I always go to this store for my drum needs. The people working there are always very helpful and friendly. I know I can save 10/20$ buying online but I still like to talk to people and get suggestions so I stick with them read more

GC serves two functions... showrooming for things that you want to see in person before purchasing and a local pickup option for things that you do not trust to be shipped without visual inspection. In this case, I visited for both reasons. This location is kind of cluttered due to the small footprint of the store (but also just disorganized regardless of size). I actually drove past the building because it is in the same structure as another store. You can see the GC sign really well from the highway, but not from the street when on it. I was in here looking at possibly buying my son a new digital piano (he currently plays a 76 key that is having issues, and he is ready to move up to an 88). The gentleman I was working with was nice and actually pulled a boxed item from storage to put out on display to let me play with. Interest seemed to wane a little when i made it clear that I was going to be thinking about the decision and not purchasing immediately. I'll go back if I decide to make the purchase due to proximity to work. read more

Came here with my nine-year-old son who is learning to play guitar and broke one of the strings on his acoustic. I called ahead of time to find out if they can help and when I got there was helped by the same young lady who remembered and called for someone to help my son with his broken string. The gentleman who helped restring his guitar for free and showed him a few things make sure it was in tune and less my son happy. The store showed great customer service and caring for their customers we will be back. read more

I'm not a musician. I am, however, the father of one. My kid loves GC like a fat kid loves eating with his hands (we DO, you skinny mother fuckers, we dooooo). The prices are good, the selection varied (including vintage guitars), and the staff has always been nothing but helpful and professional for newbies who don't know what the fuck they are looking for. +1 star for staff that doesn't kill themselves over the horde of folks that just go in the play on instruments they have no intention of buying. read more

The layout of the store is just awesome and they have so many different choices. I bought my last bass here as well as my amp and they helped me get the best price by extending a sale that had ended the day before since I was buying so much stuff. Their prices are really fair and the sales associates are actually knowledgeable about their section. If they don't know, they will come back with someone who works there that is the guru of the store for whatever you're interested in. Loves it. read more

I ordered a guitar for curbside pickup waited three and a half hours and then I called them and then they told me they did not have the guitar in stock when the webpage showed they had one in stock. They didn't have the decency to call me and let me know that they did not have the guitar I will never buy from Guitar Center again. read more

Guitar Center always has everything I need and if they don't have it in stock they order it for me. I've been going to Guitar Center for 20 years now probably. I get the same experience from every store I visit. read more

You will walk around without anyone asking you if you need help. When you walk up to an employee he'll be on his phone until he's ready to look up and help you. Employees will make rude comments. Terrible customer service. Rude employees. Go to the Lewisville store. read more

I was treated like a 12 year old when I have spent more than a grand in the last few months . While being "served" another man interrupted me and the employee served him for 35 minutes then called over another employee to help him . As the other employee helped him , he sat there and just watched and avoided eye contact with me ... The worst service I have ever had there . Alot of respect lost for guitar center . just trying to buy some decent equipment for recording . read more

I'm pretty upset with Guitar Center. I've been here 3 times in the past 3 days and only had one positive experience. I bought a guitar (totaling close to $1K). When I went, it was Black Friday weekend on the Sunday and I got a deal... 15% off was a great deal to me because I've been waiting for a long time. For that, I had 2 stars. The guitar guy also added some guitar strings and I was grateful. I asked if they were able to string it for me, and he told me to come in the next day because the tech guy wasn't there. I came in the next day and another gentleman helped me and let me know that the tech would call me before. This guy wanted to charge me money to get my strings restrung. I explained to him that I literally bought the guitar yesterday and he assured me that normally they do restring the strings the same day. I try and do a trade in with the gig bag I received and the cashier told me I wasn't able to trade in the gig bag for a hard case...understandable, but my friend that went to Sam Ash had that done for him. That's why I asked... I left my guitar there to pick up the next day so that the tech guy could restring it. Next day, Tuesday, the tech calls me and asks me what's up. I tell him I bought the guitar on Sunday and thought I would get free strings restrung on my guitar because it was so dirty and messed up (from being in the showroom). He then tells me the same thing the guy from yesterday tells me and says that he'll do it for free. I then go in later that day and the dude in front tries to charge me $20! I explain again and he said the tech guy didn't specify and charged me for the strings. After talking for a couple minutes and the bald dude with glasses looking for his manager, we got it done and I was on my way. I figured since I bought a guitar that was close to $1k, I'd at least get some guitar pics so I figured I'd ask. The bald dude with glasses was like, "Does it look like I can just throw in guitar pics? They're all over the store." (In a rude tone) so I just thank him and was out of there, a little frustrated and a little confused why he had to show attitude to a customer that had paid that much! Guitar Center.... send me some pics and a guitar strap. I don't want to drive there 4 days in a row! Cmon man. read more

Not just a guitar center, it has amps, keyboard, pianos, drums, lessons, music, repairs, and...and...This is pretty much a one stop shop for your music needs. I have a feeling if they don't have it, they'll get it for you. Their staff are knowledgeable in their areas. I was browsing the other night and finally went up to pay and realized it was about 8 past 9. They close at 9. Nobody hassled me or hurried me out of the store, maybe they thought I was going to actually buy that $2500 guitar! When I win the lottery maybe. So I paid for my strings and headed out. To me, it has the small store feel even though it's obviously a larger store. Only downside, if you don't know exactly where The Guitar Center is, you're probably going to turn in too early and end up at the car dealership, or you'll fly right on by. You can get in the back way via Premier if you know where to go. Overall, a one stop shop for your musical needs in a relaxed environment...as long as you don't miss the entrance :) read more

Zero stars if I could. The most vile customer service (or lack there of) ever. Spent 2 hours in the store and not a single person spoke to me or my friend. He was looking to buy an amp (second time in playing it and was ready to buy), and I was looking for extended scale fender. Everyone was either playing on their cell phone or playing grab ass with each other. There is a reason I've spent over 15k at Sam Ash over the last 2 years and not Guitar Center. read more

GREAT customer service. Brought in a guitar I purchased 8 months ago. They did not charge for anything and fixed it. Great selection of acoustic guitars. New and used. Superb crew here. read more

I needed some repair work done on the pickup switch on my Strat. After 23 years, it was popping some and probably need to be replaced. Diego in the guitar tech area determined it was bad and was able to get it changed out. They had it for about 3 hours and I know there was soldering work that needed to be done on it. Labor was only $30 for what they did and the switch was cheap. New set of strings on it, and it plays great now. They had a huge selection of guitars to try and purchase, and some great prices. I've bought guitars from Guitar Center before, but this was my first time in this store. I'll definitely be back. read more

Guitar Center - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - Plano, Texas

If I could give a zero I would; one star is very very generous. My experience with Guitar Center has been horrible. Let me start with just the basics of calling. They don't answer, or when the phone is answered, you're put on hold or hung up on. Their response is they are short-staffed. So I drove there and purchased a couple drums. Guess what? Three employees were sitting at one of the registers just laughing while the phone rang in the background. They really look short-handed - just sitting there having a good time ignoring the customers calling on the phone. We walked around and no one came up to us to ask if we needed help. Two additional employees were actually playing drums and chatting with each other. I did not realize they were employees because they don't ACT LIKE EMPLOYEES. The only reason I figured this out is because we sat in the drum department long enough for one of them to come over and help - after he was done with his personal phone call, of course. The employees are rude, are not aware of their surroundings and have absolutely no clue as to what customer service is. A couple weeks later, we wanted to take drum lessons...OMG, what a fucking joke! I was on the phone over one hour with this dimwit girl trying to figure out how to book a lesson. Anyway, it's done and a week later we shop up for our lesson with Jeff. Guess what again? The lesson guy, Jeff is a no-show. No cancellation email, no cancellation phone call...nothing! Some chic named Becky or Betty walked up reeking of pot, looking like she literally just woke up (had a hole in her wrinkled ass dirty shirt) with her disheveled hair and fat rolls hanging out of her jeans giving us attitude because we're upset that Jeff did not show. SHE GAVE US ATTITUDE about us having an attitude about the lack of customer service and Jeff not showing for our lesson. She ( Becky/Betty) said she can't help us because she was on vacation and that we needed to calm down. We weren't upset until she appeared. It is our right as customers to complain when you as a vendor FUCK UP! And, do you really think we're going to listen to some loud-ass, disrespectful, wasted idiot that has no clue what's going on, and that reeks to high heaven of weed? She doesn't respect herself, why should we? So, we started a drum group and purchased 27 drums, and not a dollar of that went into Guitar Center's profits. What do you think now Becky? Did you resolve anything? read more

Visited this store last week. The entire store was well to wall, floor to ceiling, front to back piled up with overstock. Felt as though I was hiking through cattle trails to get to any merchandise. No one acknowledged me as I entered the store. Made my way to the acoustic room where two sales associates were immersed I conversation with each other. They looked at me and went back to their conversation. No offer of help or even a hello. Found a used taylor I was interested in, played it for an hour. Neither associate said a word to me. Frustrated, I left. I stopped by their customer service desk to inform them of their horrible customer service. Stood there 29 minutes, not a soul in sight. Went down the road to sam ash, got great customer service. Knowledgeable and friendly staff. Ended up buying a $1600 taylor there. DO NOT waste your your time or money at this guitar center. Go to Sam Ash. Guitar Center should model their customer service training after Sam Ash. I emailed GC Corporate that same day about my horrible experience. No response, and I am not surprised. read more

took my hollowbody in for some work today. Robert was excellent - fixed what I needed and then checked everything else was OK - all while I waited. very happy with the service I got from Robert at The Guitar Center in Plano! read more

Came here because bf wanted to buy an electric guitar. It just happens so it was memorial day and the were running a deal of 15% everything which is great with things cost a couple grand. The people here are so helpful and nice. They happened to have the guitar that the bf wanted and they even matched price to who the original maker was selling it for and was trying to get an extra 15%. They did everything they could to get us the best deal possible! These people are so sweet and helpful. Though we didn't purchase this time I know we will next time! Super helpful staff and very welcoming. Preston was the manager and was the one who helped us out. Great place to learn about guitars or kill time. They also offer private lessons for other instruments too! read more

I've been here several times. Bought a banjo from this location years ago. It's a fun place to fantasy shop for your next instrument, but their prices are higher than they should be. I've been told that they price higher and then expect the customer to negotiate them down. I haven't tried it, but a friend did and was able to get the price down somewhat. The sales people are very relaxed which is good. No pressure. Lots of great guitars (no violins btw). The selection of guitars is really good. I just can't get over the pricing of everything here. If you go, definitely haggle. read more

Guitar Center is a large chain and treats its customers as such. As a bass player for more than a decade, I've been to just about every instrument shop in Dallas and I continually find myself disappointed with Guitar Center. The prices are competitive and the selection is topnotch but the drawback lies in customer service. So few employees there know anything about the instruments they sell and should you purchase anything, pray it doesn't break because you're SOL. in that department. I went up there with an Ampeg head unit I purchased a couple years ago that recently became a burden as the active input is loose and very fickle. I received a lot of blank stares when asked who to speak with about repairs. I was bounced back and forth between employees before someone finally slipped me a note on the back of a receipt with the name of a repair shop that can help me. I know my gear and the repair is something that should take only a couple minutes but Guitar Center wouldn't even ask to see the item, bought at that location or not. My recommendation is to use GC to purchase strings and equipment only when other places fail. Murphy's Music and Zoo Music are superior to shop and the staff is both courteous and helpful. Shop where musicians are behind the counter, not kids needing a summer job. read more

I really don't even want to give a star at all. My son went into the store on Friday and he sat at one of the music stations and there was a sign that said he could plug in his phone to listen to the music. The cord was there and it says try me plug in your phone so he did and guess what? It fried his phone. The one young man went to speak to the manager there and came back to inform him they wouldn't do anything. So I went in with my son to speak to the manager and she pretty much told us we are lying. The young man who my son spoke to in the beginning took pictures and showed the manager and she saw that it did say what it said and was completely apologetic and said she was going to talk to upper management and call us back. That never happened. We called her on yesterday and she said the other person says that's impossible for it to do that. Well it did. She said once again she was going to call us back, never did so I called her today. She said my son took a cord into this room and plugged it in himself. Again calling him a lier in so many words. Today she hung up on me twice and told me she didn't have to do nothing and hung up on me again. That may be so but someone needs to do something about your actions. How rude for a store manager to behave and treat the customers the way she did us. Carol needs some people and customer skill. If one was to look at our record of buying from the guitar center in the past few years we have invested a lot to be treated with such disrespect. She is not manager material in customer service. Carol I really hope you think about your actions towards how to treat and at least respect the honesty that your customers have. Where are the cameras in this store??? We don't need to lie to get a new phone. My son would have never plugged it in if it had not had said TRY ME PLUG IN your phone. Poor customer service on every level. Will not be shopping in this store. Store location Plano Texas read more

I loved guitar center! I went in the store wanting to buy a guitar and an amp and start guitar lessons there. When I walked in it was my first time in the store and I started to look for the guitar I wanted a (les Paul). I had a very nice lady help me find the one I wanted and I got to talk to the lessons instructors also. The lessons are cheap considering you only have to pay $100 each month and you get a 30 min. Lesson each week. I loved their service and it's a very good store and has great variety. read more

I've been here on several occasions always with what I want in mind, but not specifically what I want, so I have always gotten recommendations from the staff on what I should buy. They haven't let me regret any of my purchases and I appreciate that. I went in just recently to buy a smoke machine, not for visual effects, but to use for an auto repair diagnosis to find an air leak. I walk in there and the guy at the front asks me if he can help me and I say, I need a smoke machine and he directs me to the DJ area and tells me to ask anyone over there to help me. I get over there and wait for a minute as the sales people are helping others. A sales guy walks over and asks if I've been helped and I tell him that I need a smoke machine. His first question, "How big is the room?" - an excellent question, if that was my application. I tell him that it's not to fog a room, but to use as an experiment and that I want his cheapest smoke machine. Him: "Hmm.. okay. This is our cheapest one. It does come with Fog Juice, so you don't have to buy that separately." Good to know, who knew people sold fog machines without it. I ask him if the juice is mineral oil based and he gives me the low down on how consumer fog juice has gone to a water based formula while only the industrial/commercial side has stayed oil based. Good to know. He rings me up quickly and asks to see my ID when I try to swipe my credit card. I appreciate stores that do that still. It's such a small thing, but can make a big difference. In and out in probably 10 minutes. One fog machine for $40, that's not bad. Not bad at all. If I ever want to pay retail for a musical instrument or electronic equipment, I wouldn't think twice about going to guitar center. read more

GC Plano is awesome. Ted and staff are friendly, knowledgeable and fast. Ted helped me through a complicated transaction and saw it through to the end. I've been buying guitars at GC since 1989 and will continue to do so. Nice work GC Plano! read more

Guitars. You'll find lots of them here. It's a no brainer, it's called Guitar Center, not Musician World. My experience here was good but could have been outstanding. (thanks to dead slow, non rush shipping on corporates part) I was in the market for the new Hummingbird Pro that Gibson/Epiphone just released and was ready to buy with no strings attached. Sadly enough, this store nor any in the DFW area carried it and I had to order it and have it delivered. Why would they not carry perhaps the most demanded acoustic guitar and being a new release? Don't know. Ken, who was the (I suppose) manager in acoustics was very courteous and professional in helping me order it as he also had me try a few others, but I was wanting "the hummingbird" and nothing else could change my mind ( I wanted this guitar for well over 10 years and now they just released it with a premium jack with a new shadow pickup system. I notice they were running a rebate offer for an in guitar tuner so I figured now is the time to buy and as I hoped to receive in time for the Memorial Day sale so I could add a few other things. Only, that didn't pan out as it arrived early Friday morning in a mesquite post office rather than being delivered and didn't arrive until Monday afternoon of the next week when I ordered it on Wed afternoon of the previous week. On top of that I receive a $50 off $300 coupon for the MD Sale over the weekend and with it arriving late Monday and the coupon expired Sunday that put me SOL. Only, here's where the amazing customer service part comes in to play. As I was checking out I informed the Dept. Manager (Christine) if there was any possible way that they could still accept the coupon even though it expired the day before since my shipment was late and sure enough Christine left me for 5 minutes to go make some phone calls to come back and tell me that she talked to corporate and generously enough accepted it. If it wasn't for the hard work of Christine, my experience of waiting for my dream guitar would have been a sad disaster. Management, if you're reading this please give this amazing woman a raise or higher promotion, as I am so thankful she went out of her way to make sure that I walked out happy when the staff down in Austin probably would have cared less especially with me being a seasonal road crew guitar/back line tech. The staff/management at this GC saved the day and while it wasn't the best experience, they made it right. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. read more

UPDATE: After Christmas, turned out after all that, the dude sold us the wrong "Power Pack" or something. He said it had a pedal, which it does not. He also said the headphones would fit the keyboard, which they do not. Am I happy about my experience thusfar with Guitar Center? I am not. Will I continue to patronize GC or tell others to? I will not. :-( read more

My 9 and 12-year old children have taken guitar lessons here this summer. They had no background in guitar at all. They go once a week for a 30-minute lessons. After one month, they played songs! I was so impressed. They have continued to improve every week. They love their teachers! Todd and Ty are wonderful. They really want to teach and help the kids to be successful. I think all of their teachers are great. The staff is very friendly and helpful. They helped us pick the teachers and find guitars that fit our needs and budget. It made the process go smoothly for us. The facility is nice and clean. You can borrow any instrument from their display to try out. There are free sessions set on different days for extra learning and practice. The lesson fees are super reasonable. (We have been to quite a few different music schools.) I would recommend them to anyone. read more

My husband has been wanting a double bass kick pedal for a while now, so I wanted to surprise him as one of his Christmas presents this year, and went to Guitar Center in Plano, TX to purchase one. Jonathan P. spent so much time helping me decide which was best, and explained how they worked and special features on each one. He went above and beyond! I ended up purchasing a symbol as well! He carried the items out to my car carefully, as he truly cared about keeping the product safe! He is an amazing guy and I will always go back to him for more drum equipment. Give this guy a raise! I haven't had amazing customer service like this in a loooong time! He truly cares about what he does. read more

I love this store, I call it my church. I wish I could just stay here and never leave! Awesome staff, equipment, cleanliness, and great prices! I would say more but I am about to go up here now because I can't wait, I have to go all of a sudden. read more

I have been going to GC since the first one opened up in Hollywood, and have visited many since them. True, in that time they have become a "big box" store, and the quality of each store and staff member varies. The Plano store gets high marks from me for their selection, probably the best in the DFW except perhaps the one near downtown Dallas. Their staff are good as well, though I am the type of buyer that has a good idea of what I need and all before I even walk in. Some staff know there stuff, and others I just know way more than they do, probably because I have been playing music twice as long as many of them have been alive lol. But they do have some seasoned folks there who can help. If you find a sales rep you like, make a connection with them and hit them up each time you go, makes your experience nicer each time you go. They will definitely work with you to get what you need and probably have as low a price as you are going to find anywhere. read more

Bought my first guitar there over the weekend. I received great service by Ken. He helped me get a Seagull acoustic guitar set up and even gave me some pointers. read more

I know Guitar Center has a bad rep for being an impersonal big box retailer, but they really came through on this one! I bought a used Martin D-16GT + case that was in North Carolina through their online website. When it arrived, I was surprised to find that no case was provided and nobody was able to provide an explanation as to why. But the staff (Kevin Preston, in particular) was quick to make a few phone calls and investigate what happened to the original case; turns out, it was lost in shipping during a previous sale (and subsequent return), which is why the case wasn't around. It was technically supposed to be listed as a used guitar with no case, but since it wasn't explicit, he offered any of the cases in the store for free. Even after looking around, nothing quite fit properly like the original Martin case, so I asked if I could order one online and have it shipped to store and reimbursed. He agreed and helped make the entire exchange and buying experience as painless as possible. Excellent customer service! read more

They sold me speakers and one didn't have the power cable. It appears it was open and had been taped back. Went to return it and the return process took an excruciatingly long time. Their employees are slow and don't care about quality service. Order from musician's friend read more

I have recently been in the market for an electronic drum kit. I have limited experience with drums, and little to none with the electronic kits. I have been to three different Guitar Center locations over the past week (LBJ & Midway, 75 & NW Hwy, and this location). As I said, I have very little experience with electronic drums, so naturally I had a lot of basic questions. At the other locations some of these questions were answered with a very condescending tone. However, tonight I went into the Plano location and was given all the info I needed and more, in a very friendly and helpful manner. The employee that helped me was Jonny. He took the time to answer all of my questions, as well as give me some additional info that I didn't even know to ask. He even offered me the pros and cons on a wide range products, some that GC does not carry anymore. Using the info from Jonny, I have decided to save some money and buy a used drum kit online that will better suit my needs, but I will definitely be going to this GC exclusively for all of my future purchases. On a side note, I was also in this store last Saturday, they were very busy, but several employees took the time to ask me if I needed any help, something I did not get at either of the other locations on very slow week nights. One associate in the drum department even stopped to answer my question while he was on break. I only know this because I heard some one tell him to go on break. Unfortunately, I didn't catch his name. read more

I recently contacted guitar center in plano tx to inquire about a bass guitar I seen online. I am a little apprehensive as far as buying a used instrument without first checking it out however there return policy seems pretty legit and since i already have seen same model guitar at a local shop i have pretty good expectation of the guitar, however its still used. So i was first drawn in on there website after i googled used spector basses and there it was at guitar center, awesome and even better it say if you spend over 299 you get 50 off and free shipping. So i go thru the routine of photos and descriptions sent to me, it wasnt until i decided that i would make the purchase that i was told that promotions dont count torwards used gear. Dissapointed I called I emailed the sales associate and was told that those were the rules, I asked him , due to the circumstances of not being able to use the promotion could he reduce the price down to a price which would make it around the same if the promotion existed. He told me his manager said no because the bass was new to inventory and that they wouldnt discount it now only if the bass was there about 2 months that they would take 20 percent off, I said well a fast nickle is better than a slow dime so if they could do that now, they could make a sale, happy customer and so on. Keep in mind that i live in chicago nowhere near plano tx. After i email the store manger twice, i never received a response except a order form for the full asking price set by guitar center. I called my local store to see if they could get the bass for me and they told me that it was a bad thing to take used gear from one store and sell at another. Frustrated , I decided to wait a few days to see if anyone would get back to me in regards to makeing a deal on this guitar, After all no one again got back to me, probably figuring that im some cheap customer who wants to haggle, maybe theres a little truth to that since guitar center has always worked with me and others and made deals as far as 1992 when i bought my first guitar amp from them. I feel that at the price i offered guitar center would still be making a fair profit on the sale. I would appreciate anyone to contact me regarding this if theres anything to be done to earn my business. Sean Orland Park, IL 7087437326 read more

Hands down some of the best customer service I've encountered in a long time. Manager and visiting service manager went above and beyond. They made me a loyal customer. read more

I really like this store. I bought a guitar that I needed to return and they took it back no questions asked. The only ding I have is that at times they are understaffed when needing help. I have also had them price match other stores. Overall very good experience here. read more

We started a new church in Richardson and we needed new sound equipment so the first place we turned to was the Guitar Center in Plano. We walked in and while we were just browsing some sound equipment not exactly sure of the extent of the equipment we needed, a guy named Joey Ramirez introduced himself to us. Joey helped us out with planning what we were buying; giving us a quote, and basically helped us pick out all the equipment we needed for our small church. To say the least we got a great deal and Joey went above and beyond what I think any sales representative would have. After setting up our equipment we needed some minor items and once again Joey came through and helped us with returns and gave us a great deal with no hassle. About 3 weeks down the line Joey gave me a call and asked me how everything was going, then again in a couple of months Joey gave me a call and asked if we needed anything (because I told him we would be expanding our church sound equipment soon). Joey has really showed himself to be a great guy and has gone above his call as a salesman and has become a friend and I sure we will be doing business at guitar center as long as he is there. Go to guitar center and give Joey a try, he will go above your expectations, and help you with everything you need. read more

no service. walked in, saw 3 employees, no one acknowledged my presence. asked one of them if he's available to help, got a "yeah" with no eye contact. he called someone else to assist me, i waited a couple of minutes, no one showed up. yes, a couple of minutes is not long, but when i already have a bad feeling to begin with, why would i stay longer? read more

Hi, I'm an avid Guitar enthusiast. I have frequented all of the Guitar Centers in the DFW area and this Plano Guitar Center is my favorite. They let you browse and then help. The Guitars are easily accessible and all but the most high end are in reach. Many stores don't have the guitars accessible without help, which takes time and is intimidating if you are new or just wanting to look for a second to see how it feels or looks close up. You hate to ask someone to get down 12 guitars, when you know you aren't ready to buy, but you need to look and feel and play. There is no way to know whether you like one guitar without playing it. This store makes this process the easiest and less intimidating. They always have a nice, more expensive high end guitar within reach of the customer so you don't always have to compare one low end to another. Pretty smart if you ask me. I'm sure they end up selling more high end guitars this way. I mean there is a real difference and if you never touch a High End Gibson or Fender cause your too intimidated to ask when you are new or don't want to bother someone. Well then you always buy something you've played. (What is in reach) The sales staff is knowledgeable and very helpful, but not in your face. Pro Audio folks are great too. Just bought some nice PA speakers and they let me try them out and pick what I could afford without the usual, yeah man... anyone that knows anything will only buy brand X, which is usually out of my budget. I know what the best is, I also know what I can or should afford. Oh and the Guitar strings aren't behind the counter where you have to squint and ask somebody to pass them to you. Hey sometimes I want to just read the package on Cobalt or Stainless steel and make comparisons. Hard to do that when you have to ask for each package.. I'm sure they get ripped off with the occasional idiot trying to steal a set of strings, but I bet they sell more strings this way too! I'm most impressed with the Guitar Techs as well. In particular Robert. He's been playing for many years and is very experienced in playing and repair. I've had a really difficult time with one Guitar and Robert stuck with it till he found out what was wrong. He's not just a replacement artist, he really knows what he is doing and you get a real feeling that he cares and that you can trust him with your pride and joy. He's also a great resource for ideas about upgrades or accessories that work, many that he uses actively in his band. All in all I highly recommend this particular Guitar Center. The others are good too, I just think this one stands out. Enjoy yourself. read more