How Guitar Center Will Win Back Guitar Players' Trust | CEO Gabe Dalporto Interview

It's been a tough few years for physical guitar stores and Guitar Center has certainly not been immune to the ever-shifting market landscape. Not only is CEO Gabe Dalporto working to restore the retailer's prestige after a slow slipping of standards over the years, he's also up against new digital rivals, working to win back players' trust, and instigating a radical identity change to alter the face of Guitar Center's across the US.

In this in-depth chat with Guitar World, Dalporto lays out his winning formula to fend off Amazon, offers his thoughts on the tariff situation, addresses reader concerns and more...

0:00 Gabe Dalporto's background as a player
7:45 How Guitar Center lost sight of its core customer
11:37 Players' response to Gabe's Guitar Center strategy so far
13:30 The challenges posed by online retailers
15:23 How Guitar Center is improving its workforce
19:16 Making Guitar Center a place for trusted luthier work
20:56 Thoughts on Fender and Gibson entering the retail space
21:15 Priorities for 2025 – and other reader comments
26:34 What does the future look like for guitar stores and Guitar Center
30:37 The impact of tariffs on the guitar industry
35:25 Gabe's Guitar Center legacy


Read the full interview at: https://www.guitarworld.com/gear/guit...

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