Is Guitar Center a good company to work for?

Guitar Center has an overall rating of 2.8 out of 5, based on over 2,793 reviews left anonymously by employees. This rating has decreased by 6% 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 2% 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 144 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 46 reviews)); "We swear like sailors in the warehouse and have a great culture as an ops team." ((in 36 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 330 reviews)); "Poor management and a corporate atmosphere" ((in 177 reviews)); "Terrible upper management that doesn't seem to have ever worked in a musical retail environment." ((in 93 reviews)); "Commissions were low and sparatic." ((in 84 reviews)); "Managers make less than $20 an hour in a state in which other companies pay managers $50k." ((in 71 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

(2,729 total reviews)

Gabe Dalporto

28% approve of CEO

24% positive business outlook

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Guitar Center has an employee rating of 2.8 out of 5 stars, based on 2,729 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

4.0

Jul 16, 2012

Great job to have for someone who loves music!

Associate

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

I got to work around people who loved the same thing I did; music. It's a really chill atmosphere and your employer keeps it professional so you don't have to worry about things getting out of control.

Cons

If you're a girl working there, it's gonna be a little rough. Sometimes people will treat you like you're not as knowledgeable. And you should probably know that if you're not the ONLY girl there, then you're going to be one out of two girls, among probably 60 other employees. :/

4.0

Jun 28, 2012

They gave me a chance to thrive

Sales training manager

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

rapid advancement growing company best in the business Not afraid to evolve quickly

Cons

promotions don't always mean more money very hard to be successful in drum sales

4.0

Jun 16, 2012

Fun place to work

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Very relaxed, casual work atmosphere. Could decorate my work space any way I wanted. Was neat knowing that I worked for a company that helped musicians make music and rock 'n' roll.

Cons

They're very tight with the dollar there. Had to stay at lower end hotels and was forced to share hotel rooms when traveling on business. Ridiculous!

Viewing 2650 - 2652 of 2,729 Reviews

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Guitar Center

Guitar Center reviews

Company ratings over time

Ratings by demographic groups

Reviews by job title

Great job to have for someone who loves music!

They gave me a chance to thrive

Fun place to work

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