Guitar Center Announces New Salem Story Grand Opening

Nation's largest instrument retailer opens doors of new Salem location Feb. 16th.

The new Salem location Feb. 16th.

(SALEM) - Guitar Center today announced the grand opening date for its new retail location in Salem, OR. The grand opening will take place at 7 p.m. on Feb. 16 at 6325 Ulali Drive NE, Keizer, OR 97303

Guitar Center Salem’s grand opening will introduce customers to a vast selection of products and a dedicated staff with unparalleled musical knowledge and experience.  To celebrate the store opening, Guitar Center will host a Grand Opening Weekend celebration (Feb. 16-19) featuring exclusive savings, gear giveaways and free events catered to local musicians. The grand opening events will also include free performances throughout the weekend.

Grand Opening Live Performance/Music Workshop Schedule

Thursday, Feb. 16: Live performance by Oregon’s own alt-rock band, ROOTDOWN (7:00 p.m.)

Friday, Feb. 17: Music Production 101 Workshop hosted by Avid using Pro Tools (7:00 p.m.)

Saturday, Feb. 18: Drum Workshop with Jeff Friedl (A Perfect Circle/Ashes Divide/Pucifer)(3:00 p.m.)

Sunday, Feb. 19: Guitar Workshop with Chad Jeffers (3:00 p.m.)

Guitar Center’s newest Oregon location will feature showrooms for customers equipped with the latest products for musicians -- from guitars, amplifiers, percussion instruments and keyboards to live sound, DJ, lighting and recording equipment.

In addition to the special Grand Opening Weekend programming, shoppers who come out early will also enjoy exclusive savings throughout opening weekend including deals on guitar and drum essentials at up to 89% off list price.

The new store will feature Guitar Center Studios, an in-house, state-of-the-art lesson facility, which will create unrivalled opportunities for Salem musicians of all ages and skill levels. Guitar Center Studios will provide music lessons from beginner to advanced featuring certified instructors teaching world-class curriculum as well as one-on-one courses on Pro Tools, Logic Pro and GarageBand. Guitar Center Studios will be the most modern and affordable lessons facility in the area. Guitar Center Salem also features GC Garage, Guitar Center’s on site guitar repair service. Musicians can try out the GC Garage for free on Grand Opening night (Feb. 16). With guitar purchase, customers will also receive a free, 22-point personalized set-up (strings and parts not included). As part of Guitar Center’s initiatives designed to educate and inspire artists nationwide, Guitar Center Salem will offer unique opportunities for musicians to craft their skills, maintain their instruments and experience many other aspects of the music industry first-hand. Musicians interested in learning about the industry will be able to come to the store to interact with and pick the brains of several industry leaders.

Salem shoppers will also be able to enjoy Guitar Center’s new multi-channel “endless aisle,” which includes multiple combinations of product options to conveniently choose from. Not only does the “endless isle” include Salem inventory, but it also provides easy access to $400 million in new and used inventory located in hundreds of stores and warehouses across the nation. Customers have the ability to combine a myriad of in-store, online and phone options to purchase music equipment from anywhere they may be, allowing for a personalized and convenient shopping experience.

Free Recording Made Easy classes are conducted every Saturday from 10:00 to 11:00 am for anyone who wants to make the exciting journey into recording their music.

In addition to special programs at the new Salem store,Guitar Center offers nationwide programs designed to spearhead creativity and highlight the nation’s most promising undiscovered talent. Salem residents will now be able to participate in these ongoing national events from their hometown:

•        Guitar Center On-Stage is an annual competition that provides unsigned artists the chance to open for established artists such as Motley Crue, KISS and Jane’s Addiction.

•        Guitar Center Singer-Songwriter is an artist discovery program which aims to find the nation’s best unsigned singer-songwriter. The winner receives a career-altering prize package including recording 3 songs with accomplished Grammy Award-winning Producer John Shanks, recording time at Converse Rubber Tracks studio and $10,000 cash. The grand finale takes place in Los Angeles on Feb. 18.

• Guitar Center's King of the Blues is a nationwide amateur guitar skills competition with the goal of finding the next great undiscovered blues guitar player. This year’s winner, Jonathon “Boogie” Long, performed alongside Grammy-winning guitarist Warren Haynes at the Grand Finals in LA, and won an incredible prize package valued at over $50,000.
• Guitar Center’s Drum-Off, entering its 24^th year, is the nationwide search for the next great undiscovered drummer. Drummers from across the nation compete in the world’s largest drum competition, vying for thousands of dollars in prizes and the coveted title of Guitar Center’s Drum-Off Champion. The grand prize package is valued at nearly $50,000.

Guitar Center Salem Store and Studio Hours

Monday-Thursday: 11:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.

Friday: 10:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.

Saturday: 10:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Sunday: 11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

About Guitar Center

Guitar Center is the world’s largest retailer of guitars, amplifiers, drums, keyboards and pro-audio and recording equipment. Our retail store subsidiary presently operates 224 Guitar Center stores across the U.S. We are also the largest direct response retailer of musical instruments in the United States through our wholly owned subsidiary, Musician's Friend, Inc., and its catalog and Web site, www.musiciansfriend.com. In addition, our Music & Arts division operates more than 100 stores specializing in band instruments for sale and rental, serving teachers, band directors, college professors and students. More information on Guitar Center can be found by visiting the Company's Web site at www.guitarcenter.com.