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GUITAR CENTER ANNOUNCES SENIOR MANAGEMENT CHANGES

— David Angress Named Executive Vice President, International Development and Proprietary Brands and Jay Wanamaker Named Executive Vice President, General Merchandise Manager —

— Management Changes to Facilitate Company’s Growth and Expansion —

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA, June 6, 2005 — Guitar Center, Inc. (Nasdaq NMS: GTRC) has appointed David Angress to the newly created position of Executive Vice President, International Development and Proprietary Brands. Jay Wanamaker has been named Executive Vice President, General Merchandise Manager, replacing David Angress.

“David and Jay are two of the best executives in our industry and through their dedication and leadership we are confident in our ability to continue to grow the Guitar Center brand and meet the increasing demands of the musical instrument and professional audio market sectors,” stated Marty Albertson, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Guitar Center. “The management changes were completed to further position the Company for long-term expansion. In their new positions, David Angress and Jay Wanamaker will continue to assure operational and transitional integrity as the Company begins its next phase of planned growth addressing brand positioning, domestic and international sales channels, marketing and vendor relations.”

As Executive Vice President, International Development and Proprietary Brands, David Angress will be responsible for spearheading and developing a plan for Guitar Center’s expansion outside the U.S. He will also be concentrating his efforts on augmenting Guitar Center’s extensive musical instrument and professional audio product inventory with certain select, proprietary brands. Angress joined Guitar Center in 1996 as Vice President of Merchandise for High Technology Products, was promoted to Senior Vice President in 1998, and assumed the role of Executive Vice President and General Merchandise Manager in March of 2000. He has worked in the music industry for over 30 years and prior to joining Guitar Center held executive sales and marketing positions for several leading companies including Harman Pro North America, AKG Acoustics, Inc. and Sound Genesis, a provider of professional audio equipment and integration services.

“Although we are not planning for the roll out of Guitar Center stores in the international marketplace for about two to three years, we must plan far enough in advance so we can focus on providing the ultimate customer experience in concert with our vendors’ marketing goals,” stated Angress. “We have a profound respect for the different cultures we will be serving and want to be sure we address them properly, rather than assuming our ‘American’ approach is optimal.”

In his new position as Executive Vice President, General Merchandise Manager, Jay Wanamaker will oversee the Guitar Center divisions that consist of buying, planning, marketing, advertising, in-store product training and visual merchandising. He will also lead Guitar Center’s promotions department that creates and implements the Company’s extensive direct mail, radio and television advertising programs. A 25-year veteran in the music industry, Wanamaker joined Guitar Center in 2000 and has directed various divisions of the Company including the MI Division, Technology Division and Store Operations. Most recently, he was chosen to oversee the integration and merger of the 19-store American Music Group and 62-store Music & Arts Center into the Guitar Center organization. Prior to joining Guitar Center, Wanamaker served as Vice President/General Manager of the Yamaha Pro Audio & Combo Division and as Assistant General Manager of the Yamaha Band & Orchestral Division. A former percussionist and noted music educator, Wanamaker has worked with numerous bands that have performed at high-profile events including the 1984 Olympic Opening Ceremonies, Pan Am Games, Super Bowl XXIII, Liberty Weekend and the McDonald’s All-American High School Band.

About Guitar Center
Guitar Center is the nation’s leading retailer of guitars, amplifiers, percussion instruments, keyboards, live-sound/DJ and recording equipment. We presently operate 148 Guitar Center stores, with 120 stores in 48 major markets and 28 stores in secondary markets across the U.S. In addition, the Music & Arts division operates 77 retail locations specializing in band instruments for sale and rental, serving thousands of teachers, band directors, college professors and students. Guitar Center is also the largest direct response retailer of musical instruments in the U.S. through our wholly owned subsidiary, Musician’s Friend, Inc., and its catalog and web site, 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.

Forward Looking Statements
The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are not guarantees of future performance and in fact may not be realized. Investors are also urged to review carefully the discussion under the caption “Risks Related to the Business” in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2005, which has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and may be accessed through the EDGAR database maintained by the SEC at www.sec.gov.

 

INVESTOR CONTACT: Bruce Ross
Chief Financial Officer
(818) 735-8800
  OR
  Financial Dynamics:
Leigh Parrish, Lila Sharifian
(212) 850-5651, (212) 850-5708
MEDIA CONTACT: Robert Clyne
Neilson/Clyne at (615) 662-1616

 


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