Is Musicians Friend reliable for amps??

[scorpionldr]

I'm looking at buying a new Amp setup sometime in the near future (once i get a few gigs) and I have enough money for what I'm buying, but is www.musiciansfriend.com reliable for sending amps undamaged and such? I'm looking at spending near $900 (Yorkville XS400H and 2x10 cab) on the amp because I can't find any place that actually carries what I'm looking for (went to guitar center and was told i'm looking for crap, which I know is false). Is musicians friend good about shipping catastrophes, returns and fees?? Any info would be good

[Gabu]

Originally Posted by scorpionldr

I'm looking at buying a new Amp setup sometime in the near future (once i get a few gigs) and I have enough money for what I'm buying, but is www.musiciansfriend.com reliable for sending amps undamaged and such? I'm looking at spending near $900 (Yorkville XS400H and 2x10 cab) on the amp because I can't find any place that actually carries what I'm looking for (went to guitar center and was told i'm looking for crap, which I know is false). Is musicians friend good about shipping catastrophes, returns and fees?? Any info would be good

*click on*
"boooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo "
*click off*

I am sure that my story is the exception rather than the rule. But the last time I bought an amp from musicians friend they set it in a box and shipped it to me... without any packing material. It still turned on... but it didn't make any sound except for a constant 1khz sine wave tone... They took it back of course, but I didn't appreciate the waste of my time.

[cgworkman]

I order from them all the time with no problems. Both large and small items.

[Benjamin Strange]

Mail order is the devil. Just take your MF catalog into your neighborhood store and have them match the price on an amp you can actually try out. If something is wrong with a MF amp, you have to send it back to them, at your expense. If you buy an amp at a store, you can take it directly to them and get some service.

[Aaron Saunders]

Just order it through GC. MF is the online version of GC, nes pas? And if that fool salesman gives you any crap about Yorkville being junk, give him a slugger in the sack and move on to the next salesman who wants his commission.

[David Wilson]

Originally Posted by Benjamin Strange

If something is wrong with a MF amp, you have to send it back to them, at your expense.

Not in my experience, I've had two items DOA from MF. That sucked - but they shipped replacements right away and gave me prepaid return labels.
Of course, you should support your local good music store. But it's hard to argue with a 45 day tryout period sometimes, esp if your local store doesn't stock a particular brand.

[DougP]

MF is hit or miss. there are plenty of horror stories around. in 12 years of ordering from them i, personally, have never had an issue. i just recently bought an all tube Fender Hot Rod guitar amp from them and it arrived in flawless condition. a day eary i might add.

[cgworkman]

Originally Posted by Benjamin Strange

If something is wrong with a MF amp, you have to send it back to them, at your expense.

Sorry, that's wrong. I ordered a GK cab that had a blown tweeter (BTW, that's not MF's fault). They emailed me a prepaid FedEx label and then shipped me a replacement for with no extra shipping charges.

Now if you just don't like something you'll have to ship it back at your expense. But what do you expect there?

[Benjamin Strange]

Ah, it appears I have been misinformed. Ignore all my posts from now on.

I still think mail order is the devil. I personally am a big fan of try before you buy. You shouldn't base a purchase of something that's going to be an integral part of your tone without hearing it first, unless you have no other choice.

[cgworkman]

Originally Posted by Benjamin Strange

Ah, it appears I have been misinformed. Ignore all my posts from now on.

I still think mail order is the devil. I personally am a big fan of try before you buy. You shouldn't base a purchase of something that's going to be an integral part of your tone without hearing it first, unless you have no other choice.

Very true. Just keep saying all your purchases are defective and you'll be good to go. Free shipping!!

[scorpionldr]

so basically if what i buy arrives like a lump of crap at my front door and i can return it, just call, say it's defective and send it back. ok cool. just goes to show that i can rent. now some places say anything over $200 is eligable for free shipping...why are some marked and some not.

now is gear1music.com cool too?? or musiciansbuy.com? i'm seeing cheaper prices around

[mikemulcahy]

I have ordered a ton of stuff from MF with not problems at all.


Mike

[Gabu]

Originally Posted by scorpionldr

so basically if what i buy arrives like a lump of crap at my front door and i can return it, just call, say it's defective and send it back. ok cool. just goes to show that i can rent. now some places say anything over $200 is eligable for free shipping...why are some marked and some not.

now is gear1music.com cool too?? or musiciansbuy.com? i'm seeing cheaper prices around

Heavy items do not qualify for free shipping.

Renting their gear is pretty messed up. At least you should tell MF upfront that you are returning the item because you don't want it anymore, and then actually pay for the shipping. If you do that, then at least you are not forcing MF to pay for you to use their gear for free.

[cheezewiz]

MF is hit or miss like has been said before. I'd much rather deal with a bass dealer you can count on to make things right, like Bass NW, Bass Central, or Low Down Sound. I recently got a head from LDS and couldn't have been more pleased with the price or service.

[Don W]

I've been buying stuff from Musician's Friend for years, including amps and I've never had any problems.

[Michael Jewels]

From MF I have bought:

1) An Epiphone Jack Casady bass
2) Yamaha Pacifica electric guitar (Telecaster copy)
2) Schecter PT Elite electric guitar (Telecaster copy)
4) Ibanez EDA905F fretless bass
5) Ampeg B100R bass amp

And a few miscellaneous small items. (stomp boxes, etc.)

Everything arrived in perfect shape except the Ibanez, and when I called them to tell them that it was damaged, they gave me an RMA # right away, and sent the replacement within a couple of weeks.

Anything can arrive damaged from any retailer, but I give MF high marks for fast shipping and fast return service the one time I needed it.

I wouldn't worry about buying an amp from them.

Mike

[RickBlair]

I am presently in the middle of the worst mail-order experience I have ever had with MF. I ordered an Ampeg preamp and mailed a Western Union money order on Jan. 1. It probably arrived at MF on Jan. 6, and they didn't get around to processing the order until Jan. 20. The check was cashed on Jan. 24 but they put a 'security hold' on the check (to avoid fraudulent checks) until Feb. 7. I faxed a letter to their accounting dept. pointing out that the check was cashed, please verify it with their bank, and ship my order. No reply of course. It looks like I won't see the preamp until the middle of Feb.

MF advertises quick shipping and great customer service. Maybe if you pay by credit card you get faster shipping, but having to wait 7 weeks for an item is completely unacceptable. If their goal is to create a bunch of 1-time customers they are very successful. I will NEVER buy another item from those bozos and I advise others to shop anywhere else but MF. They need to be taught a harsh lesson.

Rick B.

Rick B.

[Only]

I've never had problems with MF stuff, including amps, but then I've always gone to the warehouse and picked stuff up and tested it myself before I paid for it.