Being mostly an acoustic bluegrass guy, I may be a little biased, but if you're looking to color outside the lines and avoid the "big box" thing, two words:

ELDERLY INSTRUMENTS...

They've been in the business since the GC folks were in diapers...there's no more respected name.

I have nothing but high praise for MF !
Bought a "Used" DRRI from them at a very good price. Unit arrived with the reverb springs broken. ( someone had packed the amp upside down for shipping ) . Called them up and they apologized. Told me they would send me another one...they had no more used and so sent me a "new" amp for the same price as the used! Also gave me a $20 credit for my troubles! Just happened to see in their new catalog a promotion, that all new DRRI purchases come with a free Dunlop Wah pedal. Called them up and they said they would send me the Wah for free since I had bought the DRRI within the last 60 days.

Now I agree that I would definitely check on "overseas" shipping and return policies before ordering. Seems that Sweetwater as well as MF do overseas business so see who's best. Keep all email messages in case of any issues. Specifically ask about damaged shipments and who pays for the return shipping.

As far as MF, they'll get all my business from now on..matter of fact I just ordered a JamMan Looper from them with the $20 credit they gave me. It also comes with a free footswitch as a promo!

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-T

"You can't spend what you ain't got, you can't lose what you ain't never had" ~ McKinley Morganfield

You always have to send back the faulty item. Usually before they'll ship the new one. Otherwise, you'll get charged for two.

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Life...... It's sexually transmitted and always fatal

In the past few years, I've gotten a good bit of gear from MF, from $14 Straplocks to a $1200 Jazz bass and everything in between and had nothing but good experiences. The few times I had to deal with customer sevice, whether by e-mail or phone, the reps there were extremely helpful and knowledgeable.
As to sending stuff back, I suppose it depends on the item. The one and only time I had a minor problem (missing screws in a set of straplocks) the issue was resolved quickly by them sending me out a replacement set totally free of charge, and I didn't even have to send back the originals. So, yes, you would have to send a guitar back, but something cheap like straplocks, maybe not.

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'08 Fender Am. Std. Jazz bass, maple fretboard, charcoal frost metallic finish
'10 Squier VM Jazz bass, maple fretboard, natural finish
Ampeg BA115
'09 MIM standard Strat, maple fretboard, sunburst finish
Fender Super Champ XD

i was just at this store in lansing MI this past weekend.
talk about huge.......biggest store ive ever been in period.
easy as big as 3 GC's. they had everything you could imagine.
their used stuff had to be double checked just to tell if its used.
most of their staff that i talked with were a bit cocky actually.
i went down to the apprase area with one of my collectables.
i asked the guy if there were any collectors in the area that might be
interested in my guitar since elderly didnt have the funds to buy my
guitar. the guys reply was
"why would i ever tell you that when you could just put your guitar on consignment here".
i kinda understand his views, but he was a d ick about it and knew i was
from out of town from the start. waaaaaay out of town.
most guitar stores in my area, under the conditions i was under, would gladly give up
a collector contact if they had one. their attitudes for the most part sucked.
it was like they were doing YOU the favor. i was in the store well over an hour before
they even addressed me at all. customer service and friendly attitude goes a long way with me. if im in a store longer than 10 minutes before somebody acknowledges me even being there, they most likely wont get any business from me. i dont have to be helped in that amount of time but just say "hello i'll be right with you". acknowledge im even there.
i give them a solid 10 on their product line,
a 3 on personality and friendliness
and about a 3 on prices. they are higher than a giraffe's azz.

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63supro
"The good thing is in a club situation, most of the patrons are trashed and really can't tell the difference."

I've had to return a faulty item to Musician's Friend and they paid the shipping. I've bought 3 guitars there and a lot of other stuff and have never had a customer service issue. The guitars always showed up in great condition. I am in the U.S. though, but I would think they'd give the same service to an international customer.

I believe that if the item is faulty, they always pay the return shipping.

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Riley,
I have used 2 on-line stores. I have used both Muisian's Friend and Sweetwater. I am not sure about international deliveries, but national deliveries are great. Both are really good stores and I have not had any issues with either place. In my opinion, Sweetwater has better customer service and the sales reps. are more on their game.

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RK

2007 Fender Highway 1
2012 American Deluxe
2015 MIM Dave Murray HHH
2010 Fender Blacktop
1987 Fender Avalon Acoustic
2012 Marshall DSL 15 watt head

great, good feedback i've gotten so far. anything else i should know about?

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riley

Riley, I bought two guitars from MF, both were in need of a major setup, which is to be expected when buying online. I've bought other accessories and assorted gear from MF and the service has been good. Having said that, I bought an Am Deluxe Tele from Sweetwater and it was setup perfectly and there were follow up calls to make sure I was happy with my purchase. I will buy accessories and small things from MF, but for a guitar it will always be Sweetwater. I think the staff at Sweetwater is more knowlegeable and helpful at Sweetwater.

Yes ,Sweetwater does have their 55-point inspection, which includes a basic setup, but understand, they only do the 55 point thing and setup with instruments at or above a certain price point. I don't know what the exact cutoff point is, but I do know they will do a setup for a $1200 Fender, but not a $300 Squier.

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'08 Fender Am. Std. Jazz bass, maple fretboard, charcoal frost metallic finish
'10 Squier VM Jazz bass, maple fretboard, natural finish
Ampeg BA115
'09 MIM standard Strat, maple fretboard, sunburst finish
Fender Super Champ XD

good info bathead.

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63supro
"The good thing is in a club situation, most of the patrons are trashed and really can't tell the difference."

you guys have really got me stuck here the thing thats making me lean towards sweetwater is the free shipping, that means i can buy it right now.

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riley

If MF doesn't offer free shipping to you and the price is the same, then go with Sweetwater! I've never dealt with them but others here have. Seems like nothing but positive feedback about them so... Go for it Riley!

It's the new year already for you isn't it?
What a better NGD than the 1st day of the New Year!!!

Good luck!

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-T

"You can't spend what you ain't got, you can't lose what you ain't never had" ~ McKinley Morganfield

yeah if i do order it today it'll be a kickass way to start the new year

i'll confront my parents about it and see what they say...

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riley

Pardon for yelling, but - MUSICIAN'S FRIEND HAS FREE SHIPPING, NO MINIMUM AND TAX FREE.
So basically it comes down to who has the better price on a particular item.

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'08 Fender Am. Std. Jazz bass, maple fretboard, charcoal frost metallic finish
'10 Squier VM Jazz bass, maple fretboard, natural finish
Ampeg BA115
'09 MIM standard Strat, maple fretboard, sunburst finish
Fender Super Champ XD