When you think of buying a guitar. Whats the first music store that comes to your mind. For me I think of Guitar Center. But is Guitar Center good? That is a very good question. When you get finished reading this article you will never have to wonder again.
Have you wondered Is Guitar Center good? To find out, is guitar Center good we will examine; How is Guitar Center the number one retailer of guitars. What Mega Guitarists sell there signature guitars at Guitar Center. Why guitar manufactures sell using Guitar Center. Why people question, is Guitar Center Good.
What I want to address, is Guitar Center Good? By knowing the who, what, where and why. I will find out if Guitar Center is good. If your interested in knowing what I found out. Then lets get to the bottom of it.
Is Guitar Center the Number one Retailer of Guitars.
If you are the number one retailer of guitars. This would mean that you sell more guitars then everybody else. Below is a list & rankings of Best music stores. Based on Music Trades Music retailers Data, here are the top 5 music stores out of 200. A report in 2018 in the U.S.
2018 Ranking | Company | Sales |
1 | Guitar Center | 2,300,000,00 |
2 | Sweetwater | 725,000,000 |
3 | Sam Ash Music Corp | 390,000,000 |
4 | American Musical Supply | 336,000,000 |
5 | Full Compass System Ltd. | 140,000,000 |
What Manufactures Sell Through Guitar Center
Fender is the Biggest guitar manufacture in the world. Making more guitars means you have to sell them too. Here are some more well known big guitar manufactures. That sell their products with Guitar Center & Reverb.
- Jasmine
- Alverez
- D’Angelico
- Gretsch
- Charvel
- ESP
- Godin
- Lucero
- Earnie Ball Music Man
- Takamine
- Mitchell
- Johnson
- Jackson
- Squier
- Roque
- Kramer
- Roque
- Cordoba
- Hagstom
There are more guitars that are not in the list. But You can see in this extensive list, that Guitar Center sells guitars. But that’s not all they are a complete music store. With numerous musical instruments, equipment, Accessories, and technological equipment.
Guitar center also buys and sells used guitars amps and musical instrument. They offer guitar lessons. On stage equipment. You can think of them as a one stop shop. But are all things equal? When it comes to buying from the store, are the warranties, pricing, shipping all the same?
Is Guitar Center a Good Place to Buy Guitars?
Let’s look at the top 5 guitar retailers. To see if they all offer comparable quality guarantee’s. Such as Price protection, free Shipping, Financing, Satisfaction Guarantee. This should give you some inkling if Guitar Center is a good place to buy a guitar.
After all don’t you want some perks when you buy an instrument. Or a Dynamic microphone , Audio interface or Guitar Peals and Board? I know when I buy something I want to get the best deal. And I want to feel like if something goes wrong. There will be a company to stand behind the product.
Is Guitar Center Safe to Order From
With Guitar Center when you buy a guitar this is what you can expect. Shipping is Free with purchases over $25.00. (In the continental U.S). At the time of writing this article for a mere $10.00 you can get your order in 2 days. Or if you are really rushed for time for $15.00 you can get next day delivery.
Also if you buy an item online. If you need to return it. You can walk into any Guitar Center to return an item.
Return Policy
45 Day Lowest Price Guarantee – Find a Lower Price & We’ll Refund You 100% of the Difference. Exclusions apply.
If you are not Satisified for any reason simply return the item in the same condition within 45 days.
Price Protection –
Best retailer and the best return policy. With a lowest price guarantee. The goal of the company is customer satisfaction guarantee. Plain and simple your guaranteed the lowest price. Within 45 days of your purchase if you see the same item for less. Bring your receipt and the ad to guitar center store and they will refund the difference.
Financing A Guitar
You finally found that guitar you have been wanting for years. But it’s a little above your budget. No problem with the Guitar Center Store credit card. With this card comes special financing and offers like 0% down for 48 months.
You can get 12 month, 24 month, and 48 month financing. With the Gear card you also get 5% back in rewards on purchases using your gear card.

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Four of the Five Top Retailers Satisfaction Guarantee
- Sweetwater – Free Shipping, Contact for info on price protection. Financing for Qualified purchases with Store card. 30 day satisfaction guarantee.
- Sam Ash – Free Shipping on orders over $9.99. 60 day price protection. Financing Store Credit card only. 45 day satisfaction guarantee.
- American Musical Supply- Free Shipping, Free 12 month warranty, 3, 6, 8, and 12, month payment plans. 45 day satisfaction guarantee.
- Full Compass System – Free ground shipping on $45 or more. Return Satisfaction guarantee up to 15 days without a restocking free. If the package has been opened a minimum restocking charge of 15% or $10.00. (at the time of this post). Financing through a Pro Buyers card.
Why Does Everyone Hate on Guitar Center?
Like all stores when you go in. The workers make your experience Great or not so good. When your spending money you expect things to be good. Unfortunately when it is good you don’t remember it. But you always remember a bad experience.
There are over 250 locations in America. You can rest assure that one stores customer service is not the same as another.
When you have a bad experience any where you shop. You will tell everyone you know. And then they tell people. This is true with all retailers. That’s why customer service is paramount to a businesses success.

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How do You Get a Good Deal at Guitar Center
How to get a good deal is to buy items that have a special offer and free finance within a limited time frame. Sometimes there offers are o% interest and 48 months. Which is a great deal if you pay it off within the set time.
Check out this deal on Amazon the Baby Taylor Guitar.
Conclusion
All the Major players in the guitar arena. Use guitar center to sell there products. Yes the manufactures need an outlet to sell products. But a store that promotes customer satisfaction and the ability to sell more guitars then all the other retailers. Stands to reason that they are good. They have equally good service as all the retailers in the music industry.
They offer financing, 0% Specials, a credit card to help with purchasing. Good return policy and guarantee. All the top 5 music retailers depend on customer satisfaction. They offer primarily the same specials, when it comes to guarantee’s, financing, returns. After all that said Guitar Center is number one. At the top of the list out of 200 retailers.
Related Questions
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Sources
- Reverb
- Guitar Center
- Music Trades top 200 Retailer
- GLP Guaranteed Lowest Price
- Cheap guitar guide
- Sweetwater
- Sam Ash
- American musical Supply