Guitar Center, The Nation’s Largest Instrument Retailer, Opens Its 222nd Store with New Location In the Houston Area

— Company opens its eighth store in 2011 with special savings and events —

— Guitar Center Sugar Land features on-site lessons and guitar repair services —

Westlake Village, CA (November 9, 2011) –  On October 27, 2011, Guitar Center opened its newest retail location,  at 12790 Fountain Lake Circle, Stafford, Texas (near the city of Sugar  Land), in the Houston metro area. The store’s opening delivered vast  product selection, along with the unparalleled knowledge and experience  of its dedicated staff.  Guitar Center Sugar Land also features Guitar  Center Studios, an embedded lesson and rehearsal facility.  To celebrate  the opening, Guitar Center hosted a Grand Opening Weekend featuring  exclusive savings, gear giveaways and free events tailored to local  musicians.

Guitar Center’s newest location features well-equipped  showrooms with the latest products for the musician, from guitars,  amplifiers, percussion instruments and keyboards to live sound, DJ,  lighting and recording equipment. In addition to special Grand Opening  Weekend programming, early shoppers also enjoyed exclusive savings  throughout opening weekend with deals that included guitar and drum  essentials at huge discounts.

Guitar Center’s Sugar Land location goes well beyond  offering the biggest selection at the best prices.  The store includes  Guitar Center Studios, an in-house, state-of-the-art lesson and  rehearsal facility, which will create unrivaled opportunities for  Houston area musicians of all ages and skill levels. Guitar Center  Studios provides music lessons from beginner to advanced featuring  certified instructors providing world-class curriculum, as well as  one-on-one Pro Tools, Logic Pro and GarageBand courses. Rehearsal spaces  are fully equipped with the latest backline gear, and musicians who use  the rehearsal area will have access to a digital recording of their  rehearsal sessions. Guitar Center Studios is by all accounts the most  modern and affordable lessons and rehearsals facility in the city.

The store also features GC Garage, offering on-site  guitar repair services. Throughout opening weekend, musicians were able  to test-drive the Garage for free, with any guitar purchased at Guitar  Center Sugar Land Grand Opening night getting a free, 22-point  personalized set-up.

Building on their ongoing initiatives designed to  educate and inspire artists nationwide, Guitar Center Sugar Land is  offering unique opportunities for musicians to craft their skills,  maintain their instruments and experience many aspects of the music  industry first-hand. Musicians interested in learning about all aspects  of the industry were able to interact with and pick the brain of music  business expert Chad Jeffers and A Perfect Circle/Devo/Pucifer drummer  Jeff Friedl as they shared their experiences and insights, as well as  perform during special Guitar Center Sessions events.

GC Sugar Land shoppers were also able to enjoy Guitar  Center’s new multi-channel “endless aisle,” with multiple combinations  of shopping options, to conveniently choose from not only the Sugar Land  inventory, but also the over-$400 million in gear Guitar Center has to  offer nationwide.  Consumers could combine a myriad number of in-store,  online and phone options to purchase music equipment from anywhere,  allowing for a completely personalized and endlessly convenient shopping  experience for every customer.

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

• Your Next Record gives artists a chance to  record with some of the top recording artists in the country, including  legendary guitarist Slash, country superstar Keith Urban, and rock icon  Travis Barker.

• Guitar Center On-Stage gives undiscovered  bands the opportunity to compete against their peers for a chance to  share a stage with their idols.  The most recent On-Stage competition  features Jane’s Addiction, for more info go to  http://gc.guitarcenter.com/onstage/.

• Guitar Center’s Drum-Off and King of the  Blues are national competitions that highlight local talent from across  the country, giving them widespread exposure and the chance to win  incredible prize packages.

Guitar Center Sugar Land is open seven days a week.  Store hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 9  p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday.

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The store front of the new Guitar Center Sugar Land store in Stafford, Texas.

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