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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.
Repair/Warranty sucks here. I opened a case and called the repair number like instructed. Called for one week straight with no response. Finally, I reached out to my rep. I spent tens of thousands on this place. It's been a few weeks and my part is still in their possession. If you need to gig the next weekend, forget about this place. Elvis will return from the dead before you get your rig back!
Date of experience: May 31, 2016
I've been doing business with Sweetwater since 2015 and they are simply awesome.
Of course with something as personal and complex as musical instruments and equipment a knowledgeable and empathetic sales person is critical as well, and Sweetwater has many sales people.
And over the years I found two who were exceptional, though one has left to pursue other endeavors.
So I recommend that you specifically request Zac Coleman. His breadth of experience and sincere concern that his customers are content sets him apart from others I've encountered.
Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of Sweetwater sales people and I've only dealt with a fraction of them, and most have been good. But Zac truly stands out and shines.
Tip for consumers:
Ask for Zac Coleman. If he's too busy ask him to recommend another sales person he knows and trusts that can assist you best.
Products used:
Guitars, PA speakers, mixers, electronic effects systems, microphones, monitor systems.
Date of experience: May 10, 2022
I'm a military member stationed overseas. Sweetwater is by far the best music company I've dealt with. Having only an APO box in the military they split up a large package into three separate ones so that it could be delivered, and at no cost. Also, I was looking for a specific limited edition guitar. I contacted more than ten music equipment sellers for it, but the only one to reply was sweetwater. They are hospitable, kind, and flexible. Regardless of cost this is what I like in any distributor.
Date of experience: January 1, 2017
What amazing experience buying from sweetwater. Best customer service I have ever dealt with and the team is very knowledgeable! Definitely looking forward to making my future purchases with Sweetwater.
Date of experience: July 16, 2018
I just got a call from a sweetwater rep, Taylor Perry, personally checking with me to make sure my order was okay. He was incredibly nice and personable, explaining that he was a guitarist too and we had a nice little chat about our shared hobby. He even gave me his direct line so I can text him if I ever have any issues. Never once in my life have I had such a good experience with customer service, and I will absolutely be giving them my business whenever possible from now on. Incredible company, their customer service is worth paying extra money for, and they don't even charge extra money for it! From now on, I'll suggest any music enthusiasts to buy from Sweetwater.
Date of experience: October 23, 2020
Sweetwater is really a good website, been dealing with them for many years. Hardly ever pay their listed website price - always ask for a better deal & usually get it. Can return items for refund or exchange, top technical help. Free shipping & they include a small bag of candy to sweeten up the deal... I usually give that away.
Tip for consumers:
Ask can you do any better on your price.........
Products used:
Bought preamps , cables , microphones , an Epiphone Casino , many other items.
Date of experience: April 28, 2022
These guys are really good at what they do - from the service [whether online, email or phone], to their instructional videos on website and on youtube. Clint in the guitar department somehow always manages to get me deal way better than Musician's Friend, AMS, or any of the other online superstores. Returns/exchanges are easy -
Date of experience: June 7, 2017
Customer service is very kind, but,
I received the interface with a very loose power input. Discussed twice. Needs to be replaced with one that works and does not shut down in the middle of a session.
Thank You Kindly, Billy Merc
Date of experience: September 2, 2017
Sweetwater sound is the very best! They are the exemplification of outstanding service; the epitome of really great service.
I have had the pleasure of various purchases over the years and have always received delivery in a more than timely fashion.
The guarantee and return policy should be a standard throughout the industry, it is truly hassle-free, beyond reproach.
Clint Bransteter is my personal engineer and his knowledge of all things music is phenomenal; he is highly attentive, LISTENS, and has always offered viable solutions for my musical accoutrements that keep me well within my allotted budgetary constraints.
Tip for consumers:
Go there for all your musical needs. You will not be disappointed
Products used:
musical equipment
Date of experience: May 2, 2020
I've never had a customer service experience more professional than Sweetwater, It's a joy to spend money at their shop. They always follow up on items purchased with calls and emails to make sure the customer is satisfied. Sweetwater leads by example!
Date of experience: February 11, 2021
I am so glad to hear we are taking good care of you, and that you enjoy shopping with us! Please let us know if you need anything else, or if you have any questions!
- Zach Bloom, Customer Experience
Great product for budget mined musicians. Ear buds are not high end though. I have Westone UM 30 Pro's that give me that quality drivers to complement the AP-100. Would recommend this unit to anyone wanting to have in ear monitor for their performances. Sweetwater customer service rep. Really knew what he was talking about, and the service was nothing but stellar!
Date of experience: June 1, 2017
I have had the pleasure of doing business with Aaron Tremain at Sweetwater.com for about 10 years now. Aaron always returns my calls and messages promptly and I have never been disappointed in a purchase that Aaron helped me decide on. Sweetwater ships immediately and packs carefully, and you won't find better prices anywhere--including Amazon. When purchasing a musical instrument or equipment through Sweetwater, you can rest assured that it will arrive promptly and in pristine condition.
Products used:
Musical Instruments and accessories.
Date of experience: November 23, 2021
Our old 24 channel SR Mackie had some major issues after many years of service at my church. I emailed my sales rep Tad at Sweetwater that is was time for an upgrade. I stayed with the same style of mixer for its ease of use. This mixer is working great and sure sounds much better than its old predecessor. Tad at Sweetwater quoted the best price with no shipping charge. The board arrived on time as promised. The new board had the same footprint so it fit right back into my work station. I had it up and running in minutes. The preamps sound really clean. The new generation of this mixer has some nice features over the older generation and retains its rugged build.
Date of experience: December 20, 2017
I am a professional musician have been Buying my equipment from Sweetwater for a few years now (sound systems, keyboards, processing, brass instruments, etc.) and I am always impressed by the customer service. I recently place an order around 3:00 AM and at 9:00 AM I received a call from my rep thanking me for the order. I regularly receive calls from my rep just checking in - no pressure - just great customer service! Pricing is as good or or better than the competition, shipping is free and prompt. I have good national music stores right down the street but I choose to do business with Sweetwater unless I need a patch cord or something today. Hands down, the best! Go online and check out their facility in Fort Wayne. It's amazing!
Kudos!
Tip for consumers:
Customer service is the BEST! They make me feel like family, rather then a business contact.
Products used:
Mixer, EQ, Stands, Sub Woofers, Powered Speakers, Trombone, various accessories.
Date of experience: September 6, 2023
The best company Ive ever had the pleasure of doing business with.
Very fast, courteous service, received exactly what I ordered in record time
Shopped with Sweetwater before and will continue to be a customer. There is no reason to look elsewhere for what I want.
Date of experience: February 26, 2018
I've been buying music gear for a long time, I'm 62 and been playing since I was 14. I have made several purchases from SweetWater over the past few months. From the assigned Sales Engineer (thanks Mark), to shipment/delivery times and tracking, to customer support and dealing with questions and replacements... They are just the best I've ever dealt with. Hands down. All of that with all the great blog articles, tutorials, and info you can find anything you need and need to know right on the Sweetwater site and YouTube channel. I simply won't buy anywhere else.
Date of experience: May 22, 2020
Multiple products on back order. 30+ minute hold times with no return call. 48+ hours and counting for an email response. They must keep bankers' hours because you will not receive a response over the weekend. Prices are competitive with Musicians Friend but not the inventory, attention, or response time.
Date of experience: April 23, 2017
I have purchased resources to slowly build my own speaker, monitor, and mixer components. I have been blown away with customer service. The other week I received a call from Jonathan Appleton who was calling to just check in. No sales pitch, just wanted to make sure I knew he was my resource. These calls have taken place monthly this calendar year. If I can help it - They have my business for life!
Date of experience: June 18, 2017
Wow! I am looking at some of the negative reviews here and wondering why there are such polar opposite reviews. I've probably made somewhere in the neighborhood of 15-20 purchases from Sweetwater and have never had anything but outstanding support and service. It makes me wonder what happened to the people who had negative experiences with Sweetwater. Is it their sales consultant? I had a wonderful sales consultant, Keith Schreiber, who treated me like family and followed up with me about every three months to make sure everything was alright and to see if I needed anything. I say "had" because Keith moved to be closer to family after this Christmas. I'm perplexed to say the least. I'll check back after a purchase with my new sales consultant. As I said, I've had nothing but positive experiences with Sweetwater.
Date of experience: September 12, 2014
Outstanding customer service, Unbeatable tech help and product knowledge. Sweetwater is my go to for all of my studio and live music equipment needs. Your personal sales assistant will be an invaluable asset to you.
Date of experience: May 4, 2017
If you need technical advice choosing music gear, call Sweetwater. My current sales rep is Joseph and he just spent 30 minutes explaining all the technical nuance of in ear monitors and turned me on to a specific model for the kind of music I play that was actually cheaper than what I was planning to spend
Date of experience: December 1, 2016
I made a mistake and ordered the Teacher/Student version of Pro Tools... I am neither a teacher nor a student and would obviously be ineligible to activate the software.
Chris Moseley called me up and left me a voice mail just moments after I placed my order to confirm exactly what I'd purchased... I sure am glad he did that! I called him back as soon as I listened to his message. Long story short, we got the order put "on hold" before it was shipped, saving me tons of time and headaches.
The responsiveness of Chris (and I also spoke to an Alex as well) basically turned what would've been a disastrous experience into a highly positive one. This was my first experience with Sweetwater, but I'll definitely be back to work with Chris Moseley for purchases in the future.
Date of experience: April 7, 2017
Ive been a customer for years, great financing options, customer service, extended warranties, free shipping. Extremely knowledgeable sales staff, if they dont know the answer they will get back to you with one. Highly recommended for any musician on any level. The forums and tutorials on line are helpful tools in making an informed purchase. Highly recommended.
Date of experience: April 15, 2018
These folks were most impressive. The condition of the guitar... the patience in dealing with me. (Ha!) Can't say enough. Acoustic guitars are tricky business... there people were right on every aspect of it. Straight neck... Intonation... String size etc.
Date of experience: July 28, 2018
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.
Thanks Robert! Thanks so much for your kind words and for the amazing feedback for Zac. Zac is awesome and we're very lucky to have him on our team. I'll be sure to share your feedback with him. We'll look forward to working with you again soon! Thanks again for your kind words and business!