Guitar Center

Write a Review559-221-2222

OPEN NOW - Closes at 9:00pm

I've been shopping there since it first opened, in the early 2000's. It was a World class store, when the main Manager , a San Franciscan, ran the store and hired friendly - knowledgeable staff, who know about the gear they sold and how to use it.

I went in a few weeks ago, the majority of staff there, were not educated in the gear ( miss ya Lefty), condescending in their manners, rude with a hostile / unwelcoming demeanor.

I was trying out an effects pedal for a little under an hour and the staff member came up to me saying in a condescending tone, " You're sure are taking a long time deciding on buying that pedal". When it came time to buy the pedal, I bought it from another sales person, who was very helpful and welcoming to me in the past.

I applied and was told I had the job in 2011 by the manager back then. I have over 7 years Sales, Shipping/ Receiving, 34 years guitar playing / teaching since 1986, knowledgeable about music gear, M.I.D.I. Implementation, pedal board configuring and vast knowledge about pickups / other accessories. I called in as instructed by the store manager to be placed on the schedule, I called in the next day and the store manager was not in, I called in the next day .... and the run around. One of the staff members told me later ( who is no longer there) that manager hired one of his friends and that I encountered the Age / Nepotism / Too Experienced barrier.

The store no longer has the selection it once had years ago and according to some in the Stock / Trading community, Guitar Center is teetering like Radio Shack, going belly up since Bains Capital sold it earlier this year.

If this store is an indication of all the other stores in U.S., Guitar Center is most likely going out the way of Radio Shack, Circuit City, Gotshalks and Mervin's.

Sadly, this Fresno's only new gear store with more selection than the Ma and Pa stores.