I CAN"T BELIEVE IT'S NOT BUTTER! And that I didn't rate this place! Growing up I would drive over here and play guitars, synths, and turntables. So FUN! FREE! Good place to for a free date night. One of the better guitar centers. It used to have tons of synths, and though not anymore, they still have lots of guitars. Kewl Great place to buy gear also and find new stuff. I wanna get a kick drum now read more

Either staff are incompetent, don't care about children, or severely under-qualified to work in AUDIO. I went in with my friend and his kid to check out microphones around 5:20 pm on August 14th. I'm wearing a green shirt and glasses. Please pull your footage. We started at the keyboards then made our way to the microphones. When we were looking for about 5 mins reviewing options. This blonde-haired Guitar Center "Employee" came to the iMac station area turned on a backup battery and immediately it started beeping. He was asked by my friend if there was anywhere else we could look at microphones and he gave a disgusting answer. Then if you pull up the footage from your side, you'll see the child visibly grab his head because of the loud sound. The dude went to the front desk and never returned. I can say so many DISGUSTING things about why this happened and why he would behave like that and not respond to a sensory issue occurring with a child. When confronting staff they did not give a rat's hairy asssssss. I DON'T CARE. Look at this read more

I've been to this location twice. The first time a year and a half ago. I visited with my 2 year old son and was heavily pregnant. The employees were rude, refused to acknowledge my presence at the repair and checkout counter and watched me struggle to carry my toddler, the instrument I purchased and open the door. Returned to buy a bass a few days ago and experienced reprehensible customer service. This location needs a complete redo with new staff. read more

You had five guys working there wandering around and not one could be bothered to talk to us. We stood by the repair counter waiting for someone to notice us only to be completely ignored. I went over to the main checkout desk trying to get assistance. Not acknowledged at all. I even mentioned my distain for the lack of attention on my way out in clear earshot of the dude eating pizza, and he didn't even look up. Maybe that's why you had so few customers? read more

This place is dingy. Decent selection of gear, but some of it is just tossed into place. The gear doesn't seem cared for, and neither are the customers. I was there for about 45 minutes amd wasn't even acknowledged. Was it because I'm not white, or so these kids just not care about anyone or anything? They don't seem to appreciate having a job. More like having a place to hang out and get money at the end of the week. I gave it one star because of the gear and I appreciated being left alone to try stuff out. Is acknowledgement too much to ask? read more

Tried to buy a new reissue '65 fender twin reverb from them for the new in box price. I get an email later that day saying the order is confirmed, but the amp will not arrive in original packaging. I call and ask why it won't be in original packaging, suspect that they are trying to sell me a used floor model as new, and they confirm this to be true. Customer support claims they will find me a new amp, still in original packaging, and that this was clearly a mistake. Fast forward a few days later when the amp finally arrives and they still sent me one without the original packaging, missing the vibrato foot switch, completely covered in dust, and with a malfunctioning vibrato channel. Buyer beware. read more

Guitar center is still one of the best b&m stores. I dunno how they survive because people go in there and breast the shit out of some of the guitars. But still it's such a great place to try out pedals and speakers and of course, guitars. There is a lot of the entry models which is expected, but very hard to find anything in the mid+ range. However you can find out which stores have which. There's usually someone shredding when you go. Fun times! read more

My boyfriend plays the guitar, so I'm usually hanging out or walking around while he's trying out guitars. Doing this, I observe alot about the store and every other Guitar Center we've been to. So, when I say this, I'm talking to the corporate office and maybe even the people who work there... please start caring about your stores. Everything from the carpeting to the merchandising is old, worn, tired, dated and kinda gross. Which is consistent with every store we've been in. Displays are haphazard and dusty and merchandise is piled on the floors. A little air freshener wouldn't hurt either. Today we came to buy some strings, looked around a little (saw the same dust and conditions as our previous visit) and ended up not buying anything because there was one person at the register and 5 people in line on a Sunday afternoon. I wouldn't particularly place a lot of blame on employees because I'm sure they only care as much as they're paid, which from what I hear is not very much. When people care about things, it shows. Which in turn shows your customers that you value them and want them to have a good experience. None of that is evident here or at any other Guitar Center. read more

As a loyal customer to this Guitar Center for over 20 years its hurts for me to write this review. This location does not deserve the right to service the music minded community any longer. The last few times I have stopped here to purchase high end guitars, I was left unattended after asking multiple times for someone to help me. Not only was I unable to play some high end Taylors I was interested in purchasing because they were locked up, but I was also climbing ladders that I had to find in the store so I could reach other guitars that were hanging higher up. Nobody cared or even stopped me. To bad I didn't fall...I would of sued for millions. But what really gets me most upset is how the new manager at this location treats their customers. Specifically the store manager Ryan who after I brought an issue to on a recent purchase (45 days) basically told me to bad, you should of bought the pro protection. After I expressed my displeasure in his response he acted completely rude, unprofessional and told me I can take my business elsewhere. I even contacted corporate so I could speak with his boss the district manager and they informed me the store manager is required to provide me that information. So when I called back stating I wanted to speak with Ryans boss he said No and refused to pass any information along or allow me that opportunity. Bottom line is this is unacceptable! I'm still waiting for the district manager to contact me. As far as this location goes I will never ever spend another penny here and I encourage all of you reading to go elsewhere. The Aurora location's manager Matt is amazing and he will always take great care of you. I'm bummed that he no longer runs the Villa Park location. The only person at Villa Park who cares in my opinion is Kyle. He is honest and extremely helpful. He should run that store and Ryan should be looking for a new job. Never have I been treated with such disrespect from an establishment that I have spent thousands and thousands of dollars at. Take a stand against giving this location your business. If you want a high end Taylor or Martin go to Tobias in Downers Grove. Otherwise visit Sam Ash around the corner or pay a visit to the Aurora GC. read more

Follow up to previous review. I contacted them as instructed and never heard from them. I followed up and was told the manager had tried to reach out and to check my spam. There was no message in spam, voicemail, text etc. I was then told I'd be contacted with in a few days. Never heard back. read more

I really liked this place when I first walked in. I went there about 2 weeks before Christmas to get my daughter a Ukulele. I walked around looking for a uke for about 45 mins until finally I walked up and asked the cashier and he pointed to a back room. No problem. I still liked this place and walked out with a $100 ukulele. Cool. My daughter loved the gift and we both returned after Christmas for a book of Ukulele songs. I had forgotten my face covering and took it upon myself to ask if they had a disposable face covering. The young lady working at about 2pm on Dec. 24th brought me one, but it was given to me with an attitude and a disgusted look on her face. I put the mask on and shopped for about 15 minutes w my daughter and the mask ended up below my nose without me realizing. The same young lady came up and asked me to pull it up in the most condescending way imaginable. I was not within 6 feet of anyone! At that point, I decided to leave. She said something to my daughter and I as we were walking out, but I couldn't really make out what she said. I'm whatever it was, was also condescending. I will no longer be shopping at Guitar Center. read more

Went to purchase a set of headphones. First went to Naperville location but they did not have the headset available to listen to and almost each display model was in such poor shape, you didn't really want to put them on. We decided to try another store and went to Villa Park; however, the display was in poor shape and you could not test them because the display was not working. I spoke to a GC representative and decided to just purchase the set I read about as being among the best available. I asked the representative if they could do a price match like it says on their website. He said it shouldn't be a problem but would need to get approval. He returned and said they wouldn't honor the "price match guarantee" because the manufacturer is requiring it to be sold at full price, even though it was on sale at the competitors price just days ago. The price match guarantee says nothing about limiting because of the manufacturer. It only states they can limit "quantities" from the price match guarantee. So apparently "one" is a quantity! So I left and ordered the exact same product with free shipping and returns from Sweetwater. Normally I don't post anything when these things happen but Guitar Center continues to prove they don't want your sale! Won't be returning to their stores. They're a joke! read more

The Sales people were not helpful tool them over a month to get my guitar back all it needed was to be restrrung then they lost my guitar case not sure what's going on there but I'm sticking with sweetwater. read more

As a frequent customer of Guitar Center Villa Park, I wanted to write a review of a few of the employees that always go above and beyond. I get bored of and sell guitars to buy others pretty frequently. My wife told me to start sleeping in the acoustic room, because of how much time I spend there.:) Ben is my guy when it comes to buying new gear. He knows the music I like to play and always points me in the right direction. Ben always has a smile on his face and he is an amazing musician. We go as often as we can to see him play in Infunktious and Covington. When Ben is off Kyle is an amazing guy with many years of knowledge. I have never had a negative experience at this location. Even for as busy as it gets sometimes. They let you relax and try out gear with no pressure sales. As for a tech, Josh is outstanding. The man can do amazing things with a guitar, he is Mr. fix it. I can not wait for after the holidays when he can put some new pickups in one of my Jacksons. The managers Ryan and Izzy are very lucky to have these guys as the frontline employees. Thanks for all you do for your customers. read more

My review will be on the company as a whole while partially focusing on this specific store. A company as a whole... The stores are never properly merchandised, they're outdated & tend to smell very bad. The staff is usually very stuck up & not very friendly. This is my experience after visiting stores in Illinois, Indiana & Michigan. Multiple stores, multiple states with the same results. I'd say this is probably a good reason as to why the company is in the situation it's in. Now this location. There's garbage on the floor, dust on the gear & I've NEVER been greeted or helped by staff. I went in today to get strings & supplies to take care of my guitars. Not only did staff walk by me multiple times but they never once said hello or asked if I needed help. Then while I was waiting in line, I decided to put back what I was trying to buy because of the lack of associates to help customers. This company has clearly abandoned its stores & staff. If they want to stay afloat, they need to do some major changes very quickly. read more

I brought my guitar in to be restrung (FYI - I'm a guitar n00b) and their website states: STANDARD RESTRING $19.99 A standard restring includes removing the old strings, tightening all hardware, cleaning and polishing the instrument, putting on new strings and tuning the instrument. A set of select strings is included with this service. Well, all they did was re-string and tune 3 of the 6 stings on my guitar. That's it. Oh, and because it is a classical guitar they said it'd be an extra $10. Pretty weak, I'll be taking my business elsewhere in the future and I hope you do as well - support the small music stores! read more

I personally didn't have a fun experience with the repairman here. I wanted to get my guitar set up before a wedding, there was a week before said wedding. The repairman assured it would be fixed before then and it would be an easy fix. Three days later when I got my guitar back, I had a terrible terrible intonation problems on one of the strings. Of course I took it back to see what's up. The repair man was baffled and claimed "I have no idea why this could be. I serviced this myself." The repairman then said that he'd take the guitar back and ask around to see if he could find a fix. He also said that "if I can't find a fix, can I just put it back the way it was?" I didn't end up having the guitar for the wedding gig. no big deal. But what irritated me most was when he asked permission to turn the guitar the way it was, he didn't offer a refund. I paid for a service to get my guitar nice and ready, he failed and offered to put it back the way it was, essentially putting me back at square one. When I asked for a refund, he made a face like he really didn't want to offer me one. Then said he'd "hook me up" with a refund as if he was doing me a favor. I'll be very wary bringing guitars back here for set ups. You're honestly better going fifteen minutes away to Tobias music. read more

Nicest people ever,helped me out with a string that broke,honestly coolest mfs ever(yes this was my first time at guitar center but it was great) read more

Shout out to Ben in guitars for helping out this serial used guitar hunter. I inquired about a rarer, newer brand that they just happened to have two "like new" models of due to happenstance and Ben took the time to answers all the questions I had about it. He knew all the specs and exactly where I was going with my questions and told me a few things I didn't know. Satisfied, I pulled the trigger right over the phone. Ask for Ben if you're looking at guitars here. Thanks Ben! read more

THE NOTES JUST FELL ONTO THE FRETBOARD I have been taking lessons for a couple of years from David Wolak At my second lesson he noticed I could sing and play at the same time and taught me how I was learning how to play songs, now I'm learning scales, Music Theory, and studying the new material in depth, and all the sudden the notes for a Solo just "fell onto the fretboard" to paraphrase David Gilmour My teacher says it's because of all the time I put in on the strings, but the encouragement, motivation, and being responsible to someone for learning the material, as well as my teachers selection of material to gain skill all helps keep me learning and playing Music every day Plus I get to jam with a professional Jazz guitarist who has been on the road and in the studio and playing in a working band I love my lessons at Guitar Center! read more

This place is a joke. Ordered a new travel guitar that was sourced from them. They wrapped the guitar (w/o a tone knob) in bubble wrap with no travel bag or other accessories that were supposed to be included for the price. Spoke to the manager Jake, customer service manager Packey, and another employee; all clueless. No effort made to resolve the issue. GC used to be much more dependable than this. read more

I had a great experience here today. Went in to take a look at a used drum kit, left after buying a new one instead. All new kit including cymbals etc. Lamarcus (I hope that's it, I forget) was awesome. Knew all his stuff. And by the time I left we knew each other. Real good guy. Made it easy to buy and made the experience great. read more

It's a rare occasion to go to Guitar center, and for me a first. I ordered something online for pickup and lo and behold chose the wrong store. The boys at the Villa park location were so helpful! Kyle G called the Bedford location. Btw guys the podcast is called BMB pirates most likely airing in April. read more

Huge selection of all kinds of stuff musical imaginable, from small accessories and parts on up. I just went in to browse. Just starting to consider a purchase. I was asked once by an employee if I needed help, I said "no" and that was that. Not hovered over, nagged or continuously like too many other places. Just left to browse at peace as I wanted. That rates five stars. I presume if I asked, one would have been ready and knowledgeable. It was late afternoon, so they weren't busy and staff was around. read more

They're a bit more lenient about playing louder and less-pressure-sales than the Sam Ash a couple miles down Roosevelt, but they don't seem to know so much about what they're selling. I've gone in here a couple times with a friend of mine who is a lead guitarist for a band... one of those types who can usually tell what type of guitar/amp combo somebody's using just by listening. Even though I don't know much about guitars, I still never leave here feeling like I'd be getting a decent bang for my buck buying something here. I mean, your basic Fender is over $200? From what I've read online, I could go to Rondomusic.com and take my pick of guitars around that mark and get quality that surpasses the guitars they copy. But, compared to the little place near me, they have a great selection of strings. I used to just stick with Ernie Ball Slinkies on my 1993 Mexican Squier Strat, but I was able to get GHS boomers (10-52s) which sound much better in lower tunings due to higher tensions. I've been wanting to experiment more but I hate re-stringing unless it's been a while, since my guitar doesn't quite stay in tune as it should. And a complete set is only about $7, which is pretty good. read more

I've bought a guitar, P.A. system, and other random stuff here. I also traded in an amp. Like all the Guitar Centers I've been to, there's a pretty good selection and competitive pricing, but the most of the staff doesn't know jack about what they're selling. On the plus side, they aren't as pushy here compared to other Guitar Centers. When I bought my P.A., I had done some previous research, but was certainly no expert. The sales guy was friendly enough, but ended up selling me a mixer that couldn't power the speakers! I suspected this would be a problem in the store and asked him about it, but he assured me everything would be fine. When dropping over a grand, is it so much to ask for a competent salesman? I had to go back and get a different mixer. They've been pretty good about returning merchandise, and I felt like I got a fair price when I traded in my amp. read more

I am not a guitar player! However going into Guitar Center I did not feel out of sorts!!! A staff greeted me asked me what I was looking for and walked me through it and didn't try to up sale me on anything. I found what I needed for my friends bday and I was in and out in 20 mins tops!!! read more

Guitar Center - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - Villa Park, Illinois

Good place with lots of gear, mostly cheap models of guitars and small choice of keyboards and controllers. The best thing that you can try any instrument and personnel will not bother you while you play. Generally ok place for basic stuff and strings but to few high end guitars and no nice synths. read more

Brought my American Standard Telecaster in for a professional setup, the action was way too high and started getting a lot of fret buzz at about the 9th fret G and B string and continued the rest of the way up the neck, also a few other adjustments were needed. The turnaround time was great and work was perfect, Jay took the time to go over the specifics, and explained to me what was going on, when I got it back it played perfectly! read more

I've spent about $3,000 dollars with guitar center in over the last year only to go into the villa park location to receive the worst customer service while trying to return my Akai mpk mini play. Take in mind that I paid over $140 for this midi keyboard and I was just trying to return it for a cheaper model that was actually compatible with my Mac set up I brought it in with the receipt and the box that it came in and instead the employee tried to low ball me and offer me $40. long story short I will never be doing business with guitar center again if you want good customer service and want to be treated like a customer then I would highly recommend going somewhere else. read more

Been coming here all my guitar playing life, I love these guys. Guitar center as a corporation not so much but oh well.

I've traveled a fair amount and visited many music stores (including many Guitar Center locations). This is by far the worst location I've been to, and the worst business of any type I've been to in recent memory. The first thing I noticed that was different about this particular location was the chaotic, messy layout of the store. A lot of the books they were selling were in worse condition than used books, with tattered covers and attached components (such as audio discs, fold-out diagrams, etc.) actually ripped off of them. Instrument cables littered the ground as tripping hazards. The arrangement of the guitars (usually arranged horizontally by company and vertically by price) seemed to be completely randomized, with some of the guitars being hung up so insecurely that they could fall to the ground at any point. I CERTAINLY do not recommend buying any product that has been sitting on the sales floor of this store for any length of time. Ordering a simple item through the store was a pain. Every time I called back about it having not arrived when they said it would the employees gave me different, contradictory information about both the item in question and the store's policy on selling it. Sometimes they would tell me to call back at a specific time to talk to a specific employee, yet, when I called at that time, the employee in question would still not be at work. When they said they would call me back, they usually wouldn't. The guitar tech seemed to have no idea what he was doing. The sales people couldn't answer intermediate-level questions about products. Overall, my experiences with this store are entirely negative. I would encourage anyone considering visiting this store to simply find the next closest store instead. read more

I love this store because I love guitars and I've gone here many times. However, I'm considering bringing my business else where. The workers must be pressured to make their sales/commissions. I've caught every single salesperson here in a lie. If they don't know the answer to your question they'll lie and tell you what they think you wanna hear. read more

This was a pretty impressive place out in strip-mall-land. If you need an electric or accoustic guitar, or any of their accoutrements (amps, strings, etc.) then this place is worth a trip. Also a pretty nice drum section and some fun sheet music. The staff was very friendly and helpful, though it took me (suburban housewife that I am) a few minutes to get used to all their tattoos, facial piercings, dreadlocks, etc. read more

Guitar Center Villa Park used to be a haven for me growing up. I've bought thousands of dollars worth of gear here over the last 15 or so years, but ultimately the store lost it's luster for me a LONG time ago. Guitar Center in general is an interesting concept, you buy an instrument--which is largely a persona/intimate purchase which in some cases can and will last a lifetime at a place with the same worldview as Wal-Mart... Nevertheless, I've had good and bad experiences. The good are basically saving money on certain items, finding certain used pieces here etc. The bad? I've been told sale items are off limits on a sale--this was recent (BF 2017) and I've bought used gear here with problems (an amplifier about 10 years ago) that they wouldn't take back. The Manager used to be kind of a jerk--and I've had my run ins with him, but I'm sure he's long since moved on. I've had some good interactions with the manager circa 5 years ago, but I'm sure he's moved on too. Recently I purchased a used guitar here, and they automatically sold me a warranty. I ended up coming back when I realized it was on my receipt and told them to take it off--was kind of stupid that they would sell a warranty on a used instrument, especially cause I wouldn't let them TOUCH any of my instruments as far as setup and repair is concerned. I've also had them look at about $900 worth of trade in gear and tell me they'll give me $75 for it. Literally drove up the road to Sam Ash and traded it in for a fancy tube amp--insane! I think it really depends a lot on the crap-shoot that is big-box retail. I was going to give this place an even more lousy review, but I will say, I do still visit and they have cleaned up the store pretty nicely. It's not as dark and foreboding as it used to be, and their inventory has been pretty reasonable. I don't have anything really bad to say about store employee behavior now--they seem to have stepped the game up now, but it's still a guitar center, and some of those negative experiences over the years are always in my head. read more

A guy from a different department than the product I was buying insisted on helping me, but I was really looking for someone who knew more about the product than I did, which I assume he did not. Of course, he could not really answer my questions, and instead, just looked around the box trying to find answers. Despite his obtrusive money-hungry actions of trying to get his commission, I decided that it was the product that I wanted. He then almost abusively tried to force feed me the guitar center warrantee for x number of dollars extra. I initially was polite and said "No, thank you", however he proceeded again to explain why i should get a warrantee. "no, that's alright"...and AGAIN... "but what if something happens, like dropping it?". "ok, look, I'm tired of this. I'll just go to a different store", at which time he relented... To the manager: I think that your employees are too agressive, which is unfortunately common with commission-based sales. Is having helpful salesmen instead of verbally abusive salesmen too much to ask these days? I would like to walk in and browse the store for what I need. If I have a question, I will ask someone in that department who I expect to be knowledgable about the equipment. It is reasonable to inform the customer of the option to get a warrantee, but not to relentlessly abuse the customer with it. I would think that you want your customers to feel comfortable in the store so that they will feel comfortable returning one day. This was not the case with my experience. It was very disappointing, especially after having returned from Japan, where they assist you if you request it, but stay away if you do not. read more

I tried to get a bass guitar shipped to Crestwood Missouri store so I had my salesman Brandon contact the store and no one got back to him , so the next day I called and talked to Chris and he said that he needed to talk to Christian talked to Chris the next day and he said everything was ok to ship the bass to Crestwood Mo . That was last week and today I called and the bass was sold and never sent and you wonder why your losing business as a company read more

Went in here looking for African hand drum. The service and friendly conversation with drum area guy made me go here for a review. One of my favorite stores over the years even though I am not a musician. read more

You can't beat the selection, but like most chain musical instrument stores, it always feels like I'm entering a used car lot and a salesman is waiting to screw me out of some dough for their commision. I know that's how they make a living, but I know people who work at these stores and I know that they can charge less 85% of the time and still meet the stores bottom line. Again, for that kind of selection, what's a boy to do? read more

To be clear, I feel that a great retail experience is when a great product is equaled with great service. I now have a new Mitchell acoustic guitar. Love it. The great experience was due to the knowledge, class, and friendly personality of Manager David Santana. Buying a guitar from a high volume store, at the busiest time of the year, when staff are overworked, it's not likely one would have a great experience. I did. Thanks again David Santana. For the record, I've bought many guitars from Guitar Centers, the first in 1989. This was the best purchase. read more