Guitar Center — Local services in Jackson

The incompetence and carelessness of the staff at this store reflects poorly on the entire brand. Because of it I see no reason to ever shop at another Guitar Center location or website again despite having spent tens of thousands of dollars under the Guitar Center umbrella over the years.

I took in a guitar for repair. Brennan, the tech, told me that a repair for the headstock and a refinish could be performed by him. A month later I returned to the store to pick up my repaired guitar. It took 40 minutes to have my guitar brought to me. That’s because they couldn’t locate it. See, inordinate wait times are the standard at this location - every time I’ve been in there over the years whether there’s 1 custom or 10 they’ll at some point be ignored and/or forgotten.

Once they found my guitar I opened the case to find my guitar in worse condition than when I dropped it off. It was covered in scratches from the headstock to the neck joint from being roughly sanded due to the most careless and negligent gluing possible. Oh, there were also glue drops and glue fingerprints left all over the guitar as well.

Ultimately, I took the guitar to an excellent luthier named Brandon Gardiner to clean up their mess.

At the end of the day, what should’ve been a ten minute pick up wound up costing me 4 hours.

Why didn’t Brennan tell me BEFORE he touched my guitar that he couldn’t complete the agreed upon tasks that I dropped it off for? Why didn’t he tell me at any point in the month it was there that he was not able to perform the tasks I left it there for? Why didn’t he protect the non damaged area of the instrument with masking tape? I live 2 hours from this store. Had I known they couldn’t do it I would’ve taken it elsewhere or made the additional arrangements for refinishing ahead of time. Instead I’ve now spent an additional 2 hours to get the instrument to capable hands and have to wait longer to get my instrument because of their failure to communicate and perform.

Alex, the manager, explained they wouldn’t refund me because the sanding was necessary to level the glue at the repair joint. There is no world in which glue should have been a foot away from the break. He also told me he spoke to the luthier who’s cleaning up the mess Brennan created and since his charges will still keep my total repair costs around the $250 I’d initially expected to pay Guitar Center they don’t need to refund me. That dismisses the issue at hand. The dollar amount is irrelevant. What can’t be recompensed is the time and the emotion I’ve spent because of the failures of this store.

I expected Guitar Center to do something, they failed to do it AND THEY DIDN’T TELL ME. I didn’t leave my guitar there for a headstock repair and unnecessary sanding on the neck - I left my guitar to have it repaired and refinished. That’s why the associate who watched me open it said, “Hmm, I thought we were doing a refinish.” They don’t have the decency to admit to an absolutely careless “repair.” Any person would know it wouldn’t have been necessary had a reasonably prudent person handled the repair. It’s inexcusable.

The repair tech is in a position that he is not capable of being in. The store manager does not have the communication skills patrons deserve. I made four calls and sent an email and Alex did not respond once to update me on the situation. Even once he’d “investigated” the situation he didn’t call or email me. I had to call him. He also made a mockery of the situation by offering me a pack of guitar strings for the miscommunication. I want this store and these employees held accountable for the time I’ve wasted and stress I’ve experienced because of their incompetence. I want to make sure I never spend a dollar under the Guitar Center umbrella again.

Additionally, corporate, I want you to know they refused to give me the number for the district manager despite your Customer Service line telling me they’re obligated to give me the...

I have a gig on the East coast tomorrow night, so I left work an hour early today to stop at Guitar Center in Jackson, MS on my way to the airport, to pick up a new guitar wireless. I have misplaced the power cord to mine, and need a substitute ASAP. They had a Line 6 C30 on sale so I had the salesman get one for me. At the register, the wireless rang up for $50 more than the price on the sign. I showed the clerk the sign for the wireless so he called for the manager to adjust the price. The manager said the sign was old, and the wireless is no longer on sale, and wouldn’t adjust the price. They used to call this “bait and switch”. I don’t know if this is a common practice for Guitar Center, but I do know it will cost you a 20+ year customer. Musicians Friend has the same products, I just like shopping at an actual store. I’ve checked the small local music store where we’ll be playing, and they have a wireless I can get tomorrow. I have bought guitars, amps, pro audio gear, and numerous accessories from GC, a few of these things from this store. Guitar Center won’t get any more of my business. I’m giving it one star because that’s how many fingers it takes to describe my...

This store has the best selection in town by a long shot. Personally, I feel like the prices could be a little bit more competitive with the online market. I understand that the convenience of having everything in a one-stop-shop is very valuable alone, but it seems like there is always a little bit too much wiggle room as far as the price point is concerned. If you can convince your salesperson to do so, some items can stand to take as much as a 30% discount from the posted price. This means that the store is still making a profit and the salesperson a commission. This is especially true with used gear. Having to ask for a discount isn't something that I just enjoy doing. Why not have a fair price and not have to haggle? .

Other than that, the staff is friendly and knowledgeable for the most part. this is surprising because Guitar Center doesn't compensate their employees very well at all. The way that commission is paid is an...