First hand impressions: 

Every musician in America knows the Guitar Center stores which is the biggest chain of music stores in the USA with over 200 stores. Of course a big chain like this has to have a online store as well.

There is no doubt that GuitarCenter.com is one of the best online music stores out there today. At first glance it looks very professional and it’s easy to get an overview of how to find the products of choice. It’s a pretty simple setup and design and still you get a lot of information on the front page.  
There is a flash banner on the front pages which shows different promotions and events and this gives the page a little life and and you get a feeling that this is a great store with lots of opportunities.  
On the front page there is also a few featured products which seams a bit random. It just looks like they needed to fill the space out with something. I think it would have been better if it had been 5 categories with featured products that you could go to.  
 
 
Usability: 
This is an easy site to use. There are many ways to get to the products which make them easy to find no matter how you start, and you can always come back to the front page just by clicking on “Buy Online"
On top there is a menu which shows the different kinds of instruments and musical equipment which is great, and there is also a search box if you want to find your instruments that way. 
On the left hand side of the site there is also a menu where you can chose how you want to find the instruments you are searching for. You can search by category (guitars, bass, drums etc.) or by brand (Fender, Gibson, Yamaha etc.). You can also find the newest instruments under “New Arrivals”.  
Under each category there is also a lot of ways to find your instrument and there are a few more featured products.  
I have to say that its really easy to find whatever you are looking for and as far as I can see they got it all.  
 
 
Selection:  
Well I have already said this but I can say it again. It looks like they got it all. And then again – where is the Duesenberg guitars?  
Well they haven’t got everything but almost. I have to say that I’m very impressed with the selection they got but again, isn't that what you expect from the largest music instrument retailer in the world – I would say Yes. And it’s definitely the best selection of any of the online music stores out there right now.  
 
 
Customer service: 
There is a toll free phone number you can call 24 hours a day 7 days a week if you need assistance when your shopping at GuitarCenter.com.  
  
There is also a FAQ page where you can see answers to previously asked questions. There are about 224 answers here so there are good chances that you can find an answer to any questions you might have.  
If the answer to your question is not there there is a contact form where you can ask anything you want. The only thing is that you have to create an account to do so.  
  
If you have product related questions there is expert help to get here. There is a contact form for these questions that you can use and then a expert of that product will get back to you to answer your question. You don’t have to have an account to do this.  
 
 
The purchase: 
It’s very easy to purchase the product you want. Just find the product and click the “Add to cart” button. When you are done shopping you go to your cart and push the “Checkout” button. If you are a new customer you will have to fill out the form with your name and address etc. and your credit card information.  
  
It’s all really easy and if you just follow the guide there should be no problems.  
  
You can also chose to check out with PayPal which is the easy way if you have a PayPal account. This is a really good feature and many people feel that PayPal is the safe way to pay, which it is. 
  
  
Delivery: 
It takes 5 business days to ship an order if send by standard shipping. On back orders there are usually 2–4 weeks delivery. An order of more than 99$ is free of charge. On large orders there might be an additional charge due to the size. The free of charge offer doesn’t apply if you buy from used.guitarcenter.com.  
  
GuitarCenter.com does not ship international which is a bit disappointing. 
  
GuitarCenter.com have a standard way of shipping the orders so there is very little flexibility to how the order is sent. On the other hand it’s very cheap and doesn’t take more than a week so - it feels like a good way to do it. It is possible to track the order once it is sent via a tracking code that you will receive by email. 
  
It is possible to return the things you buy at GuitarCenter.com but you will have to pay for the shipping of the item. When returning the item it is very important that you return all parts of the product including the manual and warranty card etc.  
  
  
 
Store evaluation:  
To summarize GuitarCenter.com is one of the best online music stores out there today and the selection of instruments and accessories is very impressive.  
The site is very user friendly and it’s easy to find what you are looking for. Once you find what you are looking for it is also very easy to do the actual purchase.  
If you got problems there are great ways to find help even if your problem is which guitar to buy.  
The shipping policy is pretty standard but it’s free when you buy for more than 99$ (be aware of additional costs for large items) so it’s alright.  
All in all a really good site when you want to buy your music instruments online.