Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Guitar Center salaries
Guitar Center salary estimate
$15.40hourly
Guitar Center Salary Overview
The average salary at Guitar Center is $32,038, but this can vary based on role and location. For instance, sales associates typically earn around $15.40/hour, while management and specialized roles command higher pay. Geographic factors also influence salary, with urban locations often offering more competitive rates.
Top Paying Positions
Some of the highest-paying roles include Store Manager and District Manager. These positions not only provide higher salaries but also come with additional benefits, including performance bonuses and career advancement opportunities.
Department Salaries
Within the company, salaries differ by department. For example, those in sales may earn differently compared to those in logistics or customer service. Understanding these dynamics can help job seekers target their applications effectively.
Highest paying jobs at Guitar Center
The highest paying jobs at Guitar Center are sales representative, lead operator, warehouse worker, and music instructor. Sales representative jobs at Guitar Center earn an average yearly salary of $37,704, Guitar Center lead operator jobs average $37,034, and Guitar Center warehouse worker jobs average $36,839.
The lowest paying Guitar Center roles include cashier and operations associate. Guitar Center cashier average salary is $26,727 per year. So while the average Guitar Center salary is $32,038 there is a big variation in pay depending on the role.
Highest paying jobs at Guitar Center
| Rank | Job title | Average Guitar Center salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sales Representative | $37,704 | $18.13 |
| 2 | Lead Operator | $37,034 | $17.80 |
| 3 | Warehouse Worker | $36,839 | $17.71 |
| 4 | Music Instructor | $35,340 | $16.99 |
| 5 | Guitar Instructor | $34,866 | $16.76 |
| 6 | Department Manager | $33,882 | $16.29 |
| 7 | Guitar Technician | $33,633 | $16.17 |
| 8 | Assistant Manager | $32,675 | $15.71 |
| 9 | Repair Technician | $32,197 | $15.48 |
| 10 | Operations Specialist | $31,211 | $15.01 |
| 11 | Customer Service Representative | $30,194 | $14.52 |
| 12 | Press Operator Assistant | $29,718 | $14.29 |
| 13 | Sales Associate | $27,662 | $13.30 |
| 14 | Operations Associate | $27,573 | $13.26 |
| 15 | Cashier | $26,728 | $12.85 |
Rate Guitar Center's promotion and raise policies.
How much does Guitar Center pay by location?
Highest paying Guitar Center locations
| Rank | Location | Average Guitar Center salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Westlake Village, CA | $40,089 | $19.27 |
| 2 | Pueblo, CO | $35,148 | $16.90 |
| 3 | Frederick, MD | $33,796 | $16.25 |
| 4 | Draper, UT | $31,107 | $14.96 |
| 5 | Nashville, TN | $30,900 | $14.86 |
Do you work at Guitar Center?
Did Guitar Center's compensation package meet your expectations?
Guitar Center salaries by department
Salaries at Guitar Center vary depending on the department you work in. Guitar Center salaries in the engineering department are the highest with an average salary of $103,226. Employees in the art/design department at Guitar Center receive relatively high salaries as well, with an average salary of $39,507 per year. Departments that don't pay as well at Guitar Center include the sales and the customer service organizational functions, with employees earning average salaries of $29,992 and $30,677, respectively.
Average Guitar Center salary by department
| Rank | Department | Average Guitar Center salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Engineering | $103,226 | $49.63 |
| 2 | Art/Design | $39,507 | $18.99 |
| 3 | Plant/Manufacturing | $39,231 | $18.86 |
| 4 | Education | $37,827 | $18.19 |
| 5 | Warehouse | $35,595 | $17.11 |
| 6 | Facilities | $33,827 | $16.26 |
| 7 | Retail | $33,694 | $16.20 |
| 8 | Administrative | $30,842 | $14.83 |
| 9 | Customer Service | $30,677 | $14.75 |
| 10 | Sales | $29,992 | $14.42 |
How much does Guitar Center pay by department?
Best paying Guitar Center sales salaries
| Rank | Position | Average Guitar Center salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Account Manager | $40,669 | $19.55 |
| 2 | Sales Representative | $37,704 | $18.13 |
| 3 | Sales Associate | $27,662 | $13.30 |
Best paying Guitar Center retail salaries
| Rank | Position | Average Guitar Center salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Team Leader | $34,534 | $16.60 |
| 2 | Department Manager | $33,882 | $16.29 |
| 3 | Assistant Manager | $32,675 | $15.71 |
| 4 | Sales Lead/Sales Associate | $29,819 | $14.34 |
| 5 | Lead Associate | $28,612 | $13.76 |
| 6 | Retail Clerk | $26,936 | $12.95 |
| 7 | Cashier | $26,728 | $12.85 |
Best paying Guitar Center customer service salaries
| Rank | Position | Average Guitar Center salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Customer Service Representative | $30,194 | $14.52 |
| 2 | Call Center Representative | $29,393 | $14.13 |
| 3 | Sales Associate And Customer Service | $28,701 | $13.80 |
| 4 | Call Center Agent | $28,097 | $13.51 |
Guitar Center competitors’ average salaries
Average salaries at Guitar Center competitors, like Vudu, Fender, and Factory Direct, Inc, vary. Vudu employees earn the highest salaries, with an average yearly salary of $67,887. The average salary at Fender is $56,949 per year, and the average salary at Factory Direct, Inc is $48,700 per year.
Highest paying Guitar Center competitors
| Rank | Company name | Zippia score | Average salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vudu | 4.5 | $67,887 |
| 2 | Fender | 4.4 | $56,949 |
| 3 | Factory Direct, Inc | 4.1 | $48,700 |
| 4 | Spectrum Paint | 3.3 | $48,524 |
| 5 | Hirshfield's | 3.5 | $48,449 |
| 6 | AT-PAC | 4.4 | $48,400 |
| 7 | Pensacola Pools | 3.4 | $48,199 |
| 8 | FABco | 4.0 | $48,093 |
| 9 | In Bloom, Inc. | 3.6 | $48,030 |
| 10 | Henri, Inc. | 3.9 | $47,983 |
| 11 | Rodda Paint | 3.9 | $43,628 |
| 12 | Levi Strauss & Co. | 4.3 | $41,481 |
| 13 | McCormick Paints | 4.0 | $39,789 |
| 14 | Sam Ash Music Stores | 3.7 | $36,973 |
| 15 | Hallmark Cards | 4.1 | $35,771 |
| 16 | Music & Arts | 3.8 | $34,814 |
| 17 | Gap Inc. | 4.5 | $34,645 |
| 18 | Tower Records | 4.4 | $34,051 |
| 19 | Kohl's | 4.4 | $30,490 |
| 20 | 99 Cents Only Stores | 4.6 | $29,325 |
Recently added Guitar Center salaries
| Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full Stack Engineer, Langchain & Rag | Westlake Village, CA | 05/28/2025 | $140,000 |
| Luthier-Base Pay + Commissions | Pueblo, CO | 04/30/2025 | $30,908 |
| Guitar Technician (Luthier) Store 861 | New York, NY | 04/28/2025 | $32,349 |
| Retail Guitar Repair Tech-Base Pay + Commissions | Yonkers, NY | 04/28/2025 | $32,349 |
| Guitar Technician (Luthier) Store 834 | Chambersburg, PA | 04/23/2025 | $30,908 |
What employees say about salary at Guitar Center
Having to meet all kinds of people that are into music
Store manager that doesn't think realistically, sometimes rude customers, the occasional troubled people
Better Help
The area is organized and clean
If the company was more about students and the customers instead of the money and numbers
Having my resume printed and ready, dressing appropriately for the interview and arriving a few minutes early for the interview.
I loved working with other people about music and also having to learn more about music and other instruments as well.
Great coworkers who are passionate about music.
You're on your own for career development, it can be hard to find mentors. Pivots are almost comically predictable. Soft numbers can make it difficult to effect change. Execs talk about not managing top-down, but it's extremely influenced by top-down management. Has been known to have a fear-based, finger pointing culture among higher level management.
Discounts on gear, work from home Fridays.
Many are musicians who understand our products.
Real career development and mentoring, beyond LinkedIn Learning courses that are only available to management and above.
Decent compensation and benefits, on par with other companies of its size.
Guitar Center employees are very diverse, in my experience.
Dicount on gear.
Corporate managment, cut in hours, poor pay, lack of good inventory, union busting
Your crew and gear dicount
Employee discount
As a lesson instructor I am giving students the things they need and the instruction they need to reach the next levelneed to reach the nwxt level need to reach the enext level
Limited influence on operations
Guitar center has a friendly and fun atmosphere
I do not enjoy the hours associated with Guitar Center. As a family man, I would like to be able to see my family more.
The employee discounts are extremely good.
Good management
The atmosphere can get Too Competitive in my opinion but most like that about a job.
Store discount is Great!
The people working there on the store level, and helping people get the gear they need to make the music they love
Corporate management is garbage, little attention payed to operations, and lack of pay increase over the past 3 years of working there
Gear discounts
Frequently asked questions about Guitar Center salaries
Search for jobs
Zippia gives an in-depth look into the details of Guitar Center, including salaries, political affiliations, employee data, and more, in order to inform job seekers about Guitar Center. The employee data is based on information from people who have self-reported their past or current employments at Guitar Center. The data on this page is also based on data sources collected from public and open data sources on the Internet and other locations, as well as proprietary data we licensed from other companies. Sources of data may include, but are not limited to, the BLS, company filings, estimates based on those filings, H1B filings, and other public and private datasets. While we have made attempts to ensure that the information displayed are correct, Zippia is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of this information. None of the information on this page has been provided or approved by Guitar Center. The data presented on this page does not represent the view of Guitar Center and its employees or that of Zippia.
Guitar Center may also be known as or be related to A & E Construction, Guitar Center, Guitar Center Holdings, Inc., Guitar Center Inc and Guitar Center, Inc.