Is Guitar Center a good company to work for?

Guitar Center has an overall rating of 2.8 out of 5, based on over 2,792 reviews left anonymously by employees. This rating has decreased by 7% over the last 12 months. 41% of employees would recommend working at Guitar Center to a friend and 24% have a positive outlook for the business. The best reviews about Guitar Center have been left by employees working as Music Instructor , Private Lessons Instructor and Music Teacher .

Does Guitar Center pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Guitar Center employees rate their compensation and benefits as 2.4 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Guitar Center. This rating has decreased by 5% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Guitar Center?

41% of Guitar Center employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Guitar Center 2.9 out of 5 for work life balance, 2.7 for culture and values and 2.4 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Guitar Center?

Sales Associate (598) , Operations Associate (85) , Store Manager (81) , Instructor (74) , Lessons Lead (68) , Assistant Manager (61) , Retail Sales Associate (57) , Gear Advisor (56) , Customer Service Manager (47) , Operations Manager (44) , Department Manager (40) , Sales (36) , Repair Technician (34) , Customer Service Manager (CSM) (28) , Operations (28)

What are the pros of working at Guitar Center according to real employee reviews?

"The direct people you work with are great and will help you in any way they can." ((in 241 reviews)); "Coworkers are great and helpful" ((in 143 reviews)); "The benefits are good and that's all I can say." ((in 70 reviews)); "The hours are flexible and based on your availability to GC" ((in 43 reviews)); "We swear like sailors in the warehouse and have a great culture as an ops team." ((in 31 reviews))

What are the cons of working at Guitar Center according to real employee reviews?

"Low pay compared to companies with similar store size Low amount of staff result in poor customer and employee experience." ((in 333 reviews)); "Poor management and a corporate atmosphere" ((in 174 reviews)); "Terrible upper management that doesn't seem to have ever worked in a musical retail environment." ((in 90 reviews)); "Even though you don't make commission as a store lead they still require you to sell and expect you to be topping the leaderboard." ((in 84 reviews)); "Managers make less than $20 an hour in a state in which other companies pay managers $50k." ((in 73 reviews))

What are employees saying about Guitar Center layoffs in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about Guitar Center layoffs and their outlook for job security at Guitar Center in 2026.

What are the top reviewed Guitar Center locations?

Westlake Village , Los Angeles , New York , Westlake Village , Indianapolis , Chicago , Nashville , Austin , Houston , Draper , Dallas , Boston , Atlanta , Kansas City , San Jose , Hollywood , San Francisco , Knoxville , Rockville , Las Vegas , Seattle , Miami , Mobile , Salt Lake City , Brooklyn , Plano , Thousand Oaks , Concord , Wilmington , Brownsburg

Guitar Center reviews

2.8

41% would recommend to a friend

(2,728 total reviews)

Gabe Dalporto

28% approve of CEO

24% positive business outlook

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

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Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Guitar Center has an employee rating of 2.8 out of 5 stars, based on 2,728 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an average working experience there. The Guitar Center employee rating is 21% below average for employers within the Retail & Wholesale industry (3.5 stars).

Reviews by job title

3K reviews

1.0

Apr 10, 2018

Do not work here!

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

The discount is great and you find a lot of networking opportunities if you're a musician aside from that there's really not much good to be said

Cons

Management is something out of a nightmare, the company has zero respect for their employees, they refuse to give more than 20 hours a week to anyone regardless of how knowledgeable they are or how long they've been with the company, the commission rate is embarrassingly low starting at 0.25%, management spends more time blaming others for their shortcomings than they do actually finding solutions, and to top it off there is zero opportunity to move up in this company.

1.0

Mar 26, 2018

kidding me

Manager

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

better than being unemployed, barely!!

Cons

Just writing a response to reading reviews. "Guitar Center" responses are such a joke! Someone in HR who has never even been in a store, having NO clue the God awful vibe, lies to employees, and overall abuse that abounds in every GC. You work there, you ARE a number. If you are a customer, beware that the salesman doesn't sell you, or convince you to buy something you don't need, just to make a sale. A practice that is encouraged by MANY in management, certainly not discouraged. It is absolutely the worst company I have ever worked for, and I spent 20 years in Big Box retail. Stay away, customers and job seekers alike. Now, watch someone in corporate respond to this with some ridiculous corporate rhetoric! Don't buy it!! P.S.- I worked in multiple locations. The Good Ole Boy attitude was the worst in CA, so I'm stating that as the city.

1.0

Feb 19, 2018

Don't do it

Sales associate

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

You can get excessive discounts on gear as an employee, you might even just spend your whole pay check

Cons

They will barely give you 40 hrs a week, they will scold you for going into over time or seeking over time, they will ask you to do the jobs of 3 people for minimum wage if not slightly above minimum wage with no guarantee of promotion or a merit based raise. Sexual harassment, misogyny, discrimination, and employee complaints are all but ignored.

Guitar Center Response

8y

Thanks for your advice -- that's how it's supposed to work. I encourage you to call our hotline so we can investigate your allegations at the end of your "Cons" comments at 1-866-344-7464.

Viewing 70 - 72 of 2,728 Reviews

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Jobs at Guitar Center

GC Retail Operations Associate Store 140

Music Teacher Store 223

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Guitar Center

Guitar Center reviews

Company ratings over time

Ratings by demographic groups

Reviews by job title

Do not work here!

kidding me

Don't do it

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