Done with Sweetwater

[Nevada Pete]

I wanted to give the WD800 a test drive but from what I’ve read is that it’s a little similar to the WA But not enough to say it’s a WA with 800 watts, I hear it’s great amp but the big box online stores don’t offer Mesa products with special financing promos, I have the GK Legacy 800 arriving today or Monday, hopefully I can gel with it!

Thanks. Very interesting. The Walk About is indeed a classic. I'm not sure anything in class D is going to sound like the analog class AB designs, regardless of the preamp. Good luck with the Legacy 800.

 

[peter nicholas]

And if anyone is questioning my fervor or commitment here ....

I love Musiciansfriend. They've saved me THOUSANDS of dollars over the years and made shopping for gear easier than its ever been. I like to try and help others when I can too, so I share my experience.

you care more about money than support, we get it.

 

[Kipp Harrington]

I've never gotten a call from a sweetwater rep trying to make a sale.

Me neither.

 

[Joe Nerve]

musician's enemy has tried to screw me several times. they commonly send out returns and B stock as new - completely unethical. on one occasion i ordered a $2500 amp head and never received it despite calling them four times. finally canceled the order, ordered elsewhere, and had the amp 2 days later.

conversely, i've bought a lot of gear from sweetwater and never ever had any problem, literally not even one problem. sweetwater has:

- helped me with out-of-warranty repairs
- had stuff drop-shipped to me direct from the manufacturer when i needed it in a hurry
- offered me discounts when i didn't even ask

i'm a sweetwater guy for life and recommend them without hesitation. i am not affiliated in any way.

p.s. zzounds are also very good but their selection can be limited.

Ya got me to jump back to post 25...

Interesting that you got screwed in several purchases, while I've made around 100 purchases (probably more) and don't share your experience.

In all my purchases there were maybe 3 times that I received something I could tell had been returned, which is not unlike buying something off a rack in a mom and pop store, but aside from that...

I immediately called. I told them it was clear that what I got was NOT new, and there was no problem whatsoever. They simply said, we'll send you another. And they did.

I could also list the issues I've had with Sweetwater, but I'm trying REAL hard to not do that. And the ice I'm walking on is beginning to melt quickly.

If you love Sweetwater, awesome. I'm happy for you. If you bash Musiciansfriend, I'm going to defend, because I feel as (or more strongly) about them as you do about SW.

 

[Nevada Pete]

I also cringe talking with someone who I feel is being incredibly disingenuous. Its why I never liked strip clubs . I really don't believe they want my friendship. They want my money.

You didn't have enough to drink.

 

[Joe Nerve]

You didn't have enough to drink.

I don't drink.

And there ya have it .

 

[Nevada Pete]

I don't drink.

And there ya have it .

Me neither. Got nothing against it, personally. But I noticed when I would go out to the range the day after a drinking fest, it affected my marksmanship. That, and I finally figured out instead of buying it for women, it was way easier (and way cheaper!) just to ask them.

 

[Matty Koff]

I think in general terms of internet shopping, neither company is far off from each other. You might find better deals at MF/GC and SW might not pricematch.. but both have employees that are good at their job and a pleasure to deal with and those that are prone to some major mistakes. That's human nature there.. mistakes. We all make them at times.

And they ARE a business.. of course they want your money. What business doesn't? SW's policy seems to be to have a friendly voice call and check on your satisfaction level, and a little bag of candy with your order. I like that..to me that makes a statement towards ethics.

They aren't alone in stores that might not pay return shipping without some kind of explicit defect out of the box.. I know GC certianly doesn't return shipping costs even when I drive the item back to the local store, unless there's a defect. Same policy can be found via many online retailers even outside of music industry.

The difference is GC being the only local option in many areas and still stocking things like the first version of the TC Electronics polytuner, and don't have much to say when I ask about the polytuner 2 or 3. For the most part, the storefront doesn't offer much in the way of selection, giving me no choice but to browse the net for what I want if I'd prefer not to settle. I certainly enjoy talking to my sweetwater rep than some of the experiences I've had in my local GC, where one rep tried to take a bass from me that had JUST sat down to try out..or the fact that they are there for multiple customers at a time. The SW guy is just him and me, and maybe I lucked out that he seems to know quite a bit about the things I look for.

I've good experiences with GC reps on the phone as well though.

Both options have their pro's and cons. If you have complaints to voice.. it's your right to voice them. On either side of the debate there will be those of us who disagree.

 

[peter nicholas]

My sweetwater rep shares my first name. And we always greet each other like "Hey Matt..... It's Matt."

"hello, me; it's me again..."

 

[mikewalker]

... In the late 80s I purchased one of the very first digital recording systems from them, Digidesign Session 8. ...

Session8, there is a blast from the past! I had a Session 8 synced up with two ADATs - all chasing a Studer 16-track two-inch tapedeck (SMPTE timecode!)... that system kept on truckin' even through the time we beta-tested the very first RADAR 24-track hard disk recorder

 

[gregbackstrom]

No, it didnt... but I was trying hard not to say anything negative . The amount of praise for SW and bashing of MF here though makes it tough.

I really don't get it.

Well, for me (and I realize YMMV ...), my sales engineers at SW have been really good, especially regarding wireless mics, antenna, and other weird Shure stuff I knew less about. I've gotten every discount I've asked for, have not been charged a dime for shipping, and they've handled exchanges and returns efficiently and without complaint. They double-box everything that they send me, whereas MF and GC often send stuff in the manufacturer's cheaply-made "internal" shipping boxes. The SW guys have unboxed and inspected the few basses that I've purchased from them and confirmed the condition and weight before shipping.

For years, MF had my email address logon screwed up and it took me many tries--and someone who finally seemed to know what to do and cared enough to follow through--to get it working again. MF sent me two "mint" returned QSC K10's that had substantial cabinet damage (and one had a repainted grille). I gave up and bought a K8.2. Also, it took three GC discount Rootmaster RM-800 heads to get me a working one (which was worth waiting for). I sent the first one back, then had them send the third one to my nearest GC (15 miles away) so I wouldn't have to mess with packaging and FedEx again if that one was also defective.

Everyone makes mistakes, so I don't go ballistic when the inevitable "thing that was outside our control" occurs. But my time is valuable to me and Sweetwater wastes less of it than MF and GC do. And I get better, useful product info from the SW engineers -- I wouldn't think of asking MF and GC phone operators for product info.

And I'm a fan of Bit-O-Honey.

So, yes, I'm praising SW and (gently) bashing MF and GC. But honestly, I don't understand the praise for MF and GC and the bashing of SW.

 

[Nightman]

And I'm a fan of Bit-O-Honey.

THIS!! My only complaint is that they don’t put more pieces in the bag!!

 

[jerry]

I've always had great service from Sweetwater and they never bother me with phone calls either.(maybe it's long distance) I do however like to buy from stores like Bass San Diego/ Bass Shop Seattle etc for most of my needs, those guys are great. On the road I love shops like Gelb, Banana's At Large and the like over Guitar Centers.

 

[Joecooch]

I'm afraid I'm a Sweetwater fan too. Never had an issue. Even with returns. They've always done their best to make sure I was happy.

 

[Mark Sellers]

I posted earlier my Sweetwater rep calls me a couple time a month to see if I need anything. It wasn't an hour later I got a phone call from him checking on how I like my last purchase!

 

[chadhargis]

Same here. But I date back to before the hiding behind your computer screen and texting era. Y’know…way back when, in the days when people skills were still taught. And personal interaction and verbal communication didn’t make certain people so acutely uncomfortable.

I'm right there with you. My Dad owned a service company. One of the early lessons he taught me was "your #1 job is the relationship business". I'm a people person.

 

[Nevada Pete]

Session8, there is a blast from the past! I had a Session 8 synced up with two ADATs - all chasing a Studer 16-track two-inch tapedeck (SMPTE timecode!)... that system kept on truckin' even through the time we beta-tested the very first RADAR 24-track hard disk recorder

Right when they were released, Neil Young purchased two Sony 24 track digital tape recorders with custom made Anvil cases for Broken Arrow Studios and remote recording. I think the recorders employed half inch tape. Two years later, digital hard drive struck like lightening and the format became obsolete overnight. Dang!

 

[Joe Nerve]

LOL...

So I get an email this morning from Musiciansfriend with the heading, "Meet a friend." They introduced one of their gear advisors, and urged us to call if we wanted to "talk gear."

They've always provided the same friendly service (I never knew about it) as SW, but leave it up to you to call them if interested.

And, but, yeah... in another note...

When I bought my Rickenbacker at Musiciansfriend I had a bunch of money left over from the 8% Backstage Pass money. I didn't need strings, nor another bass, nor cables or anything... so I waited for another one of their sales and wound up picking up one of these... for free!

Link Removed

I threw it in my glove compartment for backup, and forgot it was even there.

Yesterday, at a wedding at Trump's Gold Club in Bedminster, my Carvin crapped out.

Ya might say that Musiciansfriend saved my butt.

That head worked wonderfully, and I wouldn't have had it if I didn't buy my Ric at MF (though I couldda just gone through the PA - hate that though).

Anyway... while this picture is not necessarily a reflection of my political views , the punk rock that still lives a bit inside me had to take and post it. The painting hangs next to the bar in the event room at the gold club. It was at the end of the night. Forgive my sweatiness ...

Sorry ya missed the pic. I had it up for about 10 minutes. Wasn't a good idea for many reasons. Would probably get this thread closed in less than an hour, too . Though it was a completely innocent picture.

 

[gregbackstrom]

Ah-ha! Perspective!

 

[Joe Nerve]

Ah-ha! Perspective!

Not sure what that means , but I'm rethinking that picture.

Probably not a good idea for what the future might hold for me....

Getting rid of that. Hopefully nobody quotes my post before I get to it... .