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Guitar Center
4.3 ★★★★☆ 2,045 Google reviews · Guitar & music store in La Mesa, California
Shop for guitars in different styles, as well as lessons, repairs and trade-ins.
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 (619) 668-8400
- 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 want to give special thanks to Xander for helping me find the perfect amp and cabinet combination for my style and sound preferences.”
“It has a ton of guitars (3 levels on the wall) and it always has some interesting used guitars you don't normally see everywhere else.”
“Being able to sit down and try different models side by side makes a big difference when you’re deciding what actually fits your setup.”
“Amazing place to try instruments, take lessons and buy anything related to music”
“Guitars, keyboards, PA gear, cables, stands, and just about anything else you need are all here.”
“I’ve picked up gear for my piano and violin YouTube work, and it’s been a reliable place to compare options before buying.”
Brands they deal
What players say again and again
“It’s a strong location if you want variety, hands-on testing, and a team that knows the gear.”
“They have a wide variety of guitars, at various price points, and a knowledgeable and friendly staff.”
From the reviews
As a musician and the author of The Grant Colson Thriller Series and SERA Archives thriller novels, I like to reset with music whenever I can, and Guitar Center is one of the largest locations I’ve been to. The selection is massive.
I've been coming to this guitar center for some time now, and i must say, they have it well deserved, this is a great store, they let you play all the instruments, they're knowledgeable and they have pretty decent prices. 5 star establishment. PS: no playing stairway to heaven.
It was fantastic. I mean literally hundreds of guitars. But i learned somerhing new today. Like most companies that have an online catalog, the inventory on hand can greatly differ than the stock on hand at the store.
I went to the Guitar Center a few months ago to buy a keyboard and stand. The salesperson was extremely knowledgeable and professional, with good customer service. I then went back to the Guitar Center on September 14, to sell my keyboard back as I needed emergency funds.
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
Guitar Center Lessons
Alan's Music Center Inc
4.8 ★★★★★ 348 reviews
Opened in 1954, this shop carries a full line of instruments, plus a wide selection of sheet music.