyway, there are SOME guys that are cool and help full the manager is cool and is the girl at the entrance besides them and like 2 other guys everyones a d**k and think because they work their theyre so much better than you. Theyre full of it. I have tons of stores of being stuff where they tell me they will hook it up and when im about to pay they say oh we cant or oh we have to add this and that or they add the warranty and dont even tell you. WTF! Then when you go to return it they make up excuses to not give you your money back and try to sell you something else or give you store credit. Let me also mention apparently even though they offer you there card to buy stuff and pay later, if you run into problems they cant help you and you have to call some one who you cant even understand. I fell for it and it took me about a month to cancel my card. I stood at the drum section for like 3 hours while the guy was on the phone trying to cancel it because i couldnt and at the end he said you have to call. I seriously said F U and walked out. Came back the following wee talked to the manager and he canceled it quick. Even though Guitar Center and Musicians friend ARE the same company i prefer muscians friend, more wait but less BS! I still go to buy sticks,strings, and basic stuff, but i prefer MF or talking to the manager at GC. SO BE SURE TO KNOW ABOUT WHAT YOU WANT, ABOUT MUSIC, ABOUT INSTRUMENTS AND IF YOUR NOT BUYING ANYTHING DONT STAY TO LONG. IF NOT YOU GET NO HELP AND THEY'LL TRY TO RIP YOU OFF. read more

We went to guitar center to buy a new guitar for my 9 year old daughter. I don't know anything about guitars, so I asked for some help from Samantha. When first asked her, it seemed like she was annoyed, and wasn't interested in helping us. My daughter wanted to try out some guitars, but she really wasn't helpful. We finally found one my daughter liked. Samantha was ringing us up, and she was literally "rolling" her eyes the whole time. She offered us the protection plan, which we kindly refused. She became even more annoyed, sighing, rolling her eyes, and actually being really rude with us. She was totally unprofessional. Samantha knew how to play the guitar, but Customer Service is definitely not one of her skills. Get out of customer service, Samantha... just some advice.. read more

This has to be the WORST experience I've Ever had in a retail store. The men that work there are Rude & inconsiderate to women customers. It's like they avoid helping women customers. I came into the store with my mother in law & sister in law trying to get a gift for my father in law & couldn't get any assistance with pulling down merchandise. Then when they finally did & needed to be checked out we were skipped so they could help another male customer. Poor customer service, to say the least! read more

Oh Guitar Center why are you so annoying? I hate all of your stupid commercials on the radio. It's always the same thing. "Once in a lifetime deals!!!!!" Whenever I go in there I try and remember exactly what I need. I avoid making any for of eye contact with your cheezy employees. It seems like you only hire dudes who have a chin strap beards, flame tattoos on their forearms, and have been in multiple shitty metal bands over their life time. I also have to hear every jackass playing a neon green Ibanez hooked up to a 100w Marshall half stack. I love you Guitar Center, but I also very much hate you. read more

I found a nice 335 guitar online from the Guitar Center website. the add said one was located at the La Mesa store. I called them up and sure enough they had one. I told them I couldn't make it until Saturday, but I would be in because I wanted to buy it. Saturday morning came. I called again and they told me they still had it. I'll be over in less that an hour I told them. I live in Poway. The salesman told me it would be locked up with their top-end guitars. Be sure you ask for me when you get here. Sure, I'll let you get credit for the sale. I got there in less than an hour (it's a bit of a drive from Poway). But too bad, they had just sold it. What? I drove all they way there for this **&^^%^? I had just talked to the guy on the phone! Well the salesman told me they had another, but it cost twice as much! What kind of cheesy place is this? I thought. Well they told me, they can't hold guitars. That's a great policy I thought. One that is sure to win over lots of new customers. Just so happens, a guy I work with knew somebody who had a used one for sale at half the price. That's what I bought. Don't think I'll be making it to Guitar Center in La Mesa anytime soon. read more

Come here if you want your wallet to deflate. GC has much more than just guitars, they carry DJ/Producer gear, pianos, synths, drums, basses, live sound, amps and cables. The best part about buying from GC is you have 30 days to return something if you decide you don't like it. If you are musical at all come on in and play around. read more