This is my local guitar store. I have purchased gear here and taken lessons for months at a time in the past.However the last couple years coming in here or speaking to anyone on the phone makes you feel like a nuisance for engaging an employee or manager. Its as if theyve most certainly got something better to be doing, and youre keeping them from it.While Im sure there are some good teachers here, the poor guys arent getting any help from the manager in attaining more students.Dont think Ill ever be back to this store.

Bought a Kramer guitar online which arrived with a broken neck. Just so happens I bought the last one and now a new one would be on back order. Great! This was supposed to be a surprise gift!My wife called GC Arlington Heights and explained the situation after which Max offered to replace it with a better one and when I showed up the other manager Matt threw in a case and other goodies. So everything worked out okay and I couldn’t be happier. THANKS AGAIN GUYS! I’ll definitely be back.

Purchased a new Williams Symphony Mini Grand piano. Great service!

Lots of guitars and gear at pretty good prices. The staff is of little use. You better know what your looking at.

Walked in and found the drum kit I was looking for and got help from an associate right away. I have been going to this location for over ten years and its always a great place to kill some time playing around.

My visit tonight was disheartening. I was hoping to buy my first guitar at a fair price. I had the misfortune of having to talk to the guitar rep (John) who made me feel like I did not belong in the store by the rude look he gave me when I introduced myself. He would not work with me on coupons or a sale on the guitar, what I got was a Snobish attitude and short, condescending answers. Beware of John new customers. (Short, stubby, glasses, & cheap tattoo on right elbow) I will definitely got in touch with the Mgr. Matthew ASAP. Sorry for. negative post. (ARLINGTON HEIGHTS LOCATION.) UPDATE: I SPOKE TO THE MGR. OF STORE, (MATT) HE WAS JUST AS WORTHLESS. VERY ALOOF AND AN IMBICILE. NOW I SEE THE REASON GUITAR CENTER WAS IN BANKRUPTCY. HIRING UNEDUCATED PEOPLE. ILL GO TO AMAZON FOR MY MUSICAL EQUIPMENT.

Great service. Helpful staff. Would have been 5 stars but the bathroom needed to be cleaned

My wife dropped her guitar in a week ago to have a string replaced and was told it would be a quick job and she would receive a call when it was ready. After 3 days she called the store and they didnt seem to know what she was talking about but said they would get on it and call her back. Its now been a week and no call backs just to replace one string. If youre looking for customer service do yourself a favour and go elsewhere.

Great professional staff, they know their stuff. Lots of knowledge. Great prices and return policy. No hassles.

Cool, relaxed people work at this location, unlike the one in Highland Park. Theyll explain anything you ask about, and are really friendly. Ive bought a great pedal there, a small acoustic Gretsch, and had one of my acoustic guitars repaired here. This location is excellent!

Called the store and got proper description of used item. Ordered online and was surprised to receive her quick, properly packed with no damage and condition better then described. Very much appreciated.

All the members of the staff are extremely professional and extremely knowledgeable. If you are looking for a guitar go here. If you are looking for a DJ rig go here. If you are looking for lighting go here. If you are looking for a drum set go here. If you are looking for a banana dont go here unless you know one of the guys or gals that works here and they just happen to have said banana go here if not they dont have bananas for sale here. They only sell things related to music and instruments. You think they dont come here and see for yourself. Look at all the things you can buy try them out. Or dont either way come here to see what they got. Just like the name says guitar center. They have guitars and they are the center that sells them...

Young lady w long hair was super on point patient w co workers and took extra step to ensure purchased item was fresh out of the box and insured w appropriate plan 👍

I love going there and trying out all the new drum kits and they have great deals unused equipment and new arrivals

I have a bad habit of waiting until the last second to check and see if I have everything I need for a show. I dont know how many times Ive gone in and been able to find the xlr adapter or mount I needed to get something running. Im hoping once the Covid shortages end they get their lighting stock back to where it was. Stuff goes missing and Im always looking for new things to play with.

Staff is always knowledgeable and polite. They offer certain services or warranties but arent pushy or in your face. Buying a guitar at least for me is a very intimate activity and if there was overbearing associates it would take away from the ambiance of the place and the experience. Im 41 years old and Ive been coming here since 1988 so lets go Schaumburg Guitar Center! Lets go another 30 or 40 years.!.!.!.!

I may have been spoiled with some of the newer and larger locations that I had visited. Some of the rooms seemed like an after-though. Same type of quality and service Ive come to expect at Guitar Center, just in a slightly cramped and convoluted layout.

I was trying to buy a Cordoba C5-CE SP Classical Acoustic-Electric Guitar from this store. Since its not in stock, they had it shipped to me. I received it yesterday, but the stings looked run down, and the body had two cracks—clearly an old store model. But we were told they were going to order it from the warehouse. How did the guitar center allow such an old guitar shipped to me as brand new? Such a waste of my time!As I was returning it to the store, the guy did not even apologize. He treated it like nothing happened, just a regular return. Horrible experience! This is my last time coming to the guitar center.

I went here with my 15 YO son who is using my old guitars/amp. I was thinking maybe Id buy him an amp, smaller than my current but larger than battery operated. We can use this in-between one for inside the house and move my larger one out to the garage.Granted Covid has taken its toll so Im hoping thats part of the reason Guitar Center is not what it once was. We walk in and its a bit depressing. Maybe they are remodeling in the back but a large section was missing guitars, just empty. A fair amount of guitars are bashed up but strangely still expensive. Three dudes working behind the counter sat talking to each other the whole time. The carpeting and displays were a complete mess. I feel like this place is going to be going out of business soon. Since I was 16, I loved going to Guitar Center. It was like an adventure, today it was depressing. The drums were missing lots of inventory, the pianos were OK, but those funky other rooms in the back seemed half-way gone. The only room that seemed like it still had life in it was the acoustic room. Even the expensive guitar room wasnt right. Anyhow, I couldnt find my in-between amp. Ill look elsewhere, an era is gone.

Fully loaded music store with knowledgeable people. Alot better than other stores.

Attentive to clientele concerns. Answered each question presented to them with enthusiasm. Its my second time going to this specific location and Im not even from the area. I will be returning here for future music supply needs. 👌🏼

Good ol reliable GC.

Shopped here twice and each time they would rip me off at the checkout if I didn’t catch their con. They put it the price higher for no reason. The first time I took it as a mistake but not again!

If you want to buy guitar or piano keyboard you need to visit this place

Good in a pinch. Amazon is better for most of what you can buy here.

Matt was extremely welcoming and downright enthusiastic to sign us up.Thats where the good stuff stops. Dont bother getting lessons here. Your kids can use YouTube. The welcome feeling was gone pretty quickly. We def wont be back. They also had to keep rescheduling lessons I paid for. Do better!

Theyve always got staff that are kind and ready to help. Even when I dont find what Im looking for, the trip ends up feeling productive. Theres also something to say about the inherent vibe that this place has; the aesthetic is comfortable and the endless array of instruments on display make it a fun place to walk around for a while. Overall, I recommend this place. :)

Ordered an item on the phone and picked it up later. The order was ready when I arrived. They let me test it with my own guitar and amp before I left. The staff was friendly and accommodating.

Friendly staff knowledgeable and helpful, help me get there even though I thought it was somewhere else and I would recommend without hesitation and I did have no problem if you know how to play that you use some of their equipment but of course dont take over the store. I will return there throughout the rest of the year and as long as Im in Illinois because I plan to expand my third career LOL they say you should have more then one profession in life well Ive had to the magic number I guess well be three and Guitar Center will be my go-to for my guitars

Purchased an MIDI keyboard from here. Staff was very very helpful and made me feel welcomed. Will definitely be returning to buy more equipment

Asked for help like 3 times in a 20 min window. Nothing. Go to a different location. 0/5

Great prices and selection. They let you try out the instruments. Guys working there were very helpful.

Great place to pick up your guitarI was there today to buy ukulele for my sons birthdayWelcoming staff and friendly service

Loyal to this GC, since Ive lived in EGV since the 80s. Their wares & presentations have improved in 2020 and Ive purchased some sweet guitars here too. Classy staff 👍

Guitar Center is a really cool store with a great staff. Not only are they always there for you if you need them, but they give you your space until you have questions. They are very special, friendly, and absolutely know their business. Its the only music store we would ever go to. Keep up the great job!

Not much on the shelves no stands in the drum section no real wowing acoustics. Almost no LED lights in stock.

TLDR: buy on Reverb from a reputable shop instead of GC. Not only you are supporting small businesses, you will likely get a better guitar and better experience. If you have to go to a chain store, Sam Ash in Buffalo Grove is better in every way.Unfortunately GC has lost me as a customer for good.Received 2 guitars that were damaged/not as described condition purchased online from them recently. Every time I drove 20 miles to the store to return them to avoid any further damage on the return shipping back.Instead receiving a proper apology, the store manager talked to me in a rude and condescending voice as if I’m stealing from them. He complained that pretty much every order you made are returns and I cant refund the original shipping charge.In the past six month alone, I have placed a few dozens of order at GC, and those two returns account for a fraction of the total money I have spent. I also have photo proof that the guitars were in that condition right out of the box.I can tolerate their employees and computers being slow and inexperienced and having to wait half an hour to get a return processed. However, this kind of attitude to your loyal customers, or any customer, is completely unacceptable.Maybe the store manager has no incentive to be nice to me because he figured most of my orders were made online and therefore the store is unlikely to make any commissions from my future purchases?At the same time, there is a beginner guitarist playing “Enter Sandman” very loudly in the store for half an hour, and all the store employees leave him alone. Maybe the store just doesn’t welcome guitarists who actually know about gear.Regardless, there are many, many music stores out there that take much better care of their instruments and customers. The new or used guitars I received from GC were almost never set up, and sometimes shipped and packed improperly. The condition listed on their website are often vague with the blurry photos. Lucky for me they have mostly arrived okay in the past. I guess when accidents actually do happen, this is the treatment you get from them.

Nothing but the highest praise for Doc in the repair dept. Has addressed everything from a broken tremolo on my Ibanez to a short circuit on a repair I did on a Tele. Fast, friendly, competent.

Been there for my sons first Guitar. The staff is very helpful on helping and explaining us to choose the appropriate one.

I have nothing but good things to say about this location! You definitely need to shop here for music equipment. I’m in Denver. I ordered some equipment. Long story short, I didn’t get some accessories in the package. Matt and Dan went above and beyond to make things right. I’m truly impressed by the customer service these two gentlemen showed me. My accessories were overnighted and I couldn’t be happier! If corporate is reading this, give those dudes a raise or at-least some free gear!

The staff here are absolutely terrific. We take lessons here. Ive bought multiple guitars and many accessories. Everyone is always friendly and helpful.

Helpful staff. Good selection of in stock guitars to try out.

I sure love this place. A lot of good vibes and good memories here

Great place for instruments and other music related equipment!!

People complain about it because its a chain and experiences vary from week to week, store to store. On the other hand, they have what you need, they deal in used gear, and if you find the right person, you can get great advice. My experience, 8n aggregate, has been great with GC, and my last stop was outstanding, with the pro audio guy doing magic to get me what I wanted without having to make another trip. (Nothing sketchy, just heads up)

Very helpful, might get a piano soon

A very specific store, specialized for clients that are involved or want to get into musical instruments.This location is a decently sized with a handful of advisors in store that are well knowledgeable in the craft.Great help and plenty of resources for new people that want to get into the hobby or pursue a musical career.

Its a perfect place for musicians

Its been years since Ive been able to play, so I am beyond happy to have had a positive visit and I must say that this was the easiest shopping experience I have had in a while. John made incredibly helpful suggestions while I was being a typical scatterbrained mom. Helped me choose which accessories to go with my absolutely stunning acoustic purchase(because after a long day at work with two kiddos my brain wanted nothing to do with choosing the color of the capo haha). After all was said and done, he packed everything up very nicely for me and had an upbeat charismatic (and very patient and understanding!!)attitude from start to finish.Long story short: Very happy with my experience there, will absolutely go back to start my littles on their music journey. You guys *rock* :p

Don’t pick up the phone. After that, what’s the point.

Knowledgeable and courteous staff.

Place is okay. I wasnt greeted amongst the few employees who stood at the entrance and glanced at me. I asked 1 guy for some suggestions and he didnt seem to care. I guess I had a newb type question he seemed annoyed and unhelpful. Strolling thru the store i was greeted by some employees in the audio section. Nice guy and was helpful with the few questions we had

Average customer service. Was there for 45 minutes before a employee asked if I needed help and several walked past me like I was invisible

Wow. You can find a lot of musical intruments and accesories...

Really well stocked with guitars at various price points.

Super nice and helpful here wanna thank I believe his name Dip for all the advice.

Young people who are on counter at the dj section try to push you to buy warranty for the products, this has happen twice with me. I literally had to tell them no 10 times for the warranty. If you dont buy the warranty they get upset and make faces and dont react in a nice way. Products are good, I always buy from this store since last 5 years, recently they have started pushing customers to buy that warranty and I dont feel like going there. Will probably check out the equipment and buy online.

Not impressed with the variety of acoustic guitars they had in store. The acoustic section also seemed to be adjacent to the percussion section and we could hear the drums loud and clear, which made it very difficult to try guitars out. The location in Highland Park, for example, has a much better layout.The saving grace is the staff- nice and helpful even though they are few I numbers and dont really have time to answer everyones questions.

As always great products, vast selection and excellent service!

Very Helpful and Knowledgeable. Went in with a few questions and walked out with an Electronic Drum Set that was on sale from Black Friday. Will be going back again.

I love buying in this store because they know what they are selling and they give you many options when you dont find something I have been buying here for years and they always treat you respectfully and they are seem knowledgeable and they love what they do.

Amazing selection.

I contacted Guitar Center in Arlington Heights, IL to arrange a weekend equpment rental for September 4 through September 7, 2020.The equipment I rented included 2 speakers, 2 speaker stands, and multiple lights.The lights worked fine- no complaints there. However, one of the speakers was busted, and did not function in an optimal manner. This turned out to be a significant hindrance to my event, as I had to amplify a very large backyard space.Furthermore, one of the speaker stands did not have an interlocking pin, which allows the speaker to be elevated and stay in place. This was also very disappointing.For paying over $500 to rent equipment, I frankly expected better service. The associates of mine that picked up and utilized the equipment for the event also remarked to me that the employees at the store took almost 45 minutes to gather the equipment.This occurred despite me having arranged the equipment rental two days before, and being told that it would be ready.I suppose that I should just be grateful that they even had the equipment like they assured me they did, as they wouldnt send me a written confirmation via email.The icing on the cake of my experience with this branch of Guitar Center is that they were only willing to issue a $50 refund when we returned the equipment. One would think that they would be willing to concede more than $50 of a refund for a $500 rental, especially considering that one of the speakers didnt work properly.All and all, the employees conducted themselves like amateurs, and not like event professionals.The usual sound company that I rent from in Chicago is presently not providing service due to effects from the COVID-19 Pandemic. I thought that Guitar Center would be able to save the day.Because they provided the service that i requested, I will give them 2 stars; however, some of the equipment malfunctioned, and their conduct was unprofessional.

Nice people Great experience

Friendly staff, well knowledged, several rooms with many different instruments on display and well organized.

Person was super nice helping my dad to put the piano in the car

Very down to earth people there prices I good for what you get and overall a very good place to take lessons and buy instruments

Nice place, but lack a lot of inventory.

They are always super helpful.

Igor Assisted Me And My friend With Great Deals And Customer Service It Was Very Much Appreciated Thanks I Will Be Back For More Discounts 👍🏿

The staff was nice and helpful.

Very friendly and excellent service

Is this Heaven?

Guy helped us with Uke strings and a capo. Very friendly and professional.

Terrible,It’s down to the people, all of the veterans are goneCurrent staff is condescending and clueless about the gear. I will never shop here again.

Best one in the area. Ive purchaced at least 4 guitars from this location.

Great store, professional stuff always ready to help, fantastic gear all around the place.

They ask if you need help every 5 minutes, but then when you need help, they have no clue. I asked a very simple question and they started to get very agitated, clearly because they dont know the answer. The guy told me verbatim if you buy the wrong one, then you can just come back and uh... come back and what? Buy another one? I live 13 miles away. This place declined like crazy.

Ordered something for curb pickup. I hit arrived on their app and then waited 25 minutes for them to bring it out. The guy dumped my boxes next to my car and walked away without even offering to help me put them in the car. I wont make the mistake of shopping here again.

Nice employees, great selection, hand sanitizer all over the place

I got what I needed, but the employees ate a little ill informed. There is such thing as a bass pick

My BFF was looking for a place she could get the experience of how the PC works but due to COVID-19 the store does not allow you to play with the equipment

I like Guitar Center a lot. They have generally sold me excellent products at a fair price. But when I was there this week, there were only 3 employees on duty. Part of this is due to pandemic recovery, but even before, being able to talk to a real person has always been difficult.

The guys here are always super friendly. Ive bought a lot of equipment from them over the past year and never had any issues with their service or the equipment itself. Ive sometimes spent a couple hours just jamming around with the guitars and they never pressured me to leave or buy anything.

They were great, friendly.

I went Guitar Center to pick up my order which was placed on line earlier in the morning. My order was ready and I was in and oout of store in no time. The young man who served me was very helpful.

Came in Friday to buy a Fender FA345CE Acoustic/Electric ($439,) waited over 20 minutes to speak to a salesman who got very aggravated at my questions. Salesman kept walking away to answer phones and checkout other customers. After almost an hour of no help, and poor customer service, I left without buying the guitar.

Very friendly and helpful with my first guitar

Had to wait to checkout longer than usual. Send customers with repair issues and tons of warranty paperwork to a different line so I can buy my guitar strings in LESS than 20 minutes...

Great shop. Real cool drum room with good selection. I sold a bunch of my old music gear there for my move to Arizona (couldnt bring it with me). Got better than fair value for it. Kevin & (I think it was Cody) who helped me out. Great work boys, thanks a lot!

Great place for guitar lovers. Very friendly, helpful and knowledgeable staff. It took me only a few minutes to find the perfect guitar, because I was shown the guitars that met my requirements. The place is packed with every different accessories you can think of. They have a dedicated room for percussion and they have some keyboards, but its mainly about guitars. I definitely recommend it.

My son loves this place --is there a musician who doesnt?

My first time in this store specifically. And found friendly staff. Very atent. Thumbs up. 👍

Great selection. Staff was nice enough but not what I would call energetic and friendly.

Good place they have everything i need for music

If youre a musician, music enthusiasts this is for you

Helped us find a good deal on a goodguitar for our daughter.

Very helpful staff

Just wanted a guitar cord for my amp it was 6 to 10 yet wasnt too expense . As a 30+ year electroplater I was very disappointed that the price for gold plated connectors were double the price. There is maybe 2cents of gold on those connectos

Didnt need help when I walked in and it was empty, boy was that a mistake. Immediately there was a rush and I waited for an eternity, playing every piano, and still the same people were being helped. Just wanted to make a purchase! Great selection and prices though, overall great store.