- Log in
- Browse Businesses
- Guides
- Resources
- Write a Review
- Request a Review
- Backed by the National Science Foundation
- For Business
Sweetwater has a rating of 3.4 stars from 1,193 reviews, indicating that most customers are generally satisfied with their purchases. Reviewers satisfied with Sweetwater most frequently mention customer service, sales rep, and free shipping. Sweetwater ranks 2nd among Music Equipment sites.
This company responds to reviews on average within 4 hours
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!
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.
Sweetwater is well-known for their gear, but I have to say their service is awful. I ordered 2 cable testers, but one was mistake. I responded nearly immediately with an order cancellation. This was apparently ignored, and some random sales associate Maxwell emailed with an introduction and a "Thank you for your order e-mail. I then responded to him with another request to cancel the order. HE THEN RESPONDED WITH TRACKING INFORMATION HOURS LATER. It honestly felt like the company was taunting me. Now, even though I IMMEDIATELY CANCELLED THE ORDER, I have to wait to recieve it, return it, then wait for them to recieve it to get a refund on an order that should have been cancelled. Actually trash service and will never order directly from the company again. Third parties obviously know how to handle inventory much better.
Date of experience: May 31, 2023
First off, spoke to Jeff Rohlfing today and needed help, he took probably 15 minutes to figure out my problem and I hesitate to say he helped me with my issue by recommending a fix for what I already had instead of jumping right to trying to sell me something else. WHAT SALESMAN DOES THAT? I have purchased from Sweetwater before and have encountered the same level of SERVICE. These guys get my vote and will absolutely be my first stop from here on for any electronic needs. Thanks, Jeff.
Date of experience: July 27, 2018
Jimmy at Sweetwater was extremely helpful when we were choosing an ukulele for our son. The service doesn't end when you place the order! Great selections and great service!
Date of experience: December 24, 2020
I've only purchased a few items from Sweetwater, but the service has been top-notch. They ship fast, the items arrive quickly and they followup to make sure everything is good with the purchase.
Date of experience: October 12, 2017
Very happy with product and service. The follow up personal phone call was over the top for expected service. I am instituting that concept in my own business as a result. Very happy.
Date of experience: May 15, 2017
I got to choose the exact guitar that was delivered, from start to finish someone was in contact with me and also sent me pics of my guitar. Delivery three days later, amazing
Date of experience: April 24, 2019
Excellent service
I had a problem on a Thursday evening and had the wrong piece of equipment and by Friday afternnoon I had the right piece of equipment and a shipping label to return the other one.
It would be nice if every business operated that way.
Shout out to my sales rep Ed Sneedler, hes on top of my equipment and I feel comfortable with his knoledge
Brett
Date of experience: November 24, 2017
Best customer service
Best customer care
Best communication
Knowledgeable, kind and experienced team members. Not only do I know my gear is taken care of, I know I'm taken care of and that's why I shop exclusively at Sweetwater.
Date of experience: November 25, 2020
A bit skeptical as I never thought I would buy a guitar on line as I am more of a tactile
Person.
However you add and the positive comments, the 51pt inspection and lets face it the 30day money back guarantee along with the PRICE. Well it was worth the price of postage(hahaha)
I am glad I took a chance, Arrived on time and in great nick. Was playable out of the box after a tuning.
No problems thus far.
You know you hear a lot of reasons not to buy on line.
Sweetwater may just be the reason that debunks all of them.
I intend to buy from then again, no question or qualms.
I company that says what is does and does what is says.
Date of experience: February 12, 2018
I have had many good experiences with Sweetwater. Purchases, returns, advice, tech support - all were very very good. Before I learned about them, I shopped at a local "Guitar Galaxy"( name changed to protect the innocent). They were very frustrating to deal with. I am sorry and surprised to read some recent negative reviews. I can only think that the whole Covid thing, with it's economic downturn must be the reason. I have had the owner, Mr. Surack, contact me directly to ask if everything in the buying process was good. I have always gotten the impression that the whole team was committed to doing the best they could. Twice they even gave me a free upgrade to similar but more expensive product when they were out of stock on a less-expensive item. I have read in several publications that supply chains are being disrupted on all kinds of products in all kinds of markets. That is the only explanation I can come up with for the recent bad reviews. I continue to buy from them and support them during these hard times, because 1. They have genuinely tried to help every time, 2. They are committed to keeping up with technology 3. Great prices, and 4. I don't have time to deal with doing involved research every time I need to buy something- I am too busy making music! I consider them to be a part of MY team.
Tip for consumers:
I am a pretty busy guy, and I do not want to have to start searching for another retailer. So I do want these guys to stay in business and keep doing a great job of helping me find my way through a maze of products. I want to make music, not be a tech researcher.
Products used:
Many products for stage performances and home studio recording.
Date of experience: December 31, 2020
BOUGHT A NEW GUITAR AND HAD IT PLEKED FROM SWEETWATER. SALES REP. Chris Sanders WAS FANTASTIC. WHOLE PROCESS ONLY TOOK A FEW DAYS. VERY FAST SHIPPING AND PACKED VERY WELL. GUITAR IS ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL ONES I'VE EVER OWNED AND DEFINITELY THE BEST PLAYING.
Date of experience: November 23, 2020
I bought an audio interface from them fifteen years ago and from day 1 it did not work, it was stuck in a power off / power on loop. I thought it was my PC configuration and lost a week of work trying to fix it. I finally sent it to the manufacturer's factory service and had it repaired. It was defective. It was only today, reading these reviews, that I realized that Sweetwater had sold me defective and possibly returned stock. The reason I came to check these reviews is that a Sweetwater sales rep started calling me, in the middle of the night, and sending me emails introducing himself as my "personal sales rep." I responded to the email and told him calling me is not OK - and that his call had disturbed me in the middle of the night, and then his response was not to acknowledge that he had called me without my consent, but to ask me what time zone I am in. I checked my Sweetwater "account page", and it doesn't even show a phone number registered with them. There was also no way to delete your account. Stay away from this company unless you want defective gear and people spying on you to get your contact info to spam you, If you see a promotion for a free giveaway or contest, don't sign up, you'll just be opening yourself to spam and unsolicited phone calls.
Date of experience: September 18, 2018
I recently purchased a Gibson ES 335 from Sweetwater. There are many online retailers but I went w/ Sweetwater because of their 55 point inspection process and the helpfulness of the person that interacted with me. Received the guitar, what a disappointment. This model was VERY expensive but it arrived w/ several large scratches in the finish. There was rust on the metal fittings, bridge parts, pups, and knobs. Amazingly, for a semi hollowbody instrument the sound lacked sustain and resonance and the bridge vibrated horribly with playing. There was also a foul chemical smell emanating from the guitar. It was so bad that I became nauseated just sitting with it in my lap and had to put the guitar down and get away from it. So, either they did their inspection and STILL sent out a bad instrument, or they didn't do an inspection at all. Won't order from Sweetwater again. This is the issue whenever ordering from an online retailer... how much do they care, and in this case, it was very little.
Tip for consumers:
Don't do it
Date of experience: July 18, 2017
I perched a speaker from sweet water and did not test it before the party started, to find out that the speaker was not working properly. All you can hear is the background of the song but when it was time to listen to the person singing you could not here anything. I returned the speaker to sweet-water and they had the nerve to say that nothing was wrong with it. I had a DJ friend of mind check it out and he said it was defective, but since sweet water tech did not agree with it being defective they charged me $19.00 for the shipping label. Therefore DO NOT BUY DEMO PRODUCTS FROM SWEETWATER.COM
Date of experience: August 20, 2015
Ordered my 2nd Boss Katana mk2.Arrived in 3 day, or rather 2 1/3 days,on time and in perfect condition!It b shipped a little more than 3 hrs after I ordered it! *****
Tip for consumers:
Great prices,5* Customer service with 30 day ironclad return policym
Products used:
Amplifier
Date of experience: December 4, 2022
The whole crew at Sweetwater are just the best! Their customer service skills and expertise set the bar for what I expect from other companies I deal with!
Date of experience: January 3, 2017
I called with questions about a product and the operator answered all of our questions and called me again later to make sure everything was delivered properly. A++
Date of experience: December 17, 2020
My sweetwater rep follows up on all my orders after I receive them. He will call and email me to see how satisfied I am and if he can do something for me let him know
Date of experience: November 2, 2017
Today my IT person will help me upgrade my MS Graphics software to allow us to utilize the Tech Support Folks at. SW; who told me that they couldn't help me download the tutorial for my ZOOM recorder and Cubase LE software until this was accomplished.
The only criticism on that contact is that it took them a little over an hour to make that determination and I was given to feel that I was taking them away from more important work or the TS guy hadn't had enough sleep... can't be sure! JI
Date of experience: June 2, 2017
Do you think guys. The people. Got. Purchased. Think s. They need it. If you guys ised. The information. Of. My wife. Or. Diferent Perdon. Dx o yiu think is. Confiable. Purchase with you guys. Hope. You. Guys. Change. Your Mind.
Products used:
String electric/ acoustic. Strings. Something else
Date of experience: April 11, 2023
Jordan is my Sales Engineer, and I am always pleased with the service he provides. He truly goes above and beyond for me. He also always follows up on your order and if something looks off, he takes the time to double check that everything is on the up and up. I wish every place I shopped provided this kind of service. Hats off to Sweetwater and Jordan, THE BEST SERVICE ALWAYS!
Tip for consumers:
Best place to shop…
Products used:
Sequential Prophet REV2. Also waiting for a RD9 Behringer drum machine.
Date of experience: May 26, 2022
Thank you for taking the time to provide your feedback, John! Our Sales Engineers work tremendously hard to provide excellent service to each customer we are lucky enough to serve. We are lucky to have Jordan as part of our team here at Sweetwater. We look forward to serving you in the future!
I have owned my Masterbuilt Epiphone DR-500 for two years now. I bought it from Sweetwater online. I liked the fact I could scroll through the guitars offered, and pick the one I want, plus the fact they did a set up and inspection before it was shipped. I have 17 guitars in my collection, varied from Gibson to Seagull, solid body, semi-hollow to hollow, 6 to 12 string. The guitar was perfect right out of the case. My Taylor cost 3 times the price, and my Martin as well... and this is the guitar I fell in love with. They were truthful about the inspection and everything that goes with buying from them. I intend to buy another, because it goes through my amp and the board, using a BOSS Acoustic preamp AD-10 [also from Sweetwater] and ends up sounding the way I want cutting through the mix with the band. I found it easy to record with, and have now used it on 5 songs. I am very happy I bought this guitar, and you just can not beat the price. My second one will be kept at the studio. Bottom line is you just can not get a guitar at this quality, for this price, in any other make. It is money well spent!
Date of experience: February 19, 2018
I just want to share about some INCREDIBLE customer service that I received lately. I was having some issues with a software license that I had purchased through Sweetwater Sound, and I could tell that Sweetwater's support team had their hands tied by the software developer and were just as helpless as I was.
Just when it looked like all was lost, I took one final look at my customer invoice and couldn't help but notice the email address of the president of the company right there on the invoice! The email address was accompanied by the following note:
"I want to take the time to personally thank you for your business with Sweetwater. I am so grateful for every customer, and I encourage you to continue to pursue your love of music. I want you to know that your satisfaction is our first priority."
This right here is leadership. A company president who is so confident in the excellence of his customer service team that he would put his own contact information on an invoice. I have to suspect that he rarely, if ever, gets an email - his company's customer service team is really that good! But in this case, I did send an email, and within an hour I'd received a response.
You can't go wrong with Sweetwater Sound. I'll keep going back to them again and again. And I hope that my own professional processes and service standards will measure up to even just a fraction of theirs!
Date of experience: July 31, 2021
Thank you for your wonderful review, Kristen! I am so thankful that you have been able to experience the Sweetwater Difference! Every employee, even our leadership, works hard with a core focus for the customer! We will go to all lengths to do the right thing, serve the customer, and stay alongside to answer any questions! Thank you for recognizing what makes Sweetwater unique! We are thankful we get to serve customers like you!
- Quincee Musselman, Sweetwater Customer Experience
Sprawling megastore featuring high-quality musical instruments & studio recording gear.
How do you go from a portable 4-track recording rig in a Volkswagon bus to being the nation's leading retailer of professional recording and music equipment?
Chuck founded Sweetwater as a recording studio in Fort Wayne in 1979. The business was first located in his home on Getz Road, then moved to a subsequent home on Bass Road. Initially the fledgling company focused on providing recording services to local and national artists and businesses.
Two things prompted the leap from recording studio to music retailer. The first was Chuck's frustration with being unable to find a reliable, knowledgeable music technology retailer. Prices were outrageous, and after-sale technical service and support for the sophisticated electronics he used in his studio were non-existent.
Then, in the early 1980s, the revolutionary Kurzweil K250 appeared. This groundbreaking keyboard gave musicians and composers access to realistic orchestral and other sounds, opening new possibilities for music composition and performance. Chuck created his own sound library for the keyboard, and quickly gained a national reputation as an expert at programming the instrument. Renowned musicians such as Stevie Wonder, Kenny Rogers, and other top names began consulting with Chuck, purchasing K250 factory options and upgrades through him. Recognizing the industry's need for a new, dependable, customer-oriented approach to the musical instrument and professional audio sales channel, Sweetwater became a Kurzweil dealer to fulfill these requests.
As Chuck's expertise became known and the industry grew more sophisticated, those original K250 customers returned again and again for product advice. The company began representing more product lines, and rapidly developed and implemented its unique philosophy of relationship-based selling — treating customers as friends —and unmatched pre- and post-sale customer service.
Sweetwater's primary emphasis quickly shifted from recording studio to music retailer. A new building was constructed on Bass Road and was expanded four times to keep up with the skyrocketing growth of the company. But even that wasn't enough, as the company quickly grew to nearly 220 employees. In late 2005, Sweetwater began the process of moving to their new headquarters, located at the intersection of Kroemer Road and U.S. Highway 30. The location's 38,000-square-foot building will be expanded to a total of 150,000 square feet with the addition of a 40,0000-square-foot state-of-the-art distribution center, a rich-media auditorium and recording studios designed by world-renowned acoustician and studio designer Russ Berger, and a technical training center on a 44-acre property that will allow plenty of room for Sweetwater's massive projected growth: 175 additional full-time employees and $150 million in annual sales by 2009, and $180 million in annual sales and 450 total employees by 2010. Most recently, $1 billion is annual sales and over 2000 employees by 2020.
Today, Sweetwater is recognized as one of the most successful and fastest-growing music retailers in the nation. The company has been named to Inc. magazine's list of the 500 fastest-growing private companies three years in a row, and has received the Music Inc. magazine REX Award for excellence in retailing.
-Justin, thank you for your review. I am sorry that this happened and I would love the opportunity to dig into this and make it right. Please email me at alisha_hall@sweetwater.com