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Guitar Center

4.3 ★★★★☆ 797 Google reviews · Guitar & music store in Cary, North Carolina

Buys used gear Lessons Vintage specialist Repairs & setups

Musical-instrument chain, selling Fender, Gibson amps, guitars, drums, keyboards and accessories.

Plan your visit

  • Repairs & setups a repair bench comes up in reviews and the store's own info — call ahead for turnaround, since good techs run a queue
  • Buys & trades used gear they buy, trade, or consign used instruments — bring the case and any original parts, and expect trade credit to beat the cash offer
  • Lessons lessons come up in reviews and the store's own info — call about openings, instruments taught, and rates before the first visit
  • Instrument rentals rentals mentioned — the usual route for band & orchestra season; ask about rent-to-own credit
  • Today see hours ·
  • Phone (919) 286-5600
  • Website stores.guitarcenter.com

Hours

Monday 11 AM–9 PM
Tuesday 11 AM–9 PM
Wednesday 11 AM–9 PM
Thursday 11 AM–9 PM
Friday 11 AM–9 PM
Saturday 10 AM–9 PM
Sunday 11 AM–7 PM

Hours can shift for holidays, clinics, and lesson schedules — worth a quick check before a special trip.

What's on the wall

Instrument and gear categories at Guitar Center, confirmed in players' own reviews and the store's own info — not guessed from the sign out front.

♻️ Used Gear 3 mentions

“Multiple times I have came here, and always learned something new 🎸🤘🏼All products that were second hand have worked perfectly fine, for a comparable price”

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🔧 Repairs & Setups 3 mentions

“Dominic set up my son on the electronic drums, and Diego helped me with several Taylor guitars.”

All stores with repairs & setups →

🎓 Lessons 2 mentions

“), as well as drums and accessories and much more (lessons).”

All stores with lessons →

🪕 Ukulele, Banjo & Folk

“I have purchased keyboards, guitars, ukulele, headphones and piano stools.”

All stores with ukulele, banjo & folk →

🥁 Drums & Percussion 4 mentions

“Dominic set up my son on the electronic drums, and Diego helped me with several Taylor guitars.”

All stores with drums & percussion →

🎹 Keys & Pianos 4 mentions

“I wanted to learn how to DJ, my 15-year-old daughter was looking for her first electric guitar, and my 13-year-old wanted to upgrade from her keyboard to an 88-key keyboard.”

All stores with keys & pianos →

Brands they deal

Brands players name in their reviews of Guitar Center — the fastest way to tell what's actually hanging on the wall before you drive over.

🏷️ Fender

Who else deals Fender →

🏷️ Gibson

Who else deals Gibson →

🏷️ Martin

Who else deals Martin →

🏷️ Taylor

“Dominic set up my son on the electronic drums, and Diego helped me with several Taylor guitars.”

Who else deals Taylor →

🏷️ Ibanez

Who else deals Ibanez →

🏷️ Gretsch

Who else deals Gretsch →

🏷️ Epiphone

Who else deals Epiphone →

🏷️ Rickenbacker

Who else deals Rickenbacker →

🏷️ Squier

Who else deals Squier →

Brand mentions are mined from reviews and the store's own info — they tell you what's on the wall, not formal authorized-dealer status. If warranty coverage matters, confirm dealer status with the store or the brand's own dealer locator.

What players say again and again

The things reviewers bring up again and again across 797 Google reviews — with their own words as proof.

🧠 knowledgeable staff 7 mentions

“The staff were friendly, knowledgeable, and very helpful in answering the questions I had about my equipment needs.”

From the reviews

I had an old guitar that I wanted to sell. They looked it over and explained the value. They didn't treat me like I was am idiot, and said the even though they wouldn't be able to buy it, but I definitely could get a fair price on line. I did sell it, and got a price that I wanted.

★★★★☆ — Joseph, Jul 2019

We had an amazing experience at Guitar Center thanks to Zaria! My family and I walked in pretty clueless, but with big aspirations. I wanted to learn how to DJ, my 15-year-old daughter was looking for her first electric guitar, and my 13-year-old wanted to upgrade from her keyboard to an 88-key keyboard.

★★★★★ — Bianca, Dec 2025

I had a "Mickey Mouse Close and Play" karaoke machine that failed at a family get together/surprise birthday. I immediately Googled the nearest business with such device. Guitar Center was the closets. I called and they provided a link to their "house brand! Harbinger RoadTrip 100.

★★★★★ — Guitar, May 2026

This Guitar Center is a musicians’ haven. They almost got everything a musician needs. My sons and daughter would come here to buy whatever we need for our guitars and other music instruments.

★★★★★ — Dr., Oct 2022

Excerpts from public Google reviews. Read all 797 reviews →

Selling or trading gear at Guitar Center

Guitar Center comes up for buying and trading used gear — confirmed on their own site. Two things make the trip go better. First, bring the whole package: the case or gig bag, the original tremolo arm or bridge parts, the paperwork if you have it — a complete rig is worth real money more than a bare instrument, and it saves the back-and-forth of "can you bring the case in?" Second, know that trade credit almost always beats the cash offer, usually by a healthy margin — if you're upgrading anyway, price your old gear as a trade against the new one before you take cash. Either way, expect the offer to be below what the gear sells for on the wall; the gap is the store's margin for setup, warranty, and sitting on it until the right buyer walks in.

Check trade-in info on their site

Lessons at Guitar Center

Reviews and the store's own info mention lessons at Guitar Center. If you're signing up a beginner (or restarting yourself), a quick call ahead answers the three things that matter: which instruments they teach, whether the schedule has openings at the time you actually need, and what a first lesson costs. There's no wrong first guitar — a good teacher will happily work with whatever you walk in with, and a shop that teaches usually keeps affordable starter instruments and rentals on hand for exactly this reason.

Where to find Guitar Center

7123 O'Kelly Chapel Rd, Cary, NC27519

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6.5 miles away

All guitar stores in Cary, NC →

Listing verified July 2026 from public business records and player reviews. Something out of date? Report a correction. Own this store? Claim your listing — it's free.