I'm thrilled about the volume I saw in store today. And in benefit of the doubt, these guys are clearly short staffed while handling a never ending queue and loop of tasks. At the same time that 4 pedal boards in simultaneous testing are piercing your ears from across. But honestly the salespeople were just straight up icks. From the long haired dude thats been there longer than fast food fries, and the gentle voiced big fella that speaks in automated replies with a slight overtone of condescension. Like my guy. I am imploring you to do business with me. What in the world are you going on about? Came in for a radial conversion unit (not cheap) and a barebones over drive pedal that in spur of the creative moment would be a part of tonights engineering session. -Asked long haired dude for a distortion pedal in the used section and the radial unit. He tells me to fug all about the pedal because it cant be sold until april 6th over some policy I've no idea about and sends me to go figure it out downstairs for the radial unit. -Went at it downstairs with an older dude about the technicalities of signal processing and was then successfully closed out by another quirky fellow as the former had already ended their shift. Solid dudes and banter. Asked the latter about the wait time for the used pedal, still unclear. -Went back up, found a different drive pedal, and a cheepo delay. Went to automated joe for purchase. Drive pedal's price tag had a whole digit covered in its position. Closed out the delay, and navigated an over-toned condescending remark about how I should be satisfied with the delay and GTFO. -Nah - went to the pedal boards. Cut through the noise around me like if I was actually going to buy something. Employee hovers over me for a bit as if to tell me to turn it down while also inspecting the radial unit i just purchased. But I ignore it and test the pedal. Excellent. - go back to automated joe, tells me the unit is sold out. And that he can take payment for it now and have it in a week. - I dont need it for a week, I need it for tonight. - go back to the used cases, scour and search. A/B what I can online. -Narrow it down to an MXR pedal when suddenly a Black woman appears and saves me. First words out of her mouth told me she was efficient and cared for the success of this mutually conducive sale. I was sitting in front of an amp to test the pedal within 5 minutes. And she EXPLAINED what the hold on the used gear was. Like holy S. Thank you. For clarifying that for legal reasons you have to put a processing hold on used gear thats making its way through your store incase it was stolen in the past. Like I didnt even ask the other guys if I could test the gear I was attempting to buy, did not even know that was an option as they told me to fug all and be on my way. -amp i was testing pedal on was too muddy to get anything meaningful out of it. -went to mxr pedal section. Tried a different one that was in the routing. Was eh. Took a leap and swapped out their cute little eq pedal (lovely thing really) as it had just enough space to pull the 1/4's out, with the one the woman pulled for me. -grabbed the American strat behind me with the most horrendous setup and proceeded to get some beautiful tones. Mission accomplished. -closed and GTFO of there. It was roughly 5:30 when I got in. I didnt leave until 8pm. I never want to go through that again. Also every guitar i tried to use to test pedals needed some serious work done. Like come on bro. This ain't stevie ray vaughn. Why are all the strings way past their proper guages and have the tension of an acoustic. Can't even let the guitar come alive that way. Best setup was a fresh out the box squire strat that was sitting unadulterated on its hook. Pros: music is thriving Cons: Musicians are dying behind the counters of guitar center. read more

Guitar Center - MXR CLASSIC OVERDRIVE, BLUE OCEAN DELAY, RADIAL PRO DI - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - Manhattan, New York

Nice Guitar Center, pretty big. Has an upstairs and downstairs. Employees are helpful and nice. Not too crowded as well which I appreciate. I would recommend coming here for anything music related. read more

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My son recently started guitar lessons, so we decided to purchase a guitar before his in-person lessons began. I called the store three times to inquire if they carried half-size guitars. During the first call, I was placed on hold for 15 minutes without anyone responding, so I hung up and tried again. On the next two attempts, my calls were completely ignored, which was already frustrating. Still, I decided to visit the store in person to make the purchase. Upon entering, I politely greeted the staff and explained that I was there to buy a half-size guitar for my son. The employees not only acted extremely rude, but their behavior felt discriminatory. It was clear they were judging me and making assumptions about my ability to afford the guitar, which was both offensive and disheartening. I was shocked by their lack of professionalism and basic courtesy, and I left the store feeling unwelcome. I would not recommend this place to anyone based on my experience read more

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

Awful service! The store manager Dereck along with everyone else didn't even recognize me. I paid 4K for a microphone and after 2 hours of being there they said they couldn't help me return or sell it. Never used it! If you want to get scammed this is the place to go! read more

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

Terrible experience. Just shop online. Woefully understaffed and everything is locked up. There's also no air conditioning. Needed two things, one from upstairs one from downstairs. Had to wait in line just to get some cheap headphones unlocked, then check out downstairs. Then had to go upstairs and do the same drill all over again, wait in to get something cheap unlocked while the only cashier is running all over helping people that have no idea what they want, meanwhile there's a line of people just trying to check out simple purchases. Finally the cashier checked me out on a mobile device, but doesn't give me a receipt, which was fine until I get to the door and they have guards stopping people to check the receipt...holding me up even longer in their furnace. read more

Douchiest guitar center I've been to thus far. Go into the acoustic room, no attendant, can't hear anything because a guy is loudly singing and having a full performance. In the main room a bunch of kids pretending to play. No agents on the floor. They finally send out their worst dude to help me and he gaslights me and is misogynistic the entire time. The Times Square one was way better. read more

I brought my jacket Kelly in for a setup they charged me 1000 bucks for shit work screwed up my jumbo frets, my electronics backwards.. I hope they fired all those pieces of shit and replaced them with skilled personnel read more

Good place to shop prices are always fair they have good inventory. They can usually get whatever you want in a timely manner. Very convenient place to shop. read more

Dmitri was massively helpful with my buying of a not cheap but used instrument by giving me all the info about the purchase in a kind and professional way, as well as helped me set up a gear card. The store is very understaffed but they recently set up a pedal test board with headphone which is really fun to mess around with. However If quality employees aren't there that day, good luck dealing with a bunch of passive aggressive individuals who check people out with no urgency; often with one on register and another walking about the store seemingly with no aim. They have people wait 30 minutes in line to be rung up a pack of strings or a strap. While I was testing the guitar I eventually bought, an employee with greasy parted hair was grilling me and my girlfriend. I really don't know what that was about. Just bizarre read more

I must say, this never again @GuitarCenter and his employees did not disappoint.. They were able to to buy back a collider units at a great price, then because I was doing a trade in, I got a 15% discount on the system one, then I had a 20.00 credit.. Mann I can't lie if it wasn't for the manager Daniel who actually started to help me make sense of the numbers, I probably would've bought it off Amazon or something... Then to to finalize everything the next day, I was introduced to his employee Michael G. and let me tell yall, I was a little skeptical about purchasing bcause I didn't know if he would be able to do what Daniel said, but I can't lie, that man went out of his way to call the manager on several occasions just to confirm and reassess the trade in, I was shocked because no other store had done that before, To make a long story shorter, The experience was amazing and I appreciate both staffs especially Michael for helping me and making it happen.. Thanks gents, keep up the good work... Thanks again Michael G and Daniel. read more

Derek Buckwalter is the absolute best! Derek always helps me find the best option for the best rate - because of him, I have purchased 2 mics, 2 speakers, mic cords, interface tools, travel bags, stands (to name a few), and gotten general feedback on systems to use within all of these devices. Derek is so knowledgable on all facets of music making and, as a singer/songwriter, I am very grateful to Derek for helping me feel confident in my purchases. I trust his judgement, and appreciate how kind, supportive, and generous he is with his expertise. THANK YOU DEREK!! And Guitar Center, yall have an incredible person on your team. read more

Huge shoutout to Derek in the Pro Audio department at Guitar Center. He made my whole visit -- super knowledgeable, patient, and gave me real advice without pushing unnecessary gear. Helped me compare options, answered every question, and made sure I walked out with exactly what I needed. If you're shopping for studio gear, go see Derek. read more

Jeremy was kind, patient, and incredibly helpful. He was thorough and very knowledgeable. I highly recommend this store. Ask for Jeremy if you want great service. read more

They now (Feb 2025) lock up ANY acoustic guitar $700 or more. Total hassle and won't come here again. I've bout $10k of guitars from GC.

Many instruments to choose from - Service - perfect Ambiance - real, authentic, and fun read more

There was an employee who was so unnecessarily rude to me and could've been way more professional. It was clear he didn't want me in the store when I was just asking if I could test out some guitars as one normally would but he told me they don't let people do that unless they buy first... when there was clearly other people around the store testing some out. He went about it by saying snarky remarks about me loud enough for me to hear after he said he'd give me 15 minutes. And what irked me the most was when my time was up he started snapping his fingers and whistling at me??? I'm sorry but what??? I'm not some dog. I really don't understand why I was targeted but I'm for sure never coming back here again. read more

Update to my review on 2/26/25. Guitar Center replied to my review and asked me to email the details to yourvoice@guitarcenter.com. Within one day I had a response both by phone and email expressing apologies for the inconvenience and for the poor customer service from my initial contact with them. The next day, Saturday, the replacement drum pad showed up on my doorstep. So while my initial contact through their website was not helpful, they stepped up their game and took care of my issue. This was good customer service and I will consider continuing to work with them, and hence my revised rating. One take away for Guitar Center may be better training for their customer service people who man the website after hours. read more

Absolutely worthless in-person and on-line. Their online sales system doesn't work properly and their phone support offers no help. I sincerely hope that they close down and disappear very soon. Musicians deserve better than this. MUCH BETTER!! read more

I'm amused by GC's canned response to legitimate complaints in this commentary. Not surprised at all the complaints. Don't put yourself out of business due to lousy attitudes. There are better options these days. read more

I've visited the Guitar Center twice now, mostly to look at ukuleles. Unfortunately, even though this is New York City, there is not a ukulele shop here. So if you want to get your hands on one before you buy it, the choice is basically Guitar Center or, I don't know. Music Inn, I guess, if you want a Kala 8-string or something. It's a quirky place. But Guitar Center sadly doesn't seem to take these instruments seriously. I was there yesterday to see what they had, and there was a Cordoba 25 series soprano, which I've always thought was a pretty good instrument (I recently bought one of their tenors, a 20 series). I asked to take it down and play it, the guy was very nice and helpful even though he was kind of in the middle of something else. But as soon as I held it in my hands, I could see that there was a problem. Or feel it, rather. The fret sprout was so severe that I almost think he should have warned me. I hope they would never hand that instrument to a child. Nearly lethal. Also, in a room full of people playing guitars, I couldn't quite hear myself, but I didn't feel that it was playing in tune. I thought that I had tuned it to proper open strings, but the chords always sounded wonky. I tried to finesse it but couldn't come up with a playable intonation. Again, it was a tough room to play in, but based on this experience, if I didn't already have a Cordoba, I would probably never buy one. But I do have one, and it is fine. I have to point to Guitar Center here. If these are the "tester" instruments, don't you think they should be playable? Isn't that why people go to a retail location instead of online? If your instruments are not set up properly, how does that reflect on your business and your brand? I guess they just see themselves as box movers, and don't really want to get involved in what's in the boxes. But it's pretty disappointing that this is nearly the only option to shop in this city, and it's like this. I did play two other (non-ukulele) instruments while I was there, and they were ok. I guess it's a bit hit or miss. But with a poor selection to begin with, and no attention paid to the proper setup, this is not a place I would recommend shopping for a ukulele. read more

I took my son to this location to pick out his first guitar. Nico was great! He was very friendly and put my son at ease, making his first experience on his guitar journey a positive one. He also didn't try to upsell us. All in all, this was one of the most positive retail experiences I've had. read more

I was looking for a starter guitar, and I only had $200. Thom, over at Guitar Center on 14th street was an incredible help. He wrangled up about 7 guitars that fit my price range, turned on an amp, sat me down, and gave me some room to see which I liked the best. I know that the "good salespeople" will give a buyer the excuse to spend more. Well, Thom did not do that, which turned me into a loyal customer. Thanks Thom read more

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

Ruban was amazing and very knowledgeable. He was very quick with the service and provided amazing customer service. As a new artist, it's important to speak with those who have wisdom in what I am trying to achieve. That is exactly what happened when I went in. I very pleased with my purchases. I will be back! read more

Great quick repair job of my son's Fender bass by Naz Gonzalez. Service with a smile. Much appreciated.

If you want to have a good shopping experience, stay away from the Guitar Center store at the Brooklyn location, especially from the salesperson and store manager named Nico. If you can't trust the manager's word, the store is not trustworthy. I've been a Guitar Center customer for many years, and it's sad to see the decline in customer service. It would be better to close the store and sell online only because the in-person experience has been the worst possible. I was deceived in a dishonest way. My complaint has already been sent to the company's management, but nothing will erase the terrible experience I had at this store. read more

Selection wasn't great. I thought it would be something Spey, given the location.No better than any other GC, though.

I brought a yamaha maple custom snare drum which wasn't even purchased at Guitar Center and Cole in the drum department took to time to align the snare wires, tune the bottom and top heads so the snare was tuned right. He was super patient and explained tuning to me step by step and even allowed me to try playing the snare with a kit that was set up on the floor for context. Cole was super knowledgable, friendly and down to earth. Definitely recommend him in the Drum Department. Fantastic service which I will go back for anything drum related. read more

Just to update my experiences over the years spending thousands at Guitar Center over the Years ,I just have to give a shout out to Jay the manager at 14 st and Tom and Nico in the Guitar dept who have gone out of their way to help an old senior with Gear acquiring syndrome,also John Finnely at the LIC branch is wonderful also,I just hope Corporate is listening They all deserve recognition, Chris C read more

Waited 23 mins on the phone. Decides to just walk in it was a little busy but Ruben hooked us up great experience.

Most of you know my family is full of musicians. I'm sorry I didn't get that talent but it doesn't stop me from searching out the best for all of you and for my family. My family members come to Guitar Center. I wasn't thinking about it and happened by today. I decided to see what attracts them to this place. When you pass through the entrance there's Slash looking down. There are lots of photos to look at on the walls. What really knocked me out were all the guitars. I have never seen so many in one location. As I maneuvered through the store I saw a room with just Vintage Guitars. They have drum sets and other instruments as well. Their main focus is the guitar. I love the guitar variety. Beautiful displays and lots of colors. As soon as I started looking around the employees were so gracious. I felt welcomed. I asked if they minded me taking photos. They said go right ahead. Smiling and friendly gets my attention every time! By the time I headed out the door I felt like I made new friends! A really fun experience. It doesn't matter if you're a musician or not. If you're like me, I just enjoy being in the presence of musical instruments. If you do to then you will enjoy the guitar center. If you're hanging around West 14th Street stop in and see what I mean. I highly recommend!! read more

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The store is visually appealing, and workers are engaging. I was assisted by Andre, who was very knowledgeable, courteous, and patient. He understood my concerns (especially the financial one). I was not rushed or pressured, and he went above and beyond to ensure customer satisfaction. I recommend the store highly, and thank Andre for making my first guitar purchase an exceptionally pleasant one. read more

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

Huge shoutout to the 14th street GC team for their help tonight! I came in late before close and had a weird request I needed help with. Melvin heard me out and went way above and beyond the effort & energy level that any retail worker 5 min before close should be expected to. Helped me get right for a festival gig this weekend! Dimitri and Nico were also super helpful and kind. Great people, great vibes, guitar center gets a bad rap man these homies were genuine and took the time to help me out when they were clearly dealing with a lot In the store at the moment. Special shoutout Melvin for his hard work! read more

Went to store and purchased goods. Paid and the. Told no bag? What? Returned it? I'll bet Sam Ash wouldn't inconvenience their customers! read more

Called to confirm a guitar was in stock and available. Person answering phone was unintelligible and sounded completely disinterested. Transferred me where I was on hold for 10 minutes until it went back to him. He said he would check (at least I think that's what he said....) I gave up after another few minutes and terminated the call. Was looking at a $1200 guitar but I guess I'll go to Sam Ash for that - at least they answer their calls. Never dealt with Guitar Center based on their reputation for poor customer service - now I see why this is the case. read more

i wrote about my experience but got a threatening phonecall and deleted it for my safety

Barely anyone to ask for. Not a single employee was looking around or asking questions to people who needed help. Not sure if they're under staffed but they might need more people because all the employees were busy. read more

The only thing decent about the store are the prices. The sales people are 100% NOT INTERESTED in helping you. All of the more expensive guitars are locked up and a sales person cannot be found. When you do find a sales y invariably say "I have to find my manager". I deliberately went on a Sunday in the summer, (today is Sunday, August 27) so there will be few people there and perhaps I would get some service. NO SUCH LUCK! This place is awful! read more

Can you zero star? Remember when Guitar Center was good? I called before coming, to ask if they had the mic clips I needed. Specified the mic makes and everything. They said they had them. So I come in, they don't have them. Then the worker hands me one like "I guess this might work" then he just walks away to go hang with the other employees. I had told him I needed a couple clips but there was only one clip. So then I'm standing there just going through all of them and can't even find a second. Dude didn't even ask what was up. I've spent so much money at this store in the past. But now I'll have to just find somewhere else. read more

Guitar center union square is not as huge as guitar center times square. Both locations are great, just know what you need before you get there. Lots of choices but only you can decide if its right. read more

Guitar Center - Checking out guitar center is more fun. The selection is great for beginners, find out what guitar represents you best. - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - Manhattan, New York

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This Guitar Center is the best! They have very knowledgeable and helpful staff in every department. On my recent visit, I had a misunderstanding about my Gear Card and the manager, Jay, was incredibly helpful. He went above and beyond to clarify and resolve the issue for me. I've made several considerable purchases here over the years and I look forward to coming there again soon! read more