With the closure of Lentine's and other stores, this is the only music store that has survived the Aughts in Akron.
I come here every three months or so because - well - I'm a guitarist. I've found this branch of the chain to be decent, considering the monopoly on the market they should have. Damn you, Wally World!
The staff here is incredibly knowledgeable about guitar parts, strings, and music in general. They even have a guitar repair guy now who fixed my 7-string guitar that I thought was screwed. They have their brand preferences, although if you are bent on another brand they'll be able to cater to your interests.
The best part about coming into this store is not how many times you'll be called "bro" or "dude" (it's worse than the show "Ghost Adventures" on the Travel Channel), but hearing wanna-be musicians playing guitars on the amps spread out throughout the store. If I had a nickel for every time I heard "Smoke on the Water" there, I'd still be broke.
While I'm not typically a fan of national chains, Guitar Center has my support.