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In Maple Grove, Minnesota, Guitar Center celebrated the Grand Opening of its 200th store with a specially designed commemorative cake to mark the occasion. Shown L-R are Store Manager Martin (Marty) Rowles, District Sales Manager Tod Ericsson, Grand Opening Manager Gary Ingraffia, and Regional Sales Manager David E. Settimi.

Guitar Center’s 200th store opening drew a throng of eager customers to the Maple Grove, Minnesota festivities.







PRESS RELEASE
Contact: Clyne Media
Tel: (615) 662-1616
Fax: (615) 662-1636

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

GUITAR CENTER MARKS 200TH STORE OPENING WITH
CELEBRATION IN MAPLE GROVE, MINNESOTA

— February 1st grand opening featured tons of free giveaways including
special Guitar Center t-shirts to the first 1,000 in line, enter-to-win TVs, DVD players,
game stations and more, and great deals in every department of the store, all weekend long —

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA — Guitar Center, Inc. (Nasdaq NMS: GTRC), the world’s largest musical instrument and pro audio equipment and technology retailer, marked a major milestone in its corporate history on February 1st with the grand opening of its 200th location. Guitar Center’s highly anticipated 200th location is a state-of-the-art music complex filled with guitars, amps, drums & percussion, keyboards, software, recording, DJ gear and more.

The festivities began with the cutting of an immense designer cake, as fitting the magnitude of the occasion. Attendees then mingled, shopped, and were treated to a special musical performance by the band Down and Above, as well as Guitar Center’s trademark Grand Opening Elvis tribute. Vendors also gathered to congratulate Guitar Center on the achievement. The evening featured product giveaways by Audio-Technica, Audix, D’Addario, Dunlop, DW, EV, Evans, Fender, Get’em Get’em, Gibson, Martin, Midas, QSC, Sabian, Sennheiser, and Vater. The first 1000 people in line received free commemorative t-shirts, and all enjoyed tremendous storewide savings.

The opening of Guitar Center’s 200th store in Maple Grove continues the company’s effective strategy for long-term expansion, assuring customers throughout the country that they will get the widest selection of musical instruments and professional audio products at the best possible prices sold by an experienced and knowledgeable sales staff.

Jay Wanamaker, Guitar Center Executive Vice President, General Merchandise Manager, comments, “Guitar Center’s latest store, our 200th, opened with a celebration worthy of this landmark achievement. With a host of supportive manufacturers and excited customers on hand in Maple Grove to experience this event with us, we’re happy to extend our unmatched product selection at unbeatable prices to yet another locale.” He added, “We want to ensure the creation of new music continues to flourish right along with our business, and Guitar Center looks to the future with a great optimism, well founded on a successful tradition of connecting our customers with the exact solutions to their needs.”

Guitar Center offers products from all major brands in categories including guitars and basses, amplifiers, drums and percussion, DJ, keyboards, recording, computers and music software, live sound and pro audio. As musical instruments and technology change, Guitar Center positions itself as the ultimate showcase for every type of related product, always at the very cutting edge.

Photo File: GC_200cake.JPG
Photo Caption: In Maple Grove, Minnesota, Guitar Center celebrated the Grand Opening of its 200th store with a specially designed commemorative cake to mark the occasion. Shown L-R are Store Manager Martin (Marty) Rowles, District Sales Manager Tod Ericsson, Grand Opening Manager Gary Ingraffia, and Regional Sales Manager David E. Settimi.

Photo File: GC_200crowd.JPG
Photo Caption: Guitar Center’s 200th store opening drew a throng of eager customers to the Maple Grove, Minnesota festivities.


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About Guitar Center
Guitar Center is the leading United States retailer of guitars, amplifiers, percussion instruments, keyboards and pro-audio and recording equipment. Our retail store subsidiary presently operates more than 200 Guitar Center stores across the United States. In addition, our Music & Arts division operates more than 90 stores specializing in band instruments for sale and rental, serving teachers, band directors, college professors and students. 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 website, www.musiciansfriend.com. More information on Guitar Center can be found by visiting the Company's web site at www.guitarcenter.com.

The Guitar Center logo is a registered trademark of Guitar Center, Inc. Other brand or product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.

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