Home › California › Emeryville › Guitar Center
Guitar Center
4.3 ★★★★☆ 996 Google reviews · Guitar & music store in Emeryville, California
Retailer stocking guitars, drums, basses, keyboards, electronics, amps, and DJ equipment.
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 (510) 559-1055
- 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 |
What's on the wall
“I needed help buying a used guitar they didn’t have in the store and he was very patient and helped me find the right thing.”
“Antonio who was part of the team that helped get my home studio equipment set up.”
“They also offer instrumental lessons for any age group at a reasonable price with dedicated teachers.”
“Elvis and the drum department is an absolute gem!”
Brands they deal
What players say again and again
“They have a lot of friendly and knowledgeable staff who are interested in the music and not just the upsell.”
From the reviews
A variety and great selection of anything music for anyone who are professional musicians as well as beginners. They also offer instrumental lessons for any age group at a reasonable price with dedicated teachers. Friendly and knowledgeable staff.
The entire staff here is absolutely wonderful! Kind, welcoming, and knowledgeable. The energy is always positive. Special shout out to Avery who manages the front office with such grace and warmth. Jaimz who is a skilled, kind, and highly knowledgeable piano teacher.
Fantastic guitars and very helpful staff! Glad to have have the opportunity to purchase several instruments from them, all great instruments with no problems. Adrian, my sales guy there is particularly helpful and very personable. Treats me like a friend. Knows how to seal a deal.
Love the staff here. They are so kind and helpful, especially Jordan. I needed help buying a used guitar they didn’t have in the store and he was very patient and helped me find the right thing. I really liked that I could ask him all the questions I had without it seeming like he was tired of explaining.
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.
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.
Guitar stores near Guitar Center
East Bay Guitar Repair Company
5 ★★★★★ 21 reviews
Marc Silber Music
5 ★★★★★ 2 reviews
Appointment-only shop run by the well-established musician featuring handmade guitars & ukuleles.