This is the worst location of all the guitar centers in southern california. Because it is in a shopping center/outdoor mall you get people in there who pickup guitars who have no business playing them. So the guitars get thrashed and the amps/other gear abused. I see families come in with food and a bunch of kids who run around the store touching every guitar.(Probably have food on their hands). Some people think they can practice in the demo room and acoustic room/put on a show which is annoying. The selection is bad at this store and being at the mall creates wear on the gear at the store. I have also brought in an audio interface I was thinking about selling to the store, and on the focusrite saffire interface it has a large warning label saying "make sure computer is power off before connecting or disconnecting firewire cable". This is because a surge in voltage will mess up the equipment. The employee in pro audio proceeded to plug it straight into the computer without following protocol, potentially damaging my audio interface. The second he did it I said didn't you read the warning label, and have you ever hooked up interfaces before? He looked like extremely nervous at that moment. Luckily it is my backup interface I use for just MIDI and there is protection circuitry to prevent damage. However, this company should hire and train people properly. This is basic just reading instructions/telling them to always power the computer off before connecting or disconnecting the interface. That way you never have this happen again. I think this location is the worst, and should not be open anymore. There is already Brea, Fountain Valley, Cerritos, and Lake Forest. read more

Place sucks, customer service has alot of opportunity for future company growth in sales. When you tell me I will be back to get someone to help us and then leave for lunch like it's funny. That didn't upset me but did make it easier to walk out and buy the set of drums I needed for my boy, 1acustic 300 dollar guitar and 1 400 electric guitar at SAM ASH. Thanks Sam Ash for the customer service and future business read more

Was helped by some guy named Steven. Didn't like the guy's attitude, if you come to this location don't get assistance from that clown. Will not be coming back here. read more

I normally go in just to get strings, and be on my way because of how terrible the service is. Well, I went in today to see the season sales and got curious about this 500$ Jackson electric. And was immediately discouraged from making the purchase when I asked for a pick to try this baby out, all I got in response was a headshake "No." Followed by a brief explanation "we're out." Alright cool, no guitar for me, no sale for you. Idk why I bother with this place for all these years. read more

my dad ordered a record player from this location and it came completely thrashed and used though he bought it new:(

I initially came here because the website said that there was a guitar here that I wanted. I had a second choice but it wasn't really a priority. When I got here, no greeting or anyone asking me what I was looking for. So I went back and forth looking for the specific guitar I had in mind and that the website said was in this locations inventory. After about 5 minutes cycling through the limited stock, I decided to ask a staff member. They couldn't find it either. After some digging, a staff member found that they had sold one last month and that their website had not been updated. Then, he said "Yea, sorry." And there was an awkward silence for about 10 seconds. I was honestly waiting to hear something along the lines of "Can I help you find something similar that you might like?" Or "I can order one for you and have it shipped here." Or "Did you have something else in mind?" ..because I did. But the fact that this staff member left it at "Yea, sorry." and left it at that made me realize that I have only had one good experience at a Guitar Center. I know it doesn't mean a whole lot to a big chain like Guitar Center, but I'll probably never buy anything from a Guitar Center again unless for some reason I'm desperate and in urgent need of music equipment and there happens to be a Guitar Center nearby. For the most part, their customer service is unbelievably terrible. And that's not to say they're mean or rude etc. Because they're not. They're just really bad at helping. Almost like they don't know that "customer service" is part of "sales." read more

loved coming to this GC! Vince worked on 2 of my guitars and did an AMAZING JOB! i would recommend this particular GC to anyone who needs a bit of work or a new guitar. thank you so much VINCE!!!! best tech! read more

Save your time and money and hit up a Sam Ash or shop on Amazon!! I drove here today with the intention of buying a new guitar and some DJ equipment. I waited at the desk for Pro Audio- there was 2 associates at this desk. One on the phone to another customer and another helping a customer out. I patiently waited for about 10-15 minutes- stuffed around on my phone. Neither of them bothered to acknowledge me or tell them they would eventually be with me. I get your busy but atleast make some effort. Ifter waiting I tried to look for someone in the guitar area hoping they could help me with both. When I told them I wanted to try out a guitar and also needed assistance with some DJ equipment he just pointed at the guitars and said "they're over there". I can clearly see that!!!! Um?? Well I took my money to Amazon and should have saved the time I wasted doing so in the first place. read more

This place is awful I was looking at guitars and not one person approached me, the next day I went to Sam ash and spent $800. Some kid was playing a used guitar and the employees walked past me several times to BS with him who was just there to screw around. This place has no stock, I can order stuff myself so why would I drive to orange. read more

Perfect place to go! These guys know their stuff and Enad really did a greta job at treatimg us lperfectly@)! Hlgood job hiring him

I have purchased two guitars from this particular guitar center and the first one is OK although trying to keep it in tune is like trying to herd cats. The second one arrived to me several weeks after they said it would be arriving and upon removing it from its packaging all of the strings were so loose that I had to go through and tune them and try not to make them to stiff because they felt like at any moment they could snap. I got to the last string that was so loose I couldn't believe it was even hanging onto the guitar and tried to get it in tune and tighten it up and it snapped and hit me in the face not a good start for someone purchasing a new guitar. So now even though it's brand new I need to go in, get new guitar Strings and restring the whole thing and after the price of this purchase I am not thrilled. read more

What a complete rip off and just stealing at this point. They sold me a epiphone studio lt for it's new price but the bad part was they didnt give me a new guitar they sold me the one off the shelves everyone touches for idk how many years. So it's pretty much selling me a used guitar for the price of new. What a awful place. read more

Poor custumer service.... I had to wait 30 min to pay for a pack of strings yesterday... read more

Instead of improving their ratings by improving their store, GC has decided to pad their reviews with shills. So, be careful about the positive reviews. I gave this store a two because the tech there is a relatively nice, laid back guy-- a long hair guy with shades. The problem with this store is it follows the philosophy of, "we don't want you playing our stuff.". There are no cords at all to plug in for one. If you ask for one, which I do not recommend, be prepared to justify your presence to them. Then the good stuff, the stuff you would save up for, is way out of reach. So unless you want to noodle with Squires and Epiphones, unplugged, this store is not for you. GC, I don't know if you get this...but if you resent us playing at your stores then why would we buy anything from you? I highly recommend people buy online. read more

Yuck, overpriced, too busy to help, was added to emailing list which never happened. Was treated more like I was buying a microwave rather than musician. Most salespeople were that, and by and large did not even seem to be musicians. YUCK! read more

so apparently only 4 other websites qualify for price match gurantee and the rest are considered "3rd parties". GC website says any authorized dealer qualifies with available stock but since no one recognized the website its ineligible. one was nice about it, the other 2 were rude. will never do business with those 2 and will wait or hold items till i find another cashier even if have to wait another day. read more

Wow! This store is unbelievably rude. Steven the "Customer Service Representative" is an absolute joke. If he worked for me, I would fire his sorry *ss! Worst attitude I've ever seen. The store is nearly empty on a Holiday weekend, I'll be surprised if this location stays in business much longer with customer service such as this. My kids (all of whom play at a high level) were kicked out because they "disturbed" the other customer in the store. How about asking them nicely to first to turn it down. This is a music store not a museum. I will be sharing this information with others that I know in the music industry (which is plentiful). What this clown doesn't know is that this is the generation spending the money. We will never shop here again. And when I told the "Customer Service Representative" this, he said "I don't care!" Unbelievable! Jim's music in Tustin is always stoked to have these kids jamming in their store. Clearly they know who is spending the money especially when they see these kids know how to really play. read more

Disorganized and incompetent staff. Took over 40 minutes to find an online order for pickup due to disorganization and poor communication, definitely not buying from this location again read more

I went in for a music stand that I saw online. They didn't have it in the store but one of the staff there named Don Houston was able to order it for me and price match it. Thank you Don for your excellent customer service. You're the man! read more

I've been very loyal to gc through the years but yesterday I had a very disappointing encounter with an employee named Manny. I came in to return a small bass practice amp that I was dissatisfied with, a small simple transaction. He informed me that the refund would be to my debit card and not cash. Which is fine with me, but he just says things in a super condescending way. He then said he could also write me a check. I simply asked if I would be able to cash the check the same day, but instead of answering yes or no he proceeds to say "ITS A CHECK MY DUDE..." At this point I'm wondering what I said or did to make this guy so angry/passive aggressive. I usually strike up quite friendly conversations with the staff there so this interaction was a bit shocking to me. Nevertheless I try to defuse the situation while we were waiting for the check by asking if I could bring a snare and a amp I don't use to sell. He tells me "take the snare to the Brea store we don't have a drum guy in". Fair enough. I then ask if I can bring my amp in and he replies. " Honestly bro it's gonna take about an hour till we check it out. Btw it's a Monday around 11am, the store is almost empty. I ask why an hour? And he just blows up and says, "MY DUDE, I'VE BEEN DOING THIS FOR FIVE YEARS! IT WILL TAKE AN HOUR! At this point it's pretty clear he's just looking for an argument. So I take the refund check and take my used gear to Sam Ash where with the check and gear trade I bought a beautiful ampeg Amp. I'm not sure what the deal is/was with Manny, but being rude and stand off-ish with customers is never a good thing. I left guitar center feeling down that day. Definitely would not want to be helped by Manny again. read more

Been here a total of 2 times now. The first time, I came with a friend to repair his DJ turntable and they were unable to fix it. Second time, I came with my bf to repair his guitar strings... Sigh .. PLEASE do not come here. Worst experience ever, to be honest, I am appalled. This is why: We were directed by a worker that only one guy does all the repairs. So we walk over, but he seems to be with a couple and so we wait behind the two for service when we notice VINCENT is just talking to two friends. He sees us and continues a 5 minute conversation, even pausing to tell us to go over to his work desk and he'll be with us shortly .... ooooookayy Vincent. That's great. Finally, he walks over and tells his friends to walk over and says '' I could talk to you guys while doing this anyway.. " So he asks my bf what type of strings he wants and finally starts (BUT is truly and heavily distracted, I can tell). I wanted to stay and watch him so he feels rushed in a way, but my bf wanted to check out the guitars and walk around the store. So we left and Vincent continued to compromise his work ethic to converse some more. 15-20 minutes later, we come back and Vincent looks puzzled, looking around and his friend says "Have you found it?" For the first couple minutes, he does not say anything to us, but we notice that one of the 5 pieces at the bottom of the guitar that holds the strings in place is missing. (Sorry, I don't know the correct terminology) But then he tells us " It just flew somewhere, I mean it couldn't have gone far, those things just fly, etc '' 5 minutes after him and my bf are looking around his station, he goes to the back and gets one that is NOT EVEN MATCHING the other original 4 and says he "found a replacement and could just use this one" also adding that finding the original could take some time, if we don't mind waiting. Of course, my bf says " I don't mind waiting." So he gets kinda bothered and continues to look and after 5-10 more minutes, he finally finds it and says " I knew it was in here" ... like omg please folks, do not take your expensive, valuable guitars to this guy (the only repairer at this location) who will just half-ass his job. NOT.EVEN.A.SORRY. read more

very unfriendly employees. i was standing in the line over 5 mins to get help and there were 3 employees playing around at the register telling each other the stupidest shits. one girl looked at me waiting but just ignored me. later a guy came and told me that i don't have to wait in the line and just go to a register. WTF? a bunch of teenager workers with no musical knowledge. i often see employees introducing wrong type/grade of musical instrument to beginners. lack of used gears and they don't even have the platinum room/classical guitar room. this is the worst guitar center ever. go to fountain valley guitar center. read more

The Orange location has everything I've come to expect of Guitar Center. - The sound of the guy playing a Beatles song on a painfully out of tune beautiful Les Paul - The local horrible rapper in the pro audio room free styling with a beat machine - The clueless Mom in there getting talked into buying some overpriced piece of crap guitar for her son's birthday... and don't forget the extended warranty! - The sales associate who is too emo to help anyone. - The sales associate who has no clue what he/she is talking about - The sales associate who thinks they know way more than they actually do and won't shut up long enough for you to explain what you are looking for. - The sales associate who has to ask for a manager for every step of the sales transaction for approval. - The manager who is never to be found when sales associate needs him/her. - Limited selection. If you are looking for something outside of the standard stuff you aren't going to find it here.... But you can order things online and pick it up at the store. Now that is convenient! Since I know what to expect of the Orange Guitar Center I decided rather than dealing with what I know to expect I would order online and have stuff shipped to the store. Good idea right? Ehhh... not so much. I've tried this twice and here is what has happened both times. 2 of the 3 things I ordered are shipped to the store because it isn't available there or anywhere near by... 1 thing I order is available in store and is pulled to be picked up (for example a guitar strap). When it is time for me to pickup my shipment he items shipped to the store are ready for pickup and boxed up in the back. So far so good. But, both times this has happened the items that were pulled aside for me in store were nowhere to be found. The sales person ran around like a chicken with their heads chopped off trying to solve the mystery..... But of course that takes 20 minutes and then they ask the manager who then has to retrace all of their steps and this goes on and on. So what was to be a quick pick up both times ended up taking over about 40 minutes because no one could find the stuff that was pulled and put in the back for me to pick up. Kind of defeats the purpose of convenient in store pickup. Guitar Center is what it is. It is always a pain in ass and a test of ones patience to get the simplest things. As long as you know that going in you will survive. read more

Never order anything from them online. I can't believe how ridiculous this place is. They had items we preordered in stock but apparently not the exact items we ordered. Apparently our orders came from different stores in the area. Also, while they took 4 hours to print up a "receipt", they tried convincing us that we didn't know how to work a computer and that is why our order messed up. I saw another employee google image searching our instruments so he could find our order and a manager on another computer asking Jeeves how to run a music store. Mind you, they didn't get very far because guitar center uses dial up Internet. Anyway... I don't know what we expected it is Guitar Center after all. Use reverb.com or find a local music store. read more

Visited guitar center in Orange today and I must say, it was a joy to walk in the first time. The place felt spacious and the staff, well most of them, were very friendly. I came in knowing that I wanted an expensive boutique pedal that only the Orange store had (since it was a newer store). I walked around and when I was ready. a super nice sales guy named James E. in accessories helped me. He was extremely nice, knowledgeable and wanted to know what I needed. He proceeded to get me exactly what I wanted and was super helpful. Upon checkout while I was speaking with James the SALES MANAGER... can't remember his exact name... taller guy with a facial hair walked up and belittled him RIGHT IN front of me. He demanded James highlight his name and price on the receipt. When James said, "sorry, I wasnt fully aware we were doing that from now on" the sales manager said in a sarcastic way "Yeah, for like three weeks JAMES" and began saying other belittling comments. I just felt it was a bit unprofessional to do this in front of a customer. I understand as a sales manager you have to be hard on your sales people and believe me the sales people at the GC are trained very, very well- just keep the bs away from customers because I didnt pay to see that. Other than that, I will return and loved the layout. Guitar selection was decent compared to a lot of the other GC's locally. Good work! read more

This Guitar Center is amazing. Every time I go in, I find exactly what I need because the folks working here don't push things I don't need, and they're willing to help me understand things I ask about. And they usually have what I'm looking for. The last time I bought something, Matt T. was really helpful, and I got an Electro-Harmonix LPB-1 Boost pedal for $40. It's exactly the kind of thing I've been needing without spending $199 for a pedal that just makes things louder. Matt's definitely a great pedal guy. Knows his stuff inside and out. Literally. Definitely a good spot to go for pedals without worrying that you'll get something unwanted foisted on you because of overstock. They recommend the pedals they know are good, and they always respect your budget. If you're looking for effects and someone to help you know what you're even looking at, Matt will help you no problem. Get down there! read more

This has to be the worst guitar center in orange county. The sales guys in pro audio did not seem to be very professional, and it was quite clear that they had no idea what they are talking about, or trying to sell. If you don't know something its ok just say i don't know. Not everyone is going to know everything. The problem is when you want to pretend that you know more than you really do. I get it no one wants to say that they don't know what they are talking about cause you might lose that sell. So this guitar center needs to get rid of the people that are just a used car sales men with a guitar center name tag, and hire some people with musical knowledge that actually know what they are talking about before i will ever consider shopping here again. Do yourself a favor and shop anywhere else for your music equipment needs. read more

I've been coming here for guitar lessons for about a month now and it's been an awesome experience so far! Tommy is an amazing instructor and is an incredibly talented musician. I love how he structures the lessons letting me pick what songs I want to learn, while tying in music theory and "insider" tips to help me really master each piece. Plus he knows worship songs! :) If he isn't familiar with a particular song, it doesn't matter because a couple of listens and he magically arranges the music. No kidding! If anyone is thinking about picking up guitar, I highly recommend this place. Plus it's a one stop shop for everything music. :) read more

I called today asking for guitar restringing availability services for two of my electric guitars, and the male individual that answered the call was extremely rude. Who ever works answering the phones at any business/company should be able to use their basic friendly customer service skills. (It's just common courtesy/sense) The guy that answered me at around 11:15ish today was rude, did not try giving me even a ball park figure of a time of when the guitar tech would be there, didn't let me finish explaining the type of guitars I had. Said "I can't have them restrung today!" Or tried to be optimistic or courteous about it. Management really needs to re train that guy on how to be respectful to others and try to be somewhat helpful. Don't take your gig for granted. Shout out to Sergio the guitar tech that "Gets things done!" There 5 stars for you my man! And the drum techs also good job guys! The other cats, time to step up! read more

This is my spot! Absolutely this is my go to store when I have an issue with my drums,guitar or bass but today it was my drums one of my toms head tore read more

This is not just specific to this location, but I have experienced this at other locations as well. But the experience today drove my decision to purchase online from another retailer I have used in the past, and Guitar Center lost a $1,899.99 guitar sale. I understand the concept of their experience room to freely test out instruments. In my case today it was the acoustic guitar room. But there is a fine line that the sales associates need to be able to recognize between customers actually there to try, compare, and purchase; from the regulars who seem to show up at lunch for a half-hour personal practice session. Orange has a very small acoustic guitar room, and a gentlemen had an acoustic electric plugged in at full volume; going through a full set, one after another. No other patron had the opportunity to hear themselves test the quality of any guitars. The associate seemed oblivious. Since I had already tried the two guitars in the past, I decided to leave and simply purchase online, and will have the guitar by week's end. Guitar Center management might want to consider some staff training that can balance the appeal of the experience room in a way that can recognize the practice session patrons from the patrons truly there to make a purchase. I have seen new players and families intimated at times, and today they lost a substantial sale. Since it's not the first time I've experienced this at these locations, GC will probably be relegated to strings and accessories for me. Hope management takes these reviews to heart. read more

I signed my daughter up for guitar lessons here. A large selection of product to choose from, but what I liked about the lessons is that they are also inclusive of group sessions and utilization of open practice rooms on walk in basis. The monthly plan has two options of either a weekly 30 minute or 60 minute session, based on your need (and pocketbook!). With that, you can walk into any daily group session which (depending on the day) includes guitar, bass, drums, piano and vocal. The service is good and staff is super friendly. Highly recommended. read more

My daughter wanted her first electric guitar and everyone at the store was so super helpful. We asked a lot of questions, they asked us questions. We ended up with a kit, she wasn't thrilled about the color of the guitar so the staff went in the back and found her another kit w different color guitar. I am in sales and notice everything and I would give the staff here a 10. read more

Best GC in Southern California. Friendly and knowledgable service every time I visit. Jeff Schultz helped me pick out the perfect gear (NI MASCHINE) to help me make sick WUB WUBS. Thanks Jeff! read more

Amazing service. Jeff, the manager, was personable, professional, knowledgeable, and funny! It was a pleasure going in to this Guitar Center because of his exceptional service! read more

Returned my interface and didn't have any problems. Unfortunately the store didn't have any brand new NI Komplete Audio 6's in stock so they had to call it in to another store. Took kind of a while but the two guys in pro-audio were extremely helpful and did everything they could to help. Overall happy with the experience. read more

I highly recommend this store. Loren and Ernie in the drums are EXCELLENT and helpful and very knowledgable of the product and drumming. If you want excellent service, friendly people, and a great deal go here and ask for Loren and Ernie!! read more

We went to buy our daughter her first drum set and we cannot even express how helpful Daniel was today. We came in knowing absolutely nothing and he helped us pick out the kit, extra cymbals, and stands. He took the time to show us how to put to drum heads on only to discover manufacturer defects in the kick drum bibs. Daniel immediately rectified the problem and got us a replacement kit. He then went on to put the entire new kit together to make sure there wasn't any other problems and tuned it for us. Daniel did not have to do any of this for us and we truly appreciate his assistance. We will definitely be returning when it is time to upgrade parts. read more

Got my guitar action adjusted by Vince and he did a great job! My Córdoba sounds great and feels great. Great customer service.

I came a couple of weeks ago, and I really really wanted to buy a turntable and I was more than ready to buy whatever they had available. After standing around for about 15 minutes and being ignored that entire time, I just walked out and said never again. The associates kept helping employees that had walked in after me several times over, making eye contact with me and saying nothing lol. I kind of have a feeling why, I'll keep that to myself. A couple of weeks later (Today), I decided to give this place another chance, and were on 15 approaching 20 minutes and again I'm being completely ignored for other customers that came in after I did. I'm just standing here in the turntable section looking like a dope. I will say their customer service is great for those people who walked in after me lol I am still currently in the store, where several employees have looked me in the eyes and avoided me at all cost. Not even a hi "we'll be with you in a sec, or finding everything ok?". I feel so bad about leaving these kinds of reviews that after I walked out the 2nd time, I came back in and set a timer and told myself if they came to help me within 5 minutes, I would've left this part out of the review and just bought the thing and left. How could the staff not have noticed I walked out, and come back in only to ignore me again lololol We're at 7 minutes now, to be ignored a total of 22 minutes on my 2nd attempt. NEVER AGAIN. read more