Guitar Center: The History and Founding of the Music Retail Giant

Who founded Guitar Center?
Ray Scherr was hired by Wayne Mitchell, the founder of Guitar Center, to help strengthen and develop the small store. Ray added the culture and helped drive the growth of the company from the one location to the largest music store chain in the world.
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With more than 300 locations across the United States, Guitar Center is the largest chain of musical instrument merchants in the world. It is well-known for its enormous variety of guitars, drums, keyboards, and other musical instruments as well as for its experienced personnel and first-rate customer service. But how did this retail behemoth get started? Who established Guitar Center?

The beginning of Guitar Center can be found in 1959, when Wayne Mitchell started a tiny shop in Hollywood, California called The Organ Center. The shop began by selling mainly organs and Hammond organs, but it quickly grew to sell additional musical equipment including guitars and drums. Mitchell relocated the business to a bigger facility on Sunset Boulevard in 1964 and changed the name of the establishment to The Guitar Center.

The Guitar Center grew and expanded throughout the years, finally surpassing all other music retailers in the country. The business was acquired by private equity firm Bain Capital for $1.9 billion in 2007.

Guitar Center has stayed true to its roots despite the ownership shift, providing a large selection of musical instruments and accessories at affordable pricing. For musicians of various skill levels, the business also offers music classes, repairs, and rentals.

In response to the linked inquiries, Sweetwater and Musicians Friend are two separate businesses. Fort Wayne, Indiana-based Sweetwater is a music store that focuses on high-end audio gear and instruments. On the other hand, Musicians Friend is an online music store that provides a broad selection of musical instruments and accessories at competitive costs.

New York City is home to the largest Guitar Center store, which is over 30,000 square feet in size and offers an incredible assortment of guitars, drums, keyboards, and other musical instruments. It is a well-liked venue for musicians of all skill levels because it also provides music classes, repairs, and rentals.

In conclusion, Guitar Center is a well-known music retailer that has been offering artists top-notch gear and top-notch support for more than 60 years. Despite ownership changes throughout the years, the company’s dedication to music and musicians has not wavered. Therefore, Guitar Center provides everything you need to create beautiful music, whether you’re a novice or an accomplished musician.

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