EDIT: The store manager reached out to me, refunded me the shipping, and told me that he's edited the grading of the item to reflect the condition and talked to his staff. It looks like the price of the item hasn't been adjusted, but the grading has been. While I still don't recommend buying used from Guitar Center, the manager was thankfully willing to refund the shipping charge. The online used listings should be more detailed so these things don't happen. DO NOT purchase used gear online at Guitar Center. Their used item gradings are completely worthless and inaccurate; they will charge you shipping to ship items between stores, and when the item isn't as described, they won't refund the shipping. I had a used guitar in "great" condition shipped to this Guitar Center, and it arrived with a major 1-2 inch diameter chip to the finish that was repaired, completely undisclosed beforehand. There was scuffing on the back of the instrument, and there were 3 small chips in the finish that were also undisclosed. They charged me the same price the guitar was going for in new condition on Reverb.com. The repair and damage to the finish should devalue the guitar by at least $200, but the salesman assured me that the guitar was in fact in great condition when I returned it. I wouldn't classify a chipped guitar that previously had a chunk taken out and repaired with a very obvious seam to be "great condition." I was refunded the listed price and tax, but they refused to refund the shipping. I was basically charged to examine a guitar I didn't order. They essentially lied to me, then charged me money to determine that they lied. They even listed the return reason on my receipt as "customer changed their mind." I did not change my mind, I was sold an item that was not as described. They'll probably relist the guitar for the same price, in the same condition, and try to pass it off to someone else. I'd been watching the guitar for a while before I purchased it, and the listing disappeared for a couple of weeks before reappearing in another store. In hindsight, I bet another customer purchased the same guitar, then returned it when they found the undisclosed damage. I've been a customer for about 6 years, but the way they handled this situation was completely unethical, and I don't plan on ever spending another dime at a Guitar Center store. They charge top dollar for damaged equipment, and they refuse to eat the cost of their own incompetence to right the situation. This whole transaction was a huge waste of time and money. I've even received better customer service from E-Bay sellers. read more

Lots of cool stuff, UNFORTUNATELY, really unhelpful, lazy and super snarky employees. My 12 yr old daughter and I stopped in to pick up guitar strap, picks and pick holder. LOTS of employees congregated at the register chatting; not once did anyone ask if we needed help. No big; I'm a pretty self sufficient person. 20 min later; having found what we needed on our own, we headed to the register. My daughter asked about an item that was apparently "right in front of her", (said laughingly as clerk rolls eyes at another nearby employee). We have never been in a Guitar center before, so, ignoring the rudeness, I inquired of the employee (as I'm now checking out) if she's ever seen hot pink guitar picks. She responds with, "I have no idea, Ma'am. We just sell what "THEY" send us." Oh. (She's not privy to the merchandise her company sells?) Then one of the other 5 employees (who must pay closer attention to what he sells everyday) standing aimlessly around the cash register snidely remarks, (like I'M a moron) "Umm... we have hot pink guitar picks", and proceeds to spin a table top display around to reveal hot pink guitar picks right under the nose of the one who just claimed "I have no idea, MA'AM." I won't waste my time here. MILANOS music center in downtown Mesa is full of friendly staff, eager to assist the customer and is capable of meeting more variety of musical needs. It's no wonder Amazon is taking retail by storm. read more

I went to the GC location on Val Vista last Sunday around noon. I had read a lot of negative reviews on yelp (apparently about the Tempe store). I was hoping to have a better experience. The store was extremely busy, with a line at each register, and staff trying to keep up. After about 10 min. I got the attention of a salesperson. I was looking for a starter bass guitar, preferably short scale, and Gavin M. was a bass player. He took the time to demo several guitars, pointing out differences in sound quality, balance and controls. I ended up spending twice as much as I was originally going to spend. Today I went back and bought a small Fender amp. When I asked Gavin for a business card, he said that he was a seasonal employee but that he would like to be a permanent one. I hope he does become one. I'll definitely be a repeat customer. Today I was also assisted by Frankie S., because Gavin's shift had ended. read more

Hey Super Star, get to Guitar Center right now! Plug in an axe and crank that amp. Every kid is there looking to be discovered by secret talent scouts, so don't get left out! I'll brave the annoying comissioned sales folks on my own after you've been signed to a major label (or just lost interest and gone back home for mom's pot roast). Typical selection of new equipment. Small and disappointing selection of used equipment. Service is typical of an untrained sales staff- friendly but clueless. This is what you get when you let economics majors run your music business. read more

Incompetent and greedy, it's unbelievable how a store can be so disrespectful to their customers. Buy/sell any equipment you want or don't anymore online or in person, it'll save you the time and money read more

I have purchased at this location a few times in the past. Those times, the items I needed were accessible on the floor. A couple of cables here. A capo there. A midi keyboard. I went there on a Saturday afternoon - not that many customers. There were a few, but I've seen them really busy before and I was prepared for a wait if I needed help. It was pretty light customer wise so I figured I would be in and out really quick. Or so I thought. I went to the pro audio section to check out a dj controller. When I saw that they had what I wanted, I asked a clerk for some help. He said to give him a second. Fair enough. I waited. And waited. There was a customer being attended to at the pro audio counter so I waited for them to finish. Well, when they were done, the guy at the counter walked out. He did turn to me for a split second then turn around and made his way to the guitar section counter. So I waited some more. 20 minutes. All alone in the pro audio section. I walked up to the other counter and there were 3 guys on the counter just chatting it up. I told them I needed help and have been there quite a while. I asked for the store manager and got a "well, so and so is sort of a manager" response. I felt like I was being talked down to. Not a good thing to do as I was already frustrated. So I said forget it. As I was walking out, I remembered an email from the store manager Ashley, so I turned around and asked to speak to her. Only then did I have 5 people decide to help out. She's at the corporate office, someone said. I stayed long enough to check out the controller but decided that if a place is going to treat me badly, they aren't worth doing business with. I've had great experiences with Guitar Center in the past. I've had help even when those stores were packed. I don't think I'll visit this store again. Read the other reviews. I should have. read more

I went to this store last thursday to buy strings. The employees outnumbered the customers 3 -1. Not one employee said hi, bye, kiss my ass for at least 20 min. I was ready to say piss on it then finaly a young dude with long straight blonde hair offered to help me . Very friendly and helpfull. All in all, this stores customer service sucks. Ill go to Milanos next time. read more

Just came with my husband so he could buy a new drum set. He has been trying to get a new set for a few weeks but every Guitar Center we visit he NEVER gets helped. He asked for help twice at this location and as usual he was ignored. Our budget was 1,500 or more if he found something he liked. Now he is upset and disappointed again! I guess Guitar Center does not want our business and they definitely don't want to help! We have been to the Tempe, Scottsdale and Gilbert stores. We have spent about 30,000 dollars there over the past 10 years. My husband has just said that after today he is DONE with Guitar Center/ Musicians Friend which is their online Store! I can't believe a business could be run so poorly. If I could give no stars I would! read more

This place continues to let me down each time I walk in. Their selection is by far the worst I've ever encountered for a guitar center and if you're thinking of trading anything in here...... Please, run for the hills. You'll get more money or trade in value from the homeless. If you're looking for a good deal just go online. The 1 and only star is for the guitar tech who does an above average job at an outrageous price (not his fault). Last but not least is the management. You know what???? I've nothing nice to say. I'd give specifics on each of my encounters, but I'd rather not continue to write all day. if you're in desperate need for something that only guitar center has, I'd avoid this one at all costs. read more

I brought my 50th Anniversary Stratocaster in on Tuesday after talking to their guitar tech earlier in the day. He told me he could have my guitar setup along with a switch repair done the next day. I spoke with him Wednesday morning and I agreed to a string upgrade for 12.95 and also using a 10 gauge string set, I had an 11 on before. Needless to say my guitar wasn't done on Wednesday and the excuse he gave me on several occasions was that he had walk-ins (wasn't I a walk-in on Tuesday?). The next day (Thursday) I called and he was off but I spoke to another tech. He said he would have my guitar done that day, didn't seem to know much about it though. Needless to say, he didn't get it finished up that day either. I told him I needed it on Friday for the weekend, even if it meant he couldn't fix the switch, although it didn't seem like that was what was exactly holding it up. He said he would do it first thing Friday morning. I finally got in touch with him Friday afternoon (because he never called me) and he did say the guitar was done but the switch was not fixed, and that's fine. I went to pick it up and asked him what strings he put on and he said the bulk Ernie Ball. I told him I had discussed the upgrade with the other tech and his comment was "there's a lot of guitars in here and it's hard to keep them straight, sometimes that just happens", really? He did look further at the ticket and found that the other tech never noted the string upgrade. I asked him what gauge he put on, he said I'm pretty sure a 9, pretty sure, really? He wasn't completely certain. Are you kidding me? Isn't that what the action is set on? So now I don't have the string upgrade I expected and have the wrong gauge string on my guitar with a setup to compliment the wrong gauge. This is the worst customer service I have ever seen. Unacceptable!!! I never had a guitar setup there before, and never ever will again. But I did shop there for years when I needed something, don't think I could get myself to that again either. It's one thing to not hold a date but the non chalant way I was treated and comments made by their people just turned me off from that store for good. Save yourself some sanity and look elsewhere for customer service. This is about as bad as it can get. read more

Just bought a vintage Fender P bass they had just gotten in. Service was great. Very attentive. I'm picking it up today after the police hold. Very good experience! read more

Max is awesome! Never a bad shopping day. 2 Taylor acoustic guitars, Gibson Les Paul and SG, ukelele, and banjo. What's next???

I purchased a Baroque style soprano recorder and the employee was very helpful. I found exactly what I was looking for, and now I know I will be able to hypnotize all of the ladies. I recommend a recorder to anyone planning on asking a girl for marriage or on a date. read more

Do not believe the reviews you see here cause Yelp Adjusts them to satisfy Yelp. I have bought thousands of dollars of equiptment from Guitar Center and have always gotten great price and service. They went out of the way for me to do a great job. If your in a hurry then go some place else cause it takes time to get your order done especially if the store. is busy. I usually stop in at more convenient less busy times so thats the best time for me. the Guitar Center is well worth the five rating and there on line center even offers up coupons for discounts which can be used in the store front. Our rating is based on experience and many years working with Guitar Center as a source for what we need. Special order items don't take long and they will drop the shipping charge for you. read more

Good shop. Staff has been friendly every time I walk in there. I feel like they don't quite have the diverse inventory some of the other valley GCs have but still good. read more

Amazing customer service. I had an issue ordering a used product from a different state and that other store screwed up on shipping the product to me for the 2 day shipping I paid for. Randy, Garrett and Jacques were the best at making sure I was taken care of and that I got all my items I needed in time for my big event. They all seriously went out of their way to not only make me a happy customer but keep me loyal to Guitar Center. I will definitely be returning to work with these guys. Thanks again Randy, Garret and Jacques! read more

Nick in repairs is awesome. I bought an upgraded bridge and installed it and then Nick did a great set up job. Yesterday I brought in my newest purchase because I had been fighting with getting the intonation correct. I was hoping to get it back in a few days. Despite the store being very shorthanded he finished it the same day before closing. Totally trust him to work on my basses anytime read more

Pretty disappointed with my most recent visit here. I've always really liked this location because the employees are personable and helpful and remember me when I come in and have always been great. That said, I have a mint condition unused 400$ cymbal I bought from GC in April, I came in about a month ago to get a quote on a trade in, was told 180, came in today to trade it in and the guy told me 'I could do 150$'. I asked why the price had dropped so much in less than a month and he said "well, I'm just looking at what it's going for", and nothing else. I would have really appreciated if he had even attempted to explain to me why the quotes from the same store within the span of a month were so different. But he didn't. He just looked around some more (presumably at prices but just at his phone so I don't know) and went up to 165$, fucking magnanimous man. I'm not peeved about the 15$ I didn't get, but rather that I just felt totally fleeced by the guy. It was insulting because I was so recently offered 180$ by another employee! I've never once felt ripped off or taken advantage of by any of the employees at the store until today, and I've done a lot of trade ins! So I won't speak poorly of the whole store, but I think that the disparity in service between employees is at least worth noting if you plan on doing your shopping here. Super bummed out read more

I have been in the east valley for quite some time now and I have been waiting for a store out on this side of town for a long while. The Tempe store is excellent, but the drive is rough. My first time in the store was pretty fantastic. I was greeted by many employees just saying hello and asking how I was. This was a great thing to experience, knowing they are commissioned, as they were not complete sharks trying to get my money. Being a bit of an all-around musician, I made sure to stop by each area to check out the gear and get familiar with my new partners. Drums was a bit small compared to Tempe, but that did not stop what they had in terms of equipment or staff knowledge. Two employees in drums were overwhelmingly kind and helped point me to everything I needed. I'm not as much of a guitarist as many others are, but I had to look at their selection even for my small needs. I liked their selection of electrics, and their acoustic room was a nice place to spend some time in. Amplifiers seemed to be a little lacking compared to Tempe, but they had some pretty decent stuff. I checked out some pedals they had on display and was quickly offered to try out any one of them I wanted to. I did try out a few and the guy helping me was very knowledgable about his products and told me about everything I had a question about. This was a great experience compared to any I've had in the past at a few other locations where they seem too busy to give you the time. I then went to the pro audio area and checked out their gear. I'm not as big into live sound and recording, but I enjoy looking at the cool stuff anyway. I wasn't sure exactly what I was looking at, but the speakers seemed to be nice and they had a fairly big selection of them. Their mixers were pretty neat as well, ranging from about $50-$3000, it appeared they had a good selection for most purposes. Keyboards was alright, but nothing super impressive, but that's alright. The recording area was also a bit sparse and didn't seem to have a lot of expensive gear, which was a little disappointing, but I was directed to all of the different types of gear and found that they did have some decent recording devices. All around, I'd rate it a great time. It's a smaller store, so it didn't walk in with huge expectations, but I walked out a happy customer due to their simple and genuine salespeople. read more

I had ordered a "new" Fender guitar online. When I received it, it was in a Gibson box. It didn't come with the usual user guides, care instructions, allen wrench, etc. It was pretty obvious it was either a return or floor model. Definitely not new. When I called support they said I would need to take it to the closest store. They wouldn't let me ship it back for refund or exchange. I went to the Val Vista store and they insisted I take a floor model. No box or anything. I'll never buy from Guitar Center again. They are not very customer friendly. read more

Very poor customer service, rude, dismissive and not helpful. I was calling to ask about a trade in and the kid in pro audio was curt and had no interest in informing me on product details. The era of online shopping for your gear is coming into full swing and if middle men like GC won't afford you the kindness of information and respect then good riddance. read more

I play guitar, bass and percussion and I really love this place. I get the right level of attention whenever I go in and the deals have been great. Mary and Ashley in particular are great to work with. Seems to be a knowledgeable staff, attentive yet not overbearing. Only thing preventing me from giving it 5 stars is the fact that I was looking to trade in a classical guitar on a new bass and they didn't want to take my trade. I went to the Tempe GC and they gave me a great deal on the trade. Seems strange but that's my only complaint. Otherwise I strongly recommend this place! read more

I was so happy to get my new acoustic guitar from Guitar Center for a affordable price, with a great sound and affordable guitar equipment to go along with it. read more

pros: easy to find, lots of parking, good prices on good musical instruments, ok selection cons: not too many adults on staff that understand what they are selling I love the GC and think they have great sales on many very good items. usually I buy online. Why? Because of the incredible din of noise that is encountered when entering the store, and the lack of experienced, old-enough-to vote staff. I came in to buy a $2500 guitar and couldn't get a staff member who could tell me if it was in stock, if they could order it, or if another store had it. The handed me off to a "manager' who told me to order it online if that's where I knew I could find what I wanted. I was a little irritated and on my way out when a staff member came over and apologized for the others and said they were new holiday hires. He was very knowledgeable about Fender instruments and was able to back it up by producing the guitar i was after and furnishing a hard shell case for $50 for my earlier trouble. he threw in some picks and discounted a tuner and leather guitar strap. i wasn't looking for a bargain, but I was pleased that GC had someone able to read the customer and make things right. I spent $2600 and I think it was well worth it, as it came with an expert set-up by the guitar tech and a no-questions asked warranty. I'll be back after the holidays. read more