If any business resembled my own personal Fortress of Solitude, it would be this Guitar Center (or most Guitar Center locations, to be honest). I mean that in a good way! If I'm in the area, or if I just have a block of free time on my hands, such as when I'm waiting for my kid at a birthday party at a venue on Route 22, I'll often stop by here to check out the new guitars from major brands. The wall of guitars is aesthetically pleasing, and I always find an interesting axe or two to try out into one of their many amps available for testing out. There are even four massive pedal boards, so you can hear what those effects you've been lusting after sound like. And although I hate the idea of publicizing the good deals on used equipment because it might mean I miss out on my next killer find, there's also simply no way I could visit every Guitar Center location to find every bargain. One of my favorites was a three-pickup, black genuine Fender Telecaster, though it was made in China, but that was at a different GC store. My biggest regrets are not getting a pink Squier Mustang for $120 or so and a butterscotch Squier Telecaster for $89 (from their Affinity line, but still). Returns on used gear are super easy, too. I bought a preowned Gibson Les Paul Studio online and picked it up in their East Brunswick store, decided after a week that it wasn't quite for me and brought it back to this Springfield location. The store employee took it back without any issue. Of course, on that visit, I also promptly fell in love with an Epiphone Les Paul, although I held off buying it ... for now! read more

I'm not from around Springfield. I live about 30 miles away closer to New York. However. This guitar center in particular made every inch of the drive worth it. I had just gotten off work. I was tired, sleep deprived, shouldn't have been going to a guitar center but I really needed to satisfy the itch like any guitar enthusiast. Found this Ibanez RG8 in stock in Springfield. I wouldn't normally have done this but I really just felt the need for metal. Anyway, my car overheats on the way there. It's already 8:40 and this place closes at 9. I'm screwed. I buy coolant, give it to the car and get back on the road. Oh no, now my ETA is 9:15 and this guitar is waiting there AND I've already driven 15 miles. Jesus CHRISTMAS. How could this day get worse right? Then Victor picks up the phone. This guy pulls the most MVP clutch move of all time and tells me he's there until 10 and that if I knock on the door he'll let me carry it out. Turns out not only is this the most clutch GC employee on earth but he also knows how to go above and beyond for his workplace and fellow customers like myself. Great guy, great guitar, great night. Do you need people to cater to YOUR needs? This is your guitar center. - Thank you, Victor. This guitar is sick read more

I had a great experience. I went there to get a part on my pearl export drum-set snare fixed as it broke only a month after buying it (not due to them) and Joe was EXTREMELY professional and helpful the entire time. would 100% recommend for anyone needing new equipment or repairs! read more

It's been a while since I've visited this GC on Route 22, especially with stay-at-home orders earlier this year. Right now, this GC does both curbside and indoor services. The on-site lessons facilities are temporarily closed, but online lessons are available. I stopped inside about three or four times this past week to drop off a guitar for repairs with my dude. We've come here before for repair services, and he's been satisfied. With this job, there were some complications and we brought it back again, but it was resolved to the best they could. I think the final call from my dude was that it was fair. It's worth the upkeep for sure, but reality is that it's an older electric. So far, I believe the work was dude approved. I like this GC. Can be a pain to get into the parking lot, but that's because it's Route 22 and it's a roll of the dice with who else is on the road with you that day. Bottom line, recommended Guitar Center. read more

Guitar Center - Online Lessons available while Lessons Facilities are closed - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - Springfield, New Jersey

music can be restorative meditation. an exercise exorcising so much daily life piles on us. musicians know. this past weekend I played drums for the first time in decades. I'd played for decades years before that. i made a beeline for Guitar Center and Mike hooked me up no upsell. no attitude. quick and kind. All I need was time alone in a room with a drum set to throw a beatin' on it and get my timing back in all sorts of ways. How a business treats its smallest customers is as revealing as how they treat their biggest. I appreciated that - so will you. And nice little rehearsal room. Perfect. Oh and walls of guitars! read more

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Staff don't know where the stock is. Waited for over an hour for two salesmen to look for an item and they never returned. They just disappeared leaving me standing there with no feedback / apology. read more

I feel like this GC kinda gets a bad rap. While I did have trouble with some rental gear I got from this location, as a place to shop I have always felt like it's a cool place. Good used selection, new guitars in decent shape, a small selection of high end stuff if you're after that. The clerks there don't bother you if you want to sit for hours and test stuff out (I sat here for three hours once trying guitars - no dirty looks, no problems). Don't expect super knowledgeable staff but let's be real here - anything you need to know, you can search online. sss read more

Customer service even from the manager is horrendous! My 20 yr old special needs son was completely taken advantage of and mislead. June with guitar repair quoted him $55 over the phone for a simple restring of his EVH GUITAR that he just purchased in June 2024!!! When my son arrived at the store suddenly was charged $77!!! I had to call and raise hell just to get the difference refunded only to learn that it truly is not with purchasing the extra pro care OR manufacturer's warranty from them ! It is extremely limited and not worth the added expense!!! alA hell of a good that does us now after purchasing the guitar for over $800 in 2024!!! SHAME ON YOU the manager Mike has a a complete idiot should not be in a mangers role PERIOD!!! And June should be FIRED FOR COMPLETELY MISLEADING A CUSTOMER !! We bought several guitars from Springfield NJ location and now I am totally regretting every purchase we ever made from them !! THEY ARE HORRENDOUS !! read more

The customer service leaves a lot to be desired. Try calling and getting help. Just called three times with a very simple question (how long to get a guitar restrung?). All three times passed to "a technician". (Apparently too difficult for the associates who answer.) All three times waited on hold over 5 min. Never got the answer. Found a different store. This isn't my first time having this type of experience at this location. read more

Piss poor customer service, Walked in with a few items to inquire about trade ins on, and didn't even get the time of the day of the 3 employees standing by the front desk. All I received was a very dismissive response and was told they were not doing trade ins. However, I went to their competitor across the street Sam Ash, and was greeted with a much more friendlier staff, who was willing to make arrangements for me to bring in the gear for a trade In Evaluation. Guitar centers may have rubbed me the wrong way for the last time. No wonder people love places like Sam Ash and Sweetwater 10000% more, the staff at both business are way more pleasant to work with. read more

My name is javel mcknight. This store is the worst i was disrespected in june 2024 by worker antwan who was trying to hit on my wife while i was standing there i bought it to the store manager who said to me what do you want me to do i let that go so i just choose not deal with him i deal with pedro who is professional and knowledgeable but on sept 24th me my wife an son went in to do business antwan said i had words with him and that's not true and his friend said i had a gun at him in the parking 20 police came to find it was not true traumatized my 9 year old son put fear in my wife and humiliated over all lies because i chose to deal with pedro and not him could have gotten me and my family killed over jealousy all corporate have to do is watch the camera and see the truth but they are ignoring me so now we go legal. Stay away from this store!!!!! read more

Customer service is horrible. Went in to purchase a cable and had a few questions. The response I received was as if I was bothering him. I was talked down to. Then when I had to return the item I was waiting for almost ten minutes, no one around to assist me. Never going there again. read more

I wanted to trade in my 20-year-old Ovation and get an Epiphone or Yamaha electric acoustic guitar. At first, I was disappointed because they had no Epiphone electrics and they didn't have the Yamaha model I wanted. It was also annoying that it was difficult getting help because they were short-staffed due to COVID. This worked out to my advantage because it gave me a chance to play around with some other brands. Long story short I settled on a Martin X series acoustic-electric which was listed for $500.00. Once I traded in my Ovation, got a 10% holiday discount and a 15% discount for taking the floor model I walked out of the door paying only $200.00. I was very, very happy with my purchase at this Guitar Center. Note: They have 2 really nice acoustic rooms to try out the guitars in. read more

Customer service was the worst I have experienced. The condescending attitude and rude behavior was beyond poor treatment it was cruel. Like Michelle C. who also posted about their experience, I too was talked down to and insulted. To top it off, the employee discouraged me from having my bass tuned before I left and did not send me an e receipt. I will never return and I'd advise all musicians, especially those new the art to shop elsewhere. The place is an enormous kill joy. read more

I went here to purchase an acoustic guitar. There were 5 people "working". Was cheerfully greeted and asked if I needed help by an employee behind the counter strumming away on an electric guitar. I told him I was buying my first guitar and needed assistance. He directed me to the acoustic room where I went and edited 15 minutes while 3 other employees got behind the counter and proceeded to jam. They all had some degree of talent to play- zero interest in helping in any way. read more

Very helpful staff! I went to GC for the first time ever and was blown away by the selection. My son is just starting to learn guitar and the knowledgeable staff (Brian G) was super helpful in recommending a guitar that was age appropriate and in my price range. Plus, the other service reps are rocking out on their instruments when not waiting on customers, so it's a nice bonus. Highly recommend! read more

Guitar Center - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - Springfield, New Jersey

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Guitar Center was unable to match me with a suitable, in-person instructor for lessons. I paid for my lesson package in-full prior to meeting with an instructor, but the only instructor provided was not a good fit. I asked for either a new instructor during my availability, or the refund for all remaining lessons. Guitar Center could not accommodate my schedule, and it would not refund any amount. Guitar Center offers a 45-day money back guarantee on instruments, but nothing on lessons - You will be stuck with whatever they give you - buyer beware! read more

I went in today looking to buy an electric guitar. I wasn't just looking. I was prepared to buy. All of the time we were in there 30-40 minutes, not one person came around to even help. Then when I was standing in line carrying the guitar I wanted to buy and some accessories, after waiting forever in what seemed to be like a line, I put everything back and we walked out. Then, we went to Sam ash across the street where we were assisted as soon as we got in the door and now I have a new guitar, which is even nicer than what I was gonna buy at Guitar Center. With service like at this guitar center, it's no wonder that so many people just order online. You lost an easy sale today.... read more

Waitings are ridiculously long. Store Manager not helpful AT ALL. One of the store attendants was able to help wat better than the store manager who didn't even care about my issue. read more

Went here for the second time to buy a red squier telecaster and was assisted and rigged up by a amazing worker named Pablo he answer all my questions and was super friendly I would highly recommend going here and a majority of the bad reviews aren't true the staff is very friendly and helpful and it is a great store read more

the workers are rude and careless. Such a lukewarm environment in there by people who don't really know much about what they're doing . I would suggest going somewhere else If you want to find employees who have any intelligence and hospitality about what they're doing. I went in wanting to do a trade in with a guitar that I bought from this location earlier this year and my time was wasted as soon as I walked in. Once they finally decided to look at the gear I had, it seems like they already had their minds made up that they didn't want to take the gear and the reasoning for not wanting to take them was not based in any credible information, just a bunch of nonsense and pointless excuses so I decided to leave. They were super dismissive the entire time and the whole experience was extremely irritating. I'm a professional musician so take the advice from me - take your business elsewhere! There are better places to go. What a joke read more

A+ for Mike H the store manager. He is knowledgeable, professional and enthusiastic, and I can always trust him to come up with the right solution for sales, repairs, etc. I have only had positive experiences with Mike H (and many of the staff, including Rob the luthier) and highly recommend doing business with this store because of the outstanding customer care and service. Simply, it's a place you can trust and that you want to give your money to. read more

Was instantly greeted by the GM with an extremely friendly demeanor. Amazing customer service, value, and selection of guitars. Will definitely be going here in the future. A+++ read more

Guitar Center has a bit of a reputation among musicians for sometimes being a but lowbrow or salesman-y, but even though I didn't make any big purchases last time I went, I wanted to make sure I commented on my pleasant experience, especially the associate Anthony in particular who helped me. I apologize if I am remembering their name wrong. They handled social distancing and mask mandates incredibly well - even demo stations were cordoned off and equipped with hand sanitizer. I was curious about compressors and they showed me a couple I had never even considered before going in. Anthony got me set up with a nice guitar, nice amp, and a tuner that I didn't ask for but should have, and even had recommended settings on the pedal for the style I was playing. The pedal ended up being a bit out of my price range for what it was, but it was overall as good an experience as I could have expected. read more

Came here to purchase my first guitar and amp. Staff was very helpful and i felt confident with what i walked out with. I had a great experience! read more

If this was a shoe store, they wouldn't have shoes. This store has absolutely NOTHING useful. As a touring musician, I expect to walk in and be able to buy something as simple as a drumhead. There was nothing. I was ready to drop $500 on equipment. This store is as embarrassment. read more

I have been going to this location for Years. I purchased my first piece of recording equipment that was A Tascam Tape 4 track recording device. I purchased my first 002 Rack with my Protools (Over 10 years later still kicking) . The staff is generally nice and knowledgeable. A guy by the name of JAMAL is the Man there, he has been there since I was a teen and you can ask him anything and he knows his stuff ! My recent experience there led me to review them slightly lower than my heart desired. In a nutshell I was shopping for wireless mics (Senheiser preferably ) and they had less than a handful of options in stock in All brands. I was in the store for over an hour and had to go across the street to their competitor. I much rather have stuck to the place I knew but hey , I can't buy what the don't have. Honestly I will still make them my first stop because I am such a creature of habbit but I definitely recommend Calling first to see if they have what you need. read more

Just purchased a les paul studio from this guitar center... Brian was excellent explained everything I needed to know about the guitar helped me plug in also looked around for the different color les paul classic I was considering... Great experience all around and the instrument is great read more

Guitar Center - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - Springfield, New Jersey

I met some wonderful people in Guitar Center Springfield NJ that changed my life and I'm still so grateful for them even to this day. My name is Desmond Wedderburn and my story goes, like this. Last year I bought a DJ equipment, a used Denon SC5000M online from a Guitar Center California store and was so excited when I received it. I'm a gospel DJ and Hip Hop pastor that does block parties/street outreaches for the church in my hood in Flatbush Brooklyn, NYC called Word 4 Da Streetz (word4street.com, dezfyah IG). After a few weeks of using it I realized that it an issue updating the firmware, but I wasn't worrying about it then because I had took out a 3yr additional warranty, thank God. About 2 months later I was able to purchase a newer model from a different store online Agiprodj and it was great. When I had tried to update the firmware on both to keep everything current, the used one I bought from Guitar Center still couldn't update so both players couldn't sync or work together. In addition to that, the motor started running slower. So I sent it in for repairs and they could not repair it and gave me back my refund of $900 in the form of a Guitar gift card. This was October 2019. I tried to get my money back without the gift card, they would not do it no matter how hard i tried. I was so heated, and being so upset for days I didn't want to deal with Guitar Center ever again. I had gone from loving Guitar Center to wanting nothing to do with them. Then I called the main online Guitar Center number and tried to see if I could just get a used one as a swap, yet nothing. So here I was stuck with a gift card and can't use this money but only in a guitar center. A week or so had passed I started hanging with a friend of mine in Newark NJ and started telling him everything about my situation and also wondering why God would allow this to happen when I'm so sold out for the gospel and doing His work for over 15yrs in the community, especially with the youth and that was all the money I had. I had nothing left. So we began to pray and my friend Glen suggested to go to a local Guitar Center in Springfield NJ near him, and first I told him I was done, but he convinced me to go and it was the best decision I had made. After we prayed we drove there and I went in speak to the manager LAURA and told her my story, and she listened. I was asking her if she could just give me a used one or know any other store that had a used one. She then went to another co-worker PEDRO and he also heard my story and they saw my gift card. They were so moved and felt so bad about what I was going thru that they exchanged it for a new one. Can you imagine that my worst experience became the best experience ever? I was so shocked that Guitar Center really do care about their customers, a lot. I felt like I was having an out of body experience, I was shocked, stunned when I saw them bringing out a new box. Here I was thinking how I spent my hard earned money on a defective item and God was trying to give me a bigger blessing. It was $100 difference, plus another 3yr warranty. I was still surprised, shocked and completely stunned. I've heard stuff like this happening to others but never to me. I started hi-5 and hugging everybody like crazy. Thank you Jesus!!!! Laura and Pedro changed my life that day. They are really good and honest people. There is also another guy there named Antoine, who was so encouraging when i had come to trade in some other items for a Rane 72 mixer. I was Hi-5 him too. I thank God for Pedro, Laura, Antoine of Guitar Center Springfield New Jersey. Guitar Center is now my favorite place to shop because of Laura, Pedro, and Antoine who listened to me and gave me the best experience that year. I thank the Lord for them. I've been a customer at Guitar center for 20yrs since God turned this pastor into a DJ for the streets in the hoods. Laura and Pedro took time to listen to me. I came in that day feeling like an upset and troubled customer and left there feeling like a loved family member. I trust them with everything. I have never felt like this in a long time. I told my testimony everywhere I went, how Guitar Center Springfield made me a bigger believer in them, and how Laura, Pedro and Antoine were some of the best people I ever met. They took time to listen to this street preacher from the hood, and still today when i look at my equipment I see hope because of the love I got from these wonderful people. The youth also love it and we have a great time in the community. I pray wherever Laura, Pedro, Antoine go in life that they will know, they always have someone that prays for them and that store. Thank you again Guitar Center Springfield for having great people that love customers like family. Blessing to You!!!! read more

Completely peeved. Super excited to find a keyboard for my son for Christmas. Paid 458 dollars including shipping. Item did arrived when they said it would, but the input for the headphones and speakers did not work rendering it useless unless repaired. Had to drive to the store, return it and deal with the waiting game. They refunded the cost less shipping. So basically I bought a broken keyboard, spent my time and gas (and postage) only to lost the $30 shipping fee. Not cool. Buyer beware read more

Where to begin... Well I waited about 45 minutes to get some help on pricing out a banjo for a trade in and I get stuck with a some teen. He doesn't ask and he decides to rip my old banjo straight out of its case. After he finished flipping it around multiple times in a row, I watched him look at the computer for 10 minutes waiting for him to see what he could find. (which was nothing) I was then told to wait because they needed to send a picture of it to some person they could get an estimate on which took about 30 extra minutes. While I waited I was told to stay by the register and the employee helping me decided to go play the drums in the other room while there were customers waiting to be helped. After a little he went to the back came out and gave me a cheap price, I said is there anyway you could just take the banjo alone? (I have it in a hard case that I paid separate for a while back and the guy told me no). I asked if there was any wiggle room with the price he gave me a nasty straight up no and walked away. It's really said because they have a great manager who's probably who I can tell knows what he's doing-but then you have a bunch of lazy teens doing a sloppy job. There has been countless more events where stuff just like this has happened and I will definitely never return you lost a customer permanently. P.S.- Sam Ash right down the road is the way to go read more

This Guitar Center has a sign on the door: "We sell the greatest feeling in the world." I don't know how other people feel about it, but being abjectly ignored is NOT the greatest feeling in the world. I walked in Ready To Buy a Taylor GS-Mini (not merely window shopping, like the other 10 or 15 people in the place). I saw a Baby Taylor and a Little Martin in the same area, so I could have been persuaded that one or the other of those might have suited my needs just as well. Nevertheless, I would have walked out with one of them (actually, I would have had to order it because I'm a lefty), but they would have had another sale. But no one said "Can I help you?" Or "Hi, how are you?" Or "I'll be with you in a minute." No one said a damn thing. So I left and went to Chick-Fil-A. When all brick and mortar stores have finally bitten the dust and Amazon is the only place left to buy anything, this, and experiences like it, will be part of the narrative. No stars, if I could have. read more

It's fine like most Guitar Centers. I didn't have any problems here. They had a wide range of equipment so you can probably find something for whatever use case you have. read more

This is probably the best Guitar Center in NJ (and sadly I have been to all of them) which is kind of like saying one Starbucks is better than another. There might be some extra frills here and there, but are you really going to drive an extra 20 miles to get that? I like that they have the high end guitars and amps out and available to play (or at least they did), and the foot traffic is not too horrible here. Nor are the amount of kids who run 3 notes per string as fast as they can through Line 6 amps. Also a plus that there's a Sam Ash across the street. As far as the negative reviews, it's pretty common knowledge that Guitar Center caters to experienced players. People who know what they want and know the prices. It's well known that customer service is terrible and it takes 10 minutes to be rung up for a pack of strings. It's part of the cost of being able to go in there and play for hours for free and for the most part, unhassled. If you are beginner, I would suggest going to one of the (sadly, few remaining) mom and pop shops left. Or even at Sam Ash you get better one on one. read more

I just drove an hour out here with my husband to look at electric drum kits. Not a soul asked us if we needed help, and one of the employees (with an ask me about lessons shirt) played on the drum kit continuously during our stay in the store so my husband couldn't hear anything he was trying out. Your crappy customer service lost a sale & chased us out of the store after 15 minutes. Off to Sam Ash across the street! read more

Literally spent 1 hour to find out my trade in was not eligible to trade in because of the cable . Made me go to a store to get a wrong cable & still didn't accept trade I will not be shopping at guitar center ever again . read more

I needed XLR cables to set up equipment for my mic, audio interface, etc. Best Buy claimed that they had them available. Went to the store to no avail. Anyway, the guy at BB actually suggested Guitar Center. I was assisted by an Antwan B. (Got his name from my receipt). What I liked about his style of customer service was that he showed me all of the options and brand of the XLR cables, and not once pressured me into getting the more expensive one, while at the same time explaining the benefits. I was at ease and did not feel pressured. He was courteous professional and easy-going. These experiences matter, as it was my first time here. So now I know where I can go. read more

Good selection of gear. Personally I have had some bad experiences and sales staff that lie through their teeth to sell anything but really that seems to be a corporate policy at GC say you can't blame staff. But there are good people in every store and this store is no exception. Good place to test drive gear before shopping online. Unless you have never played an instrument or didn't just wake up from a ten year coma don't even bother asking questions. They will just tell you whatever you want to hear to get you to buy something. But again you can't compete with GC and Sam Ash inventory in person. read more

Use Sweetwater sound if you possible can. No local stores around here, but customer service at Sweetwater is off the charts.

I am a 53 year old business owner- have worked all my life with no expectations of entitlement. One afternoon, I spent over a $1,000 cash for a new Fender Deluxe Reverb Amp at this store, only to be followed out afterward by manager asking why I stole a guitar pick- it was one I used on guitars to test out their amps- I had it in my pocket from home. Recently, I brought back a couple of packs of NYXL D'Addario strings I bought at this store to exchange for a higher gauge of the same brand. As I'm a member of the "String Club" these packs I had may have been a few months old, but again, were bought Here. The manager on duty couldn't find my record of purchase at the time and made ethical/legal insinuations concerning where I made my purchase- if they were purchased at all. I refused his service and walked away. Over the years I have spent maybe 15k at this store, with larger items like a Taylor CE-814, an American Standard Strat, a Bose L1 system, custom pickups, strings etc. I am entitled only to merchandise for which I pay, I expect nothing more, and as I work hard for a living, I've never stolen. To be treated this way is reprehensible, I will never do business with this company again, and I implore all those who work hard for a living to go across the street to Sam Ash. read more