After having great luck with some minor guitar work I decided to add a pickup to my 47-year old Yamaha acoustic guitar. It was a birthday present from my fiancé a month after our engagement so it's kind of a family heirloom... GC tech Jerame walked me through the various options- and gave me some recommendations on how to proceed. I played that old guitar in a gig for the first time in THIRTY years. It sounds wonderful! Oh- I forgot to mention my wife of almost 47 years was very happy too! read more

Repair tech smashed my guitar into a dozen pieces and then begged for me to let him repair it. Then he smashed it again, begged to repair it, all a total of 18 times! Who breaks a guitar and begs to repair it 18 times? Just leave it alone after the first time you break it. I'm slowly repairing the guitar myself but there are visible cracks from the other times. Songs I used to play don't sound the same and I don't think they ever will. I wouldn't recommended bringing your guitar here. read more

So I have a guitar that needed a screw for the tuner. I went here thinking that they probably don't sell them but knowing they fix guitars they would want to help a customer in need. I found just the opposite be the case. After showing them the screw that I needed they told me we have them but you will have to leave the guitar to be repaired and the the repair person was at a funeral and wouldn't be back til next Tuesday. So I asked how much would it cost. He estimated the repair to be $20-$40. I couldn't believe us. Why couldn't they go back to the repair area and get ONE of the 1000 tuner screws they had? So I picked up my guitar and I told these folks this is the last time I will EVER enter the store. He did share with me to go to Michael's which is not even a hobby store to pick up a screw he also suggested Ace Hardware which I told him I already went there and they don't carry them so I ended up going to Amazon and buying 12 of them for $6 and they will be here Monday. It saddens me to have to report them like this but can see many others have had a bad experience too. My interactions were very cordial. They just didn't want to help. I'd say If you're looking for help this is not the place to go to get it. read more

I've been going to this location for probably 12 years now. Guitar Center is not my first choice but kind of my only choice for buying new music production gear in Syracuse. I needed a new Ableton Push 2. This is the option that I have. So I go in and speak to Rodney, who I've seen there a lot over the years. He has always been super nice and helpful, and this time was no different. I say "I want a NEW Ableton Push 2, your website says you have one in stock". He checks the stock behind the counter, but of the two there, they both appear USED, so he pulls a coworker named Jack to look into this further. Jack is confused as to why there are two USED, when the inventory says one NEW and one USED. So after looking for about 20 minutes, Jack says "this one is actually new, but it was marked wrong". And I'm like "awesome, I'll take it". So I get rung out and take it home to test it out. I open the box, and the first red flag is that there was a slightly crumpled piece of paper describing the transfer process of giving ownership to a different user. I thought this was a strange thing to see in what I believed was a NEW product, and it definitely looked out of place. The second red flag was the fact that the tape seal on the bag of the unit was broken, and the feet of the unit had some dust on them. So I started to feel suspicious that this wasn't in fact a NEW unit as I thought. Finally, I went to type the Registration code into Ableton.com to register the Push 2 to my Ableton account, and when I type in the code, I'm met with this message: "This serial number is already registered to a different email address. Go here for a solution". This confirmed to me that this was either a USED product or a NEW product that was returned but not listed as an OPEN BOX and the original purchaser did not deregister it before returning it. So I go back to the Syracuse location to explain what's going on and return it so I can get a NEW unit that isn't registered to someone else. I explain to them all the red flags mentioned above, and Rodney apologized and said he'd look into it. So he brought back Jack to dig a bit and try to understand what happened. After a few minutes, Jack asked me if I broke the tape seal on the package. I told him that it was already broken when I took it out of the box. He said "okay" and went back to look at the contents of the box. He mentions something about the paper about transferring to a new user, and how that seemed strange to be there. Finally, he comes up to me and says "was this sheet of paper here when you opened it?" And I said "yes, it was the first thing I saw when I opened it". "That's weird because when I opened it this morning, I can guarantee that sheet of paper wasn't in it, so you must have put it there", he said. I was like "No, it was definitely there when I opened it". He said "okay, well it wasn't, so this seems sketchy to me". This dude really had the gall to try and confront me and make me out to be a liar when he's the one who sold me a "NEW" product that wasn't actually NEW. So I said "what could I possibly gain from lying about something like that? I just want the NEW Ableton Push 2 that I asked for". And he said "Whatever, man, that's on your conscience, not mine." I was speechless. The sheer ignorance, stupidity, and flat out disrespect to say that to me is astonishing. Trying to gaslight a customer for your mistake was a truly bold move, Jack. So after another hour of fumbling in the back, Jack finally tells Rodney to process it as a return and get me a new one. He must have found that I was telling the truth, but never apologized for his mistake or his rudeness. Cool! So Rodney rings me out for a new Ableton Push 2 to pick up at another location, apologizes and thanks me for my patience, and I leave. This was by far the worst retail experience I've ever had. Rodney is a great employee, but Jack is useless. If nothing else, I'm just relieved that I never have to step foot in this location, again. read more

Well after a walk in to two other shops and of course no help. I saw this place on line. I have never been in there before , it looks small from outside. It's very big inside, walking in all staff said good morning and can we help you (imagine that customer service ) I wanted to buy podcast equipment and of course no experience in it. I meet the nicest sales person in Rodney. Great background and so helpful. He offered suggestions but not over sell. Well I bought the equipment from a true professional. Thank you for a level of service you don't see often. read more

I collect vintage Kustom amps. I also happen to be the first GC salesperson hired when the Baton Rouge, LA location opened many years ago. I found a cascade (teal) K300 PA head on the GC website and contacted the Syracuse store for pics and further information. Since these amps are from the late 60s until the late 70s, their condition can range from "Like New" to "Ran Over By A Lawn Mower." I won't buy one unless it is fully functional AND at least 8/10 cosmetically. I spoke with a manager named Sean Duke, who sent me a few pictures. I found it odd that he only sent pics of the sides as well as the top, but not the front, back, nor bottom. I asked him several times if there were any rips or tears longer than 1/2 of an inch. Each time, he said no. I even asked him again in an email before purchasing. His reply was, "You are correct, there are no major rips or tears over 1/2 an inch. Probably could use a little bit of a wipe down." When the amp arrived, I quickly found out why he didn't send pics of the the back or the bottom. There were huge rips and tears in the naugahyde (vinyl). The bottom looked like it had detached and an amateur went to town on it with a staple gun like Bruce Willis in Die Hard. I'm not kidding. Instead of using glue or carefully placed staples, they were all over the place. This amp was BEAT. Rips and tears all over the back and bottom. Sean grossly misrepresented the condition of this amp knowing that it was trashed. I called the GC online number and was assured that I could return the amp to my local store in Baton Rouge. Unfortunately, I still had to lose the $25 I paid to have it shipped. Thanks, Sean. When I brought it to the Baton Rouge store, the salesperson as well as the manager GASPED when I showed them the damage and told them how the Syracuse manager had lied to me about the condition. They said what he did was unacceptable and suggested that I leave this review. I waited two weeks for this amp only for it to arrive shredded and lose $25 for the shipping. As a result, I doubt I will ever purchase another used amp from Guitar Center online because of this. I definitely won't order from Sean Duke or the the Syracuse store again. He blatantly lied in order to pawn a busted amp onto a customer. read more

Outstanding service after I looked at your very well planned out and friendly store. When I was ready for help Kevin did a great job explaining the parameters of the guitars available and the various options taking my short stubby fingers in mind! He was in absolutely no rush and at several points gave me time to be comfortable with the guitar, the case, and the service plan. Growing up in Rochester by the Great, great House of Guitars I was not sure I could get the kind of service they provided. Guitar Center of Syracuse surpassed Armand and crew and I am going to be a repeat customer for lessons or more products. Wonderful store that I was referred to by Mr. Jerrod from Lanigan School. Thanks for making this day after Christmas so merry! read more

They offered me 250with. never played 2020 mint Ibanez AS 83 , that cost me 650. I will never buy or sell a guitar with them. That kind of corporate contempt for the players is unforgivable. I will find another guitar stores to do business with from now on and I suggest you do the same ! read more

I would have given them 0 stars if that was an option because 1 is more guitars than I received. The staff at this guitar center are reckless, thoughtless and problematic. When we brought in a broken guitar they recommended we buy a new one even though we just wanted it fixed. That was after they insulted the guitars owner by saying women don't play anyway. We bought a guitar and they sold it even after we asked them to hold it and they didn't refund our shipping. Anyway planning on going to guitar center should go to the music store down the road. I hear they are much nicer read more

This place in Erie Boulevard East has terrible service for people of color. They completely ignore brown and black people and service other white people beforehand. I am a white person and this has been literally demonstrated more than three times to me by my friends who are black and brown. This has happened too many times to too many people I know. They treat people of color like second class citizens and it takes 30 mins for anyone to even acknowledge that there is a black or brown customer. While Ll the while they are helping other specifically white customers, even allowing them to cut lines while paying. And then finally the reluctant service you get is so subpar it feels to many people of color that they are willing to get you out of the door as fast as possible. Where every white person is greeted immediately. The people working there also lack basic knowledge in music. I ask every people of color and their white allies to stay out of this terribly racist store. They need a lot of training. They should be mindful of this and make changes. We ate watching and we will take you down. Be careful of your racism. read more

This store has definitely made many awesome improvements lately. They actually have an awesome drum tech now. The service is there, but they definitely get busy at times and it's difficult sometimes to get a word in to ask for help. I absolutely love the vintage gear room....so glad they brought it back! Overall it's a decent place to shop and has a good selection. It helps to look online and see what they have in stock before you go. And it's so easy to return something that you don't like once you get it home. I see all kinds of people being helped and the cool thing is that people can just jam there and it's so cool to listen to people playing music they love. Keep up the good work! read more

When they came to Syracuse they stocked some very nice guitars and seemed to have staff that knew what they were doing. Now it's mostly low end guitars with a few mid level ones. I'm really confused with the staff these days, while friendly they seem like car or insurance sales people working on commission and not really knowing much about the products they are trying to sell. Why on earth would they hire people like this read more

Just got a new guitar, and everyone here was really helpful. Specifically, Jeff, the guitar tech, was freaking awesome. He walked me step by step what to look for in a beginner guitar, then after inspecting my choice really thoroughly, he went to search for a newer one since he didn't like how the one on the rack's neck looked. Overall positive experience; would go back for any future guitar issues. read more

Jeff, the guitar tech, is fantastic. I took my ~02 Ibanez EDA 900 in to try and bring the action down between the 12th and 24th frets. The neck adjustments had been made, but the action was still super high. The "Luthite" (wonky molded plastic) body had warped after a long period in storage with strings on (my bad). Jeff assessed the situation quickly, saw that I had already made the truss adjustment, and recognized the need for a shim. The guitar's narrower-than-normal neck and angled pocket didn't phase him; he shimmed the neck expertly. Looking at it, you can barely tell its been shimmed. The guitar plays like it did when I bought it almost 15 years ago. My only complaint is Jeff's talent is so in-demand that it took about 3 weeks for the work to get done. If you can wait, he's worth it. read more

Do not do business with these people. completely incompetent. It took nearly 3 weeks to receive an item that was in stock! Shipped to the wrong address (it was right on the order), returned to them. They were supposed overnight it to me, sent it ground again!!!! The worst, do not, unless you have unlimited time and money, do business with these idiots. read more

The employees are very friendly but the managers hide behind closed doors and afraid to make decisions likely in fear of corporate repercussions. I bought an electric drum kit from this guitar store, only to get home and find it is missing the piece to plug it into the wall. The drum kit was a return and reboxed by the guitar store. I paid full price. After calling them they had me drive back to the store (45 mins) to get the missing piece from the floor model. Upon arrival I waited 30 mins for the manager to give me a 9v adapter meant for guitar pedals. I was hesitant but was told this would work. Well I get back home and what do you know, it doesn't work (wrong amp output) so I have to go back again. I've now put 3 hours of my time into buying a product from guitar store. After a nice employee gave me the missing piece off the floor model, I asked to exchange the adapter they gave me that did not work ($17) for a drum pad ($23) to make up for the 3+ hours and gas money I've wasted on trying to buy a new product. The employee went to talk to the manager and came back with a pair of cheap drum sticks worth $5. I've spent three times that amount in gas for their mistakes and wasted an afternoon and evening. It's insulting to offer me a set of drum sticks for the bottom rack. Terrible customer service. They obviously do not care about their customers time and money. 100% their fault and I had no choice but to continue to drive out to their store and they made up for it by offering me pos drumsticks. Effing terrible. Floor employees are very nice and can't make these choices. The manager is awful. The rules set by higher ups are trash. I recommend shopping elsewhere, supporting a local shop that cares about your time and money. I will never return to another guitar center unless to take a massive poop in an attempt to clog their toilet. Guitar center, you are trash! read more