Is Guitar Center a good company to work for?

Guitar Center has an overall rating of 2.8 out of 5, based on over 2,797 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 (86) , Store Manager (81) , Instructor (74) , Lessons Lead (69) , Assistant Manager (61) , Gear Advisor (57) , Retail Sales Associate (57) , 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 238 reviews)); "Coworkers are great and helpful" ((in 148 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 44 reviews)); "We swear like sailors in the warehouse and have a great culture as an ops team." ((in 33 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 317 reviews)); "Poor management and a corporate atmosphere" ((in 180 reviews)); "Upper management is completely out of touch with what’s going on at the store level" ((in 94 reviews)); "Commissions were low and sparatic." ((in 81 reviews)); "Managers make less than $20 an hour in a state in which other companies pay managers $50k." ((in 74 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 , Draper , Austin , Houston , Dallas , Boston , Atlanta , Kansas City , Hollywood , San Jose , San Francisco , Knoxville , Rockville , Las Vegas , Seattle , Miami , Mobile , Salt Lake City , Brooklyn , Plano , Thousand Oaks , Concord , Wilmington , Brownsburg

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Guitar Center

Guitar Center reviews

2.8

41% would recommend to a friend

(2,733 total reviews)

Gabe Dalporto

28% approve of CEO

24% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

3.5

Diversity & inclusion

2.9

Work/Life balance

2.7

Culture & values

2.4

Compensation and benefits

2.4

Career opportunities

2.1

Senior management

Guitar Center has an employee rating of 2.8 out of 5 stars, based on 2,733 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).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

3K reviews

3.0

Sep 1, 2018

I wanted it to be my Empire Records, it turned out to be justs another corporate nightmare...

Operations manager

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

-Ability to meet and network with people in the local (and sometimes national) music scene. - My co-workers came from a variety of musical backgrounds and I really learned a lot from them working there. -Employee discount -Paid Time Off policy was fair.

Cons

The company has changed hands too many times. CEO's come in and pull the rug out from under everyone by implementing new SOPs without truly understanding the business. As time went on, I was expected to do more with fewer people. I was expected to keep shrink down but wasn't allowed to properly staff the store. Managers no longer receive adequate training and associates are promoted into roles they are not ready for.

1.0

Jul 29, 2018

The worst company I’ve ever worked for (sorry not sorry)

Call center representative

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Pay is okay, but it could be better.

Cons

Management is terrible, training is terrible, company is not well put together, and they treat you like a slave.

5.0

May 15, 2018

Incredibly Fun Place To Work

Accessories sales associate & operations associate

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Incredibly fun work environment and coworkers/management, Helping fellow musicians get the gear they need to create their music is very rewarding and often creates lifetime bonds with customers, Staff and management is there to work and make money but have an awesome time working together while doing so

Cons

Sales compensation was difficult in accessories and often didn't pay more than the starting hourly rate since it was commission based over a certain amount of personal sales amount and was a low percentage of commission at that for that department. Operations pay was hourly and low for how much there was to do sometimes.

Viewing 127 - 129 of 2,733 Reviews

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Jobs at Guitar Center

GC Retail Sales Associate Store 124

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GC Retail Sales Associate Store 242

Medford, OR

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GC Retail Sales Associate Store 830