Is Guitar Center a good company to work for?

Guitar Center has an overall rating of 2.8 out of 5, based on over 2,796 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 237 reviews)); "Coworkers are great and helpful" ((in 140 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 45 reviews)); "We swear like sailors in the warehouse and have a great culture as an ops team." ((in 35 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 325 reviews)); "Poor management and a corporate atmosphere" ((in 175 reviews)); "Terrible upper management that doesn't seem to have ever worked in a musical retail environment." ((in 91 reviews)); "Commissions were low and sparatic." ((in 80 reviews)); "Managers make less than $20 an hour in a state in which other companies pay managers $50k." ((in 75 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

41% would recommend to a friend

(2,732 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 2,732 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

Sep 22, 2012

Short but sweet

Navigator

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

good co workers managers are very relaxed

Cons

loud annoying customers commission sales long hours on black friday

1.0

Sep 21, 2012

Dead End Blvd

Department manager

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

The People...mostly non-management are awesome friends that anyone should be able to get along with.

Cons

Under the guise of a rock n roll store it is more like a legal pyramid scheme. We sell to customers, management sell to us, District managers sell to the store managers and so on. Everyone has a crazy goal to hit with out incentive. Asst Managers get more responsibility while basically getting a cut in pay. It encourages rivalry and over competing. I have made good money here, but in reality for the amount of work we do there should be more money being made. Showing employees false cost on items so you can pay them less than they really earned us unethical. Also bragging about closing mom and pop stores is shameful. One the other hand this is a bane capital investment. Rich guys first and the worker ants last. Oh yeah no family life working here. Say goodbye ti most holidays.

2.0

Sep 20, 2012

A step backward in your career path unless you are in it strictly for the passion.

Pro audio specialist

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Buying wholesale equipment is a pro, especially if you are planning to stay in the music business.

Cons

Terrible business model. Bad in store management. Negative atmosphere designed specifically for never making commission.

Viewing 2617 - 2619 of 2,732 Reviews

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Jobs at Guitar Center

GC Retail Sales Associate Store 124

GC Retail Sales Associate Store 227

GC Retail Sales Associate Store 223

GC Retail Sales Associate Store 341

Saint Louis, MO

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GC Retail Sales Associate Store 830

Guitar Center

Guitar Center reviews

Company ratings over time

Ratings by demographic groups

Reviews by job title

Short but sweet

Dead End Blvd

A step backward in your career path unless you are in it strictly for the passion.

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Jobs at Guitar Center