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Guitar Center

4.4 ★★★★☆ 1,048 Google reviews · Guitar & music store in Portage, Michigan

Buys used gear Lessons Vintage specialist Repairs & setups

Chain outlet providing guitars, amps, keyboards, and other musical instruments, plus lessons and repairs.

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 (269) 276-9344
  • 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 3 mentions

“I just went in to purchase a new case for my electric guitar, I hadn’t even realized I grabbed an acoustic one.”

All stores with acoustic guitars →

🎸 Electric Guitars 2 mentions

“I just went in to purchase a new case for my electric guitar, I hadn’t even realized I grabbed an acoustic one.”

All stores with electric guitars →

🏆 Vintage & Rare

“I purchased a vintage guitar online from this store, initially speaking on the phone with Clayton who gave me a good description of its condition.”

All stores with vintage & rare →

♻️ Used Gear 3 mentions

“Went in looking for a repair for a used guitar pedal.”

All stores with used gear →

🔧 Repairs & Setups 7 mentions

“Went in looking for a repair for a used guitar pedal.”

All stores with repairs & setups →

🎓 Lessons 6 mentions

“I took production lessons here as a kid and I still use the lesson I learned here over a decade later.”

All stores with lessons →

🪕 Ukulele, Banjo & Folk 7 mentions

All stores with ukulele, banjo & folk →

🥁 Drums & Percussion 13 mentions

All stores with drums & percussion →

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 1,048 Google reviews — with their own words as proof.

💵 good value 2 mentions

“He got me a great deal on it.”

From the reviews

Walking into Guitar Center feels like stepping into a temple of tone. No egos, no gimmicks — just real musicians behind the counter who know the difference between cheap talk and clean signal. They don’t push you, they guide you. They don’t sell you hype, they match you to the weapon you actually need.

★★★★★ — Dustin, Nov 2025

We've been at this Guitar Center location quite a few times, never a disappointing experience. All of the employees are knowledgeable and professional. I only added pictures of the temp & humidity controlled string instruments room because it's beautiful (and smells amazing).

★★★★★ — K., Mar 2019

I’ve almost always had good experiences here, in the past some of the staff was tough to deal with, though there were a couple gems in the old crew like Steve, and presently with new staff everything seems better and more professional.

★★★★☆ — Tim, Sep 2025

I purchased a vintage guitar online from this store, initially speaking on the phone with Clayton who gave me a good description of its condition. He seemed to be quite knowledgeable and spent a fair amount of time on the call answering my questions.

★★★★★ — Jim, Jan 2026

Excerpts from public Google reviews. Read all 1,048 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

5800 S Westnedge Ave, Portage, MI49002

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Guitar stores near Guitar Center

FYE

4.1 ★★★★☆ 541 reviews

6650 S Westnedge Ave #224, Portage, MI

Vintage specialist

Entertainment retail chain selling new & pre-owned music, movies & video games, plus T-shirts.

under a mile away

Marshall Music Company

4.3 ★★★★☆ 148 reviews

951 Mall Dr, Portage, MI

Lessons Repairs & setups Vintage specialist great lesson programgood value

Retailer offering a range of musical instruments & gear for sale or rental, plus lessons & repairs.

under a mile away

2.0 miles away

All guitar stores in Portage, MI →

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.