Members Duddits Posted October 15, 2008 Members Share Posted October 15, 2008 I used to buy gear at Sweewater, but am no longer comfortable doing so. Does anyone have any recommendations for alternatives? Things that are important to me: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gus Lozada Posted October 15, 2008 Share Posted October 15, 2008 Captain Obvious to the rescue: Musician's Friend and Guitar Center. Doh! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members maltomario Posted October 15, 2008 Members Share Posted October 15, 2008 i'm just curious, did you have a bad experience with sweetwater? everything i've bought from them has been perfect and transaction went smooht. THeir prices aren't as competitive but they do have excellent customer service and their employees are well trained and actually care about your purchases. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Lee Knight Posted October 15, 2008 Moderators Share Posted October 15, 2008 I like American Musical Supply. They have a cool installment payment option. No interest. You pay over either 3 or 5 installments. Automatically drawn each month on the date of purchase. It make it easy if you need something now but really shouldn't strain the budget. I got my H2 and another pair of Sony 7506 phones and the pull 99 bucks out for 3 months. Easy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Anderton Posted October 15, 2008 Members Share Posted October 15, 2008 Long before HC was purchased by Musician's Friend, I ordered most of my gear from them, with an occasional nod to Sweetwater. Since getting to know the people at Musician's Friend, I must say I'm very impressed with the people who run the business. The real test of a company is what they do when they slip up - after all, everyone does - and in that respect, both MF and Sweetwater get high marks for doing their best to make things right. I really shouldn't talk too much about Musician's Friend because they're afraid it might look suspect if I say nice things, but they've worked hard to get where they are and they deserve some props. And so does Chuck. Think about it for a second: Chuck supports a site that's owned by what's probably his main competitor, and the people at Musician's Friend not only have the highest regard for what Chuck has accomplished, they run press releases from what is probably their main competitor. AFAIC, that's the way the world should work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Duddits Posted October 15, 2008 Author Members Share Posted October 15, 2008 Musician's Friend and Guitar Center. Doh! Thanks, Captain Obvious! I actually do shop at Guitar Center. They're not as well-stocked as an online store, but I like them for small things. A place I can run in and buy a cable in a crunch. (So... I'm on the phone right now to Musician's Friend. I'm on hold, I figured I'd call and check them out. Back to phone call... OK, it's over) I asked the woman on the phone about a keyboard controller, and she read from her list "we have an Em Eye Dee Eye Controller from..." not knowing to pronounce it MIDI. Which actually sounded endearing, in a way, but still, she has no idea what she's selling, couldn't put together a package, offer a package discount, or pronounce MIDI. Just an order taker. Are they all like this? Not that that necessarily matters. If I know what to buy, I just need a place I can trust that can take my money and send a box. So, does Musician's Friend sell pretty much everything Sweetwater sells, without the knowledge or the candy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Duddits Posted October 15, 2008 Author Members Share Posted October 15, 2008 i'm just curious, did you have a bad experience with sweetwater? everything i've bought from them has been perfect and transaction went smooht. THeir prices aren't as competitive but they do have excellent customer service and their employees are well trained and actually care about your purchases. No, I didn't have a bad buying experience with Sweetwater. My buying experiences at Sweetwater have generally been good, which is why I will miss them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Duddits Posted October 15, 2008 Author Members Share Posted October 15, 2008 I like American Musical Supply. They have a cool installment payment option. No interest. You pay over either 3 or 5 installments. Automatically drawn each month on the date of purchase.It make it easy if you need something now but really shouldn't strain the budget. I got my H2 and another pair of Sony 7506 phones and the pull 99 bucks out for 3 months. Easy. I just called them and asked the keyboard controller question, and the guy spelled out "Em Eye Dee Eye," just like at Musician's Friend. Are Sweetwater sales reps the only ones who know it's MIDI?! Anyway, thanks for the tip. I'll keep them in mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Duddits Posted October 15, 2008 Author Members Share Posted October 15, 2008 Long before HC was purchased by Musician's Friend, I ordered most of my gear from them, with an occasional nod to Sweetwater. Since getting to know the people at Musician's Friend, I must say I'm very impressed with the people who run the business. The real test of a company is what they do when they slip up - after all, everyone does - and in that respect, both MF and Sweetwater get high marks for doing their best to make things right. Thanks, that's good to know. When I call Musician's Friend, the experience is a lot less personal than calling Sweetwater. The person on the phone didn't know anything about what she was selling, but sounded nice enough. Knowing there are decent people running the shop makes me feel better about placing an order with an affable drone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members audioicon Posted October 15, 2008 Members Share Posted October 15, 2008 I used to buy gear at Sweewater, but am no longer comfortable doing so. Does anyone have any recommendations for alternatives? Things that are important to me: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rjt Posted October 15, 2008 Members Share Posted October 15, 2008 I had a bad experience with Sweetwater and won't buy anything from them. Don't know what type of gear you want, but I get a lot of my stuff from Audio-midi. http://www.audiomidi.com/index.cfm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Magpel Posted October 15, 2008 Members Share Posted October 15, 2008 Well....I got nothing against Sweetwater, and I am a fairly frequent MF customer, But...since you asked...when you are ocnsidering a purchase, esp. a major one, do yourself an enormously profitable favor and call Alto music. Their prices simply smoke everyone else, selection is great, service is better. And if you live outside of NYS, well, you know, it is even better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMS Author MikeRivers Posted October 15, 2008 CMS Author Share Posted October 15, 2008 Depends on what you want to buy. For audio gear, I buy from Washington Professional Systems because they're local, they've been friends for more years than I can count on my fingers and toes, they'll lend me anything I want to try without buying it first, and I never have to haggle about prices - Greg quotes me better prices than I see on line. There's a Guitar Center just over the hill from me (walking distance) and if I need a cable or a wind screen, I'll go there. When I need parts like connectors or cables, I usually go to Full Compass. Generally I don't buy MI gear so I don't know what to recommend for that, but AMS is as good as any, I guess. I've never shopped at Sweetwater. I never really warmed to their policy that whatever salesperson you get on your first call is the one you deal with for life (yours or his, whichever ends first). And I don't know if this is still the case, but ten years ago, they all wore shirt and tie at their desks. That's just plain odd to me who hasn't worn a tie for more than 40 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators MrKnobs Posted October 15, 2008 Moderators Share Posted October 15, 2008 MF is fine, ZZounds is very good too. Terry D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members amplayer Posted October 16, 2008 Members Share Posted October 16, 2008 Since GC switched to the no-haggle selling at MAP only, I don't shop there anymore. Musiciansfriend does earn good marks for fixing something screwed up, and Sweetwater for having knowledgeable salespeople.However, for the best prices, none of these are recommended.I usually just google the item I'm interested in and see if anyone might actually have an email price or something that indicates non-MAP.2 I've found with great prices are: http://www.rmcaudio.com/ http://www.northernsound.net/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DigitMus Posted October 16, 2008 Members Share Posted October 16, 2008 I've been dealing with these people - http://www.fullcompass.com/ - since the 80s. Good variety/selection, knowledgeable staff, excellent prices ( though not "Rock Bottom"). Scott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMS Author MikeRivers Posted October 16, 2008 CMS Author Share Posted October 16, 2008 To add one more thing, different mail order shops have different policies about shipping. I've paid 1/3 to 1/2 the price of an item that I can't find locally in "shipping and handling." Paying $9 to ship something UPS ground that they could put in an envelope that they could get free from the post office and ship by priority mail for $3.70 really frosts me. Basically they apply the same rules for shipping an interface card or software package as for shipping a 32-channel console. And when ordering several items, I often find that each one has a "formula" shipping charge that adds up to much more than the charge based on the weight of the total package. When I've ordered by phone rather than on line, I've asked if I can have a break on shipping based on the total order, and essentially the answer is that they can only charge what "the computer" tells them. I usually find that for small things, B&H saves me about a buck on shipping over Full Compass, so if the base price is the same, I'll order from B&H. These guys got no loyalty to me, so I got no loyalty to them. I don't know if Sweetwater's "your own salesman" policy offers any leeway here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Lee Flier Posted October 16, 2008 Members Share Posted October 16, 2008 I second the recommendation for Full Compass - never had anything but great experiences with them, they're very knowledgeable, have a huge selection and stand behind everything they sell. They carry both new and used stuff. And their sales people never, ever bug you unless you want them to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members IsildursBane Posted October 16, 2008 Members Share Posted October 16, 2008 Is it just me or is the search function at musiciansfriend.com a steaming hunk of crap? Also, is their selection smaller than it used to be? Seems like I can't find anything reasonably mid-to-upper level there anymore. It's almost all low-end prosumer gear. -Dan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Phait Posted October 16, 2008 Members Share Posted October 16, 2008 I've bought from AudioMidi.com and FullCompass as well. No problems, however -- there's no way to manage your account online at either AudioMidi or Sweetwater, odd (unlike say Newegg - yes different retailer, but nonetheless online retail). Only Sweetwater gives me a knowledgable sales rep/engineer though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Dreabfly Posted October 16, 2008 Members Share Posted October 16, 2008 I like Musicians Friend, too - and have had great dealings with them. I've also used extensively - DARE I SAY IT - ebay. I know, I know. Everybody's got an ebay nightmare story. But I've been using ebay since inception and have nary a one to tell. Especially since it has recently become mostly a merchant site. I've purchased almost all of my FX pedals on ebay from solid music supply dealers all over the country. I've also purchased a new keyboard, strings, and computer parts. Great prices. All of them have worked perfectly. I have had to return items (mostly computer) because I ordered the wrong thing and have had great experiences getting refunds or replacements. The key to using ebay is to always check a sellers ratings and feedback, and get a Paypal account for transactions. I also love Sam Ash and have found them to be really professional and helpful - if there happens to be one nearby you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Hush Posted October 16, 2008 Members Share Posted October 16, 2008 Back when I could afford to buy things I found some good deals at Bay View Pro Audio. They usually have some cool bundles. I like Sweetwater, but I did find it a bit creepy that after registering for a giveaway I got a sales call from them. I was like WTF are you calling me for? I'm looking to get free stuff not to buy anything. Sending an e-mail is fine to me, calling is too intrusive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Lee Knight Posted October 16, 2008 Moderators Share Posted October 16, 2008 I just called them and asked the keyboard controller question, and the guy spelled out "Em Eye Dee Eye," just like at Musician's Friend. Are Sweetwater sales reps the only ones who know it's MIDI?! Anyway, thanks for the tip. I'll keep them in mind. But that's cause he knew you were a cat with a more modest sized brain. Prejudice for sure but he was trying. I know you're brilliant but how's he supposed to? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sailorman Posted October 16, 2008 Members Share Posted October 16, 2008 I've bought from MF and Sweetwater; like the personal touch at Sweetwater and haven't had any intrusive calls, just followup after a sale. I'm returning an item now due to a personal preference issue, and being able to deal with the same guy is a plus. I've also purchased from zzounds.com. I live in Jersey so have the stuff shipped to my office in Delaware to avoid sales tax. Over the past few months I've purchased 5 EV 767 mics, all 'open box', for about 35 bucks less than the usual price. Each arrived in my office, free shipping method, in 24 hours or less...!!!! Unreal. Other stuff that shipped from out west was 3-5 days, but the majority in 1 day. Can't beat that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members UstadKhanAli Posted October 16, 2008 Members Share Posted October 16, 2008 Mercenary Audio is really great. I've had good luck with Sweetwater. I've purchased from some other places, but I look for support and customer service, and Mercenary and Sweetwater are two places that offer that really well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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