Does Guitar Center pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Guitar Center employees rate their compensation and benefits as 2.3 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Guitar Center. This rating has decreased by 8% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Guitar Center?

38% of Guitar Center employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Guitar Center 2.8 out of 5 for work life balance, 2.7 for culture and values and 2.3 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Guitar Center?

Sales Associate (598) , Operations Associate (85) , Store Manager (81) , Instructor (74) , Lessons Lead (68) , Assistant Manager (61) , Retail Sales Associate (57) , Gear Advisor (56) , Customer Service Manager (47) , Operations Manager (44) , Department Manager (40) , Sales (36) , Repair Technician (34) , Customer Service Manager (CSM) (28) , Operations (28)

What are the pros of working at Guitar Center according to real employee reviews?

"The direct people you work with are great and will help you in any way they can." ((in 235 reviews)); "Coworkers are great and helpful" ((in 140 reviews)); "The benefits are good and that's all I can say." ((in 71 reviews)); "The hours are flexible and based on your availability to GC" ((in 46 reviews)); "We swear like sailors in the warehouse and have a great culture as an ops team." ((in 35 reviews))

What are the cons of working at Guitar Center according to real employee reviews?

"Low pay compared to companies with similar store size Low amount of staff result in poor customer and employee experience." ((in 330 reviews)); "Poor management and a corporate atmosphere" ((in 179 reviews)); "Upper management is completely out of touch with what’s going on at the store level" ((in 94 reviews)); "Commissions were low and sparatic." ((in 85 reviews)); "Managers make less than $20 an hour in a state in which other companies pay managers $50k." ((in 73 reviews))

What are employees saying about Guitar Center layoffs in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about Guitar Center layoffs and their outlook for job security at Guitar Center in 2026.

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Guitar Center

Guitar Center reviews

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2.8

38% would recommend to a friend

(2,724 total reviews)

Gabe Dalporto

27% approve of CEO

21% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

3.4

Diversity & inclusion

2.8

Work/Life balance

2.7

Culture & values

2.3

Compensation and benefits

2.3

Career opportunities

2.1

Senior management

Guitar Center has an employee rating of 2.8 out of 5 stars, based on 2,724 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an average working experience there. The Guitar Center employee rating is 21% below average for employers within the Retail and wholesale industry (3.5 stars).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

3K reviews

4.0

Dec 18, 2021

review about guitar center

Luthier

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

great place to buy guitar

Cons

i dont think theres really cons

4.0

Feb 21, 2020

Flexible, willing to help develop skills

Guitar teacher

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

- Management was very flexible as far as allowing the instructor to arrange lesson plans to each student's needs - Plenty of resources, books, tools, etc. to assist instructors with their job

Cons

- Income depends on how many students you are currently teaching. Business was nearly dead during the summer and Holiday breaks. - Lessons department lead turnover was extremely high. Lesson leads are still expected to perform standard retail duties on top of taking care of scheduling and contacting students. There would occasionally be long stretches of time where we had no Lessons Lead and those periods would be a struggle for everybody else.

2.0

Jan 29, 2019

It could be so much better than this

Manager

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

The people you will work with on a daily basis are some of the most awesome and passionate people you'll ever find

Cons

The people you will work FOR are the exact opposite, and seem intent on wiping out the fun, culture and passion that's such a part of of the company's makeup in favor of a 'profits above all else' attitude that is quickly driving all the good people away.

Viewing 1 - 3 of 2,724 Reviews

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Jobs at Guitar Center

Leave of Absence Specialist

Business Intelligence Analyst

Service Support Specialist

GC Retail Sales Associate Store 134