Short REVIEW I accidentally took lessons from 3 different instructors at Guitar Center (GC), which is the educational equivalent of testing the same restaurant by ordering three different entrées. Surprisingly, they were all good. Even more surprising, I discovered that the GC Lessons department is more interested in helping someone become a musician than reminding everyone they are already one. Apparently, those places still exist. EPIC REVIEW: I've now taken lessons with three different instructors at Guitar Center (GC) in Oklahoma City (OKC). The changes in instructors were simply due to scheduling conflicts on my end. And although I haven't studied with every instructor there, I have, as I said, spent time with THREE different teachers! Therefore, I find myself inadvertently well qualified to observe and comment on the music department as a whole. To start with, the music department is all men. Stay with me... Ordinarily, I would have to brace myself for an unnecessary display of peacocking. In fact, history has shown that whenever enough men gather in one place, a spirited competition to determine who possesses the greatest expertise has an uncanny habit of appearing, usually accompanied by the occasional performance of confidence disguised as wisdom. Keep staying with me... I do have a point.... I also think it's fair to say that male-dominated workplaces can sometimes become boys' clubs. On more than one occasion, I've found those same places resemble mean girls' clubs--only with deeper voices. But not GC!!!!!! These young men are refreshingly uninterested in proving who is the cleverest person in the room. The atmosphere is one of encouragement rather than one of comparison. I also found something increasingly uncommon among the instructors at GC......gentlemen. Not the Victorian kind who faint if they see an ankle. I mean the rare modern kind who are patient, kind, respectful, and somehow manage to teach without making you feel like you've just failed at being a human. GC's instructors don't just understand music. They understand that brains don't all arrive from the factory with the same operating manual. One thing I think you should know is that I process slow. When I mean slow I mean like a sloth who took an edible slow. Some lessons require a second explanation. Others a third. Sometimes we go over it so much that I fear my instructors might feel I've trapped them in a time loop. Like it's Groundhog Day all over again. A lesser teacher might mistake my slow processing for inability. Mine never have. If one explanation doesn't work, they simply try another. They don't rush me. They don't judge me. They simply keep teaching until something clicks. Which sounds obvious. It isn't. GC has quality musicians who absolutely can teach. I only say that because a lot of musicians can play, but that doesn't mean they can teach, or they can teach, but that doesn't mean they can reach. These instructors are gifted with all three. Now to make a long review even longer, I want to leave you with one final observation. The older I get, the more convinced I become that culture is often a reflection of leadership. Jason, the GC Lessons manager, seems to have created an environment where kindness and professionalism aren't special occasions, they're just Tuesdays. An accident? I think not. A rarity, absolutely. I also want to mention that there is a Guitar Center much closer to where I live. I don't go there. Instead, I willingly drive over the hills and through the woods to get to my teachers because I know that when I arrive I'll learn something, laugh at least once, and leave a little better than when I walked in. Oh, let me not forget to tell you that there are also quarterly recitals! It's one thing to practice in a room by yourself. It's another to stand up, play in front of people, and discover that courage is apparently a learnable skill. The best part is that they are included in your monthly fee. In closing, I simply want to say that I feel honored to have learned--and to continue learning--from these instructors. I'm not entirely sure what I did to deserve this quality of instruction or the quality of human beings, but I'm most certainly grateful. More importantly, I hope everyone looking for a place to learn music finds teachers who make them feel the way my instructors have made me feel. So thank you to my three instructors--Joe, Tim, and Keegan--and, last but certainly not least, to Jason, whose leadership seems to echo throughout the entire department. read more

Touching, feeling, playing and hearing many different keyboards. This place has Inventory! read more

Highly recommend Nick at Guitar Center! He helped me out with the whole process of just buying my first guitar and figuring out what I should look into along with it. Great experience! read more

I've had mixed experiences at the Guitar Center in Oklahoma City. Every time I go in, it feels like I'm bothering the staff if I ask a question. There's maybe one person there who genuinely wants to help, but most others either brush you off or try to push expensive products you didn't ask about instead of answering your question. My most recent experience was the final straw. I dropped off my $1,200 guitar for a simple setup on a Saturday. I was told it would be ready by Wednesday, which seemed like a perfectly reasonable timeline. The tech even mentioned he'd call me if anything else came up that needed attention. On Wednesday, I called to check on it. After waiting five minutes on hold (which is about standard for this location), I was transferred to the tech. I explained who I was and asked if my guitar was ready. Instead of a simple update, I got: "If I haven't called you, it's not ready." Delivered in a tone that felt dismissive and unprofessional. He went on to say I was third in line and it could be tomorrow or the next day. I want to be clear: I understand sometimes things take longer than expected. That's not unreasonable. What was unreasonable was the attitude. A better response would have been something like, "I haven't been able to get to it yet, but I'm planning on finishing it tomorrow or the next day." Instead, I was made to feel like I was wrong for even calling to check on the instrument I entrusted to them. This has been a consistent theme at this location: poor communication, expensive pricing, and timelines that rarely match what was promised. Given this, I don't plan on bringing my instruments here again. I would strongly recommend looking at other local music shops that value their customers, communicate clearly, and actually want to help musicians instead of making them feel like an inconvenience. read more

5/5 stars! The employees are some of the nicest people I've ever met. They're not only super helpful but also super friendly. All of the stuff I have ordered or bought from this store has been great and still works all these years later. read more

Scott is amazing to work with.... store was super busy and Scott still gave my husband and I awesome customer service! He checked on us several times to make sure we found everything we were shopping for! Recommend to all customers to shop here A+++ JERRY & DARLENE read more

Guitar Center - Schecter Diamond Series - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

I don't frequent these types of stores because I'm not a musician but I came to purchase a last minute Christmas gift. The staff was helpful and answered all my questions. The lines to check out were long and I thought it would take forever to get out of there but they were prepared and everything was so smooth that the line moved much quicker than I anticipated. read more

They did not honor their price match guarantee. I found a guitar on Amazon for a low price and the salesman said he would not match the price because he "would lose money." He then offered to sell me one in a different color for $50 more. He told me he couldn't match the price on the different colored one using the excuse that it was a different color! I agreed to buy it anyway. He told me he would research it tomorrow and call me. He didn't. I found out he wasn't even scheduled to work that day. I contacted Chris Golen at corporate and he referred me to the manager of the store, Keith Thomas. Thomas asked me which guitar I was concerned with. I told him. I never heard from anyone from Guitar Center again concerning this matter. read more

Took our young musician in today with an older ekk lol electric guitar a friend gave her. Great customer service!! Today (Labor Day) they were extremely busy. As we waited for our turn we saw the staff answer lots of questions, help many customers with great patience in a never ending line, and they taught us beginners with great patience. Great experience first time in. We'll be back! read more

Can't get any help long lines. Staff smells like cigarettes from 10 ft away everything's Dusty. All low in gear. It's like you died and went to hell. read more

Very unhelpful, wasted almost an hour of my time. I came here for one very specific item. I saw the line and understood there would be a wait. I did not expect an associate to come out after a half hour and start pulling random people from the front and the back of the line until the store so that they could do "express" checkout. He even asked me what I needed and showed him the SC4 TRS to TRRS adapter. "Do you want a 1/4" adapter?" No, that's not the same thing. He said once the other people are done shopping he can show me the adapters and let me look. Another 20 minutes passes and then another associate (maybe a manager?) comes out and asks me what I need. I show him the SC4 adapter and he immediately says they don't have it and sends me away. I wasted 50 minutes for that? What made me the most upset was the first associate pulling people from behind me in line to shop and clearly had no idea what I was looking for. read more

awesome service, communication & deliver. called them about a bass guitar listed online. The salesman went & got the guitar & told me to everything about the Guitar. they had it listed in great condition. When I received it was in mint condition. read more

I've visited a few of these stores and I'm always treated well for whatever reason. I went to look for a pair of headphones, in fact, to see about a pair I'd already tried at a different location. Chris Newman in the recording area spoke to me first, and pointed me to the headphones. He walked over that way, and I took a look. He said that they were $100 off, which wasn't quite half but that's a *huge* discount. This brand has amazing, balanced sound. He mentioned that they were what he used, and that's the same as with the first person who showed them to me in Cincinnati. At this price, they were cheaper than great earbuds. Yes, they're big but (no, I didn't say big butt!) it takes a lot of special engineering to get small audio drivers to perform like large drivers. In any case, it didn't take too long to decide. He suggested the accidental damage and extended warranty but I didn't take that. It's probably a good idea if you're doing work, though. read more

Guitar Center - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

iv been byeing from this store for a lot of years and i have not had one thing go rong with eney thing that i got from thim iv put out over 10 gran and i play 10 difrent things so get in thare and get started playing ? read more

Purchased a Fender American Professional 2 with the 48 month interest free gear card. When it arrived I noticed something didn't seem right about the guitar. When I compared it to my pre pandemic Fender I saw that the new guitar was a third of the size smaller than older models. Also, whoever passed and set the guitar up has no business working with instruments bc the saddles were all over the place. See attached pic. After adjusting the saddles, the guitar played fine, although still not happy about playing a guitar that's obviously made for little girls. Fast forward 6 months I get an $263.14 interest charge on my Guitar Center Gear card. Evidently the genius GC rep that set up my card didn't set me up for the 48 month interest free promotion. Thanks pal!!! And since it had passed 90 days since the purchased, and I had foolishly trusted that the GC rep wasn't an incompetent member of his brand, nothing could be done to wave the 6 month interest charge unless I paid off the balance in full immediately. Long story short, the post pandemic Fender is teeny tiny and arrives with horrible set up and... ALWAYS double check that the GC rep is putting you down for the correct promotion if you apply for their gear card. read more

Guitar Center - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Gone down hill, not the best selection anymore. I get most my stuff elsewhere now. They do not have a good repair guy. The setups and repair work are not very good, and very overpriced. read more

I tried to come in and buy my brother who is deployed a Christmas gift and none of the employees would help me. When I was finally able to get one of the employees to speak to me I had made it clear I know nothing about guitars let alone guitar strings but I knew the specifics of what he wanted, the guy simply pointed to where they were so I again said I don't know what the pack looks like and none of the options were exactly what my brother had requested and asked if I could please have assistance to avoid buying him the wrong ones. The employee would not come physically help me even though he was doing nothing except standing behind the counter. Absolutely ridiculous. I do not recommend this location as I know every other time I've gone to any other guitar center I have been actually helped and able to gift my Navy brother exactly what he was wanting. read more

Lovely staff who has deep passions for music. Always quick to lend an ear or a minute or two of time to help a customer. Be it me buying a set of strings or picks, or buying a drum set or a guitar, they've always asked for my number to make sure I have a membership where I can earn credit, and some even know me by name. My go-to music center. read more

Guitar Center - Electrics - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

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On Dec 6th my mother and I order a JR drum kit for my son. On Dec 10 it showed that it arrived in TX. It sat there in TX for 5 days so I call there customer service. He told me his hands were tied. so I called UPS. The UPS guy told me he started a investigation but didn't. It is now Dec 20th and the drum kit is still in TX. I call UPS again they directed me back to the store. So again I called Guitar Center they finally opened investigation and then told me there was nothing else they could do. What they did was send this single mom of two boys on a wild goose chase. They also screwed over my son who won't have his Christmas present on time. They wouldn't refund my money even though the drum kit was being sent to their store and not my house. I'm a single mom who saved up all I had to pay for these drums. I am so disappointed in the way I was treated. They will never get my business ever again. As of Dec 23rd no one has reached out to me from UPS or Guitar Center. I still don't have the drum kit and they still won't refund my money. read more

Not sure why their reviews are so low. They have a super knowledgeable and helpful staff. Mike was extra helpful! The insurance is a must. It just covered a new guitar because our last guitar was broken beyond repair. read more

Clean store, awesome products just don't expect great service if you are a woman. I needed help with finding bridge pins. I was waiting on the repair center attendant to finish checking a customer out. As soon as he completed the transaction he walked right past me and walked to the back. We had waited 10 minutes for help and was completely ignored. read more

If this were the Sitar Center or the Key-tar Center I'd like it more, I mean, think about it. You could have cool new-age Indian-types or crazy 80s hair-metal types in here. Oh wait, you already do. I played concerts in Oklahoma on 3 or 4 separate occasions, and on the most recent occasion, my keyboard power was no longer working. I needed batteries and I needed a new power pack and power cord. I came in here literally 20 minutes before the concert. They very quickly hooked me up with exactly what I needed and *didn't charge me for it*. I could not believe the amazing customer service. Let me just re-iterate... they saved my Oklahoma concert, and did not charge me a penny for the service. Now since they are a chain and since I'm not a fan of this particular chain nor their policies, I'll stick to a 4/5, but this one is my favourite one in the country, for good reason, because they were so damn good to me and saved my concert. So thank you very much Guitar Center. You're beautiful people. And sexy too. And if you're single, well I'm single too. Just for you. Not for anyone else. If anyone else asks, I'm f***ing married okay. My place or yours, I don't care. Actually my place is my car. So yours will do. Okay then. See you there. Looking forward to it. I'll need to shower first. I'll be sweaty. From the show. That you made possible. With your expertise. And your kindness. :) :) :) read more

Excellent customer service. Salesman took the time to help me put together electric guitar kit for my daughter. Thanks

everyone was very nice and helpful! got my Les Paul set up and they did a fantastic job! highly recommend shopping here if you're in Oklahoma City, Ok. read more

Ordered a used guitar from this location that I saw via the guitar center website. I spoke with Mike and Mason and both were very helpful in inspecting the piece for me over the phone and making sure the item was well packed for shipping even though it didn't include a case. When it arrived, it looked just as beautiful as described. Thank you Mike and Mason, the LTD is loving its new home! read more

Guitar Center - Home sweet home - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

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I spent a lot of money and got little information on things I feel sales rep should inform you about. I had a bit more knowledge. Example they will sell you a mic without recommending an interface to use the mic. Also it's expensive but all artist know equipment is expensive. I love that you can sample and play with things you want before you buy it. Return policy is also nice. They don't discuss product defects or prices via phone. So you have to go in the store, just to find out you could be short. I guess it's great marketing. If they did a class educating new musicians (and me being a consultant) I'd love to help out. Besides leaving out key information they were very nice and understanding. I will be going back and buying more equipment. I'd rather have new equipment than beat up lower models on Craigslist. Last time I went to return something I waited a good hour but I was playing with equipment so I think I got a better outcome from that situation. If you could smoke inside I would never leave. This is why I'm buying equipment. Service could be better but other than that check it out first. read more

My son has taken lessons here and we have purchased out guitars here for the past 10 years. I was sent an emal and also left a voice mail that my son was "out of credits" and that all of his future lessons were cancelled. This is the most ignorant thing i have ever encountered. I wasnt told what happened just that we were out of credits? So unprofessional and lifeless. This is how you are treated when youve spent a lot of money i guess. So now my son doesnt have lessons and he really needed them at the time. I tried calling yesterday to get a message to the teacher and as usual i was met with rudeness when ive been nothing but nice. I would like an apology and also for an adult person to assess this situation. A real human being. read more

I've had mixed experiences here. I wrote a review on a gun range I visited a few days ago, and I mentioned that with certain places, the customer experience with the staff plays an important role on the visit. I think that definitely relates to Guitar Center as well. Guitar Center is like the Best Buy of music. You'll usually find everything you could need, but for a higher price most of the time. I've noticed that a lot of the employees can be a bit impatient and not very social. They look overworked and worn out, they give very short answers, and just don't seem to want to help. That being said, there are some very good workers here who definitely made the experience great. Lopez helped me pick out an acoustic and I'm glad it was someone like him who helped me with a big purchase and not one of the other types of workers I mentioned. There have been a couple occasions where I would leave my guitar for the repair section to work on and never get a call back when they said they would call. Not a huge deal, but just an example of the hit or miss experience. I got my strings changed on my acoustic the other day and it cost about $37! The labor was almost more than the strings itself. Had I known it would be that much, I would have just bought the strings and put them on myself, or have a friend do it. So in conclusion, if you have to come here, hopefully you did your research and know exactly what you want because there's a chance you get the guy who doesn't feel like talking. I've worked retail before and I understand the struggle, but come on. Those workers who don't put effort into customer satisfaction can quickly begin to overshadow the amazing guys like Lopez who seem to love their jobs. read more

Called today to see if I could get some help on a item and the manager Adam picked up the phone and I ask him about the item and he told me that he did not know what that item was . So I asked him again about the item and he was rude to me . So and I asked him that I wanted his managers name he said he doesn't have a manager and for me to call the 1 800 number then hung up on me ... I have bought allot of gear from Guitar Center ... But never again will I buy from this company ... read more

I have not visited this store, but I did buy a vintage bass guitar from them online in December 2012. I was nervous about buying a guitar before playing it, so prior to purchasing it I spoke to Assistant Sales Manager Scott Kaufman who assured me it was in fine working order, with good electronics and a straight neck. When the guitar arrived the neck was clearly bowed, and as a result 16 notes/frets did not work. Not just fret buzz - the frets either played no discernable note or played a note off a fret higher up the neck. I returned the guitar to my local Guitar Center and they said they would try to fix it. A couple weeks later they called me to say it was unfixable and that they would refund my money. They did refund all of the money including the shipping charge, which was nice because when you order they tell you that shipping is nonrefundable. That would have all been fine, just a bit of my time wasted and a bit disappointing the guitar didn't work out, but all in all no real harm done. Two things push them down to one star: 1) Right now the exact guitar in question (#108361892) is available for purchase online from this same store, which means they are trying to sell a non-functioning and (per their own stated assessment) unfixable guitar online without describing it as such, -and- 2) When I saw the guitar back up for sale on their website I accessed their email to me that asked me to write a review, and I wrote a thorough review listing the problems noted above. But the review does not appear on the website - there is just an invitation to be the "first" to review in that Customer Reviews section. Buying a guitar should not make you feel like you're buying a used car from a sketchy lot. Buy your guitar from a more reputable merchant than this Oklahoma City Guitar Center. read more

My son was taking lessons here, and had breb for a long time. We also have purchased many things here...maybe 4 or 5 guitars. All of a sudden i get an email and voice mail that all my sons upcoming appts wwre cancelled. No reason left except for that my son was "out of credits" which is the dumbest thing ive ever heard. No explanation at all. Not cool and very unprofessional. read more

At the last possible minute, I realized I needed a mic stand for performances at the Pop Up Shops, so I ran to Guitar Center. This was Black Friday, mind you, and the place was packed. People were trying out guitars, asking questions, trying our amps and stuff. Even with all the activity, I was able to find easy parking and get right in. Once I got in, I easily found the mic stands, deeply discounted to boot. Despite a ton of people milling about, thanks to them being staffed to the hilt and prepared for the rush, I was in and out in just a few minutes. They had us in the computer, so I'm sure they'll keep track of my purchases should I have any problems or issues. They do a great job, and I'm happy to give a 5 star. Seeing our friend Steak working there was a fun and unexpected surprise! read more

Called ahead and asked if they had an item in stock which they said they did. I arrive 15 minutes later for them to tell me they don't have it, "someone just bought the last one" it was a mic. There were so many more professional ways to handle that matter. read more

This place is hidden magic! They have every kind of musical or electronic anything that you would need. I went in today looking for a lapel microphone and left with that and a zoom camera that worked better than anything best buy could sell. The staff was so helpful and went above and beyond in a timely fashion so I could make it to my event to film and capture good volume. This is a really cool store, I would suggest just going and walking around, great atmosphere, awesome equipment and very unique guitars and drums. It's a musicians paradise, and paradise for a girl that just needs a simple microphone. read more

Went back again for a horrible experience. I went on to actually purchase a guitar. I purposely went in this afternoon, to avoid all the solo artists that like to jam there on weekends. I found two guitars I was interested in, both Taylor's. One employee sat on the computer while the other played a guitar. 2 star experience because they had two guitars I was interested in. Otherwise, it was a 1 star disappointment. I'll be back one more time, if the other guitar shops don't have what I'm looking for. read more

I called to check if the store was open before I left Edmond. They said they closed at 7. I arrived to be greeted by who I assume was the manager saying "We're closed." It was 6:45. The fact that I said see you in a few minutes before I got off the phone with them and they still closed early is highly inconvenient. I'll just order off of Amazon. It'll be for a better price anyway. read more

One of my favorite places. The staff, if they're not running around helping other customers, have always been very helpful to me. Very accommodating, allowing me to test out various guitars. After getting a very expensive quote from a private guitar shop to fix my bass guitar, I tried taking it to a Guitar Center in the Phoenix area. They fixed it while I was there, and charged me much less than the private shop wanted. On a different problem with my bass, I took it into the Guitar Center in North Oklahoma City. Again, they were courteous, and extremely reasonably priced, and fixed the issue while I waited (not to say that this will always be the case -- my issues were just easy to fix). I've learned that, before I hit the order button on Amazon, check Guitar Center. Often the product they carry is higher quality, and competitively priced. read more

Let me first say that I have not made a purchase at this GC, which actually is why I am writing this review. So far in 2018 I have been to this location at least 10 times, and my last visit was probably my last visit. I have even went in to buy strings and left without after browsing the inventory and seeing the condition of many of their instruments. The visit that inspired this review, 4 of the 5 BRAND NEW guitars that I played had issues. The last one I picked up was a new Eric Clapton signature strat priced $1499 that had a loose tone knob, stained pick guard, and was missing the 5-way switch cap. It was in need of a setup, and not even close to in tune. The Norman location is much better, so I will continue to stop in there when I am down south. read more

Updated review: Phil the manager has reached-out and is making this transaction right. I am pleased with the way he handled the issues and would recommend that you shop here. It's refreshing that they went the extra mile! Stopped in about an hour from closing time on a Friday night. Everyone greeted us and offered to help find what we needed. They did, but that's where it started to go wrong. Our sales associate was super nice and courteous, he absolutely could not have been better, but it was painfully obvious he had not received the training needed to help a customer make a large purchase. Every time he requested assistance from another employee, their responses were incredibly inappropriate to be said in front of customers. Like I said they were closing in an hour and they had at most six customers in the store, but except for the person waiting on us they wanted to leave. Smart-ass comments to our guy aside my biggest issue was the sale sign highlighting a bargain price to take the demo model. We already knew what the purchase was going to be as it was a replacement for the Octopad which was stolen by a low-life at the Norman music festival. We easily could make this purchase from any store online, but it was a surprise birthday gift. When my son saw the bargain for taking the demo unit he opted for that. Spent several minutes waiting to get it off of the display spent another ten minutes checking it out to make sure it worked only to be told they would NOT honor the sale signs because we just missed the sale dates. He actually pointed out the placards indicated the sale ended July 31st. Excuse me? It's September 15th. Who in their right mind doesn't see this as a blatant bait and switch! They should have honored the sale and if it wasn't a gift I'd have bought it from Sweetwater Sound or Explorers in KC. The management of this store should be ashamed of: how his employees treat each other; false and misleading advertising and for wasting so much of my family's time. I'm not sure I'll ever go there again and I've made several thousand dollars from this store in the past! read more

I will NEVER, EVER come back to this, or any other Guitar Center after today. You have digressed. The eccentricity over the masks, the red tape and arrows on the floors EVERYWHERE, and the snarky, power tripping employees....and we were WEARING MASKS....uhm NO! We will take our money somewhere else and I will NEVER, EVER refer another person their direction. Did I mention NEVER, EVER??????! I have also NEVER given a negative review to any place like this in this manner. Normally, if I don't like the service or employees I simply do not return, but this....this was way out of line and very unprofessional. Very rude. They have an issue that their CORPORATE OFFICE NEEDS TO ADDRESS. You will consistently lose business like this. People cannot relax and spend money in your store. We drove completely across town to get there, only to be treated like this. I'am extremely disappointed and irritated. If your reviews are real...read them and take note. I'm obviously not alone in my opinion. Change my mind Guitar Center! read more