- 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.
I ordered an Erica LXR-02 from them. First thing that seemed weird is when I opened the box, the unit was "dusty". Odd, but maybe it sat for awhile. Who knows? The next thing was that the SIM card was already out of the holder and placed in the unit. Hmmm. It was also updated as well. Now I'm starting to think they sold me a used unit, even though I bought it as "new". But it looked ok, so I figured, "maybe someone just didn't dig it, and returned it". I plugged it in, and noticed that any bit of vibration on the table would cause the unit to cut off and on again. In addition, lit buttons would "flicker" or not go on when pushed. So obviously an electrical issue. To be fair, when I called customer service they gave me no problems about wanting a refund. But now I have the aggravation of 1) having to return it, and 2) having to wait for my money. I would bet this unit was a return, probably for the same issue I described. When they couldn't "te-create" the issue on return they probably figured it was a faulty power line, tossed a new one in, and called it good. And that, my friends, is why I'm calling them "shady". I'll never do business with them again.
Date of experience: February 23, 2022
Made a purchase that was to be 48 months only 24 month financing. I called to resolve issue and Sweetwater has ignored the issue and I as a customer. It is obvious they don't need me as a customer.
Date of experience: August 18, 2018
Honestly the best customer service of any company I have ever worked with. Above and beyond. And we love their payment plans, couldn't have bought some of our gear without their setup!
Date of experience: July 16, 2019
You have to visit the store! Everyone is helpful in finding the gear you need. Been shopping there for years. Online and in person. The only difference is no masks!
Tip for consumers:
If you can visit the store, you will be impressed! Order online, you will be impressed!
Products used:
Guitar, drums, cords
Date of experience: February 21, 2021
What can I say! These are just Great People to work with! I like that my Rep works with me and knows my needs to help get exactly the perfect gear that works with the system I'm building!
Date of experience: July 23, 2017
Nothing can be better than SW! It's reliable and fast. Sale engineer are the best in the world! And Drew Foster is best from the best!
More candies, please! :)
Date of experience: July 13, 2017
Highly love them, very helpful and always very pleasant to work with. The ask all the right questions to make sure that you are receiving what you are looking for!
Date of experience: February 16, 2017
There is no need for other company's while Sweetwater is around. You may find a better price but you will not find better quality and customer service. Thanks for everything!
Date of experience: April 11, 2017
As far as the musical supply business goes SWEETWATER cannot be beaten! They have the best products and the best customer service around! SWEETWATER leaves you with a satisfied mind when you make an order. They always keep you in the loop from the time you place your order till the time you receive it. You can't go wrong with SWEETWATER..
Date of experience: December 11, 2018
Tried to order from abroad a few months ago and the guy assigned to me Aric Ficek was a really bad sales representative, it took back and forth around 4-5 days via email so that he questioned me why I wanted to buy a $1,500 product and I just wanted to know the courier service they were gonna use, that took 4-5 days without an answer and If they knew If I could pay the parcel custom service via that courier service, never got an answer and I was just frustrated that he had to reply with a generic answer without reading the follow-up questions from the email. Went to Vintage Kind and they resolved this issue in less than 24 hours with an incredible customer service, fast and with attention to my questions and requests. Never buying from this site again, easier with Vintage Kind, Amazon or Thomann.
Date of experience: December 20, 2021
Sweetwater blew me away with their prompt delivery smack bang in the middle of Covid. I received order within a week!
I ordered locally at the same time and still have not received the order.
Date of experience: September 13, 2020
I ordered a new top of the line mic and there was a misunderstanding with the "bonus bucks" they quickly resolved the issue and kept a happy customer.
Products used:
Shure microphone
Date of experience: July 24, 2023
I went several times and order online. After 30 years making music i say sweetwater are very patient and take time to awnser and suggest other alternatives.
Date of experience: November 17, 2022
Working with Sweetwater was an effortless experience. Placing the order was quick and accurate. The communications were prompt, and the follow up was greatly appreciated. A+++ service!
Date of experience: March 14, 2017
Definitely the highlight of this company is their OUTSTANDING customer support team. Having a personal rep is so helpful when you have so many options. Best place to buy your music gear.
Date of experience: August 20, 2019
The drums i bought had some of the hardware that was stripped, also one of the skins for the tom tom had a hole in it. No way it was inspected before shipped.
Date of experience: July 8, 2023
-Ronnie, thank you for the review. I am sorry to hear about your drums and would like to dig into this and see what happened. Please email me directly so we can make this right for you, alisha_hall@sweetwater.com
" Very fair prices., top of the line customer service... will be a repeat customer... to all of you musicians out there... this is a top of the line company to meet your needs "
Date of experience: April 20, 2018
The best store in USA. They are amazing and have the best products ever! If you have any questions you can send an email, they will help you and you will be satisfied
Date of experience: December 3, 2017
The order was fulfilled extremely fast and the reps made contact multiple times assuring I had a positive experience.
Products used:
Sampler/drum machine
Date of experience: December 4, 2023
I got this product and I was excited to you but as soon as I plugged it up been downloaded everything I started hearing static in my song and they started skipping. I called the guy who helped me he never called back until he heard I was shipping everything back i return this person called his name is Eric and he was trying to argue with me on the phone about my return all I wanted was my money back and now today which is June 30th I'm still waiting for refund i returned this back the last Wednesday I'm so upset right now
Date of experience: June 30, 2020
Sweetwater, what a fantastic place I ordered some cymbals online and within a couple hours received a courtesy call, very personable very awesome, Sweetwater awesome awesome
Date of experience: February 25, 2022
Jon, Sales Rep at Sweetwater he is patient, knowledgeable, and knows his job. My equipment is Sweet!
Products used:
Primacoustic Panels 8 Audio Technica Shount Mount AP Pop Screen
Date of experience: April 1, 2021
Thank you so much for posting this Paula! Your video put a huge smile on my face today, and I shared it with Jon as well! I know Jon works really hard to create an amazing experience for all of his customers, and I am so glad you are working with him! If you need anything, please don't hesitate to reach out!
- Zach Bloom, Sweetwater Customer Experience
For music equipment sweetwater has the best customer service hands down! They actually call to make sure you had a good buying experience. Great Company!
Date of experience: August 12, 2014
Outstanding customer service. Easy and simple to order. Excellent product offerings. What can I say, the best one stop shop for music products so far.
Date of experience: August 16, 2017
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.
You get the best of both worlds! We love our local customers, so next time you come in, ask for Zach Bloom, and your lunch is on us! You can email me ahead of time directly at zach_bloom@sweetwater.com!
- Zach Bloom, Customer Experience