Scott, in the West Des Moines Guitar Center, is beyond knowledgeable, as you can tell he has a wide range of musical experience to draw from. I was all over the place. He listened to my needs and goals. He was able to show me various instruments, that I thought I wanted, as well as, suggesting instruments that would work better for me because of my size and experience. I thought I wanted a half size guitar, and a 3/4 actually works better. He also went through the different brands, all with patience and kindness. I also had a used banjo sent to the store from their online store, which was delivered in great shape. Overall, it was as an excellent experience for this novice. Out of 1 to 10 rating, West Des Moines receives a 15. read more

My combative relationship with GC continues. Have not been in the local GC for quite a few years now. Reason number one. I was about to go on the road for a long weekend, going to play several shows, and I needed strings. I called to see if they had my string set and the guy who answered the phone said no, but I really should change to the string set he uses. No idea of what guitar I play, how I play it, how hard I am on strings. For a guitar player, strings are a really personal thing, and I had no desire to hear someone who had never even spoken to me before tell me what gear I should use. Reason number two I got a phone call on a Friday, it was a marketing company. They were calling on behalf of GC. I said I don't do phone surveys and to please delete my number from their data base. Starting on Monday I had 5-10 spam calls a day for weeks. I had never had a problem with that before. I'm sure it is just a coincidence. I talked to the GC manager about it, and he claimed they only did marketing for GC. I had looked up the number and there were multiple complaints about a number of businesses that they did marketing calls for. Reason number three Yesterday we went in for the first time in quite some time, figured give them a chance. We were looking for a headset mic for my wife. We went back into the sound support room and the guy there seemed annoyed that we were even talking to him. My wife is very nice to people, but he was still abrupt and rude. That is the last time. Avoid corporate stores, there are several local places around town that deserve your business. One star is about three too many. read more

Fantastic staff and amazing selection! No place better to buy guitars in Central Iowa.

Although I've never stepped foot in this location, as I live in TN, I purchased a Fender Super Reverb and had it shipped to a TN store. Upon receipt of the amp, several of the tubes were missing (no fault of this location). After jumping through hoops trying to correct the issue, I was put in contact with Becca from this specific location. Becca quickly solved the issue and was fast and professional doing so. Thank you! read more

I purchased a vintage Magnatone Jeweltone lapsteel from the Guitar Center located at 3910 University Ave. West Des Moines, IA 50266-1019, online, on April 16th. This is a very hard to find art deco Lucite Lap steel, these are very cool indeed. It's not something I want to return, even though it was damaged and is not even close the pristine condition it was in when I purchased it. I have plenty of pictures from Becca Honeck, the Customer Service Manager, who sent me them before the sale and more pictures I took after I received the damaged instrument. The customer service provided before the sale was excellent, Becca sent me many great pictures, and it was what I'd call mint condition for a 73 year old instrument manufactured in 1950. The customer service after the sale, and after me sending four emails with pictures of the damage to Becca was non-existent, radio silence, extremely poor customer service to say the least. I can only assume Becca didn't want to deal with an unhappy customer, so she ignored me. That kind of lack of service reflects poorly on Guitar Center. I did call the national customer service number and a gentleman, Anthony O'Donovan, provided excellent customer service, he was very understanding. He refunded me the shipping which wasn't much, I would have gladly paid much more to have someone pack the instrument as I'd asked in the email after I made the purchase. The tuners were barely covered in used bubble-wrap that provided no protection at all. The Lap steel had no packing inside the case to prevent it from moving around. I specifically asked Becca to "Please make sure the tuners are well protected in bubble wrap inside the case so they can't get damaged as well as protecting the lap steel inside the case and in the shipping box." She replied that she would pass along the packing request to Ryan, the Operations Manager, who packed the lap steel. It was a rush packing job, with no thought whatsoever as to protecting this beautiful instrument. The original tuners with the blue Lucite knobs were obviously taken off by the owner to protect them and replacements were on the lap steel when it shipped. I should have received a mint lap steel with the original mint blue knob tuners that I planned on mounting once I received the instrument. Now I have one side of the tuner row with one bent and broken off knob and two bent tuner post on the others. It now has a crack on the corner of the Lucite fretboard near the nut because there was no p[acking around the instrument and it slide around inside the case and cracked the fretboard as well as smashing against the tuners and breaking them. The blue Lucite Magnatone tuners are almost impossible to find, they go for well over $300 if you can find them and these were in mint like new condition before Guitar Center packed them. The fretboard can never be fixed. All in all this once pristine 1950 survivor is no longer a survivor, it broke my heart to see the damage it had due to a very poor packaging job by Guitar Center in Des Moines. The lack of decent customer service was enough to make me never even look at purchasing from Guitar Center again. I've purchased from them before, I'll now go to Reverb or small guitar shops where at least I know they'll take the time and care enough to package a vintage instrument the way it deserves to be and in a way that the customer gets what they paid good money for. Regards, Chris I've attached pictures of the tuners Becca sent me before they shipped them as well as after I received them, plus a picture of the fretboard before and after it was cracked due to poor packaging. read more

See all

Amazing selection. Store has improved so much in just a short time. Competitive prices with online stuff. Avoid pro music center as much as you can. I left a negative short review and they started to cyber bully me and stalk and harass me. I've contacted the police about the pro music store and their employees read more

Wow, I have over 1200 reviews on Yelp and this will only be my 3rd, 1 star review! Here we go! I previously reviewed this Guitar Center with a two star review in 2014, its been a few years and boy it has gotten even worse. My son is super into drums right now, so we were going to Guitar Center to play some digital kits, and possibly pick up some noise canceling headphones for him to wear when he plays drums at home or goes to concerts! The last two times we have been in Guitar Center, not one of the Employees has acknowledged our existence. Seriously yesterday I was standing waiting to ask a question with child and the guys working did not stop their conversation to even look up at us, this lasted at least 10 minutes! Ps did I mention there was only maybe 1 or 2 other customers in the store! Also the last two times I have been in the store the mens rest room is in a dire need of a clean up! I figured they might keep this bathroom as clean a punk rock club, so the employees who never get to go on tour, feel cool by association that they are going the bathroom in a disgusting mess. Again kinda waited around to see if someone would help us and nope! So I headed toward the door, said thank you loud enough for the employees to hear me, and again no response... WOW.. read more

Guitar Center - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

Been here a lot this past year and will say they are pretty cool for letting anyone come in and bang on the drums or try out the guitars. Theres always way too many people "working" but they are always pretty nice. I always feel bad for not really purchasing anything. The main reason they get 3 stars is because the bathrooms (while now gender neutral) are always absolutely disgusting!!! Maybe some of the worst Ive ever been in. Really makes you uncomfortable grabbing a guitar to try when you know theres no soap in the bathroom and its probably covered in germs! Regardless Im sure Ill be back again and Ill just try to remember to use the restroom ahead of time! read more

Guitar Center - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

I have bought, traded or in some other capacity used Guitar Center for my guitar needs. I recently traded in an amp for a smaller one now that I'm retired. The folks there are always friendly, patient, professional and fair! read more

Staff here is really helpful and friendly. They are knowledgable, however if you are not careful they will talk you into something more expensive. Like go in for a fender leave with a Gibson. Good selection especially used and sale merchandise and they do run good specials! Check prices online first to make sure it's a good deal if you aren't sure! Overall decent selection good quality good helpful staff. They do give a decent military discount which is nice as well ! read more

Guitar Center - Wall of guitars - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

BEST CUSTOMER SERVICE EVER!!!!!!! Major thanks to Collin, who spent nearly an hour with us trying to problem solve what turned out to be a complex microphone dilemma, and also to Tanner... These guys went above and beyond in every manner possible and have created two Guitar Center customers for life! read more

They have lots of equipment to choose from. The employees are pretty non social. They only talk to you if you really force the conversation. Went in for guitar strings and was able to find them by ourselves. Looked around at drums and acoustic guitars. It'd be a fun place to go for equipment if wasn't for the vibe they throw off. I felt like maybe I was a bother and they where throwing around snarky comments to each other. The only nice employee was the lady in the drums. Her buddy was to busy playing the drums by himself to help apparently. It's so weird because they had 10 employees running around but they weren't busy. I don't get it. I don't know how they stay in business if they aren't really interested in customers wants and needs. read more

See all

I was treated like I was a piece of udisirible low life and when I asked if they give me a military discount they chuckled and said only if I was currently serving and not a veteran!! I made my purchase but I will never ever shop there again!! They don't give a rats back side for the veterans that served to keep them free!! I will never shadow their door again !! read more

Ian, the guitar tech, is the most helpful person ever when you're buying your first guitar and asking a lot of dumb questions. He can also fix up some pretty grimy guitars to sound (and look) classy again. I honestly haven't had the best experiences when Ian is not there and I am friends with him but I've seen his outstanding customer service at work with strangers. Other than that, it's probably a fairly typical guitar center. Clean, noisy, quite a bit of commotion. You know, a typical music store. Keep in mind, I'm also a beginner. read more

Had a great experience with a new sales guy, Thomas. Thanks for all your help!!! I'm buying Christmas presents for nieces and nephew and he helped me pick out just the right instruments. read more

Some goods... Some others... Overall, super friendly and helpful staff, just not so great with attention to detail. Let me explain. I found a used acoustic guitar for a decent price through the website and called to get the skinny. The sales associate was very helpful describing the guitar and talking me through the details. Even gave a good description of the minor dings and scratches on the finish... Totally honest about everything. I needed some time to think about the purchase and he talked the manager into holding the guitar for 48 hours while I did some research, no charge. Sweet! I decided to go ahead and purchase the guitar, this was on a Wednesday. A different associate did the transaction. They were to ship it out pronto via UPS ground to California. On Saturday, called to get a tracking number and found out that the guitar was still sitting in the layaway section. Doh! If I hadn't called it would probably still be there. Anyhow, the manager immediately offered to ship it overnight at no extra charge. That was fair, so no harm no foul. He told me that he'd call and send me the tracking via email. Well, the call nor the email came, but the guitar did show up as promised. It was packed very well and was in the exact shape that the salesperson described except... No case! Strike two... So... Had to call again. Of course the case was sitting in the back room. Apparently the dude that neglected to ship it also neglected to put it in the case when he took it off the floor. The manager apologized yet again and shipped the case 2 day air. This time, there was a follow up email, but the tracking number provided was wrong. Ugg!! The case did show up in the end. Again, it was packed well and arrived in great shape.The whole ordeal took 4 phone calls and 8 days. In the end, I'm really happy with the guitar. Wish I could give the staff a better rating, but the whole process was a bit painful. They did come through in the end though and I do believe I got a very good deal on the guitar with case. read more

I came in today to sell a hard shell guitar case and the staff immediately turned me around. Also witnessed a friend sell a guitar for twice the worth that they jewed him for. This place is known for way overpricing products as well. Very displeased overall. Don't ever come to this place. read more

Went in just before closing to get a keyboard for my wife as a surprise. I know next to nothing about music so I really had to rely on the employees. I found them overly helpful and great to work with. I was deciding between two keyboards and he actually talked me into the one that was less expensive. My wife loves the keyboard and has been playing it all night. Grateful for the helpful employees that made my visit a success! read more

Had to get a "prosthetic device for retirement, figured a guitar would be good. They have a great selection and take good care of their merchandise, top of the line equipment. Thanks! Very satisfied customer. read more

I speak as a musician, stop don't go here. I stopped in to see if I might sell a amp I've kept thinking I might use it again. Nope they didn't want it which is fine, I have no issue with that. That's why I brought it in I don't want it anymore. While I waited for the amp to be evaluated I wondered around. Over priced on just about everything. In the past I have purchased items here from drum heads, microphones, and sound boards. It had been maybe 2 to 3 years since my return. I don't think I'll stop back in. Guitars strings are a dollar more per pack then any local DeMo store. I'm guessing all of their musicians must have for a gig items are over priced. Their acoustic room is full of low end and high end guitars no middle road guitars. The couple that I found that were reasonably priced sounded like a 2x4 with strings nailed to it. Not sure about their guitar tech, because nobody has said to me "take it to Guitar Center their guys rock," but I do know a few in DeMo that are outstanding and I don't think I would let them touch my guitar anyway. If your looking for a great deal on instruments or gear Google it there are a few great shops with owners that live right here in DeMo. read more

Every time I go into this guitar center I am continually disappointed. I keep hoping that they will start to carry more professional gear rather than the same beginner and entry level gear that they have. I have been to many other guitar centers around the country and have found some that carry really nice guitars and gear but for some reason this one doesn't. I don't have a problem with ordering stuff online but sometimes you want to see it and buy it in person. It's time for Des Moines to get a proper music store or time to revamp this whole guitar center. read more

I love this guitar center. The employees go above and beyond to help you find what you need, never try to sell you something you don't, and any time something isn't right, do whatever they can to resolve the issue. They make the place fun. read more

Ian and Guy are 1st class all the way and I love tak'n my son in to snoop around; great place to hang out and get advise on gear and playing. read more