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Guitar Center
4.4 ★★★★☆ 621 Google reviews · Guitar & music store in San Jose, California
Retailer offering a wide selection of new and used guitars, drums, keyboards and recording 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 (408) 269-1681
- 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
“Thanks for the new Gibson SG, THIS THING ROCKS 🤘”
“Being a relatively rare guitar I gave the shop a call to ask about the condition and what would come along with it since it was used.”
“Within a few days, I sent my sister to see Christian to find a guitar for her teenage daughter, and yesterday, Christian helped me with an excellent trade in for my keyboard.”
“Phil in Repairs was incredibly helpful!”
“The lessons that they offer here are very affordable and great one on one instruction.”
Brands they deal
“I had been eyeing a specific Ibanez that recently went on back order and happened to find a reasonably priced used one that was in stock at this location.”
What players say again and again
“Phil in Repairs was incredibly helpful! He gave me great advice on setting up my used acoustic guitar for a beginner and lowered the action to get me started.”
“Within a few days, I sent my sister to see Christian to find a guitar for her teenage daughter, and yesterday, Christian helped me with an excellent trade in for my keyboard.”
“Very chill, knowledgeable and happy-go-lucky kind of guy.”
“I had been eyeing a specific Ibanez that recently went on back order and happened to find a reasonably priced used one that was in stock at this location.”
“He gave me great advice on setting up my used acoustic guitar for a beginner and lowered the action to get me started.”
From the reviews
CHRISTIAN IS THE BEST! I love Guitar Center and have always brought my music/instrument needs to them. I had the pleasure of working with Christian at Guitar Center multiple times over the past week. He was the first one to help me on my initial visit last week, helping me find the perfect Guitar for my 17 yo.
I had been eyeing a specific Ibanez that recently went on back order and happened to find a reasonably priced used one that was in stock at this location. Being a relatively rare guitar I gave the shop a call to ask about the condition and what would come along with it since it was used.
Phil helped me with an over the phone purchase after I saw a used guitar that they recently had bought in. Because I am not in the area, I asked if he could get his hands on it and do a thorough check for me, looking for any cracks, scratches, electrical concerns etc.
I came in on 5/2 to sell my guitar. I was told to hang out while they get and estimate on my guitar and whist waiting there was a resonator guitar I got to fiddle around on. Justin ( the gentleman with the sick locs) came in and and started up a conversation.
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.
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