Last Updated: March 24, 2026
Hampstead Guitar, LLC, operating Guitar-Resource.com (“we,” “us,” or “our”), is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect your personal information when you use guitar-resource.com (the “Website”) and the services available through it (collectively, the “Services”). Guitar-Resource.com is a private website that provides lesson-related materials and educational resources exclusively for enrolled guitar students of Jim Ellis.
By accessing or using the Services, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with our practices, please discontinue use of the Services.
1. Information We Collect
Information You Provide Directly: When you enroll as a student, create an account, or purchase lesson materials, courses, or subscriptions through our Website, we may collect your name, email address, mailing address, phone number, and any other information you voluntarily provide in connection with your enrollment or account.
Payment Information: When you purchase products or services through our Website, your payment is processed by Braintree, a PayPal company. Available payment methods include credit and debit cards, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Venmo. We do not store your full credit card number or bank account details on our servers. Braintree handles your financial data in accordance with PCI-DSS security standards. We may receive limited transaction details such as the last four digits of your card, transaction amounts, and billing address for record-keeping purposes.
Lesson and Course Data: As you access lesson videos, materials, worksheets, and other educational content through the Website, we may collect information about your usage patterns, progress, and preferences to improve the learning experience.
Automatically Collected Information: When you visit our Website, we automatically collect certain technical data through server logs, cookies, and analytics tools. This includes your IP address, browser type, operating system, device information, referring URLs, pages viewed, time and date of your visit, and the duration of your visit.
2. How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect for the following purposes: to provide, manage, and deliver private guitar instruction and related educational services; to process purchases, subscriptions, and transactions; to communicate with you about your lessons, account, and enrollment status; to send updates or notifications related to the Services (you may opt out at any time); to improve our Website, content, and user experience through analytics; to detect, prevent, and address fraud, abuse, or security issues; and to comply with applicable legal obligations.
3. Legal Basis for Processing (International Users)
If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA), the United Kingdom, or another jurisdiction with data protection laws, we process your personal data based on one or more of the following legal grounds: performance of a contract with you (for example, to deliver the lesson services you have enrolled in); your consent (for example, for marketing communications); our legitimate interests (for example, to improve and secure our Services and prevent fraud), provided these do not override your fundamental rights; and compliance with a legal obligation to which we are subject.
4. Cookies and Tracking Technologies
Our Website uses cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance your browsing experience and collect analytical data. Cookies are small data files stored on your device that help us understand how users interact with our site.
We use Google Analytics to collect aggregated, anonymized data about website traffic and user behavior. Google Analytics uses cookies to gather this information. You can opt out of Google Analytics tracking by visiting https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.
We also use Google reCAPTCHA to protect our Website from spam and abuse. reCAPTCHA may collect hardware and software information, such as device and application data, and send it to Google for analysis. Your use of reCAPTCHA is subject to Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.
Our Website uses a cookie consent tool to inform you about the use of cookies. You can manage your cookie preferences through this tool. You can also manage or disable cookies through your browser settings. Disabling cookies may affect the functionality of certain features on our Website.
5. Email Communications
We may send email communications to keep you informed about lesson schedules, new materials, updates, and other content relevant to your enrollment. We do not sell, rent, or share your email address with any third party for marketing purposes. Every marketing email includes an unsubscribe link, and you may opt out at any time. Your address will be promptly removed from our mailing list upon request.
6. Third-Party Services
Our Website may rely on third-party services to operate. These may include Braintree (a PayPal company) for payment processing, Google Analytics for website analytics, Google reCAPTCHA for spam protection, email service providers for communications, and video conferencing platforms for live lessons. Each of these services has its own privacy policy governing how they handle your data. We encourage you to review their respective policies.
Our Website may also contain links to external websites, including social media profiles. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those external sites.
7. Data Sharing and Disclosure
We do not sell your personal information. We may share your personal data only in the following circumstances: with trusted third-party service providers who assist us in operating the Services, who are contractually obligated to protect your data; if required by law, court order, or government regulation; to enforce our Terms of Use or protect the rights, property, or safety of Hampstead Guitar, LLC, our students, or others; and in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, in which case your data would remain subject to the protections described in this Privacy Policy.
8. International Data Transfers
Guitar-Resource.com is operated from the United States. If you are accessing the Services from outside the United States, please be aware that your personal data will be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States. By using the Services, you consent to this transfer. Where required by applicable law, we rely on appropriate safeguards for international data transfers.
9. Data Retention
We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, maintain our business records, comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements. If you wish to have your data removed, please contact us using the information provided below.
10. Data Security
We implement reasonable technical and organizational security measures to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures include secure server infrastructure, restricted access to personal data, encryption of payment transactions, and regular security monitoring. However, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
11. Children’s Privacy
Our Services may be used by students under the age of 18 with the consent and supervision of a parent or legal guardian, as outlined in our Terms of Use. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 13 without verified parental consent. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information without your consent, please contact us and we will take steps to delete that information promptly.
12. Your Rights
Depending on your location, you may have certain rights regarding your personal data. These may include the right to access the personal data we hold about you; the right to request correction of inaccurate data; the right to request deletion of your data; the right to restrict or object to our processing of your data; the right to data portability; the right to withdraw consent at any time where processing is based on consent; and the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority.
For California Residents (CCPA): You have the right to know what personal information we collect, use, and disclose. You have the right to request deletion of your personal information. You have the right to opt out of the sale of your personal information (we do not sell personal information). You have the right to non-discrimination for exercising your privacy rights.
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the information below.
13. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, services, or applicable laws. Any changes will be posted on this page with a revised “Last Updated” date. We encourage you to review this page periodically.
14. Contact Us
If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:
Hampstead Guitar, LLC
2219 York Rd
Ste 400 #1020
Timonium, MD 21093
Email: jim@guitar-resource.com
Website: guitar-resource.com