EXHIBIT 23.1

The Board of Directors
Guitar Center, Inc.:


We consent to incorporation by reference in the registration statements (No.
333-88677, 333-88675 and 333-26257) on Form S-8 of Guitar Center, Inc. of our
report dated February 8, 2001, relating to the consolidated balance sheets of
Guitar Center, Inc. and subsidiaries as of December 31, 1999 and 2000, and
the related consolidated statements of earnings, retained earnings, and cash
flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2000,
and related schedule, which report and the reports of other auditors, appear
in the December 31, 2000, annual report on Form 10-K of Guitar Center, Inc.


KPMG LLP

Los Angeles, California
March 13, 2001