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Guitar Center

4.5 ★★★★★ 490 Google reviews · Guitar & music store in Johnson City, New York

Buys used gear Lessons Vintage specialist Repairs & setups

Music gear retailer carrying guitars, drums, amps and other instruments.

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 (607) 797-3042
  • Website stores.guitarcenter.com

Hours

Monday 11 AM–7 PM
Tuesday 11 AM–7 PM
Wednesday 11 AM–7 PM
Thursday 11 AM–7 PM
Friday 11 AM–7 PM
Saturday 11 AM–8 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.

🎸 Bass Guitars 2 mentions

All stores with bass guitars →

🔊 Amps & Pedals 2 mentions

“They had an excellent inventory of electric guitars and amps, all at a reasonable price.”

All stores with amps & pedals →

🔧 Repairs & Setups 3 mentions

“The massive amount of instruments and gear set up for public testing is wonderful, one could easily spend hours in there and never got bored.”

All stores with repairs & setups →

🎓 Lessons

“Guitar Center does not currently have a working program of available instructors who can teach, but the staff connected me with someone that I can try to meet.”

All stores with lessons →

🪕 Ukulele, Banjo & Folk

“I once purchased an inexpensive ukulele for my daughter and was still treated like the biggest customer of the day.”

All stores with ukulele, banjo & folk →

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.

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 490 Google reviews — with their own words as proof.

🧠 knowledgeable staff 4 mentions

“Friendly service, knowledgeable staff, and about average pricing on a majority of items.”

💵 good value 3 mentions

“I once purchased an inexpensive ukulele for my daughter and was still treated like the biggest customer of the day.”

From the reviews

I love this place. I got a great deal on a guitar, amp and accessories. The salesman Jeff was excellent. He should get an award for employee of the month

★★★★★ — Robert, Oct 2019

I visited guitar center recently to pick up a mic for my home studio. This location isn't too large but I'm pretty sure you will find something that interests you with all the gear they have as well as pre owned items you get bit of a discount on.

★★★★☆ — Octavia, Jun 2023

The staff here are wonderful people. I am pursuing a hobby in audio production as well as songwriting and music composition. I received so much help. All my questions about equipment are answered and I left today feeling very encouraged.

★★★★★ — Umbraequinae, May 2025

First off, the people are fantastic. First time there was with 3 kids (two of them 5 and 3), employees were patient and understanding, and very encouraging that we had an interest in music. I've been in there a few more times since and have had to call for support, every interaction has been great.

★★★★★ — Christopher, Mar 2025

Excerpts from public Google reviews. Read all 490 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

665 Harry L Dr, Johnson City, NY13790

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Guitar stores near Guitar Center

Guitar Center Lessons

665 Harry L Dr, Johnson City, NY

Buys used gear Lessons Repairs & setups Vintage specialist

under a mile away

McNeil Music

4.6 ★★★★★ 138 reviews

4517 Vestal Rd, Vestal, NY

knowledgeable stafffriendly staffgood value

Store offering new and used instruments, as well as repairs, lessons, and rentals.

2.2 miles away

Music City

4.6 ★★★★★ 288 reviews

3104 Vestal Pkwy E, Vestal, NY

Buys used gear Lessons Repairs & setups let you play everythingfriendly staff

Music shop selling new and used guitars, amps and pedals plus other instruments, as well as vinyl records, CDs, and accessories.

2.5 miles away

All guitar stores in Johnson City, NY →

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.