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Guitar Center

4.5 ★★★★★ 94 Google reviews · Guitar & music store in Santa Maria, California

Buys used gear Lessons Vintage specialist Repairs & setups

Music store carrying guitars, drums, keyboards, amps, recording gear, and DJ 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 (805) 357-2457
  • 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 just purchased a Yamaha classical guitar and I get 45 days to decide if I want to keep it.”

All stores with acoustic guitars →

🎸 Electric Guitars 5 mentions

“man, I have to say whoever is in charge at that location has orchestrated a group of guys and girls to work that store so completely right!”

All stores with electric guitars →

🎸 Bass Guitars 7 mentions

“a whole wall of basses and 2 other small walls,and they are all playable and not locked up.”

All stores with bass guitars →

🔊 Amps & Pedals 4 mentions

All stores with amps & pedals →

♻️ Used Gear 3 mentions

“great prices on all the items egreat collection of used guitars as well as new Gibson if you want”

All stores with used gear →

🔧 Repairs & Setups 8 mentions

“But my interactions with the tech on the phone at this store switched my feelings and convinced me to go through with an exchange instead of a return.”

All stores with repairs & setups →

🪕 Ukulele, Banjo & Folk

“2 DJ turntables and a whole room of acoustic instruments ,basses, guitars ,and ukulele’s.”

All stores with ukulele, banjo & folk →

🥁 Drums & Percussion 2 mentions

“Drums and some music production software and hardware.”

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.

🏷️ Fender

Who else deals Fender →

🏷️ Gibson 2 mentions

“great prices on all the items egreat collection of used guitars as well as new Gibson if you want”

Who else deals Gibson →

🏷️ Martin

Who else deals Martin →

🏷️ 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 94 Google reviews — with their own words as proof.

🧠 knowledgeable staff 4 mentions

“She was knowledgeable PLUS she knew how to play the keyboard, and very well.”

From the reviews

really really cool guitar center. a whole wall of basses and 2 other small walls,and they are all playable and not locked up.another whole big wall of electric guitars and you could play all of them.2 DJ turntables and a whole room of acoustic instruments ,basses, guitars ,and ukulele’s.

★★★★★ — Awesomesauce45, Dec 2023

They have wide variety of guitars and electrics. Drums and some music production software and hardware. Adan, Isaiah, JJ, Anthony and Shay are very helpful. Tell them DJ Splenda sent you!!!!

★★★★★ — Cesar, Feb 2023

Helpful knowledgeable staff willing to going the distance for the sale. I ordered a Les Paul on the website for home delivery and corporate packed it terribly and it arrived with a busted headstock.

★★★★★ — Kjbyrd, Feb 2026

Great store, with very passionate staff. All of them are musicians, and all of them are extremely knowledgeable and eager to share not only what they know, but their excitement and thoughts on the various aspects of music making earnestly.

★★★★★ — Talon, Feb 2025

Excerpts from public Google reviews. Read all 94 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

443 Betteravia Rd, Santa Maria, CA93454

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Guitar stores near Guitar Center

Guitar Center Lessons

443 Betteravia Rd, Santa Maria, CA

Buys used gear Lessons Repairs & setups Vintage specialist

under a mile away

Rangel Music

4.7 ★★★★★ 44 reviews

321 Town Center E B, Santa Maria, CA

Lessons Repairs & setups good value

1.9 miles away

Latino's Music Store

5 ★★★★★ 2 reviews

207 E Main St, Santa Maria, CA

2.0 miles away

All guitar stores in Santa Maria, 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.