Fun place to pretend to be a rock star. I'm usually chilling in the acoustic room as friends play Foo Fighter songs and I play tunes from the soundtracks of Super Mario Bros and other video games on as few strings and frets as possible. Dum Dum--Dum Dum--Dum Dum. read more

went to the back to check out some acoustic guitars and that was fine. The sales man was pleasant and i checked a really nice dreadnaught acoustic that i really liked. But unfortunately thats not the end of my visit. I've been looking at an American Special Telecaster for awhile but only online and really wanted to play one and see whats what. So low and behold, there it is, right behind the counter, but the Asshole behind the counter would not acknowledge me and took two customers that where behind me....Matt i believe is his name. Short black hair and lots of ink on ..his left arm. Too bad Asshole cause I liked the Tele and would have bought it but you had to be a total Douchbag....deal breaker. It's sales people like Matt are the reason people call GC the Wallmart of guitar stores. Do your self a favor and take the F Train to W4th Street and go to Matt Umanov's guitar shop and get treated right read more

I hate this place. The employees are just awful. I came here to buy a bass a few years back, they only had the floor model which had been played with by god knows how many people. It was the only one they had, none in the back brand new untouched like I wanted. The sales person refused to discount it, saying it is what it is, couldn't do anything about it. He offered to give me a cheap soft gigbag to carry it around with one strap broken...I left the store and bought it online instead. Get lost Guitar Center, I hope you close down and get replaced by a Chipotle. read more

If you are a girl looking to test out a guitar, you will be ignored. If you do manage to get someone's attention, you will be treated as though it's your first time handling a guitar. Sure the store is big, it has to hold all that ego. You'd think they'd be cheaper than your local mom & pop music store, but not so much. 3 different music stores I went to had a boss pedal I wanted for $65-70. GC wanted $99. Stupid. I don't hate the company as a whole though, sometimes they have good buys, and of course lots of stock. However, when I do buy from them I go to the Brooklyn store - they're not as big of d-bags there. read more

I am quite surprised to read the other reviews because my experience was enjoyable... I have been here before to buy bass picks for my brother, and when I described the kind of ones he needed since he is quite abusive to them, he helped me found good quality picks for a reasonable price. Today was my second visit with my brother and we enjoyed it. One rep named Nick was very nice and answered all my questions abut accessories and different bass brands. He set us up so my brother could play and he did for a long time with no hassle. Actually now that I think about it, no other representative talked to us. It was a lot of fun trying out all the different guitars, my brother called it the rock n roll dream... I'm not sure about that since there was no scantily clad women but hey he's only 14 lol read more

It's Guitar Center, the attitude is a given. It's a huge store and there are many departments, so it's hard to judge everyone the same. There actually are some nice people working there, unfortunately we generally just remember the jerks. The store is enormous and it's nice to see the wall of guitars and tons of instruments; you can also try some guitar/amps out even though you're lucky if you can hear yourself amid the symphony of finger-tapping across the main floor. You can get almost anything though you probably won't get the best deal and it'll come with a side of attitude, that being said if you need to get it then and there, then that's the place. I wanna go in there with a sign that says "Sorry you didn't get signed and now you're stuck selling BOSS pedals to tourists, but please remember, it's not my fault !! .....dude" It is, what it is. read more

I've experienced much better, but the landscape of guitar shops has changed over the years. The low end stuff has gotten better and much cheaper, while the used (now called vintage) market basically exploded, putting desirable older instruments out of reach of most players. GC reflects this. Most of their selection is cheap stuff, with some higher end stuff represented (at a bit too close to list price for my tastes). The selection is very lowest common denominator, which is to be expected from a giant chain store. I've personally never gotten an attitude from the staff, but that could be because I've been a pro for years, and know my stuff. They back off when they realize I know more than they do about most of what they're selling, politely letting me know where to find them should I need them. What irks me about GC is the only part of the store I find interesting: the vintage room. I don't see a thing wrong with selling vintage instruments and amps for top dollar in NYC. After all, if you're going to target price-insensitive buyers anywhere this isn't a bad place to do so. BUT, if you're charging top of the blue book value you'd best have those guitars set up and those amps in good working order, which is not always the case at GC. This extends to the new gear they sell. The floor model you were impressed with is not the same guitar they bring up from stock when you decide to buy it. Every guitar is different; if I've made the decision to buy an instrument I've made it because I like the one I was playing when I made that decision. Admittedly, this policy does not extend to their higher end models. In the end, I consider GC a bit of a necessary evil. Sometimes you need to buy the stuff they sell. With the exception of used and top end gear their prices are pretty good. So you go there. You don't have to pretend you enjoy the experience. Back in the days when mom and pop music stores were the only option many of them sucked, too. And you paid more for necessities. read more

I hate shopping here but they are the only store with a decent selection downtown. For drum stuff, they only have one competitor: Sam Ash. The problems are numerous: the most annoying part is that the employees upsell like CRAZY. I ask for the cheapest cymbal stand and I'm told it's 60 bucks. I decline, walk 10 feet, and find one for $40. He supposedly checked inventory twice but was clearly just trying to sell me a more expensive piece of crap. If you ask for help, expect to be RIPPED OFF. Shop online first and know what you want before you come in. You have to ask for help because nothing is really out and available, or labeled correctly. The other thing I hate is that they ask for my name and phone number and zip code every time I buy something. The prices suck compared to online and Sam Ash. Sam Ash has the same problem of upselling, and the employees are just as unhelpful and do everything to ignore you, but at least don't pretend to like you at all. Craigslist is pretty much the only source for decent treatment for folks buying used equipment in NYC, as far as I have found. I am eager to be disproven. The only reasons GC gets any stars at all are location and selection. The store is huge and has good hours. The prices and staff suck monkey balls. read more

Let me preface this by stating that I always try to buy my instruments and accessories from smaller local dealers. I've only gone to Guitar Center as a last resort and after my experience today, I will probably never set foot in one again. I really shouldn't expect great customer service from this place but what I experienced today was outright hostility. To be perfectly forthright, I went into the store without any intention of buying anything but I suppose that's the case with 75% of retail customers anywhere. Good salespeople can handle this and won't immediately get hostile which is what a certain sales associate did with me today. I feel sorry for the other salespeople at this store who actually treat customers with respect. There are so many other reasons for me to not shop here but the shit that went down today was unacceptable. read more

I hate this place with a fiery passion. I wish I had read the reviews on here before going in. Here is the fabulous story of my experience trying to buy an electric piano with them: I put in an inquiry on their website to see if this location had the piano I wanted in stock. Someone called me the next day to say that they did, so I could come in and get it. I was almost there (coming in from Sunset Park; I already knew the Atlantic/Pacific location was out of stock) when I got a call saying just kidding, there's only one and some parts are missing, but we'll sell you the next model up at a bit of a discount so it won't be that much more expensive. Can I get it home in a cab? I asked them. Of course, they told me. I got there, played the other piano, decided it was fine and said I would take it. They sold me a $100 3-year warranty on it and then informed me that it was too big for a cab after all so we'd have to call a van service. Ok fine. $65 in transportation costs later I've got it home. So far, not awful. But see, the piano didn't work. I didn't find this out for about a week, because I injured myself getting out of the packaging (not their fault, obviously) and couldn't try it out. Anyways, I called them and told them it didn't work, and they said to bring it back in. I told them I couldn't, because I didn't have a car and it would cost me another $65 to get it back, and they were really pissy about having to send someone to pick it up even though, hi, EXPENSIVE WARRANTY. I told them I didn't have the box anymore, but when the guy finally came to pick it up (they were awful about setting up a time to do that, too, and left me on hold for 40 minutes when I tried to call them) he still bitched about the lack of packaging and moped and complained about it the whole time he and my boyfriend were getting it to his van. Ok, so getting worse. But the final straw, which took this down to a 1-star review, was that when they ordered me a replacement piano, they ordered CURBSIDE DELIVERY. This means that despite the fact that I am a 5'6" not particularly muscular female, they expected me to get a 170 lb piano up the stairs and into my apartment building by myself. I had to bribe the delivery guy $20 to help me get it in, because they delivered it in the rain and I was home alone. Then, cherry on the sundae: when I got the new piano open, it had about twice as much packaging as the one they initially sold me. That's right folks, it appears that they sold me a broken piano that someone else had returned sans packing and thought that I somehow wouldn't notice. Awesome. Overall, awful experience. I'm never going back, and I highly suggest that you don't go either. Only plus side, at least the second piano worked. read more

There are two people in particular that have been triple-checked and cross-verified very carefully under the microscope - one of them is my daughter's nanny, and the other one fixes my guitars. This is more a review for Joe Belle, the fellow latter in the group above than the departments here as I can't stand some of the shenanigans that go on here from the dicks who work in Drums, to the known-it-alls in the supplies/software department. I digress... Joe Belle has a divine gift. Any guitar he takes in for repair, he treats like his own, with care, respect, and awe, whether you are bringing in a shitty Fender Squier made in Mexico, or a vintage Strat made in the USA. Joe will not play the car mechanic bullshit games and try to sell you services you don't need. He will take his time to diagnose the guitar and tell you how much it will be before any work on it is done. Furthermore, he will commit to that price. He has worked on my 1979 American-made Fender Strat which needed to be entonated and a re-wired pod. Most recently, he worked on my Epiphone (the GIbson model). He set it up and fixed the tone switch. He could have told me I needed a new pick up and I would have believed him, but he was upfront and 100% honest with me. The guitar plays beautifully. Joe Belle is my tech for life and I thank the gods that have blessed his hands. If you know what's good for you, or even if you don't - bring your guitar to him and tell him Max sent you. read more

Steven.j I put a review up last Friday the 3rd For the second time. I got a response from business owner Ronald E. saying someone from guitar center 14th St. will contact me within 24 to 48 hours to resolve the issue of my Eon 610 10 inch Jbl. No one contacted me. I emailed back to the owner. that gave me this information. and I'm hearing nothing back. At this point, I will just go to guitar center to bye the JBL 15inch with my EGC gift card that's $435.49 I'll pay the difference because the EGC gift card is not enough for the 15 inch that's $629 dollars. I'll also purchase the other 15inch JBL that's over $629 to have a matching set. Because 10inch is discontinued I am forced to upgrade to the 15 inch so if your speaker ever die and it's discontinued, be prepared. Because the warranty is not going to give you enough to purchase new speaker. Or that one speaker at least. I will be going to (Sam Ash) for now on after this is over. Thank you Ronald E. But no one from your 14th street store never got in contact with me read more

Zak helped me out throughout the day on a LOT of rather challenging requests (helping me fit a guitar case / special orders / pro-coverage on a previously bought used guitar). Despite the store being SUPER busy on a Saturday afternoon, Zak was extremely supportive and went far above and beyond to make sure I was 100% satisfied. His knowledge in combination with Guitar Center's impressive solutions went extremely far beyond my expectations. read more

Steven Johnson is a customer at guitar center, but not a valued customer. Today, January 30, 2023, during the morning time at 11am when Guitar Center opens, Steven had an unexpected and unnecessary experience due to a worker. Steven Johnson was told last week that he could come to Guitar Center today, 1/30/2023 to pick up a brand-new speaker that he has purchased once before. Steven was told the new speaker would be in stock. The speaker needs to be replaced and the insurance company gave Steven the E -card (money) needed to purchase a new speaker. The worker on site explained that the Guitar Center in Queens had 3 speakers available according to his research via computer. The Guitar Center on 14th Steet did not have the speaker in stock even though Steven was told they would have more on the 30th of January, and to come early when the store opens. The worker alongside another customer advised Steven to call the Guitar in Queens. When Steven called the Queens center no one ever picked up. He took his chances and traveled to the store in Queens. The worker in Queens informed Steven that they had one used speaker in stock. The money is for purchasing a new speaker, not an old speaker. Steven ended up with no speaker and a lot of lost time, energy, and money. read more

Massive store with everything you could want for a guitar. Helpful staff. Even separate acoustic room. Downstairs is a DJs delight with all brands of production equipment. Mind spinning. read more

Guitar heaven. Wall to ceiling is covered with colorful guitars from every corner. About 3pm or so, students flood in and begin to play music on the displays. It's awesome to listen to people just share music, and the staff encourages this. The staff I've encountered was quite knowledgeable, helpful, and friendly with the keyboards downstairs. They carry a large library of music, and the most popular instruments (such as drums, keyboards, etc). If you're on a budget or looking to buy a highend quality electric guitar look no furthur- THIS is the place. read more

See all

A necessary evil... you're not going to find a better selection of pro audio downtown. I really doubt I would ever purchase a guitar there, but mics, cables, stands, mixers? You bet. Some of the staff are very good. And it's nice to see what's new... but new guitars are almost never cool. And their vintage stuff is so over-priced (like samash) that it's a joke. I really prefer the indepedant shops (especially First Flight)... read more

I dunno, I've been to plenty of guitar centers in many cities, this was wasn't as bad as I thought it might be. I only needed bridge pins for a POS fender acoustic I bought on ebay to fingerpick around when I'm not doing homework. They didn't make me feel bad about only needing a cheap little item, they didn't try to sell me a Fender Strat to go with it. I was in and out in less than 5 minutes. Kudos for that. I used to work in a music store, so I know what a pain waste of time it is to ring up a $5 sale...they were pretty cool. read more

No one here is helpful and they let the loud ass phone ring and ring and ring... pick it up!!! It's so annoying!! Being in this store caused my boyfriend and I extreme anxiety. They are blasting shitty edm at 3pm like a bummy music festival. The guy I purchased my adapter from definitely overcharged me too.. This store is a nightmare. read more

Like that you can try out majority of the instruments. Staff was helpful and encourages you to try out the equipment!! read more

Guitar Center - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - Manhattan, New York

On-site tech is really good. The sales people on the floor (guitar) can be really annoying, especially when you know more about the instrument than they do... Drum and software departments are excellent! Same with keys... read more

Severely understaffed for a Friday night. I came in mainly looking for a banjo strap. The Accessories department told me to go to the Acoustics room. Acoustics told me to check Accessories. Cut my losses and just picked up a slide and a capo. I will say that Pete from Accessories is hilarious and helpful, and didn't pressure me into spending any more money than I wanted to. However, like most Guitar Centers, they make you check your bags (understandable). It was simple enough to check in, but bag claim was a cluster-F. Even though they had 3 people working it, there was a long line of mass confusion. read more

I usually don't review stores but I had to after my awesome experience here! I've been wanting to learn guitar for a while and finally decided to take the plunge and buy a cheap beginner to learn on. I went into the acoustic room and a salesman named David took care of my father and me. He was great. He came around every once in a while to show us something else and then backed off to give us some time to play around with the instrument. He wasn't in the least bit pushy and was extremely helpful. I ended up leaving the store at first without a guitar because I wanted to go to Sam Ash and some other stores to compare prices and whatnot, but ended up coming all the way back down to union square so I could buy the guitar from the salesman that was so great. Also, as it turned out, the guitar I wanted was only available that day in the floor model. Because of this, David gave us a sizable discount on the soft side carrying case that I had picked out! I will definitely be coming back here for my guitar needs! read more

Autumn is honestly so amazing and helped me so much. She is quick, funny, and professional. Anyone should be honored to be her customer.

I am not a big fan of Guitar Center but this store was much better than most due to the inventory. It's hard to find a Guitar Center that has something other than 200.00 guitars on the wall. For someone looking to buy a higher end instrument, most Guitar Centers just don't cut it. This location had the largest selection of higher end instruments I have seen at any location. While I am not a huge fan, if you want to try a higher end guitar in store, this is a good place to check out. The sales staff are OK but not great. Due to the volume of customers, it can be hard to get someones attention to help you out. My verdict is that this is the best of the worst kind of thing but can be helpful if you want to try before you buy. read more

If you enjoy hearing the melody of the most popular Drake song at the time blaring on a keyboard hang around the Guitar Center downstairs. If you enjoy AC/DC played at half-tempo on an untuned guitar go upstairs. Staff is usually pretty helpful and friendly, though. PS..You might hear some Butthole Surfers if you stick around long enough! :p read more

I went there to try out a several different high end guitars and the people working there were pretty annoying... "Do you plan to buy that?" ..what do you think? I like that the store has a great selection but I hate its corporate guts! The people working are fake and miserable! The store is good and cheap so I can't give it one star... read more

Poor management and bad service. The jersey locations are so much more organized and a much friendlier staff. This location is just so much more convenient but I'd rather travel to get better service. Two thumbs down. read more

I like Guitar Center, because it has all that rock-and-roll music. I like playing a drum set, since I know the different rhythms, such as rock-and-roll, and country. I also know several riffs on a Fender guitar. read more

Guitar Center - Store Window - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - Manhattan, New York

I side with Michael D. on this one. The people who work there (most but not all ) will give u a shiity attitude if you ask any questions , or if you play an instrument over $5,000 . But if you just go there like me and not give a shit and dont talk to anyone & just go play the instruments you will have the time of your life. I recommend the Acoustic Guitar section the small room in the back , sit there and play no one will bother you. and as for the Pianos bring ur own headphones and just plug in and your set u wont hear anything but your music As for service the nicest people you will encounter will be the ones at the door they always have a smile and genuinely wish you a nice day. read more

'I need Elixir strings, but I don't know which kind.' 'Do you like your sound bright or warm?' 'Warm.' 'Light or heavy?' 'Light.' He then grabs me a pack and I'm on my way. Very easy and quick transaction but had I the time to spare I would've ordered strings on Amazon. read more

I wanna Rock! Well sometimes, and this place has replaced Manny's in the aspect of getting some necessities. Guitar strings, cables and assorted equipment. I do all my own setups because it makes no sense to let some else fuck up my baby. Their guitar selection is vast. But their newer amps are limited. They have a good acoustic selection, but I sometimes notice that some of the necks need adjustment. So basically it is out of the box and then the rack after tune up. But they have reasonable prices and a large selection of vintage instruments to choose from if you have deep pockets. I Love Rock & Roll So put another dime in the jukebox baby. read more

I had an issue with my Martin acoustic and brought it in for a repair. Igor was the guitar tech and was awesome! He explained in detail the reason I had the issues I was having and how to prevent them in the future. He was also able to fix my issues quickly while also working with care and precision. I will definitely be going to Igor with any guitar problems in the future! read more

What can I say about a store that has everything you need musically. I bought all my music equipment from this store except my old midi controller which i bought in the GC in bk. The workers know their stuff which is good. They dont really try to push you to buy the more expensive option. (at least not all of them) the only bad thing I must say i dont like the way the workers act when its 30 minutes before closing. Its like some of them have a problem with you "just looking" ... the constant "could i help you" is annoying when youre just checking some equipment. its like "what's this bronx latino guy doing touching this les paul" or "just buy something and get out" attitude. another thing i wish the sales rep would stick around longer :( so many new faces always. read more

After recently deciding to buy an electronic piano keyboard and after researching location, service and reviews of several vendors online, I decided to drop by and shop at Guitar Center at 25 West 14th Street. I am glad I physically went into the store because the weight of the keys and the size of keyboards vary greatly among the many manufacturers. Seeing and touching them in person, greatly helped me make my purchase. The salespeople are incredibly helpful and knowledgeable. Especially Adam. After I had purchased my items, gone home and assembled the keyboard stand etc, I discovered an essential part was missing from my purchase. When I called Guitar Center and spoke to Adam, he was very genuine in his prompt apology on behalf of my original salesperson, (also a nice guy, very helpful, hey, mistakes happen). Adam offered to have the part waiting for me at the store, and told me it would be free of charge. I returned to Guitar Center the next day, Adam was there as promised and as promised, he gave me the missing part and threw in a few extras as an added apology. I was happily surprised by this. That is amazing customer service! So much so, I felt compelled to write this review... read more

I have been here many times and bought odds and sods but I had never found a guitar I liked or that was well set up until this week. I took in a PRS CE24 that I had not really connected with and GC gave me a decent price to swap it for a new SG 61 reissue. The staff were great and the whole thing was a nice experience. Well done GC. read more

Good Store, Despite the Bad Rap! I in general like Guitar Center. I know they are corporate, and I know they are a chain. And, yes, I like the thought of local guitar stores. But, as you can read from my Maggio review, in practice, buying local doesn't necessarily work! I have found the Guitar Center people in New York and elsewhere to be helpful, and to not crowd you or bother you while you are trying out the instruments. And, when you purchase, they don't lean on you too hard to buy extra stuff. I even left my sunglasses there accidentally, and came back the next day. The staff had placed them in a drawer and quickly got them back to me. So, I have to say that Guitar Center is a good store. Corporate or not, a good place to go is a good place to go! read more

The place is huge, upstairs and downstairs. Quite a variety of goodies for all instruments and books if needed. You can get a little lost in here. I find customer service to be iffy. If you can get somebody to help you, then A+ but your mostly on your own 7 times out of 10. Some of them have attitudes but whatever. You do what you gotta do. Haha at security checks when leaving. read more

It was alright... I needed to get ONE thing.. a sustain pedal for my keyboard..The place was very large so it was taking me a while to find it, and ALL of the employees seemed unapproachable. When I finally found when I finally found the pedals, most of them were out of stock... Because I was in an emergency, I had to buy one that wasn't the specific one I wanted... oh well! When I made the purchase though, the guy who helped me was very pleasant. So thats good. read more

I know people like to cap on Guitar Center but at least for the drum department at the Union Square location I've had nothing but good experiences. The guys are all musicians and very knowledgable/helpful - at times a little pushy but not outrageously so for guys mostly working on commission. Give them a break. GC has very competitive prices - maybe too competitive - but that's the way of the industry unfortunately. Unless focusing on vintage only equipment it is really difficult to support small independent music shops - especially for drum gear. read more