Greetings gentlemen

What the best place to order some guitars online and shipped to Winnipeg Canada?

Looking to snag a couple Sheraton's for my father and myself

I know about Musicians friend, Sweetwater (I think that’s it)…………..

Always heard horror stories about guitars arriving damaged, weeks late and so on, im not to worried about the set up but would be nice if I didn’t have to make to many adjustments lol.

I've had it dealing with the bitter thieves at Long n McQuade, every single time I've dealt with them its always one issue or another. So….i shalt delve into the online market and try my hand at that!.

Any advice would be most welcomed.
Thanks

Also and i know its a Fender board lol?

Any opinions on the color preferance form you folks?.......old man getting the Ebony.....i cant make up my mind on either the burst or the natural...leaning more towards the natural

Steve's music, I've never used their on line store but have been to the Toronto store.

Actually owned by Steve, I've met him, started by him in the '60's, has stores in Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal. But like I said, never used them online.

Long & McQuade (<--link) is a much better retailer to deal with online than some stores can be. I know what you mean about the stores. I have encountered some pretty snarky sales people but online there is none of that, obviously.

Believe me, I know from experience that if you order from an American outlet you will pay more in the long run despite what the advertised price might be. It's not the exchange rate I'm talking about. You'll get stung at the border. When the item arrives at the door you'll have to pay the GST and there will also be brokerage and handling fees which combine to be much higher than the 5% GST. It's usually somewhere in the neighborhood of 12% - 15% of the total price. The total price is the purchase price PLUS the GST so you'll pay fees on the tax as well. The carrier will pay the GST on your behalf, add that amount to the price which was provided by the vendor for insurance purposes and then calculate their fees on the total. Then they collect when it gets to your door. You have no recourse. You will either pay the fees or have to refuse delivery which will still result in you being billed by the vendor for 2-way shipping. You have to REALLY want something for it to be worth your while shopping cross border. It has to be something you cannot get in Canada and there's no other way to get it.

If it's a small item like an electronic device (tuner, pickups, etc.) you can request the vendor use USPS for shipping the item and avoid the border fees as Canada Post does not charge fees for items crossing the border. Anything heavier than about 10 lbs. or larger than a size limit and the vendor will not agree to use USPS. They will insist on using a courier like UPS or FedEx. A guitar definitely falls into that category. Do not order from USA unless there is absolutely no other way to get it and you are prepared to reach into your wallet yet again after you've already paid for it.

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Just think of how awesome a guitar player you could have been by now if you had only spent the last 10 years practicing instead of obsessing over pickups and roasted maple necks.

BMW-KTM has as usual, nailed it. Long and McQuade have an excellent online service. When I was still working, I made the mistake of ordering some equipment from a supplier in the US rather than paying a price that was about 15% higher from a Canadian supplier. The equipment after brokerage and customs fees, ended up costing about 25% more, plus the paperwork was a hassle.
cheers,
Alex

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......it's a topsy-turvy world when noses run and feet smell...

Have a look at this site http://www.theartsmusicstore.com/ .

This is my local store in Newmarket, Ontario and they do on-line sales, with free shipping on anything over $200.00.

I've never ordered anything from them on-line, but they are terrfic to deal with in person and I suspect that will be the case when ordering on-line. And their prices are very competitive.

I personally like www.lamusic.ca ... LA Music seems to plain have better prices and a huge online ordering selection that includes tons of top models from each top brand, where Long & McQuade's website is brutal for showing all the instruments that they actually can order.

I bought my last US Strat off LA Music, and I'll also tell you that their tech guy is one of the most knowledgeable techs I have ever had the privilege of speaking to.

I highly recommend you shop around, but include LA Music in any searches you do.

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2011 Custom Shop Custom Deluxe HSS Strat
2011 Custom Shop Custom Deluxe SSS Strat
2011 Custom Shop Jeff Beck Strat
2012 Fender Select HSS
2013 American Deluxe Tele
59 Bassman 410, Blues Deluxe 410
Two Rock Studio Pro 35 and 410 Cab