Guitar Center Black Friday deals 2023: Everything you need to know about the biggest sale of the year

Guitar Center Black Friday deals 2023: Everything you need to know about the biggest sale of the year
(Image credit: Fender, Boss, Roland, Shure, Casio, Apple )
Best Guitar Center Black Friday deals: Quick menu

The official Guitar Center Black Friday sale may be a while off yet, but that doesn't mean you can't get prepared. Traditionally, Guitar Center has some of the very best Black Friday discounts out of all the music retailers - and this year will be sure to be the same. 

We’ve been covering the sales bonanza that is Black Friday for a number of years now, meaning we can spot an epic deal a mile off. So, leave it to us to point you in the right direction. Whether you're in the market for a shiny new electric guitar, a thunderous new bass, the ultimate drum kit or a host of recording equipment, we'll find you the best possible price we can. 

We’ll be working round the clock over the coming weeks to reveal the greatest Guitar Center Black Friday deals, sharing the very best offers and bargains right here on this page. So make sure you check back regularly to see what we uncover. 

Guitar Center Black Friday deals: Quick links

Guitar Center Black Friday deals: Editor's picks

Guitar Center Recording Event: Save big now

Guitar Center Recording Event: Save big now
If you're looking to upgrade your home studio gear, there's no need to wait until Black Friday. From now until 20 September you can save on everything from microphones to interfaces, monitors, headphones and more. 

Guitar Center Black Friday deals: FAQ

When is Black Friday?

The Black Friday Guitar Center sale itself kicks off on Friday 24 November, the day before Thanksgiving.

Although the event doesn't officially take place until this date, just like most retailers, the Guitar Center Black Friday deals will certainly start rolling out sooner. Last year, GC was slashing prices from as early as late October and didn't stop until well into December.

Beyond Black Friday are the Cyber Monday Guitar Center deals, which land just 3 days later on Monday 27 November.

What can you buy in the Guitar Center Black Friday sale?

Despite its name, Guitar Center actually stocks pretty much everything any musician could want, so it's a great place to go if you want to give your studio an overhaul, upgrade your guitar rig, start drumming or any other musical activity that tickles your fancy. 

You might head to the website planning to buy an electric guitar, but the company also sells all the music-making products you could ever wish for: MIDI keyboards, studio monitors, microphones, beginner digital pianos and much more.

The Guitar Center Black Friday sale is also the time to stock up on those music-making essentials and accessories: acoustic guitar strings, guitar tuners, guitar picks and guitar straps are just the start. If you can make music with it, it's more than likely that Guitar Center will have it and it will enjoy some sort of discount on Black Friday.

Guitar Center Black Friday deals: Shopping tips

How to prepare for Guitar Center Black Friday?

MusicRadar's got your back Our team of expert musicians and producers spends hours testing products to help you choose the best music-making gear for you. Find out more about how we test.

The golden rule when hunting for Guitar Center Black Friday deals is to know what you're looking for. Whether you're a guitarist, bassist, drummer, producer or DJ, think about what you need to improve your music-making life and then start researching it. This will save you a lot of time when the Guitar Center Black Friday deals start rolling in, as you'll quickly be able to decide what's relevant to you and what isn't. There will be so many deals coming your way, that being able to cut through the noise is super important.

Also make sure you're aware of current prices – that way you'll know how good a deal something really is when you see it reduced on Black Friday. Some supposed 'savings' aren't everything that they seem.

The good news is that you can easily find out what the best music-making products are by checking out MusicRadar's huge portfolio of buying guides and reviews.

Don't forget that Guitar Center isn't the only major retailer offering Black Friday savings, either. Check out our retailer and individual product pages below for even more options. Can't find what you're looking for at one shop? Maybe it's on sale exclusively at another...

Guitar Center Black Friday coupons

Not only does the Guitar Center Black Friday sale deliver excellent discounts on individual products, last year they went even bigger by offering a blanket 15% discount off a wide range of gear, meaning everything from pianos and guitars to DJ turntables and headphones were available with decent money off. 

All you had to do was enter the unique code at checkout. This is particularly ace if you have a number of items on your wishlist.

Guitar Center Black Friday deals: How we choose deals

Here at MusicRadar, we are experts in our field, with many years of playing and product testing between us. We live and breathe everything music-making, and we draw on this knowledge and experience of using products in live, recording and rehearsal scenarios when selecting the products we recommend.

First and foremost, we are players and creators, and we want to match like-minded folk with the right products for them, at the best prices.

For us to recommend a deal on guitars or anything else it has to be a product we rate that’s a genuinely great price or part of a truly fantastic bundle. It’s also important that we only recommend retailers where you will have a positive shopping experience.

Why you can trust our choices

We spend a lot of our time scouring music retailers for fantastic deals on our favourite guitars, amps, pedals and accessories. Not only is it our job to research and recommend the best gear in our buyer’s guides and reviews, but we’re also dedicated to helping musicians get the best deals on the stuff they need, too. After all, the only thing better than new gear day is a hearty discount.

We cover a lot of the big sales events throughout the year, including Memorial Day4th of July sales and Amazon Prime Day, and we have a good view on which products are likely to receive the biggest discounts and when, the prices they’ve been in the past and which deals are genuinely worth a look.

Guitar Center Black Friday: Last year's top deals

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Fender Player Strat HSS Plus Top: $859, now $699
This HSS-configured Plus Top Player Strat in Sienna Sunburst may just be one of the best Strat deals we saw last year. A regular Player Strat at heart, this guitar is capable of just a little bit more, thanks to the Player Series humbucker in the bridge - and last year it had $160 off at Guitar Center.

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Epiphone ES-335 Traditional Pro: $599, now $479
Not only was this good-looking semi-hollow $120 cheaper than Epiphone’s regular ES-335, it had the added bonus of coil-splits for its Alnico Classic Pro humbuckers. Throw in a classic layered maple body, rounded C mahogany neck and choice of four finishes, and you got a seriously good Black Friday deal.

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ESP LTD EC-401QM: was $899, now $699
An electric with the hardware to match its dark, evil looks, this is a metal and hard rock machine from the expert hand of ESP LTD - and it was only $699 last year. 

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Gretsch Guitars G2420T: $549.99, $349.99
Gretsch Streamliner guitars are stonking value at full retail price, so this deal at Guitar Center made the G2420T unmissable.

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Pigtronix Mothership 2 Synth Pedal $249.99 $129
Last year you could enter a whole new world of sounds for much less with this huge reduction. The Mothership 2 features superb pitch tracking to allow you to deliver otherworldly synth grooves with your guitar with a deep level of control.

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Alesis Nitro Mesh SE: Was $379.99, now $299.99
This special edition Alesis Nitro Mesh proves that it's possible for great e-kits to be affordable. You get tuneable mesh heads here instead of cheap-feeling rubber, which feel closer to playing an acoustic drum set, while keeping the noise down to a minimum - and last year this already affordable e-kit had $80 off at Guitar Center.

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Shure SM7B: was $399, now $359, save $40
If you buy just one microphone in your lifetime, the Shure SM7B deserves a place on your shortlist. It's a mic that excels at broadcast applications because it flatters any voice, even in the worst untreated rooms. It's also a superb vocal mic for singers, whether on stage or in the studio. Need to record instruments? It's great for guitar cabs and drum kits too. The word legendary is overused but it's well-deserved here. 

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M-Audio Keystation 49es MK3: Was $119, now $89
An affordable MIDI keyboard is a must-have accessory for every home producer, and the M-Audio Keystation is an incredibly popular option. This slimline controller features 49 full-size velocity-sensitive keys and even comes with a volume fader, transport, and directional buttons for easy control of your recording software. 

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Epiphone Les Paul Special-I Player Pack: $249, $219
Just starting out? Here's everything you need in one package that's ready to rock. In addition to the iconically-shaped single-cut guitar in a stylish worn red finish, you also get a 10w amplifier, a tuner, picks, strap and cable, all for under $220, last year at Guitar Center. 

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Schecter Guitar Research C-6 Elite: Save 15%
Last Black Friday, you could save a cool 15% on this shred-ready slab of Aquaburst beauty at Guitar Center when you used the code blackfriday15. Equipped with Schecter Diamond Plus pickups, a thin C-shaped neck and 25.5" scale length, this double-cutaway machine would make a killer beginner electric guitar and beyond.

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Alesis Vmini 25-Key Controller: Was $69, now $58
This pint-sized controller is a must for a producer on the go. The 25 mini keys are velocity-sensitive, giving you the ability to fully express yourself, while the octave control buttons can expand the keyboard to the full melodic range of a piano. 

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Yamaha Reface DX: Was $319.99, now $271.99
Yamaha's Reface DX captures all the magic of its legendary – yes, legendary – DX-7 FM synth, recreated in a modest, portable form factor. It may look small, but it sounds huge. This little keyboard has at its heart the most famous FM synth engine known to man. Period.

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Sterling Audio ST170 Active Ribbon Mic: $229, $149.99
Ribbons are fast becoming everyone's favourite mics again because they sound, well, astonishing. You see they have the uncanny ability to be highly detailed without being oversensitive. This means you can use the ST170 on almost anything – vocals, electric guitars, acoustic guitars, drums, overheads – and they'll all sound magnificent. Last year, Guitar Center discounted the ST170 to only $149.99 - that's a cracking deal.

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Denon DJ PRIME GO DJ Controller: $999, now $849.15
The power of Denon's acclaimed PRIME series but this time in a portable, lithium battery fuelled package. No need for a laptop, just get out there and GO! The 7" touchscreen gives you a high-definition, multi-gesture experience and the GO can even stream audio over the internet. Shove it in your backpack and you're ready to perform anywhere.

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Steven Slate Drums SSD5: Was $119.99, now $99
Build your tracks on solid foundations with SSD5. You’ll have access to hundreds of precisely sampled sounds from some of the biggest names in drum gear, as well as 1,000 preset grooves - and Guitar Center dropped the price to only $99 last year! 

Chris Barnes

I'm MusicRadar's eCommerce Editor. It's my job to manage the buyer's guides on MusicRadar and help musicians find the right gear and the best prices. I'm a guitarist and a drummer and I've worked in the music gear industry for 18 years, including 7 years as Editor of the UK's best-selling drum magazine Rhythm, and 5 years as a freelance writer working with many of the world's biggest musical instrument brands including the likes of Roland, Boss, MusicRadar and Natal.

With contributions from