I'm looking at buying a guitar from them and was wondering if anyone has any experience with them either good or bad?

Never shopped from them. I saw prices cheaper on musiciansfriend.com and have done all of my shopping there. Great luck so far. (2 guitars, 2 amps, 2 straps, & numerous accessories)

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tdiers
Guitars
2012 Fender Modern Player Stratocaster HSS
2012 G&L ASAT Deluxe Carved Top
2012 Ovation Elite 2078AX
2012 Applause AE128 Bubinga
Amp
Fender Mustang II
Fender Mustang I

I have bought an amp and some assorted little things from them.
My experience with them has been good.
They seem to ship things out fast, and shipping for what I have bought was free.
If you like to eat candy, they include pieces of that in each order.

I like how they advertise they inspect and setup every guitar before it ships so it plays right out of the box. With only 4 months of playing under my belt, my guitar Jedi skills are not enough to have to setup a new guitar.

They are alright. Will I shop them exclusively? NO

They never really have any specials or give discounts/lower prices. Their main deal is that they provide all this customer service instead of discounts, thereby adding value.

Well, in practice, let me tell you that it really means bunk. It's all fine and dandy that you can call your service rep but when I had problems with a piece of gear I bought, I was shuffled off to their "tech" department that did not help. They discouraged me from sending the unit back for refund or replacement as well.

I have gone back to buying from Musicians Friend. I get zero percent interest on my MF card, and I can return anything, no questions asked. Plus they pay shipping back!

I really don't see any overwhelming reasons for doing business with sweetwater again.

And BTW, I think you're better off buying a guitar you want and finding a local luthier or tech to do the set up for you. One: you'll be helping a local business Two: you'll have a trusted person locally to help you way after the sale is done.

I ordered some strings from SW, got the strings and some candy, quickly. A week or so later, I got an email from them...blah, blah, blah. A week or so later, I get a phone call from them at 8:30 AM on a Monday morning. I was sleeping peacefully, didn't recognize the number, went back to sleep. I get voice mail alert just as I was dozing off. I checked the message when I got up later. ...somebody from SW wanted to know what kind of guitar I was putting the new strings on.

...8:30 AM, Monday morning.

A while back, I got a killer deal from SW on a Waves GTR 3 Ground Control pedal, 99.00 shipped. It arrived with some issues, SW quickly replaced it. It broke just before the warranty expired, Waves replaced it with a brand spanking new one!

I'd prefer something less toxic to eat, imitation candy is feckin' gross...some sort of See's candy made with real, non-gmo, organic raw milk and nuts and pure cane sugar would make me happy.

And, I definitely don't want another phone call at 8:30 AM any morning. ...they should make that option clear.

Overall, I recommend SW because they ship fast, and they don't mess around with returns!

There's one huge problem in that I have no local luthier to go to.
Last week my Peavey Predator needed a set up and here's how my aggravation mounted. Below is what each store (within 25 miles of my house) said when I called:
Store A: "The owner does all the setups and you really have to catch him when he's here. No, he has no set schedule."
Store B: "Sure, bring the guitar right in. Our tech is here one or two days a week and we'll call you back when it's done. IN 7 to 10 DAYS!"
Store C: "Our tech sets his own schedule. He's not in today, not sure if he'll be in tomorrow. Call ahead and ask tomorrow."
Stored D: Which is a Guitar Center store 30 miles from my house. "Bring it right in. It will take about 30 to 60 minutes."

Now the Guitar Center did help, but I discovered their tech is only available 3 or 4 days a week and the store is 30 miles from my house.

I ordered a ukulele from SW. It was on back order. Their sales rep called me once or twice to advise me of the status and the item arrived before the predicted shipping date. Overall, the transaction was good.

7 to 10 days is not unheard of for getting a guitar back. There are tons of places in here Houston. One guy I was taking it to was about an hour away. Did fast work but was a bit high. When I say fast work I could have it dropped off when he opened at noon and have it back by 5PM. The place i go to now is a bit slower a bit cheaper but does better work. I drop a guitar off on Monday morning and it is normally five to seven days before I will see it again. So yeah shop B time table is not that far off.

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Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding. It is the bitter potion by which the physician within you heals your sick self. Therefore, trust the physician and drink his remedy in silence and tranquility.-Khalil Gibran

I bought my American Standard Telecaster from them this past November. It was a great experience.

What has already been said about their pricing is true, they don't generally discount or offer coupons. When I asked the best I could get was $50 off the price of my Telecaster, fortunately the Fender rebate came along just as I was about to purchase so I got $100 off.

What I liked about Sweetwater was the ability to see the guitars they had in stock. They had 6 of the model I was looking at and they show it from every angle as well as list the weight of the guitar.

Their customer service on my purchase went way above and beyond what I have seen before. When the guitar arrived it had a flaw in the finish under the clear. It was hard to see except under certain lighting conditions. I was able to capture a photo of it and they sent out a replacement without requiring me to send back the original. I had both guitars at home for a couple of days before I send the flawed one back.

Having said all that, I probably would only purchase from them if they had multiple guitars in stock of the model I am looking for and can chose the ideal one based on weight and appearance. If I were to make a blind purchase I would go to MF or GC as their prices are better.

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Bob

Fender CD280S NAT, Recording King RO-127
Squier Classic Vibe 50s Telecaster BSB
American Special/Highway One Telecaster hybrid Partscaster
Fender 60th Anv Am Std Telecaster, Natural/Rosewood
http://community.webshots.com/user/rjstaaf

i have had great luck with sweetwater. i ordered an epi nighthawk on tuesday morning, and it was at my front door the next day. it was packeged well, and set up great. i also bought effects, amps and other goodies thru them, all with no problems.

just as a side note, check out their gearfest in june. a 2 day geekfest for musicians, and a chance to play some great guitars, and learn a few things too. best of all it's free!

The reason I asked is because my skills are only 4 months old and Sweetwater says they setup and inspect everything before it ships. This is great for me because I don't know how to lower the action yet or tune the intonation, etc. And since any tech close to me has a 7 day wait, I'd rather buy from a place that will setup the guitar for me.
I could be wrong, though, correct? I mean a new guitar should not need any major attention at all.
But that's where I'm coming from. I love playing the guitar and it is something I look forward to improving at. Learning how to play "Who'll Stop the Rain" currently.

I have bought several big items from Sweetwater...guitars, amp setc. They have been fantastic! Never a problem, guitars set up to perfection(I do my own setups but when I buy form Sweetwater, no need to). Customer service is always top notch. As for discounts, never an issue. If I see a piece of gear cheaper elsewhere I tell my sales rep and he always beats the price. You never get it if you don't ask.
ABS

My Brother has dealt with them and He calls the sales rep Direct and has gotten some OK prices, better than what is online for them. I still and prefer to go in to my Local Shop (Music Center Inc) They have always given me better prices that anything on line (of which is crazy) and they will do an after 90 days inspection and set up. So after it has been in your house and gotten use to your particular humidity you can go back in and they will do a set up and an inspection. They may not have the stock for every guitar right there but I am willing to wait - Just like the New Red Wine HSH I have on order.

I have purchased my things from them, my MIA standard, MIA deluxe HSS, Hotrod deluxe, and most recently, MIA standard FSR ash HSH in mahogany/maple, not to mention other odds and ends. I have nothing but the best to say about them, and all arrived perfectly set up. They will call and ask for set up preferences and such, and will call after just to make sure you're happy. I will continue to shop through them. They have always seemed to take that extra step that no one else really does. Are they the only online distributor I use? No...