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Musicians Friend

Geddyfleaharris

Geddyfleaharris

Mar 5, 2007
3,237
1,320
Portage la Prairie, MB, Canada
#1
I used the search function but did not really find the answer I was looking for; which is an opinion on Musicians Friend. No such thing in Canada. Are they a quality store or am I just as well off looking on Ebay? I am not looking to rip/bash etc. just wanting to know some of the experiences you guys have had in dealing with them. I am looking at a bass they have in stock, ready to ship that ships to Canada. :hyper:

Thanks in advance fellow TBers!
 
#2
I have bought a few basses from MF never had a problem, search the web and see if you can find a price that is lower, MF will honor their price and still ship to you in Canada. The only negetive is that you are buying a bass without seeing/playing it, but in most cases take it to get a good set up and you should be good to go.
 
#3
I bought several bits and pieces from them in the past, never a problem, then this week I ordered a brand spankin new Rick 4003 for a better price than anything on Ebay with free shipping - it's on its way but I don't anticipate any issues. I'd rather use the friendly music store down the road, but when they don't have overheads it's hard to resist their prices.. :hyper:
 
#4
I've dealt with them for years and they are a high-quality company with a lot of integrity. When my son's guitar came a few days before Christams with a chip in it, they paid the additional for next-day shipping. I've bought half a dozen instruments from them, never had a bad one.
 
#5
They will probably not have the lowest possible price you could find on a given item, but the price will be competitive with other online dealers.

The good things about them are:

- They have a huge inventory of gear and most of it is in stock, so you can get it right away. They also have user reviews on many items so you can see what other players thought of it.

- Return policy is very user-friendly, I think it's 45 days on most items. I have purchased 5 or 6 basses from them, but returned 3 of them and there were no questions asked. Makes it easy try out something you are interested in but can't play locally (you have to pay return shipping however).

Not so good things:

- If you need to talk to someone who is really knowledgeable about the gear you probably won't find that. Most of the sales people I've talked to sound really young (no slam, just an observation) and were pretty much clueless about the piece I was ordering...it's just a product number to them.

- They carry very "generic" versions of the products. For example, they have only the most popular colors of many basses, which is exactly the opposite of what I want. You cannot get custom or hard to find models, colors, etc.

All in all, they are easy to deal with and I've never had a problem that didn't get resolved to my satisfaction. I've probably placed 20 or more orders over the last year.
 
#6
I've ordered a ton of stuff lately, with no problems. Some of it will be sent back for manufacturer defects or upgrades to something better, so we'll see how MF handles the returns. I've scored better deals on ebay, but buying sight unseen from a reputable "big box store" like MF has it's advantages.
 
#8
deekay911 said:
I bought several bits and pieces from them in the past, never a problem, then this week I ordered a brand spankin new Rick 4003 for a better price than anything on Ebay with free shipping - it's on its way but I don't anticipate any issues. I'd rather use the friendly music store down the road, but when they don't have overheads it's hard to resist their prices.. :hyper:
Click to expand...

Cool cause that is exactly what I am looking at. I am not afraid of never having played it. A Ric is a Ric as far as I am concerned. The Ric dealer for ALL of Canada say they have none in stock right across the country. They have 2 on order for their entire chain. Thanks for the quick replies guys!! :D
 
#9
My experiences with MF have all been good, no complaints. My only issue is that much of their inventory seems to cater to people who are just getting into music, and is pretty unbalanced in the favor of Fender and Gibson. Not really an issue, it's a reflection of general market trends and it just means that I typically have to buy instruments elsewhere.
 
#10
I've used them for years, but I have had some negative experiences when trying to send something back (although it may have just been a lame CS person). I received someone else's return. basically it was a defective (electronic device) - and someone sent it back to them. Somehow, it got back into rotation and was sent to me. I was just upset that they wouldn't admit they did something wrong, and send me out a new one while I returned the defective. They had to wait until they received the defective back before they would do anything.

For the most part, they are good.

And as far as buying a bass direct from them, I lucked out in 1995 with a black "Toby" korean made Tobias. It was my main bass for about 7 years. I also bought a couple guitars, one was a great deal on an acoustic for $29 bucks, and the other was my main guitar - a Fender Players Deluxe Strat MIM. It was set up alright right out the box, although, being a bass player, I probably didn't think much about it.

I think I did once buy an Epiphone El Capitan from them which I sent back. I didn't like it, but I think that was more because it didn't have the acoustic sound I was looking for - rather than anything MF did.

But, I would say I've found more good deals on used gear on ebay, or better yet, now in the TB classifieds - than buying something new from MF.

doctorjazz said:
My only issue is that much of their inventory seems to cater to people who are just getting into music, and is pretty unbalanced in the favor of Fender and Gibson.
Click to expand...

+1
 
#11
I've had good luck dealing with them. I do beleive they are owned by
Guitar Center who bought them a few years back. They also carry botique
level stuff if you spend some time looking for it on their web site. So far
I've had no complaints with them.
 
#14
Never had any problem with Musician Friend. I think they are an organization of integrity. I even did a return of two speakers with no problem. They obviously honor their 30-day money back guarantee.

I also like dealing with Interstate Music. They seem to have a large bass selection as well.
 
#16
I was told by a sales rep at Guitar Center that both Guitar Center and Musicians Friend are owned by the same parent company and thus have the same stock. Seems like the general layout of both their websites and the pics they use and prices are the same. I've purchased from both online as well as Guitar Center in store and have always had good luck.
 
#17
Orpheus55 said:
I've dealt with them for years and they are a high-quality company with a lot of integrity. When my son's guitar came a few days before Christams with a chip in it, they paid the additional for next-day shipping. I've bought half a dozen instruments from them, never had a bad one.
Click to expand...

+1
(apart from the son part - mine is only 13 months old, but he can already strum the bass!)
 
#19
The only problem I have had which has happened on many occassions is them advertising somthing that they don't have in stock and canceling your order with out contacting you first. Also, shipping issues such as taking forever for a product to actually be loaded on a truck or losing your merchandise in the warehouse when loading the trucks. It can really be a headache so if you can find the bass at a local store you will be much better off. You will get it quicker and smoother and you will always be able to take it in for full service or returns without a hitch. MF is the Walmart of the musical instrument industry and their costs are lower for a reason. Im not saying don't buy from them but you should really consider the benefits of helping the little guy out.
 
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#20
Same here, many orders, all good expiriences. Also, I got a Ric 4003 from them a year ago. Only time I've ever bought a bass without playing it first. And, you're right. It's a Ric, it'll be exactly what you expect. Congrats on that bass, nice choice, enjoy and rock it hard.
 

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