More reasons to never use Musicians Friend.

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I've had no problems with MF over the years. I've returned non-broken stuff on my dime to them and broken stuff on their's. I do get the timing the OP is talking about, that sort of bites.

Short answer: when you buy cheap stuff online, sometimes you have to float some money when it doesn't work out.

As far as sweetwater: they're ok. The pricing isn't that great and I could honestly do w/o the personal sales rep.
 
wagdog said:
I've had no problems with MF over the years. I've returned non-broken stuff on my dime to them and broken stuff on their's. I do get the timing the OP is talking about, that sort of bites.

Short answer: when you buy cheap stuff online, sometimes you have to float some money when it doesn't work out.

As far as sweetwater: they're ok. The pricing isn't that great and I could honestly do w/o the personal sales rep.
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I buy from MF for one reason only- an endless series of sales coupon codes means low prices. The fact that their customer service has been good the couple times I needed it (returned two broken items) is just a bonus, but they did take care of me when it counted.

Sweetwater never runs discounts, and I REALLY don't want follow up phone calls from a sales weasel. The very idea seems idiotic and annoys the shit out of me. I might put up with it to save $100, but I've always been able to get what I wanted cheaper elsewhere, so I've never had a reason to buy from them anyway. I don't get why they stay in business.
 
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Beyer160 said:
I don't get why they stay in business.
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Companies like Sweetwater stay in business simply because they're a known alternative to GC/MF, Sam Ash, and Amazon. They have actual customer service and if you get to know the rep, will beat a price. It won't be the lowest price. But it'll be a price they can make money on while the customer gets a bit of a deal. It's a $100 million company. They're doing something right.

All that being said, I've spent all of $100 with them over two transactions. I've given GC/MF about $3000 over the past 25 years. I don't plan on spending again with either, but anything's possible.
 
Help!I'maRock! said:
Companies like Sweetwater stay in business simply because they're a known alternative to GC/MF, Sam Ash, and Amazon. They have actual customer service
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I understand that they're legendary for service, but what kind of "service" do you really need from an internet supplier? Sweetwater is a box house- you figure out what you want, buy it from them, and they ship it to you. If it shows up broken or something, they send you a new one... but that's the way it's supposed to work, isn't it? Anyone who doesn't run their internet business that way had better be offering seriously below-market prices- I don't mean 15-20% off like MF, either- I mean like over 50% to mitigate the risk in dealing with a douchebag. Other than the candy, I just don't understand what Sweetwater has to offer. Obviously I'm in the minority, though.
 
Beyer160 said:
I understand that they're legendary for service, but what kind of "service" do you really need from an internet supplier? Sweetwater is a box house- you figure out what you want, buy it from them, and they ship it to you. If it shows up broken or something, they send you a new one... but that's the way it's supposed to work, isn't it? Anyone who doesn't run their internet business that way had better be offering seriously below-market prices- I don't mean 15-20% off like MF, either- I mean like over 50% to mitigate the risk in dealing with a douchebag. Other than the candy, I just don't understand what Sweetwater has to offer. Obviously I'm in the minority, though.
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You're not in the minority. While a $100 million company is huge, it's nothing compared to the GC/MF monolith.
 
For full disclosure, my Sweetwater track record might be better because I'm in the same state, visit the showroom every few months, and have spent thousands of dollars there... maybe I get "good customer" treatment, but I've had more than one rep, worked with their service and repair groups and every single person was the top notch kind of customer service you would want from a store.

Every guitar is shipped set up properly and playable.

I politely asked them to not call my number after every purchase and they don't. I mentioned (half joking) that I was sad that the candy they packaged with an order didn't have any Laffy Taffy in it.... now I get two bags of Larry Taffy with every order. They will research a piece of gear I'm looking for and call me when it's in stock to buy or try out.

All in all, it's the kind of "real person" customer service that is sadly lacking in most industries.

And, I never pay the advertised price. If you are a frequent shopper or if you are buying more than one thing, they will always work with you on price, or bump up the shipping to next day for free or something.
 
Hello,

I'm actually reaching out on behalf of Musician's Friend. I'm sorry to hear that you've been having issues with your recent order. Email us your order details at GearHeads@Musiciansfriend. com and we can get this resolved for you.

Thanks!
 
Sweetwater also hs employees that are EXTREMELY well-informed on what they originally specialized in: recording, live sound, and MIDI devices. For the first decade of their existence, Sweetwater was THE only place to find high-end pro-audio gear, especially in the early digital age. Not only did they sell the gear, they knew it inside and out and built a reputation on being able to help you find the right gear and use it. That still happens... I had an issue with some recording software, I called them and they were able to help me get it working, even after places like Gearslutz couldn't help.

Musician's Friend OTOH, is like a drunken Tinder hook-up... every time I order from them I get what I'm looking for, but it's not satisfying and once sobriety hits it's usually not very good quality either.... :wink:
 
Ronald Eva said:
Hello,

I'm actually reaching out on behalf of Musician's Friend. I'm sorry to hear that you've been having issues with your recent order. Email us your order details at GearHeads@Musiciansfriend. com and we can get this resolved for you.

Thanks!
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One time, I striped a First Act Lola. It was horrible, took forever. Usually, I hate to see winter come/ not be able to putz around in the garage cuz, it's to cold. That year, I was so glad to get a break from it.

Next spring the horrible dipped in plastic guitar was there, and I finally got it accomplished. Went to put it back together and couldn't find the tuneomatic bridge for it. That was 5 years ago, still haven't seen it. Anyways, I ordered a large post TOM from MF. When I got it, it was still too small. First Act uses some bastard size that is "don't remember, so many millimeters bigger than what a large post is". I call MF, I'm thinking, I'll at the least, have to pay the shipping to return it. Guy says it's a non-returnable item. MF's solution was, just keep it and we will refund all your money. Just wanted to say thanks.

Eventually, I got the idea to take it to a machine shop and, for about what I would of payed for the TOM, got it bored to the correct size.

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Kerouac said:
Sweetwater also hs employees that are EXTREMELY well-informed on what they originally specialized in: recording, live sound, and MIDI devices. For the first decade of their existence, Sweetwater was THE only place to find high-end pro-audio gear, especially in the early digital age.
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I've never wanted the advice of a salesman on anything, ever. I've always been able to answer my own questions by contacting the manufacturer or, in the internet age, using Google (holy shitsnacks is youtube awesome for this kind of stuff). However, I've been working in the audio industry for over 20 years- I don't mean that as a brag, just that my knowledge base in this area is deeper than the average user. I can see where a knowledgeable salesman would be of assistance to somebody who doesn't know the difference between USB and Lightning.

As for "THE only place to find high end gear," Full Compass has been around since the '70s and beat the absolute SNOT out of Sweetwater the one and only time I got comparative price quotes. And in over a decade of dealing with the same rep, I can count the number of times he's called me on one hand- and half of those were because I asked him to. In the pro audio industry, somebody saying they bought gear at Sweetwater is kinda like talking about having a Behringer console. I'm pretty sure B&H has been in the pro audio game for decades, too.

Kerouac said:
Friend OTOH, is like a drunken Tinder hook-up... every time I order from them I get what I'm looking for, but it's not satisfying and once sobriety hits it's usually not very good quality either.... :wink:
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Not sure what you mean by "quality"- are you implying that Fender and Gibson send their b-stocks to MF? A Fender Strat or Focusrite PC interface in a factory box is the same no matter where you buy it or how much you pay for it. It's true that MF doesn't set them up before sending them out, but I do that myself and don't want to pay extra for it.

It's all personal preference of course- I have friends who are car guys who can't believe I ever take my car to a garage. Sure I could save a few bucks by changing the oil myself, but I don't enjoy it and would rather sit in the lounge for 20 minutes reading a book while somebody else does it.
 
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