Guitar Center

Mr. Fuchs and Mr. Ryan Grunest, Thank you for being patient and doing your research so that I could get the best deal on my new Tascam DR-​40! Guitar Center is as good as buying new gear gets when I get to deal with guys like you two. This recorder is seriously amazing, so glad I made the upgrade!!! thanks again, Hank Baer

The best GC on the West coast! Everyone was spot on with good information I can’t believe I hadn’t visited before, I guess I really didn’t realize they we there! Clint Kuper helped me with my live sound needs, recommended the gear that I needed for my application and was very helpful in getting me focused on what I really needed, not just stuff what he wanted to sell. I will be bypassing every other GC from now on as the guys on Hayden Meadows Drive are the bomb!

As a regular customer ever since they opened, I feel like a have enough experiences to give a rating that is well balanced, based on average service rather than a single event. I shop mostly in drums, but I have also spent many a dollar in pro audio, basses, electric guitars, as well as keyboards. Over the years I’d say that the store management actually really cares about satisfying the customer as they know that their customer base is mostly composed of returning customers. Also, for a while, they had basically a local monopoly for any level of seriousness in the area. Now, with the flourishing of convenient (read free/​fast shipping, and hassle free return policies) internet-​based retailers, as well as local competitors (such as rhythm traders for drums), they know they have to work a little harder to earn that loyalty.
I’ll rate the company in three different areas I think must be separated in order for the review to be fair:
Sales Staff (8 out of 10): This is the one that tends to vary. Sometimes I’ll find reps that are impressively knowledgeable, mostly musicians themselves. Every once in a while, less experienced reps are found, but they are also usually aware of their own limitations and act humbly, and are quick to ask for help from their support staff if asked something they don’t know. As a seasoned musician, I usually don’t need any help from the reps, other than checking stock, doing a price match, or something administrative like that, which has never been a problem.
Store Management (10 out 10): This is where Guitar Center shines for me. I’ve had some of the most memorable customer service experiences of any business with the folks in store management over the years. I have had people patiently listen to me whine, make exceptions to rules when called for, cut me insane price match deals, and worked tirelessly to right wrongs. In once sad instance, GC Corporate became involved and they gracefully stepped over everything and everyone and made things right for me.
Store Itself (10 out of 10): The stores are highly stocked (most of the time whatever I need is available immediately and I get to walk home with it the same day). Everything is clearly organized and easy for the customer to access. Another very important thing is that they freely allow you to play ANY, and I mean ANY instrument in the store for a long as you need/​want. I have banged on $ 5000 DW sets for hours without a single bad look. The North Portland store is particularly well setup to check out and play kits, as they have a separate room with closing doors. One more things, is that they are able to seamlessly coordinate with other local and non-​local stores if the product you are looking for is out of stock at a specific store.
Overall, Guitar Center has been an incredible resource to have in the area. I hope they continue to operate under the notion that they are here to serve the customer. In my experience I feel that is their focus, and I hope it stays that way.
*********** TRUE REVIEW RATING: 4.8 out of 5 ************

Came in here to help a family friend buy a microphone. We’ve been in here for 20 or 30 minutes or so and have had two extremely knowledgable and helpful store associates helping us out the entire time. They have not left our side! We’ve been able to demo several microphones and were going home happy customers. I may not know anything about microphones but I know something about the costumer service and this has been a great experience!
Thanks Kelby and Kyle!

Great customer service!
George in Pro Audio was extremely helpful, went the extra mile to make sure I had exactly what I needed!
Thanks!

Guitar Center is comparable to the WalMart of music stores, which has its pros and cons. The good side of that is the prices are ultimately better than the average music store, but the bad side is any idiot who claims to like music works there. So, if you can, avoid any of the workers (as they have not once actually been of any useful help to me.) And to be more specific, avoid the older employees. They seem to be the ones who have tried to up-​sell not just more expensive products, but ones that are twice as much. The younger employees aren’t really paying all that much attention that you’re even in the store. :)
In fact, when I asked about a piece of equipment not only did the employee help check out two other people before returning to me with my answer, he walked away as I was still talking to him. I figure this was due to the fact I was not planning on buying (just doing my research). So, a commission based job can be motivating if you’re actually buying, but apparently if you aren’t, they treat you with little respect. This is where stores like Music World in Vancouver thrive because they aren’t paid by commission.
That all being said, I still give this particular location 4 stars because it’s one of the few locations you can go in and not be instantly turned off by the constant noise of people playing the instruments with no volume courtesy. The selection is definitely better just due to the size of Guitar Centers in general. At the end of the day, everyone should do their research regardless of the «advice» of an employee anyway. And again, you put all that with the more affordable prices and you’ve got most of what you need.

This is one of the only guitar stores where I walk in and don’t feel like an imbecile for not knowing all the guitar lingo on the planet. Every person working greeted us with a smile and made sure we were taken care of. Edgar and Jet were attentive, informative, and entertaining when buying my ol’ mandolin and selling me a cute little baritone ukulele. Also, the manager, Stacy is super good looking and brilliant. Shop here, everybody!

Update: Nate is no longer at Guitar Center. :(

Very helpful!
Bought my Fender DeVille 410 there!
Fantastic!
Thanks Guys!!!

I dont do reviews but for this place I had to point how good it was. Not only is there a huge selection of guitars of all kinds but the staff is also bery kind. I will definitley go here for all my guitar needs!

Recently bought an electric guitar from Amazon and had some trouble with the action and the high E string sounding dead. I tried adjusting the neck, raising and lowering the bridge, etc., but nothing was working. I took the guitar in to N Portland GC and had Nate evaluate it. He thought he could take care of the problem and a mere 2 hours later the guitar was perfectly set up. The action was dramatically improved, the dead E string was sounding normally (the nut needed filing) and I felt like I had a guitar I could keep. Thanks guys!

Star Players
Pro Audio Josh Northcut
Pro Audio Terrence
Manager Fuchs
Josh helped me pick out my JBL Pro setup and I am 100% satisfied and confident with my gear. He called and emailed me to make sure everything is fine and to my satisfaction.
Terrence is a DJ instructor and knew me by name by the second time I was around at Guitar Center. Very friendly and always made sure I was being helped.
I bought a DJ lighting and truss package which came shipped with 3 shattered par lights. Usually it would have been hell and brimstone to get the lights replaced (technically had to bring in EVERYTHING the lights came with, truss, dmx+controllers + the other 5 lights) but with Fuchs I got three new lights.
Overall I am extremely satisfied with the products and services provided by the staff at Hayden Guitar Center. Their professionalism, experience, and dedication to customer service (Josh must have been wary at some point since I prolly looked like a kid out for a joyride with a big shopping cart) is proof of their success as a business and as an individual as well.
Shout out to the doormen who are very friendly as well!

As full time travelers we’ve stopped in a LOT of Guitar Centers. We haven’t ever walked into a «bad» center, but this by far was our best experience. We prefer smaller locally owned music shops, but this Guitar Center was exceptional in both customer service as well as selection. 5 stars indeed!

I’ve been here a few times and the service was less than stellar. I’m glad I got some help from josh Fuchs though. He turned around my opinion of this store and has kept me coming back to satisfy my gearslutting with his advice and attention to detail.

I’ve been there twice. Once to return a metronome that I had been given for Christmas. Naturally, I had no receipt. The metronome had been purchased at a Guitar Center Store, but I didn’t know which one. The guy at the desk said that he could not help me. I discussed the situation for a while before giving up. I hoped that I had just found a crummy employee. I went back recently to pick out an acoustic guitar. I played many guitars while I waited for someone to help me shop. Finally after 45 minutes a nice Guitar Center employee did come in and did ask to help me. Great! I think I’m finally going to get help. I ask to play a guitar model that they have in their listings. I was told that it was not in the stores and that I would need to pay for it for them to bring it to the store. I give up. I’ll never go there again. Lots of guitars — crappy service

I stopped by the Clackamas Guitar Center yesterday, but I wasn’t too impressed with their selection. I figured I’d stop by the Delta Park location today just to see what they had and it was waaaay better!
I have been wanting to pick up an accoustic guitar to teach myself and have been doing a lot of research on the internet. It’s one thing to look at them online, but quite another to sit with one in your lap! I’m a petite lady, not even 5’0″ (Ok, so I’m 4’11″) and have tried to teach myself in the past with my dad’s full size guitar, but I would always get so frustrated with how big and bulky it was. I just couldn’t give the guitar a proper reach around… haha! But really I’ve been so overwhelmed with different sizes, styles of guitars, like ¾, which I felt was too small…7/8, which I felt was just right. They only had one ⁷⁄₈ guitar in stock, but I wasn’t too impressed with it… I was looking for something to grow into.
I didn’t feel pressured into buying anything right away, Joseph was the first guy I talked to, and he explained some differences between this model and that. He also didn’t laugh at me when I asked him about Daisy Rock guitars. I’ve heard that they make guitars with slimmer necks, and more tailored towards females, so I was leaning towards something like that. We talked about solid tops vs. composites, what brands used this and that. Honestly I don’t remember which brands do what, but he talked to me without making me feel like I was a complete n00b.
William (I think that was his name, I wish I’d gotten his card too!) was also really helpful. After Joseph left me to peruse, William came into the room, humming a jaunty tune, and at first, I thought he was just a regular customer, but he also worked there! He asked me what I had in mind in a guitar, what kind of music I wanted to start playing, and he also understood that I wanted a smaller size guitar, or even something with a cutout that wouldn’t feel ginormous in my lap. I also talked with him about my budget, and I was looking for something around maybe $ 250 at the max. He suggested the Yamaha Grand Concert Cutaway Accoustic/​Electric guitar, which I didn’t even see because it was on a counter and not displayed on the wall. Even though the guitar was priced at $ 299, he said he wouldn’t have felt comfortable selling me something that wasn’t quality and had a poor resale value and was junk. He also gave me some insider info about a sale coming up =) He mentioned that he bought the guitar for his daughter, who is about 5’2″ and it fit her really well. That gives me a point of reference, because you can look online or have a grown man hold a guitar, but when you’re a little lady such as myself, it really helps to have someone understand the challenges one might have when everything is tailored to a regular sized person. I was sold then and there!!!
Unfortunately, I couldn’t afford to leave with the guitar today, but Joseph, who turned out to be the Guitar Manager, offered to take my info down and save my email address and the $ 50 off coupon special they were offering (which would fit my budget perfectly), so when I come back around the 8^th or the 9^th, it would be noted in the system! Also, if any other better deals come along between now and the 9^th, I would get emails on that too.
I don’t know if they work on commission, and I feel bad because William was the one who steered me towards the Yamaha, but I was also talking to Joseph who gave me some great tips. I just hope that both of them know how awesome I think they are for helping me out with my concerns and not making me feel like an idiot. I do this thing where I jump up and down and clap my hands when I get super excited, and I was doing this on my way out the door!!!
I will definitely be coming back to pick up this bad boy in a couple of weeks! I feel like my search for the perfect guitar is finally at it’s end!!!

This place is unbelievable. We shopped here for a guitar for my husband right before Christmas. They had excellent prices and knowledgable staff. The acoustic center is separated in a glass enclosed, atmosphere controlled room. It is quiet and full of a huge selection of acoustic new and used guitars.
We found him a beautiful Martin acoustic and got $ 50.00 off on some kind of special. We live in Vancouver and really like not paying sales tax on expensive items as well.

So nice to see a flagship store like this in Portland, even if it is closer to Vancouver than downtown. I’ve been to tons of Guitar Centers — this is not what I’m used to seeing. Nice, clean layout. Helpful staff (some are a bit young, but how can you avoid that?). Great selection. But here’s the big thing:
This is the only Guitar Center in Portland that has a «GC Studios.» They teach guitar, bass, piano and keyboards, voice, etc. Staffed by accredited pro’s, they even teach 1-​on-​1 recording classes with Pro Tools. I haven’t signed up yet so I can’t say how good they are; but the simple fact that they offer it is crazy.
The other thing that’s unique here is the «platinum room,» which you can’t miss in the center of the guitar area. Really crazy stuff behind glass like in a museum (the whole store kinda has a modern museum vibe) that’s just fun to look at.
Are all the employees knowledgeable? Of course not. This is American retail. Are all the deals that great? Not always by themselves… but they do guarantee to match any price including online stores like Amazon and Musicians Friend, which is why I keep shopping with them. Is it a great place to check out and waste far too much time? You bet.

The grand opening of this store was like a bad reality show. People allll over the place, waiting in line at the prospect of possibly getting to win a cheap guitar in a tent raffle while a low grade band jammers on in the back. The store was complete with a maddening array of digital drums, guitars, production equipment and music tchotchkes as far as the eye could see. We waited with the best of them while the rest of Portland was in here pretending you couldnt already get this stuff for a good price online. Long story short, despite a bad Elvis impersonator jammering on about paying with your debit card over the PA In between lyrics of his songs, with 300 people all having their own short bus jam session on different instruments, I was ultimately impressed with their helpfulness and selection. I was a little sad we didn’t buy from one of portland’s many local guitar shops, but they just didn’t have competitive prices in the end.