“Like having a professional gear consultant in the palm of your hand”: Guitar Center introduces Rig Advisor, the guitar world’s first-ever AI shopping assistant

(Image credit: Guitar Center)

Guitar Center has ushered in a bold new era for its physical stores with a new innovation that leverages AI in a bid to blur the boundaries between online gear shopping and the physical store experience.

Dubbed the first-ever in-store AI shopping assistant in music retail, Guitar Center’s new ‘Rig Advisor’ has been described as “a mobile-based tool that helps customers discover, compare and explore gear in real time by prioritizing products available at the specific store location”.

What’s more, it hopes to further enhance in-store experiences by offering a new, up-to-date way of navigating options and making more informed, “confident decisions”.

“Rig Advisor is like having a professional gear consultant in the palm of your hand, delivering lightning-fast answers as you explore our music stores,” says Gabe Dalporto, CEO of Guitar Center. “It will turn our stores into tech-powered music hubs where creativity, curiosity, and inspiration lead the way.”

Rig Advisor has clearly been in the works for some time, and when Dalporto spoke to Guitar World earlier this year, he hinted at the possibility of bringing artificial intelligence into Guitar Center stores and using it to further develop the in-store experience.

It comes as a necessary and rather astute development from Dalporto and Guitar Center, who are currently faced with fierce competition from Amazon, direct-from-factory retailers and other digital rivals that have been threatening the livelihood of brick-and-mortar stores over the past few years.

(Image credit: Guitar Center)In the face of a changing digital landscape, the likes of Sam Ash, PMT and GAK have all closed their doors and ceased operations, with many institutions losing out to online competitors.

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With that in mind, Dalporto has recognized the necessity to adapt and change the face of the in-store shopping experience, and by using one of online’s greatest and most effective tools to its own advantage, Rig Advisor looks like a savvy move.

“Right now we’ve got a variety of AI initiatives,” Dalporto hinted when asked about Guitar Center’s priorities for 2025. “When you walk into a store, how can you deliver an experience that you otherwise just never could have historically, or on the website?”

In operation, Rig Advisor hopes to offer “expert-level guidance” on gear selection depending on your level, suggest products for harnessing artist-inspired tones, put together custom rigs and setups depending on player preferences and offer side-by-side comparisons of similar items.

(Image credit: Guitar Center)There is, however, a big question concerning just how effective Rig Advisor actually is in a real-world scenario. Rig Advisor is accessible via desktop, and can be used to find guitar recommendations based on genre, guitar type, and even specific songs.

To that end, Guitar World asked it to recommend a guitar inspired by Greta Van Fleet – and was surprised to see it suggest a Gibson Les Paul, Fender Stratocaster, PRS Custom 24 and Gretsch as its top picks.

The Gibson SG – Jake Kiszka’s Number One guitar – didn’t even get a mention, and was instead (on one occasion) pipped by the Epiphone SG Standard, which ranked below some other, less-accurate choices. Here’s hoping these are just teething problems.

Rig Advisor has been rolled out across Guitar Centers nationwide.

Visit Guitar Center to find out more.

Matt is the GuitarWorld.com News Editor, and has been writing and editing for the site for almost five years. He has a Masters in the guitar, a degree in history, and has spent the last 19 years playing everything from blues and jazz to indie and pop. During his GW career, he’s interviewed Peter Frampton, Zakk Wylde, Tosin Abasi, Matteo Mancuso and more, and has profiled the CEOs of Guitar Center and Fender.

When he’s not combining his passion for writing and music during his day job, Matt performs with indie rock duo Esme Emerson, and has previously opened for the likes of Ed Sheeran, Keane, Japanese House and Good Neighbours.