I was planning on buying a Stratocaster, and wanted to try some different models. How is it that the #1 guitar retailer does not have more than a half dozen of the most popular guitar in the world? The walls at ALL GC's is less and less every year. I stood around and walked around trying to get help for 45 minutes. After that time, a drum assistant helped me which wasn't much help. I asked if I could see the used equipment online and if they shipped it to other GC's. He told me that there is NO visual inventory online, only a list, they don't ship used guitars and that the list is never up to date. Well, later that day I went online...they did have a visual inventory, they DID have all the guitars I called for at the other stores, and they DO ship used. I brought in my used guitar and what I was offered was a complete slap in the face. To give you an idea of how far the offer was: I was offered $400. That night I got an offer for $1200 on REVERB. I understand that they have to make money and be conservative...but really??? I even mentioned that I would buy a new $1,000+ guitar from them, but that was their max offer. A very disappointing visit. read more

Electronic piano purchase was terrific. Thank you Rey Nuñez for helping us find and buy and ship a piano we'll love. The store has a small room for with about 12 electronic pianos and he wrangled them around so that we could try out six or seven of interest, adjusting height and everything. Outside they have more elaborate keyboards, synths, whatever. Mid-afternoon Dec 26 was busy but not crazy. Rey did not rush us and did not waste time either. Extremely satisfied! read more

I have made several large purchases at Guitar Center in 2015-2016 and all the equipment is in good shape with the exception of the one that was made in China (returned) The staff gets a bit busy at closing time so it is best to get there early. When using high end german-made equipment it is important to visually inspect the equipment instead of ordering it online and letting the shipping services damage it. Guitar Center takes good care of its product. read more

My daughter starts her first guitar lesson tomorrow and I popped into guitar center tonight to buy a string that broke off her guitar. The employee informed me the technician had left for the day and wouldn't be in until after her lesson tomorrow. He kindly offered to fix it for us and while fixing it let us know what else we should be aware of with her guitar. Very helpful employees and very nice store. read more

I came to this store with a guitar in mind. Right as I walked in, I was greeted by the manager of the guitar department, Sammy. I told him of the guitar I had in mind and he took me right the the room where they keep the acoustic instruments. The guitar I was looking for wasn't there, so he went into the back to get it. When he returned, he not only had the guitar I was thinking about, but also a variation of that guitar with a different body shape. I was not rushed as I was trying out both of the guitars, he even brought out a stand for whichever one I wasn't playing at that time. After comparing both guitars, I went with the one that I didn't have in mind upon coming to Guitar Center. I had a great experience at Guitar Center and I plan on shopping there again. read more

Went to get my daughters ukulele fixed and the staff was super- while waiting Doug helped me out with a lot of my questions about new speakers and a new mixing board! read more

I have to say I had a great overall experience here buying my first brand new guitar. Shawn, Dave, and Ben were amazingly helpful and knowledgeable. I had not played in a while and was just getting back into the guitar and I didn't feel the least bit uncomfortable and was treated very well. I had to return one model that was flawed and they ordered me a different model no problem. The only negative part of the experience was what I can only assume was a new employee behind the register who watched me struggle and fumble with the packaging on the my new guitar and was overall uninterested in helping me out in any way. What he lacks in customer service skills and personality is made up for by the rest of the guys on the staff. The manager ended up helping me out and I walked out of there overall very happy with my toy and my experience at this store. read more

So, I'm not a very good guitar player. This is true. But I did get to try out my beginner "Mary Had a Little Lamb" on a Martin! When I was just looking, the employees helped when I wanted them to, they didn't pressure me. I came in 2 times to try out a couple guitars and when it was obvious to them that I wasn't really able to appreciate the "sound" of the guitar they sat down, showed me the difference in each one and I felt completely educated to make my choice. And I ended up getting a guitar that was exactly what I was looking for. The gentleman put the strings on, made sure I had everything without any stress or pressure! I think the fact that I got great service even though I walked out with a $400 guitar rather than a $5000 guitar really was nice! Really cool! read more

Brought my new les paul in to be set up and to have strap locks installed. Joe did the work and I couldn't be happier. My guitar played well before I brought it in, it played better afterwards. The new strap locks were installed and looked like they were done in the factory. The work was done quickly. I could have picked it up the same day but it was easier for me to get it the next day. I have no complaints. I enjoy playing but leave the technical stuff to trained professional technicians. I would recommend this shop for all your instrument needs. read more

I've been playing guitar since 1980, and have shopped at dozens of music retailers. I understand the desire to support small, local, independent retailers, and I appreciate the customer service you can (sometimes) get from them. On the other hand, it doesn't really do the customer much good if they're shopping for, say, a bass amp and the place only has one or two to choose from. Sometimes you want selection and options, and large retailers can utilize economies of scale to provide you with that. Furthermore, large doesn't always equal bad. I have made several purchases at the GC in Danvers, especially since my old stand by Daddy's went out of business. The staff are helpful without being pushy, and if someone can't answer a question for you they will usually find someone else who can. That's pretty much what I would expect from any decent retailer. What puts GC in the better-than-average category for me is my most recent experience. I purchased a (very) used Peavey bass amp head. I learned from a little research that this head had to have been made no later than 1977. It cost me $199.99, and knowing what I did, I kicked in the extra $20 for the coverage plan. Not too surprisingly, after a couple of months of light use, the amp started to cut out and get really thin sounding. This was an intermittent problem, and I couldn't really tell when it would happen or what might be causing it. I was expecting all kinds of runaround: repairmen not being able to replicate the problem, or putting it on the bench for 10 minutes and telling me it was fixed only to have the same problem happen at a gig. I called the toll-free number for the coverage plan (at 7:00 at night), gave the very friendly young woman on the phone my phone number, told her what the amp was doing, and she said, "OK, sir, we're sending you a Guitar Center gift card for the price of the amp in the mail. Should be there in a week or two. Hold on to the amp, at least until the gift card shows up." No runaround. I didn't even have to bring the amp back to the store. Can't ask for much more than that. read more

The customer service at this branch is top-notch, everyone seems very welling to answer question and help in arriving at choices. I buy a lot of drum accessories for this and the Boston branch. I was especially treated recently when I purchased a DVD I didn't like and couldn't be refunded, the rep referred me to the store manager (Dave) who compensated me (with a book), and had me keep the DVD -- now that's what I call top-notch. read more

Zach was NOT knowledgeable of current sales. In fact, he encouraged me to buy 2 chords for $16 then said oh no.. never mind there is no deal. I asked if he could honor what he said and put his arms up like he never said anything. Business 101, know your stuff before you even set foot at the desk! Stay away from this place. read more

We came to this guitar center today and had an excellent experience. Sammy helped us (a beginner and an experienced guitar player) pick out our guitars and was very helpful through the whole process. We had a pleasant and easy time selecting the appropriate instrument for our respective skill levels. 10/10 customer service, so friendly, he has great blue eyes too. ;) read more

you are right john guitar center in danvers is very bad I did go trade amp in100% new conditions cost 400 new They offer 100.00 for it I didn't take it (rip off) 9 days later Went back got another guy Offer me 80.00,ha ha ha This store is a joke worse then pawn shop. :-( read more

This summer I had a serious problem with my Pioneer DJ controller that I had purchased from Guitar Center, which I depended on for all of my gigs. Expecting it to be an uphill battle, I went into the store and explained to Rob, the manager, the situation and asked him what the best course of action was. Rob went above and beyond by contacting Pioneer about the issue, packaged and shipped my controller to their closest repair center, and supplied me with the same model controller for every night I had a DJ'ing event until mine returned. I can't thank Rob and the Guitar Center staff enough for really helping me out and saving me a ton of frustration and money! read more

I ordered and paid for a 46 year old Ovation on line from the Danvers Mass. store through my local Guitar Center. Confirmed what the ad said about guitar comes with case and looked great with no noticeable flaws. When it got to my local GC I noticed it was in a pretty small box considering the size of an Ovation guitar not even counting the size of the case. The Danvers store not only shipped it without the case but jammed it into a box that was obviously too small without much bubble wrap. The only damage to the box was a small tear where the headstock was jammed in tight but conveniently covered by a GC 'Recycled Box' sticker placed perfectly over tear to hide it from the outside. Needless to say the guitar arrived with a broken neck and large round crack on front below bridge. Why? They specialize in guitars. How does this happen? What did they do with the case? Still searching for that model that same year and condition. All my excitement and anticipation of receiving it has turned into a kicked in the gut feeling that won't go away. No apologies or call backs from Danvers GC. Local store refunded money (check not cash like I paid for it) but still. How does this happen Danvers? Who's in charge? The guitar survived 46 years until your employees who specialize in guitars got a hold of it. I'm sure you collected shipping insurance even though it was no fault of the shipping company so you still made the sale more or less and screwed a long loyal customer out of a vintage instrument. Again no call back, apologies or attempt to make things right somehow. Thank you so much. read more

Let me start off by saying that I've spent thousands of dollars in the store within the past couple years. Today I wanted to return an $150 item that I paid cash with two days prior, and they ended up having to write me a check. This takes time out of my day and also when I went to their bank, they charged me a six dollar fee to cash it. I brought It to the attention of a manager and all he could say is that it's company policy for any return over $50 and they don't keep enough cash on hand to make returns and he refused to credit my account rather he wanted me to find a day when he's working to go down there to get a six dollar check for my troubles which is additional time out of my busy schedule. So your telling me a store such as Target can give me my cashback for an $240 vacuum last week but I can't return $150 item here without having to jump through hoops? They officially turned me off and I will be going online for my purchases for now on and I'm an extremely valuable customer and spend a ton here, not any more. read more

Came in to see Chris to get a snare drum but he wasn't in...as I was browsing a guy Don who I later found out is the general manager started harassing me about signing up for a credit card...even after telling him I was not interested He persisted...ended up getting the snare drum on Amazon...not the type of environment I feel comfortable in... read more

Easily the best experience I've ever had in an audio store. Blaney and a few other employees whose names I didn't get were incredibly helpful in picking out a monitor for my wind controller, and Blaney took the time to explain to me the difference between powered speakers and amps, how to choose the best and most affordable one for me, etc. Couldn't be happier with how the purchase went! read more

The atmosphere of this Guitar Center is way off. The staff are very ignorant. These people are suppose to know a lot about the musical instrument of their expertise... it turns out most of them have no clue. I am a drummer. The first time I walked in this store I was satisfied because I was new to drumming and a middle aged man in the drum part of the store steered me towards a better cymbal than I was looking for at a better price. Every time since then it has been a horrible experience. The staff are so incredibly stuck up it is not even funny. This really annoys me. Now, I have to drive to Boston if I want to go to a GOOD Guitar Center with a FRIENDLY atmosphere. Something should really be done about this. If any of you are drummers go check out the Drum Shop North Shore in Danvers. The people there will not be able to get out of their chair fast enough to help you. They are very knowledgable about the inventory they have too. read more

Support your local music shop and avoid Guitar Center at all cost. If you are buying, they are all over you with customer service. If you have a problem afterward, they are too busy to help. The luthier is a joke. I left my ukulele there to have it worked on. They waid it would be ready in 2 days. When I returned, the luthier was not there, the repair shop was in total darkness,and there hung my ukulele untouched. Thier free ukulele classes were a complete joke. The person teaching it was a guitar player and had only just picked up a ukulele. He didn't know any ukulele chords. I had to tell him what was what. They don't want to hire a real ukulele player, they just plucked someone from the floor that plays guitar and told him to wing it. Go to Bill's music on Main St in Peabody. He's great. Alot of instruments, and great personal customer service. read more

For my son's eighteenth birthday I wanted to buy him a Gibson Les Paul Studio Edition. As a result, I brought him into the store to pick one out and was pleased to see that all Les Pauls were on sale as part of a month-long promotion. While it was nice to get an incredibly discounted guitar, I was really more pleased with the service we received. The salesperson, Kevin, was not only knowledgeable but he exuded an exuberance that was refreshing. read more

Salespeople are kids who have no idea what they're doing. I don't know how they're expecting to make money if they have no idea about the equipment. Useless. They don't anything about new gear on the market, won't order things for you, and they don't ship things from different stores to try to make a sale. The whole commission program seems to have gone down the tubes here. read more

This is an update from my previous review. Since my post Guitar Center was quick to respond. I felt they cared about my complaint and wanted to resolve the issue. I have been impressed with the response I have received and will visit store again read more

Idiots. Over priced. I will never go there again. Go to Bill's Music in peabody, better deal.

The most staff very inexperienced, and has horrible knowledge of the products. They have a habit of telling what you want before you give any details what you are looking for in an amplifier. read more

At times the staff is very knowledgeable and courteous, while other times ignorant and rude. I recently went in to their trade in expo to unload some old gear that was taking up space and collecting dust. One piece of gear of was a guitar that I had taken meticulous care of. When testing it the sales associate had plugged the guitar into an amp that he clearly did not know how to properly use and another employee had to come over and show him how. After playing it for fifteen seconds he then asked what was wrong with the active pickups. Anyone with even a novice level of guitar electronics could take a quick glance at the guitar and tell you the pickups weren't active. After consulting with a "tech" he told me that the wiring on the guitar was screwed up and he couldn't accept it. I saw no point in arguing this due to the fact that this associate clearly had no idea as to what he was talking about. Following that debacle, two employees then came behind the counter and instantly started making snide comments about the gear I was trading in right in front of me. Clearly since they work at GC they have a far more cosmopolitan knowledge and taste when it comes to musical instruments than common folk such as I. The blatant snobbery and guitar store employee elitist attitude left a bad taste in my mouth after I had finished my transaction. To be fair I have had some excellent customer service there at times, but those instances are starting to become few and far between. I'd never thought I'd miss Daddy's Junky Music... read more

I've been going to Guitar Center Danvers for years ! I've bought lots of Drums and accessories ,P.A. Equipment ,lighting , etc. ! It's always a great experience for me ! The reason I always had a great experience was that I always deal with Shawn Z . If I needed anything I would make sure Shawn Z was working that day ! If he wasn't working , I would always wait for a day he was there . His knowledge of all the instruments and other equipment is second to none ! He is the most honest , dedicated , long term employee I've ever had the pleasure of dealing with ! He was always able to help me get the best equipment for the budget ! I heard that Shawn got fired recently and I have to say ,that I think that is a huge mistake ! Shawn was accused of something I know can't be true . Shawn was my guy to go to ! I will leave a 5 star rating while Shawn worked there ! Truth is I will no longer be a customer if he is not there !! read more