Steve (Repair Tech) is without a doubt the GEM of this location, and the ONLY reason I go back! He's personable, knowledgeable, and deserves a big raise, IMO. I am certainly not a fan of the Store Manager, Rob. He's condescending, short tempered, and not at all knowledgeable of various aspects of the job. It's very unfortunate. ​ read more

Five stars for Kyle I stopped in to pick up a few things for my siblings such as an amp, a pedal, an interface, and a couple of accessories. I don't know much about guitar Anything , and Kyle was fantastic from start to finish. He listened to what we needed, walked us through the options, and explained how each piece worked in clear, simple terms. He broke down the differences between models,, and never rushed or pressured us. He is for sure very very knowledgeable Friendly, patient, and super knowledgeable. Very honest and excellent guidance read more

Back in the day, despite being quite the hot commodity, I was single. I know, ladies... it's hard to believe that this sensual knockwurst was on the market, isn't it? I found myself hitting a mid-life crisis at the tender age of twenty and decided I needed to have some sort of musical talent to make it even more unfair to men when they found out their girlfriends were more into me than them. With the noblest of intentions urging me forward, I found myself at Guitar Center with a wad of cash in hand (the one good thing about being single, amirite, mang?) and a sweet serenade in my soul. I'd imagine this is how 90% of people find themselves here, but I digress. As soon as I stepped foot in the door, I felt like every single employee in the place transformed into a lonely, neglected puppy vying for every ounce of my attention. I'd never been to a place like this before, so initially, I wrote it off as them trying to be helpful. It became painfully annoying very, very quickly. Despite trying to find the coolest most alluring codpiece--er... guitar I could find, I was being corralled into whatever the person talking to me wanted me to have. And that's when I started to hear it. A single word--nay, an ingrained mantra--being ceremoniously repeated throughout every action any of them took: Up-sell, Up-sell, Up-sell. Here's how it went down for about an hour and a half. Me: "This one feels good to me and I like the way it looks because I'm superficial and lack talent at the moment." Them: "Oh, man... I mean, that one's okay and all. But THIS one is what EVERYONE starts out with. Here, try this one on for size." Me: "It's not ba--whoa, man... seven hundred bucks is a little steep." Them: "Nah, it's really not that steep for the quality. Everyone starts out with something like this when they're serious and you look serious. These are total pussy magnets." Not that serious, bra, and I was already surrounded by pussy (I had two cats). I knew in the back of my head that after two weeks of fruitless struggling, I was just going to end up with something visually appealing that I could prominently (but casually) display in the corner of my pad. Everyone knows that you only have to learn was the first few notes of Stairway to Heaven to get laid anyway, right? I have absolutely no idea how I managed to walk out of there with the guitar I actually wanted, but I did. Flash forward a few years. My father-in-law (who actually plays for more than just action), Ron, needed a few things. Nothing has changed, He was looking for simple stuff--a small amp, some strings and a tuner--and he had specific items in mind. When he went to get the strings, he got the up-sell speech from the guy behind the counter. He ignored it and asked for the simple tuner for ten bucks he'd seen on sale. The guy said they didn't have that one in store and, instead of just pointing out the fifteen dollar one, immediately went to a ritzy seventy five dollar model. Ron said no, asked for the lower cost one and the guy LITERALLY said, "Yeah, well, you're about to get what you're paying for with this cheap one." ... 'Kay. Thanks. Onto the amp excursion. He saw a perfect one sitting there for sale with a bunch of others. It was thirty bucks, the right size, and one of the used ones. We brought it up to the counter and the guy checking us out had to call the manager over. Apparently, the item WASN'T for sale (even though there was nothing indicating otherwise) and, according to the manager (EXACT WORDS) "Well, you have the luxury of looking at the item, but it's not yet for sale." ... Thank the lawdy jesus they afford us the luxury of looking. He then tried to up-sell a three hundred dollar amp. We said fuck it and left. Conclusion? If you can mentally hang, use this place like you'd use Best Buy when you want to feel something before you buy it elsewhere. read more

I like this Guitar Center location. I have done a lot of business here and most of the time everything goes smoothly. I have bought close to a dozen guitars over the past few years from this location. Recently, I bought a guitar that they had to order in and what was received was very poor quality. Upon attempting to set up the guitar, it still would not play correctly (over a $1,100 guitar). They ordered me another one that had similar issues. The store took care of me on exchanging out the lemon got me into a better guitar at a lower price. This store is commission driven. If you have an idea of what you want to buy, they will be very helpful and steer you in the right direction. They may try to encourage you to step up your game and get something a bit pricier but their suggestions for me have always been good. The customer service both before and after purchase is very good. I have no problem recommending this Guitar Center to anyone in the market for a guitar, drums, keyboard etc. read more

I decided recently to take guitar lessons, and had been looking around online for guitars for a while. I stopped a few times at other locations of this business and just looked around. Generally, they were super nice and when I said I was just looking around, they let me pick up guitars and get a sense of how they feel, etc. I had finally narrowed down my search to a price range and certain marks, from my search and recommendations from the guy who will be teaching me how to play. I came into this location for the first time, and was looking around. A very nice young guy who works there asked me if I needed help, so I told him what I was looking for. He started showing me what he thought would be good beginner guitars, but wasn't pushy at all. When I told him what type of guitar and price range I was looking for, he accommodated me, and showed me exactly what I needed. Then he tuned my new guitar for me, put it in the new case I bought, and sent me off. It was the most easy-going transaction I have had in a long time. He wasn't trying hard to send me out with the most expensive product he could get away with shoving my way, and he seemed very genuine and nice. Obviously he also knew what he was doing, and was very knowledgeable about guitars. When I asked questions about learning how to play, he told me about what to expect. He also said that if I have any questions about the guitar or playing to come back anytime, and I have no doubt that he would happily help me. What a wonderful way to run a business. I'm not usually a fan of "chain" businesses, but I don't think the chain business mentality really applies to Guitar Center, at least not to this location. read more

Right when I walked in I was helped by two employees who helped me set up lessons in about ten minutes. Couldn't be happier.

Was impressed by the guitar tech, who tuned up my Fender Strat and was good to deal with.

I have built my entire studio from purchases at this store, plus two guitars, a fender blues amp, two mandolins, a Roland keyboard, and a practice keyboard for songwriting. The pricing is competitive, the financing excellent and everyone I've worked with knowledgeable. The result of this has been excellent reviews on our recording quality and production. I think if you know what you're doing, this store can meet your needs. If you don't know what you're doing, do some research so you can make intelligent purchases. Pendeum Music (ASCAP) read more

This staff is great! I noticed while I was here how respectful they were of one another, which I appreciated. I wanted to buy drumsticks for my boyfriend's brother as a gift, and they helped me find the right ones. Great people! read more

There is plenty of selection, but I was never waited on even after 20 minutes. I chose a different store to buy from and spent around $400.

OAKDALE Customer service sucks. Felt as if I were interrupting in order to spend a couple thousand on my dream guitar. Employee lied rather than look up guitar in stock. I will never go there again. They lost a major sale. I had $7500 to spend on guitar/amp/pedals. Good, glad you lost out on commission. Idiot. read more

I went in to ask about tone rites for acoustic guitars and the salesman just said he's never heard of them. He then said just a second and walked away ignoring me while making no effort to research my question or find out. Do yourself a favor and support a local guitar shop such as Willies or Guitar Rodeo who are friendly, knowledgable, and helpful. read more

I've shopped at many Guitar Centers and without a doubt this is the best in the country. The staff will take the time to listen and direct you to features you need be it a guitar or recording. The staff is knowledeable and polite. I've shopped thier since they opened and even tho I have moved this GC will always be my go to place for my music needs. read more