Awful Company. Mark, the owner, is super rude. Not sure how this company is still in business. I prepaid for a guitar, when I went to pick it up they already sold it. Will never go back. Can't wait for them to close down. read more

Just opened box and upon inspection found damaged trem cover. Un attached bridge pickup. Scratched pic guard. Your "multi point inspection" seems to have missed several points This guitar appears to be a used returned one that was hastily boxed and shipped out. I had expected a new guitar in New condition.  Sent them a video of the pick up moving around ready to fall out and a Pic of the back cover where you can clearly see the corner missing. They responded with that the pickup leaning over is normal They didn't see any damage on the cover. Trying to get you not to believe your own lying eyes. Horrible way to treat a customer. So if you need an unplayable suposably new guitar go ahead and order from them. read more

Rude mean employees, who judge customers by their looks and don't want to do their job properly. Go to any other shop. I am deeply regretting buying my first instrument in that place. read more

I wish I had read the reviews here. The 2 men at the front had little, to no, interest in helping me. They were rude and basically ignored me, even after I said I needed some help. I had gone in with the intention of buying an electric guitar and amp-walked out with nothing but a bad taste in my mouth. I will gladly drive the extra distance to Long and McQuade. Probably the worst service ever. read more

0 rating These two, obviously in poor health were rude, did not even get door for me while I carried my 5 guitars out. 2 Gibson les Paul's 1 not weight relieved 1 120th Ann. , 2 Gibson explorers 1 120th Ann. 1 jimmy page mirror tele. A gretsch the so called all knowing appraiser lowballed my gear, like LOW-BALLED. I am not giving my naturally reliced guitars away for your over priced ones. 2200$ for a non relieved les Paul. Hey I know you gotta make money but so do I. Just hearing his spiel was a laugh. Wouldn't even appraise my tele for a trade or look at my gretsch for a peeling fret. This is your sales team? Can they even pick up a non weight relieved. Missed a good sale there couple bozos. Head to the circus you'd be more entertaining. Even cut hand going thru door which was fing obvious as blood was dripping. read more

Guitarworks - Guitar works - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

See all

Ordered a guitar - prepaid - waited to make another payment - they sold the guitar i ordered, now i have to wait for them to order another one. staff offered little resolution. read more

Bought a PRS acoustic on their boxing day special for an awesome price! They shipped it to Ontario quickly and efficiently, it arrived in great shape just tuned it up and good to go! Highly recommend Guitarworks! Thanks guys,! read more

Shop here if you want to feel belittled. I came into the store in a great mood asking for help finding headphones and an amp for my son who is eager to learn drums and just got an electric drum kit. I asked if there was a smaller amp as it was going into my sons room and i need to be mindful of space. The two guys working were extremely rude with their response saying they had nothing I'd be interested in because it's out of my price range (which they never even asked for a budget to begin with) and then said " yeah, we only sell things to musicians" . I was baffled that they thought a $500 speaker was out of my price range but whatever, I shrugged it off. My daughters at that point were complaining they had to use the washroom so the men suggested I take them to the washroom at the foodcourt because it was the closest and said they'd have the headphones ready for me at the counter when I returned. However when I returned, i had to ask again and say that I was looking for headphones and the response I got was "oh yeah, and you're not concerned about the price right?". if I wasnt on a time crunch I would have walked away without the headphones but I definitely wasn't buying a speaker from someone who gave me such snarky comments and bad customer service. So please note to whoever was working that day: When someone comes in asking for help, give them help not a bad attitude and a snooty attitude, maybe you'll sell more. read more

Ordered a Beaver Creek BCTD101L as a BDay present for my sister. Order came in about 4 days from Calgary to Edmonton. Opened up the box and all the tuners were really loose. I had to tighten them up. The strings were rusty, I mean real rusty. And the gig bag was way too small for the guitar. Then I looked at the frets. I think they installed them with a framers hammer lol. They were reallymarked up. Not just scratched either. They were pretty bad. And the fret ends would draw blood if you ran your finger over them with any pressure. The nut needed some finish work as well as the strings We're binding. So I called them up and talked to them about these issues and the response was,"It's a $200 guitar" So what if it is? Does that mean my $200 isn't real? Especially how they advertise this model and lead you to believe it is in great condition. All the review vids I looked at said it was a good deal right out of the box. Talked them into sending a proper bag and a new set of D'addario strings. I regularly work on my own guitars so I decided to just go ahead do the fret work and setup myself as her BDay was coming up and I didnt have time to replace it. And finding a fairly new left handed guitar in Edmonton that is in decent shape that they don't want 90% of new pricing is a challenge. All in all it was not what I expected but what ya gonna do? The body of the guitar was actually very good. No nicks or scratches on the body, binding or neck so that was nice. And the finish was nice too. It is a nice guitar once I set it up properly and it does sound nice with a new set of Martin lights. I think the issue is that it maybey was stuck somewhere in a warehouse for an extended period of time and no one did any type of quality control before it was shipped out. Probably won't do business with them again. read more

I've never had a bad experience at GW And have been a loyal customer for year. The staff ranges from great to flat out amazing. They also have an excellent guitar tec. It's my favourite guitar shop. read more

My son who is 14 is new to electric guitar, sinse November 2022. His music teachers had not shown him how to restring his instrument... We had an amazing staff member show us how to clearly do the work ourselves at home to save my son his allowance every few months on the restringing.... Super greatful for him, taking the time to show my son a valuable lesson as he grows as a musician. read more

Guitarworks is a sleek, cool place with everything an aspiring or accomplished axe-man might need. They've got Taylor, Gibson, and Martin guitars, all under one roof, which is no joke, at least according to the friendly employee I spoke with. They also have what I would call an "Acoustic Humidor" in the centre of the store to keep the wood from cracking in this arid climate. As well as having scads of guitars, they also have all the accessories, sheet music, they do repairs, and they offer lessons. Take advantage of everything they have to offer and who knows - maybe one day you too will be a Jukebox Hero. read more

See all

With a huge guitar on the outside of the building, Guitarworks is not easy to miss! I'm sure you've seen this place if you've driven down Macleod Trail at leas once. Now, I'm not a musician myself (though I wish I was) but my boyfriend is a fanatic, so naturally he likes to peruse this place from time-to-time. Even though I don't really know what's going on, I still like being in this store. It's got so many guitars, electric, acoustic and bass, that I always find something to look at. Not to mention, I love the smell of the place. It's like a lacquered wood aroma, which is very pleasant. One cool thing about Guitarworks is that they offer lesson to any age group. I don't think the lessons come very cheap, but they are extremely thorough and actually help you learn. Perhaps one of these days I'll fulfill my dream of learning the instrument, and actually understand what everything means, but not today. For now, I'll just enjoying tagging along in this unique store which is perfect for any guitarist! read more

Guitarworks - *photo credit guitarworksonline.com - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

See all

Nice selection and decent staff but the imagery around the store suggests that only men and boys play guitar. My daughter, who plays a fender telecaster, asked on the way home why they didn't have any pictures of women ... and I pointed to the one outside of the store of a woman's mouth next to a microphone. Update your inclusion representation, guys! Step into the 1990s at least. read more

I would rate this company lower but there was no option to. If you plan to visit the store you should be fine, but any online purchasing requiring them to ship, find a different company, they cannot perform this simple task so many other companies do everyday with reasonable success. If you call, they will offer up the typical stories, but don't expect results, from the owner to the managers, this is a company that cares little once they have your money. Run don't walk, avoid Guitarworks. read more

Tim at guitarworks at CrossIrons a genius to me . He tuned restrung and adjusted frets on my Gretsch that turned me into a "rock star" I learned from him "fine tuning" essential and now will bring in my Yamaha Ac/Ele for him to work his magic. many thanks Tim and highly recommend anyone to see Tim at Guitarworks read more

Brad is a great luthier, helped with a number of problems over the years

Literally dialed the wrong number. Meant to call another guitar store. The owner Mark answered the phone and I apologized for the mix up. He said no problem and asked what I was looking for. Within an hour I had purchased an amp from him. I'm in Ontario and they are shipping free. No pst so I'm saving $$$. He put one of his techs on the phone to help walk me through the product and help me with a decision. These folks are knowledgeable and have a great service structure. Best wrong number I ever dialed. Thanks Guitar Works! read more

Two simple facts everyone should know before purchasing from Guitarworks: 1. Their prices are consistently higher than at Long & McQuade or Axe. 2. They have a "No refund" policy on all items. Once they have your money, they keep it. Only store credit/exchange is allowed. I purchased a $70 item from Guitarworks with the understanding that if it didn't fit my guitar, it would be no problem to return it. But when I did return it - unopened, with the original receipt - I could not get a refund. Buyer beware. Save the hassles, and some money, by shopping at more reputable music stores. read more

The Good: They have a particularly nice selection of interesting Gibson Les Paul guitars as you walk in. They are also the only Canadian distributor of Chapman guitars which are excellent value for money. They have a Boxing Day sale every year where everything in the store is 20% off. The Bad: They're prices a generally a bit higher than Long & McQuade. The staff are all on commission which means it sometimes feels like entering the shark tank to me. They do seem to have high staff turnover so its hard to develop any long term relationship with anyone who works there. (Most of the people I know at Long & McQuade have been working there for years and know me by name). Another downside to GW is that once you buy something there its yours (other than store credit). At L&M anything can be returned within 30 days for full cash refund. The Ugly: I was interested in buying a guitar and asked about the trade-in value of one of my guitars which I had my guitar tech check the week before to ensure all was good. It was in perfect condition with a replacement value of about $2500. Guitarworks (or more specifically someone named Dean) initially offered me only $900 trade-in which was bad enough but then he looked down the neck and told me the neck was warped and would only offer $500. No deal as far as I'm concerned. Took it back to my tech who confirmed there was nothing wrong with the neck. Bottom line is that some of their staff are unethical so buyer beware. A byproduct of commission sales no doubt. (Long & McQuade staff are paid by the hour). read more

A good friend of mines goes there for guitar lessons and he recommended one of the teachers. So I went there on a Friday afternoon to register for lessons. The guy opened a book and checked and said Mondays at 4:30 and that was perfect for me. Monday at 4:30 I go there guitar in hand and all. There was a different guy this time that told me there was no lessons and teachers are gone for the summer. Why did they registered me then? I asked. I asked him to check the books, which he did, and my name was there, under Monday 3:30. He said he had no idea. Yes, these were his exact words. He kept asking me who registered my name in the book which I didn't know because no one wears name tags. When I gave him a description of that guy he said "oh he's been with us for two 2 1/2 years!" as if that was supposed to help at all. I like that store, I bought a guitar and ukulele from there a while ago and I sometimes go and buy picks or books etc. They let you use their guitars and amps. I never expected the front staff to be so inept and some plain rude. Store is nice like I said but if you're looking for lessons go somewhere else. read more

The staff at Guitarworks are the Jedi knights of vintage tone, and Reed Shimozawa is the Yoda,

I have been looking for a Flamenco electro-acoustic guitar for a long time and decided to take a look. Went directly into the acoustic guitar room and tried several nylon guitars. As soon as I tried the CORDOBA GYPSY KINGS STUDIO, I knew that there was something going on. Acoustically, a beautiful punchy and bright sound comes from this guitar, even for a guitar that is just in the middle beetween a slim body and a full body nylon string guitar. This brightness is just what I have been looking for, as I play more relaxed and faster when I can hear myself and every liitle nuance coming from the strings. Okay, how does it sound plugged? The sales associate, Dean, plugged me into a great acoustic guitar amp. The sound coming from the Fishman pickup system was just breathtaking, as this guitar comes with a pickup system tha also has an internal microphone. A mix of 70% pickup and 30% mic is just clear and beautiful, like a clean window on a sunny day. Definitely, Cordoba Guitars are doing something very, very good. So far, I have never played either a steel string guitar or a nylon string guitar with this inspirational sound that seduces you in a matter of seconds. Thank you Guitarworks and Cordoba Guitars! read more

I decided to give this store another chance after swearing it off over a year ago over poor service. The first few purchases were trouble-free (2 guitars, an amp and a foot controller - 2 of those purchased at other locations), but my recent experience at the Macleod Tr. store reminded me why I stopped going here. (save yourself and go to L&M or MCC for people that treat customers great) This review is long. For those that don't want to read, summed up the issues are: 1. poor customer service, snarky comments, misleading comments 2. condescending, rude guitar teacher 1. After buying my 3rd guitar since giving them another chance and returning it a week after I purchased it because I wasn't happy with the cosmetic flaws was not easy, despite what they say on their website about wanting you to be happy with your purchase,. The sales guy even slipped in a rude comment (and lie) about haven given me a "free set-up" ("...returning after I gave you a free set up"). Umm, no. You filed some sharp fret edges BEFORE I even decided to purchase, which took you 10 minutes. That does not equal a free set-up. That's a sales guy trying to make a sale. Don't make the customer feel guilty for returning. That comment, and the lengthy discussion in a back office about my return, as though they were debating what to do with my return while I sat and waited out front made me decide not to try another guitar in the store. I just wanted to get my money and go somewhere else, which I did. I found and bought the same guitar in much better shape with a better customer service experience. 2. With a purchase on Boxing Day, I received 2 free lessons, which I thought was great, since I was looking for a new teacher, so I thought this would be a great way to test it out, risk-free. When I booked the lesson at the store counter, I wrote down all the information. When I got there for the first lesson, I was booked with a different teacher, not the one I chose. I still went, hoping he'd be great anyways. Wow, what a horrible experience! He was so arrogant and condescending, making me feel like an idiot. I've been playing for many years - not an expert, but not a newbie. His tone of voice, facial expressions of disgust, and comments were UNPROFESSIONAL. Comments like: him: "Have you ever been in a recording studio?" me:"no". him: "didn't think so" and: him: "play this modal scale" me: plays scale. him: "that's not as bad as I thought it would be". I could go on. 30 minutes of these kinds of comments, and when the 30 minutes were up, he practically ran out of the room, leaving to go chat with other teachers in the hallway. After I packed up my guitar, I walked right by him and he ignored me as I walked by. I've never experienced a guitar teacher like this. Usually teachers are supportive and tell you what to work on, not try to tear you down over and over again - Do parents know he may treat their kids in lessons this way? I was disgusted. I hope the owner sees this, not just a manager. I gave Guitarworks another chance because I want a variety of different guitar stores to succeed, not just one that dominates the area. But there's a reason this store is usually empty or almost empty when I go in. There's a reason they closed their 16th ave store. For a store with such a great selection, the customer experience is so bad that I can see why people choose to go elsewhere. This is NOT the same store that it was when this was my exclusive place to buy 10-15 years ago. It's sad to see to be honest. read more

I didn't really know what I was doing and the sales associate was informative but not pushy. Which I really appreciated. I picked a few guitars out and he gave me time to figure out what worked best for me. I like the idea that my guitar is Canadian made. I've gone back a couple of times now for accessories and been really happy with the service. read more

The one thing that stands out about Guitarworks over many of the other music stores is the selection- particularly of interest to me was acoustic steel string guitars. L&M also had a pretty good selection, but for some reason I didn't like their acoustic room- seemed over humidified, too crowded, and too many guitars way up high out of reach, and hard to get help from the staff who are outnumbered. Went to Guitarworks straight from L&M and was a much calmer experience. The brands and models there were also more interesting to me- I was looking for an OM sized git, GW had more to choose from. read more

Guitar works is the store to goto, all the major brands, friendly staff, and a solid selection

This past week-end, I purchased a Telecaster from this well stocked establishment. I showed up bright and early on Saturday morning so I would not be in line without customer service and had dealt with a gentleman who seemed to be knowledgeable about the equipment and worked with me to het the product I was looking for. Previous to going down to this music store, I had dealt over the phone with one of their staff and after trying out the guitar I was interested in, asked if he was available. The whole situation with the first gentleman turned sour from their and later, after I was looking at an acoustic guitar, found out from my wife that he had mentioned to her that he was going to lose his commission and we would be taking money from his daughter who he had in the shop with him. I continued the purchase of my guitar with the person who I had been speaking to on the phone, even though i was told that a setup would cost extra, then proceeded home. The next day I had questions about a guitar I had purchased from Guitarworks on 16th Ave. The person at the desk had quite the attitude when I asked if he had an idea if the guitar I bought was real, Mexican, Chinese, Japanese. His answer was "how am I supposed to know:? I then asked if I could get a specific case for this guitar and what would it cost. The response i got was"Well if they sell it, it could be maybe $200.00, well, maybe $250.00 if we could get it. After this response, I left with my daughter and went looking online where I found the case I wanted in the US for less than half the cost. Everyone has their bad days, but 2 days in a row is why I cannot give this establishment more than 2 stars. read more

I am writing this review to comment on the really stellar service I received at GW works yesterday. I went in to get new strings on my acoustic guitar that I just bought used, plus get the neck adjusted (beginner guitar player here). Dylan helped explain that since this guitar was too big for me I could have trouble with playing (which was true and had been suggested to me by others). I wasn't pushed into a sale but was offered sound advice on considering a different sized guitar and to take my time looking in the acoustics room. I ended up leaving with a new guitar that I'm stoked to play, suits my needs better, and got a great price (including trading in my old guitar). Shout out to Dylan for such fantastic service - even when he was the only staff person in the store! read more

Females beware....I have NEVER had a good experience in this store, after giving it many chances. Once I went in to buy strings and they asked me if they were for my boyfriend. Excuse me?!?! Once I was practically ignored and then talked down to. And today, visiting the store with my husband and another guitar playing friend of ours, an employee made it pretty clear that he doesn't think women can play guitars. Wow. read more

Made to feel small when purchasing a used guitar here . Nice store and selection but staff seemed cool and uninterested , felt like I was a bother . Competition is a good thing , it's nice to have choices when shopping but I will not go back here. read more

The other reviews cover it pretty well - Guitarworks selection has one of the better selections of flagship-brand guitars. Great place to go when you are ready to move up from your introductory guitar. I have also used them for repairs in the past and they were busy, but timely enough considering they informed me of the repairs schedule. read more