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Guitar Center

4.1 ★★★★☆ 639 Google reviews · Guitar & music store in Palm Desert, California

Buys used gear Lessons Vintage specialist Repairs & setups

Part of a chain selling guitars, amplifiers, drums, keyboards, and other instruments, plus accessories and lessons.

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 (760) 674-1628
  • 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.

🎼 Acoustic Guitars 4 mentions

“I bought a new Fender acoustic guitar and it was shipped in a hard case that was locked with no key!”

All stores with acoustic guitars →

🎸 Electric Guitars 5 mentions

“Great selection of equipment, guitars electric or acoustic, and accessories.”

All stores with electric guitars →

🎸 Bass Guitars 2 mentions

“Bass players will feel absolutely disrespected at this location.”

All stores with bass guitars →

🔊 Amps & Pedals 3 mentions

“They too took our listens into consideration and helped steer my buddy to get recommendations as far as an amp, picks, etc.”

All stores with amps & pedals →

♻️ Used Gear 4 mentions

“We had to cancel an order on a used keyboard due to some repairs needed and Josh helped us walk through the process of quickly locating another one in our price range.”

All stores with used gear →

🔧 Repairs & Setups 5 mentions

“We had to cancel an order on a used keyboard due to some repairs needed and Josh helped us walk through the process of quickly locating another one in our price range.”

All stores with repairs & setups →

🎓 Lessons

“Didn’t charge me anything, so I’m coming back for guitar lessons!”

All stores with lessons →

🥁 Drums & Percussion 4 mentions

“Visited the store a few weeks ago looking for a boom stand that could hold a rig for my Remo frame drum.”

All stores with drums & percussion →

🎤 Pro Audio 2 mentions

“They answered several of my questions when it came to recording equipment and even made sure that I got a great deal in the end.”

All stores with pro audio →

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 2 mentions

“I bought a new Fender acoustic guitar and it was shipped in a hard case that was locked with no key!”

Who else deals Fender →

🏷️ Gibson

Who else deals Gibson →

🏷️ Martin

Who else deals Martin →

🏷️ Taylor

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 639 Google reviews — with their own words as proof.

🔧 expert setups & repairs 3 mentions

“All three of the employees that were there were super helpful and knowledgeable, and they made sure I ended up with the perfect setup for my frame drum.”

🧠 knowledgeable staff 8 mentions

“All three of the employees that were there were super helpful and knowledgeable, and they made sure I ended up with the perfect setup for my frame drum.”

💵 good value 3 mentions

“They answered several of my questions when it came to recording equipment and even made sure that I got a great deal in the end.”

From the reviews

My first time in a Guitar Center was today. I came with my buddy who was purchasing a guitar and other equipment. I was dropping mine off for a clean and some maintenance. I was met with three different individuals specifically. Ricky, their Repair Technician. As well as Chris, and Josh.

★★★★★ — Ethan, Mar 2026

Visited the store a few weeks ago looking for a boom stand that could hold a rig for my Remo frame drum. It was a pretty specific request that ended up taking a lot of trial and error, which led to unboxing several boom stands in the store.

★★★★★ — Emotion, Aug 2024

Friendly, awesome, great place for all things music 🎶 a terrific place to leave the rest of the world behind. At least, grab a harmonica to play with !! Nice selection of guitars to play. There's always a cool guy ready to answer questions. Great service. Reasonable prices.

★★★★★ — Allen, Oct 2025

Bass players will feel absolutely disrespected at this location. The (meager) selection is shoved in a little hallway which leads directly to the bathroom. 6 amps, and nothing with any serious wattage. But anyway, assuming you're not a bass player, it's a decent store. It's small.

★★★★☆ — Michael, Apr 2026

Excerpts from public Google reviews. Read all 639 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

72-399 CA-111, Palm Desert, CA92260

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Guitar stores near Guitar Center

Guitar Center Lessons

72-399 CA-111, Palm Desert, CA

Buys used gear Lessons Repairs & setups Vintage specialist

under a mile away

Rockwell Guitar Repair

4.8 ★★★★★ 89 reviews

74304 CA-111, Palm Desert, CA

expert setups & repairsknowledgeable staffgood value

2.1 miles away

Desert Amplifier Repair

4.9 ★★★★★ 24 reviews

42005 Cook St Ste 106, Palm Desert, CA

Repairs & setups Vintage specialist expert setups & repairsknowledgeable staff

3.0 miles away

All guitar stores in Palm Desert, CA →

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.