SweetwaterReviews 1,199

Ordered a ukulele that arrived unplayable…super sharp fret ends that stuck out, and a nut not seated flush. Sweetwater offered a replacement with shipping covered but never told me that asking for a return instead would not include shipping reimbursement. I ended up out of pocket for a defective instrument and poor disclosure…frustrating experience. A defective item that is unsafe and would require expensive repair should not result in additional out-of-pocket costs for the buyer.

I bought the Bose S1 Pro+. I am happy with the equipment. However my experience with Sweetwater was less than acceptable. At first it was great. They helped me with the purchase and selection of microphones. It went down hill quickly from there. They touted the 2day delivery aspect of the purchase. I was told that I could expect the equipment on Friday (about 2.5 days from the point of order. Understand that I only live 45 minutes from the store and warehouse. So picking it up would have been an easy option. But, since I was told to expect it on Friday I decided to save the time and money of picking it up. Well, Friday comes around... nothing. I call late in the afternoon to find out if there was an issue. Apparently, there was an issue at the warehouse which held up the shipment. I was then told that I could expect it Monday at the latest. Still not an issue. Monday comes around and I check the tracking and see that the equipment was in Memphis TN. Not it's 9 hours away! That was the weekend that they had a bunch of snow down south. The fact that the shipment started in Ft. Wayne IN went to Memphis TN and then back to Ft. Wayne IN is crazy. The tracking showed that the equipment was put on the FedEx truck, with Driver Amy, on Wednesday morning to be delivered that day. It wasn't. It was delivered the following afternoon. A full 9 days after the purchase that included a 2day free delivery. Not once did my so called Sales Engineer reach out to me even though this was also emphasized as a selling point (follow-up communication) to ensure customer satisfaction. If you look at Sweetwater reviews on the BBB you will see that customer service after the sale is an issue with Sweetwater Sound. I wish that I would have looked here before my purchase because I would have ordered directly from Bose. I can only image the grief I will get if I have an issue in the future. My rating is not based on the equipment but solely based on Sweetwater Sound!

I've bought two guitars from them and had issues with both. The first they never checked the electronics and it took two month to get a replacement. The second I received today. I paid for the Plek Pro service yet is buzzes like sh*t in open on all strings and up to the 7th fret. What a rippoff!

I purchased a Martin Guitar for my husband's birthday. The guitar was absolutely beautiful. Very quick shipping. Customer service was top notch! Pricing can't be beat anywhere. We are extremely pleased with our experience in dealing with Sweetwater and would highly recommend anyone looking for musical instruments to check them out! We would give them more than 5 stars if we could!

I chose Sweetwater because I have done business with the before and I know Tim my sales representative to be efficient and reliable. This time though Sweetwater presentation of the Bass made me choose even though in some places the items were cheaper othe same price. Sweetwater offered nice setup options where other sites just offered a Bass. I trust them and have for years. Nice set up to.

Everything was great! Everyone was very helpful. It is a great addition to my home studio. Have a wonderful day!

Simply the best experience in over 40 years of purchasing music gear! Top notch selection, and the best people that stand behind you if you have a problem. I have always heard Sweetwater was the best, now I won't waste my time elsewhere... Sweetwater kicks $#*!!

I've been an active musician for more than 50 years and Sweetwater is simply the best music store that I've ever encountered. Rumor has it that they treat their employees fabulously, which would help to explain why their people are so great, but it's more than that. As a massive store, they have everything any musician might need. Everything they sell has clear explanations on an easily searched website. Not just still photos of the products, but often video demonstrations by skilled employees. From your first encounter you get matched up with a sales rep who is a musician, usually with tastes and experiences similar to your own. That same rep sticks with you every time you make a purchase or ask a question. You get to know the rep and (s)he gets to know you. Oh, yeah, and they give you candy with every purchase.

It was a pleasure to get contacted by a real person by phone after I ordered to make sure I was pleased with my order and the service I'd received. And then after to make sure I got it! I kind of forgot how much I liked the personal experience which is missing at almost all internet sites except here at Sweetwater! I will shop the site many more times again!

In the past, I was always very happy when dealing with Sweetwater and I will continue to do business with them in the future. However, my recent purchase of a guitar was a bit of a disappointment. The Eastman E10SS guitar I ordered had finish defects in the top on the most visible part of the guitar. I was surprised that not only did Eastman ship a guitar in that condition since they are known for their quality and craftsmanship but even more surprised that the defect made it through Sweetwater's final inspection since they boast how they carefully inspect finish under two frequencies of light. My salesman contacted me to seee how I liked the guitar and I told him about the finish defects. However, he didn't offer any resolution to the problem. If fairness, I could have asked to exchange the guitar but I expected him to offer an exchange but he didn't. I hate returning things and almost never return anything but an expensive guitar should not have finish defects. Everyone who saw the guitar said they would consider the finish flaws unacceptable. After some going back and forth, Sweetwater agreed to exchange the guitar for an identical one when it came into their stock. To their credit, as an alternative, they offered to give me a 10% refund if I decided to keep the guitar. Just before making the decision, the guitar opened up - apparently acclimating to my environment while out of the case and it sounded so sweet that I decided to live with the finish defect and take the refund. So that was settled but a couple odd things happened that makes me wonder about their system. First, I received a message from customer service that the 10% refund would be credited to my credit card. Then I received a message from my salesman that the 10% would be held as a Sweetwater credit in my account. I got that straightened out. But then I received an email thanking me for a new order even though I had not placed a new order. The order was billed in my name but to be shipped to someone in another state 800 miles away. There was no charge in the order for some piece of equipment but it made me lose a bit of confidence on how such a thing could happen. The bottom line for me is that I will continue to do business with Sweetwater. They are an incredible company. For anyone who hasn't seen them, check out the YouTube tours of Sweetwater. It's amazing. That said, if I order another guitar, I'm going to zoom in as far as possible on the photographs Sweetwater provides and carefully inspect every inch of the guitar. I have lost faith in their inspection process.

Sweetwater Has the best customer service of any company I have ever dealt with! In particular, Evan Neiman. He's very helpful in helping me find the best choice for my needs. I also like the fact that they call you after your purchase, to make sure you're satisfied and everything is working as it should. I have been buying from them for years now, and even though my purchasing has slowed WAY down, I still receive the best service! Thank you Evan and Sweetwater!

Ordered some products then the next day A representative reached out and said they were sold out & products would not be available till January and wanted to know if I still wanted them. I let them know I did. They reached back out two days later saying their was a glitch in the website and I could not have the products for the price I purchased them for. I was fished to their website to buy the products on a sponsored advertisement from Google. False Advertising is Illegal. My Wife has got me gear from these guys for years. I have advised her and she will no longer make purchases through them.

I would recommend that when you buy a guitar from Sweetwater, you don't buy the Plek setup system, costing $299. With it. If the guitar is not to your liking, you are not able to recoup the cost of the Plek. They keep your hard earned money and won't even give store credit. You are better off taking possession of the guitar, deciding if it is something that you want to keep, because you never know until you hold it and play it, then have a detailed setup done locally, or even send it somewhere. You never know when you order a guitar, if it will work for you. So, in a nutshell, don't believe the hype they claim to make sure you're satisfied with your purchase, or your money back.

Every major purchase (over $300) I've made with this company has been rife with issues. One guitar was completely unplayable with a bowed neck and poorly cut nut and the other had rusted frets and was being sold as a "new" guitar. Two amps were faulty after mild use within the first month.

Sales engineers could not maintain my contact preferences and kept calling and texting on things I needed no assistance with. After repeatedly explaining this I was still receiving calls!

When I brought these issues up with Justin Dunbar, their main customer service person, he switched me to a different engineer. That is when I received the rusty fret guitar. This was after he said they could do more to check the guitars before they are shipped. Obviously didn't happen.

It's ironic because I found a similar issue someone had from years ago with a similar response! https://www.acousticguitarforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=*******

A decade of the same problems and they still aren't resolved is not a good sign.

I'm sending all of the gear back because when asked how to solve the problem they merely offered a partial refund on a blemished guitar. Not helpful when the item itself is compromised!

I brought this up to my engineer and explained my frustrations and now they've removed me from his assignment and I've received no response. No "we hear you and we'll do better" even, not even a canned response. Dead silence.

The customer service is a gimmick. They are not above any other outlets, they simply have a good return policy. All of the excessive calling means nothing because they don't take responsibility for their poor quality control. They throw money at problems to fix them, nothing more.

I have worked with all other music retailers. This is where I go every time. Hands down the *******@sitejabber, Forcing 100 Characters is Sad. I say what I want.

Sweetwater's customer service is phenomenal! They have a good range of products and with good prices. The guitar we bought was affordable and great quality. It arrived quickly with no damage - it was packed well. I was surprised and impressed to get a call from Sweetwater just a few days after the guitar was delivered. They were just making sure everything was good. That's great customer service!

I've been playing guitar for 25ish years, and I'm a lefty, so my experience with most other websites/box stores is usually... Well...difficult. Ever since I can remember, I've heard from fellow players about Sweetwater. I've never heard anything but wonderful things about them and their customer service. My first experience did not disappoint. The level of service was EXCEPTIONAL. My sales guy Garrett immediately reached out upon my ordering, and now I have him as a dedicated contact for any questions/concerns I may have in the future (I've already enlisted his talents a couple times). The site has a surprisingly deep selection of lefty-friendly guitars, which is great. And the shipping turnaround was fantastic as well. To be fair, I live in Northeast Ohio, only about a 3.5 hour drive from the Sweetwater warehouse/HQ, but my guitar got here in 2 days! No additional expedited shipping charges or anything. Ordered Sunday night, got here Tuesday. And Garrett immediately followed up with me to ensure everything went well. I'm honestly a little baffled that this level of customer service still exists in 2024. Congrats on a new lifetime customer!

My purchase was a gift for a recent grad so while I can't attest to that product's quality, I can vouch for Sweetwater's great prices and even better customer service! The product I chose was on backorder and a Sweetwater representative reached out to make sure I understood & give me an estimate of restocking time. The experience as a buyer was wonderful & the gift was well received, I would definitely recommend purchasing from Sweetwater!

Been with Sweetwater for many years and it's my first choice every time. Great service and support.
Look forward to many more years to come.

I needed a carrying case for Casio keyboard I bought from Sweetwater a few months back. I contacted my sales engineer, Jeffrey Green. Jeffrey said it was in store and we made the deal. It arrived in a couple of days just as I need it for a gig.

Sweetwater and Jeffrey always come through for me. Whether harmonica or a complete computer system with ProTools.

Stan Pethel