Is Guitar Center a good company to work for?

Guitar Center has an overall rating of 2.8 out of 5, based on over 2,798 reviews left anonymously by employees. This rating has decreased by 7% over the last 12 months. 39% of employees would recommend working at Guitar Center to a friend and 23% 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 3% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Guitar Center?

39% 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 (75) , 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 145 reviews)); "The benefits are good and that's all I can say." ((in 66 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 37 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 329 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 71 reviews)); "No training to speak of." ((in 41 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

Guitar Center reviews

2.8

39% would recommend to a friend

(2,734 total reviews)

Gabe Dalporto

29% approve of CEO

23% 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 2,734 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

Mar 19, 2014

Headed in the right direction

Assistant manager

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Great discounts on gear, awesome connections to be made, and a new focus on the employee

Cons

The commission structure is hard at first, but it's gets better and they're actively working to improve the compensation model.

3.0

Mar 18, 2014

Good environment, bad company

Sales associate

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Musicians working around the newest gear is like a kid in a candy store. Easy-going, fun environment. Friendly co-workers. Employee discount is great. Ability to move up. Store hours are great for a retail store.

Cons

Pay. Commission structure. Too much emphasis on wrong-doings, little to no emphasis on things done right. Managers and Assistant managers who are unwilling to do their jobs. Too much emphasis on "Pro Coverage".

3.0

Mar 17, 2014

Fun for the hobbyist, not the professional.

Sales associate

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Perfect atmosphere for the gigging musician or hobbyist audio engineer; plenty of gear that's always available for demo (GC encourages using gear to become familiar with it, even offers fair discounts for employees three months after hire); transfer possibilities between stores should relocation be necessary; employee-sponsored insurance; fair hours/scheduling, and able to negotiate (even if unsuccessful) hours; gig leave available

Cons

Pay/commission not very suitable for covering cost of living and leaving discretionary income (aka not paid enough, especially those sales associates who probably should be making more based on performance); no sales/bonus incentives; required to troubleshoot gear, even for sales other associates made; advancement not quite clear cut, plus pay incentive hardly increases with promotion, if at all; lacking in in-store inventory depending on location, forcing associates to order gear (some customers do not like ordering, and want their gear immediately); sales/salary greatly depend on customers wanting or not wanting to purchase gear

Viewing 2491 - 2493 of 2,734 Reviews

Top companies for "Compensation and Benefits" near you

The Revenue Optimization Companies (T-ROC)

3.8★Compensation & Benefits

Carhartt

3.7★Compensation & Benefits

P.C. Richard & Son

3.5★Compensation & Benefits

Abt

4.0★Compensation & Benefits

Jobs at Guitar Center

Seasonal Warehouse Associate

GC Retail Operations Associate Store 810

GC Retail Sales Associate Store 110

Guitar Center

Guitar Center reviews

Company ratings over time

Ratings by demographic groups

Reviews by job title

Headed in the right direction

Good environment, bad company

Fun for the hobbyist, not the professional.

Top companies for "Compensation and Benefits" near you

Jobs at Guitar Center