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Guitar Center

4.3 ★★★★☆ 1,400 Google reviews · Guitar & music store in Totowa, New Jersey

Buys used gear Lessons Vintage specialist Repairs & setups

Drum machine, guitar, piano and keyboard retailer featuring 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 (973) 837-0855
  • 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

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

“Helped get the little guy a new pair of sticks and suggested a set of electric drums to replace the acoustic ones we originally got him.”

All stores with acoustic guitars →

🎸 Bass Guitars 3 mentions

“i have bought nearly all my bass guitars, amps and sound systems from this store for at least 10 years now.”

All stores with bass guitars →

🔊 Amps & Pedals 4 mentions

“i have bought nearly all my bass guitars, amps and sound systems from this store for at least 10 years now.”

All stores with amps & pedals →

♻️ Used Gear 9 mentions

“The guitar center used gear section online has been great, and I really like their rating system.”

All stores with used gear →

🔧 Repairs & Setups 2 mentions

“It was looking grim but then I ran into drum tech Donny to the rescue!”

All stores with repairs & setups →

🎓 Lessons 2 mentions

“They truly helped us build his collection of now 5 guitars and gear that helped him expand with his lessons and personal band.”

All stores with lessons →

🥁 Drums & Percussion 16 mentions

“Just went last night, needed a drum rack part in an emergency situation, needed it immediately as I could not wait for replacement to be shipped.”

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

“he also gave me a terrific trade-in price on a classic fender bassman amp.”

Who else deals Fender →

🏷️ Gibson

Who else deals Gibson →

🏷️ Martin

Who else deals Martin →

🏷️ Taylor 2 mentions

Who else deals Taylor →

🏷️ Ibanez

“He went with an Ibanez RG.”

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 1,400 Google reviews — with their own words as proof.

🤝 fair trade-in offers 2 mentions

“he also gave me a terrific trade-in price on a classic fender bassman amp.”

🧠 knowledgeable staff 9 mentions

“They are so knowledgeable, helpful, honest, kind and all take the time to be there for you through your purchases and for any questions thereafter.”

From the reviews

My 13yr old boy is in to hard rock and has been requesting a guitar for lessons. When we walked in and started browsing we were greeted by Donny with a friendly hello.

★★★★★ — Sforest76, Jun 2023

Love coming here cause it's therapeutic sometimes, they have a wonderful selection of guitars, drums, pianos, DJ equipment, lightning, etc, it has an old school feel to it, the employees that work here are very helpful and will answer any questions that you may have, and I recommend this location to any music lovers…

★★★★★ — Sp:, Aug 2025

shout out to chris c. at guitar center in totawa, nj. i have bought nearly all my bass guitars, amps and sound systems from this store for at least 10 years now. last week i bought a jbl subwoofer to complement my alto top speakers (also bot at gc).

★★★★★ — Joe, Oct 2025

This place is great. No one is hovering over you, trying to upsell everything, at least in my experience. The guitar center used gear section online has been great, and I really like their rating system. My bass was categorized as good, but I think it's excellent. "Great" is in-between those.

★★★★★ — John, Apr 2025

Excerpts from public Google reviews. Read all 1,400 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

1 US-46, Totowa, NJ07512

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Guitar stores near Guitar Center

Guitar Center Lessons

1 US-46, Totowa, NJ

Buys used gear Lessons Repairs & setups Vintage specialist

under a mile away

Robbie's Music City

4.4 ★★★★☆ 80 reviews

514 US-46, Wayne, NJ

expert setups & repairsgood valueplays well with beginners

Long-standing, family-owned musical instrument shop offering sheet music, and repair services.

1.1 miles away

M. Hayden Guitar Co.

4.4 ★★★★☆ 7 reviews

1133 NJ-23 Bldg A, Ground Floor, Wayne, NJ

Repairs & setups Vintage specialist expert setups & repairs

3.2 miles away

All guitar stores in Totowa, NJ →

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.