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 237 reviews)); "Coworkers are great and helpful" ((in 143 reviews)); "The benefits are good and that's all I can say." ((in 71 reviews)); "The hours are flexible and based on your availability to GC" ((in 50 reviews)); "Flexible schedule and laid back attitude for entry level employees." ((in 32 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)); "The weekly conference calls make the poor management glaringly obvious" ((in 182 reviews)); "Terrible upper management that doesn't seem to have ever worked in a musical retail environment." ((in 94 reviews)); "Commissions were low and sparatic." ((in 86 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 , 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

Company ratings over time

Ratings trend for the last 6 months (2,734 reviews)

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

3.0

Sep 29, 2014

My experience working at Guitar Center was very memorable but I'm looking for better compensation and benefits.

Operations associate

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

If you're a musician then you would benefit from working at Guitar Center. You will have access to very helpful programs to help your promote music and discounts on all gear.

Cons

Some cons are low compensation, condensed work area, and excessive workload.

4.0

Sep 3, 2014

You get out of it what you put into it.

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

This is a generally positive company with strong core values in an energetic environment. Very secure if you can perform well and always be willing to learn. Guitar Center is heading in a very positive direction due to their relatively new CEO who is bound and determined to make they company one of the most desirable places to work in the retail market.

Cons

It's not for everyone. You must be able to sell consistently, and your income is performance-based. In other words, if you aren't skilled at sales you won't make a decent paycheck. Also - and this depends on the person - it is generally a loud environment, as there are always several customers playing on various kinds of musical instruments in unison.

2.0

Aug 19, 2014

Good for musicians that have a pre-existing source of income.

Sales associate

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Good friends. Nothing else.

Cons

Bosses do not know a single thing about music. Also, you see a lot of people kiss-ass to get into management. I'll just stay where I am.

Viewing 2545 - 2547 of 2,734 Reviews

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Seasonal Warehouse Associate

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Guitar Center

Guitar Center reviews

Company ratings over time

Ratings by demographic groups

Reviews by job title

My experience working at Guitar Center was very memorable but I'm looking for better compensation and benefits.

You get out of it what you put into it.

Good for musicians that have a pre-existing source of income.

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Jobs at Guitar Center