Guitar Center — Attraction in Portage

I have been in many, many Guitar Centers in the last 20+ years, in six states all over the country...my first was the iconic Sunset Boulevard location in Hollywood in the mid/late-ish 1990s, shopped frequently at a location near our (former) home in New Orleans, where we lived off and on for fifteen years. Our family finally decided we needed fresh air, (literally) a clean start totally away from the Gulf coast/the south. We moved up to Kalamazoo Labor Day weekend 2019, but due to the unprecedented circumstances/events of this year, we have not been able to explore the offerings of our new community. Our son Thor got a bass guitar, his first musical instrument, two months ago, a Fender practice amp this week...but we forgot a cord to bring them together. Friday I hopped in our new (old) car, (SO epic to have wheels of our own again after two years of buses and walking) to grab the bass amp cord and get the music rolling. I have to cop to the icky truth-my expectations were low. I don't like busy streets packed with chain restaurants, fast food and megagiantsupercenter grocery monoliths. I hate malls. I shop small, shop local whenever I can...this Guitar Center has that feel the moment you walk in. The store is not huge, but it has a great selection of instruments and equipment...The guitar walls had my mouth hanging open. It is clean, the atmosphere laid-back and warm. I felt like I had come home. The employees are attentive, all musicians with an obvious passion for all things melodic. I wanted to hang out there chatting about the bands we love until I could be considered a missing person but I had to get home before I got stuck in after work traffic. The cord recommended to me fit my modest budget, is very high quality...the sales associate who helped me uses it himself. Big plus. It is is simple as this. When a group of people love where they work, are creators and contributors in a positive way, you will not only get my business, you earn my loyalty, too. That, my friends, is priceless. Thank you, guys. Can't wait to chat about Dimebag, lightning storms, sludge rock and laugh with you...

Had to update this review. Steve Moore is awesome and gets 5 stars, but Guitar Center (nationally) gets 0 stars from me, so I'm splitting the difference with 3. The instrument I ordered came in with a gouge in the front. Steve immediately ordered a replacement for me, looking for a "pristine" instrument. First of all, it took longer to arrive than the initial instrument and was not shipped when they said it would...and they also gave me zero information on what was going on with the delay. Second, the back corner of the headstock has a good chunk of paint chipped off, as well as a small scratch on the neck. Otherwise, I love the instrument, so I decided to keep it instead of going through even more hassle. But, if you can get an instrument elsewhere, I'd suggest it. A brand new instrument should be...brand new, perfect, and hassle-free. If you HAVE to go to Guitar Center, ask for Steve Moore. He'll do what he can to take care of you.

(Original 5 star review) Had a great experience with this shop. I called in looking for a special, limited edition 5-string bass, which they did not have in store, but Steve Moore located the instrument online and put in an order for me, to arrive at my home in just a few days. I also had questions about a couple other items I wanted to purchase, and Steve was very cordial, knowledgeable, and helpful. Got a great price, too! Very excited to receive my new instrument!...

I've been coming to this GC since the day it opened, which was probably 15 years ago (It used to be a Gateway Computer store to give you an idea). I've been in the store hundreds of times and have spent thousands of dollars and in the past decade I think I've been asked if I need help maybe 3 times.. seriously. The final straw was yesterday as I was standing at the counter trying to buy a pack of strings. There were FIVE employees standing directly behind me chattin it up while I just stood there, which is usually the case with this store. Finally the girl says "Do you need help?" No, I'm just staring at the checkout counter because I'm bored. Seriously how the hell does this store make any money? Every time I go in here there's about 8-10 employees not doing a damn thing while the one lonesome customer walks around. I get it, GC likes to hire the aspiring rocker who's still trying to make it, but I guarantee your sales would go up significantly if you just interacted with a customer. I'm not an expert on music gear despite playing for so long, so a little help would be appreciated every once in a while. The worst part about this store is that I'm not going to stop coming here.. it's the only decent store with...