Guitar Village Reviews Summary

Staff and Service

Pros:

• "The staff are super friendly and helpful."
• "Very knowledgable and helpful staff, and an amazing selection of guitars & accessories."
• "The staff were very attentive and helpful."
• "Staff were fabulous, knowledgeable, helpful and just the right amount of attention versus space to tinker."
• "Just incredibly friendly, knowledgeable and pleasant - best guitar shop I've been to."
• "Staff are well knowledgeable, friendly and very helpful."
• "The staff, led by legendary proprietor DEREK could not be more helpful and knowledgeable."

Cons:

• "I wouldn’t bother going back."
• "If you're an up and coming musician don't waste your time here go to Andertons in Guildford for better advice."
• "Maybe staff have changed since our visit but unfortunately I won't spend not one penny in the shop."
• "However, on this occasion they really let me down and I hope they can take some learning points from this review."
• "The staff wasn’t very attentive to my feedback and the guy was always on the phone."
• "Surprisingly, He was very rude and started mentioning about his experiences and all rather than helping solve the problem."
• "I found the staff unhelpful and uninterested."

Product Selection and Quality

Pros:

• "This place is guitar heaven, staff leave you to browse in peace."
• "The website shows actual photos of each instrument, which is good."
• "The best guitar shop for many miles around, huge selection of electric and acoustic and great customer service."
• "What a beautiful place! Wall to wall of guitars!"
• "Mamouth selection of guitars, both electric and acoustic with staff who get the balance perfect of giving assistance Vs leaving you to explore & try out."
• "The sheer amount of high quality guitars here is amazing."
• "There is a staggering selection from basic models to the finest custom shop and vintage."

Cons:

• "All guitars are locked to the wall which I understand why with regards to the value of these guitars but most of my time there I had to wait for a staff member to come so I could try another model."
• "The little niggles I would mention are that they could have a better stock of patch leads for effects pedals."
• "Not many Gibsons in stock but that might be the 2018/2019 transition period."
• "False advertising and lying to people about their products."
• "The part ex deals were derisory ( ie a Pro amp 2x12 Gt75 cab virtually as new,£10) A new 1998 USA strat bought for £800 and given £350 for against a semi at 2 months old."
• "Very little in the way of amps / effects, very little in the lower end of the market for beginners, didn't see any 3/4 size if you have a younger player and no tab."
• "I bought a 'new' Squier Stratocaster during a recent sale... I really doubt this guitar was new, as was advertised."

Customer Experience

Pros:

• "No pressure but plenty of time and space to try before you buy."
• "I have broken my upper arm and had surgery on this recently and my guitar will be part of my therapy in the coming months. Derek, Mark and Sam at Guitar Village have been amazing in supporting me."
• "Friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable. Recommended."
• "Staff couldn't be more helpful, shout out to david who went out of his way to drop my guitar off personally."
• "An outstanding level of service very rarely seen today."
• "Ultra fast shipping, very well packaged, perfect guitars on arrival."
• "The customer service at Guitar Village is 10/10."

Cons:

• "The page stated finance available and even had the repayments calculated. However, upon purchasing the guitar, there was no option for finance at the checkout."
• "Price promise doesn't apply to strings I was told over the phone even though it's on the page where strings are advertised."
• "Vile rude staff who follow you around the store as if you're a thief."
• "As with many guitar shops there is sometimes an unwelcoming, subtle and passive aggressive atmosphere."
• "So unless you're white and middle class I suggest you look elsewhere."
• "If you're not white and enjoy comfortable clothes you're clearly not welcome."
• "Un-helpful, just simply got ignored."

Shop Atmosphere and Layout

Pros:

• "Fantastic shop. Beautifully laid out. A real pleasure to view."
• "Beautiful shop, with a vast selection, housed in beamed rooms creating a very relaxed vibe."
• "Guitar Village is a wonderful place to go and the shop creates a unique experience in a charismatic setting!"
• "A wonderful 1400s building."
• "Excellent shop with nice selection of new and vintage guitars, relaxed atmosphere, friendly staff and lovely old building."
• "The premises is very old and the wonky walkways and low headroom doorways open out in to caverns of utter guitar heaven."
• "Great customer service, beautiful guitar shop full of tempting electric and acoustic guitars."

Cons:

• "It’s just not a particularly nice atmosphere."
• "The layout is so frustrating, and the poor accessibility to guitars means you have to have an escort just to be able to feel what a guitar is like - and that’s really boring."
• "Middle-class venue for beardy worthy types with extraordinary prices to match in sleepy Farnham right in the middle well-heeled Surrey."
• "Terrible, well if you want to actually BUY anything. Guitars are locked up... but I don't understand how the staff blatantly ignore you standing at the counter."
• "The shop looks great but I had a pretty bad experience there."
• "Lovely building but it seems to be a guitar appreciation event or museum rather than somewhere that wants to sell you something."