Members vanillawafer Posted August 12, 2008 Members Share Posted August 12, 2008 For those of you that have used Music123 to purchase a guitar how was the service/shipping/setup? They've quoted me a great price on a Tele, but I've never used them. Anything to be worried about? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wagdog Posted August 12, 2008 Members Share Posted August 12, 2008 It was just like musiciansfriend... 'cause they are one in the same company. The guitar I got from m123 was fine, in the box, not setup at all by them (which is fine 'cause I set them up myself). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Highway_61 Posted August 12, 2008 Members Share Posted August 12, 2008 They're part of Bain, that is, they are owned by the same company that owns Musicians Friend. Still, they do compete with each other.Shipping is usually pretty fast.Packaging is luck of the draw.Bottom line is, if there is a problem, returns are hassle free. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members vanillawafer Posted August 12, 2008 Author Members Share Posted August 12, 2008 The guitar I got from m123 was fine, in the box, not setup at all by them (which is fine 'cause I set them up myself). Perfect, I actually would prefer it this way too. I know sweetwater does a setup and 52 point inspection, or something like that, but to be honest I really don't want sweetwater taking my guitar out and screwing with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members golias Posted August 12, 2008 Members Share Posted August 12, 2008 They forward your order to a massive warehouse which provides guitars for Musiciansfriend, Music123, Woodwind/Brasswind, and Guitar Center. That warehouse usually ships you the correct guitar, usually promptly, and... sometimes... properly packed & in new condition. In other words, the service is crappy-to-non-existent. But their return policy is good, so if you don't mind the occasional drive to your local UPS store, it's relatively risk-free to order from them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members NOS68 Posted August 12, 2008 Members Share Posted August 12, 2008 Why risk the possible bs you get with the Bain screw-ups when there's Sweetwater, AMS, ZZ Sounds to name but a few, all with far superior track records then Bain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Naranolic Posted August 12, 2008 Members Share Posted August 12, 2008 For those of you that have used Music123 to purchase a guitar how was the service/shipping/setup? They've quoted me a great price on a Tele, but I've never used them. Anything to be worried about? Thanks! Just ordered a Michael Kelly Patriot from them. Played well, looks fantastic. Out of the box the setup was meh. It didn't click with me so I called, got an RA number, and returned it no questions asked. The only bummer is the shipping cost back to them but that's always the case in that situation. Impulse purchase ftw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members carmetal Posted August 12, 2008 Members Share Posted August 12, 2008 Initially, I was a bit apprehensive about they way they'd pack a guitar for shipping, but having received 2 guitars from them, I can say that their packing is more or less consistent with other retailers. Nothing out of the ordinary, but sufficient enough that your axe gets to you in one piece. Any damages that may occur during transit can only be attributed to the way the shipping companies handled your package, and certainly cannot be attributed to Music123. That being said, your guitar will arrive with only the minimum factory setup from the manufacturer, so it will most likely need to be set up to YOUR specs upon arrival. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ashasha Posted August 12, 2008 Members Share Posted August 12, 2008 They're part of Bain, that is, they are owned by the same company that owns Musicians Friend. Still, they do compete with each other.Shipping is usually pretty fast.Packaging is luck of the draw.Bottom line is, if there is a problem, returns are hassle free.nail on the head. I like Music123 even though they are part of the same conglomerate. I've had great success getting price matches and custom quotes in the past with them where MF is kind of like being on trial wearing a bloody shirt and chainsaw in my hand. I've had one guitar come with a broken headstock which they immediately emailed me a return shipping label, an RMA number and once they received it I had my replacement in a few days. MF is pretty damn good with returns as well, but I can usually get better deals from M123. I also get a lot faster response to emails and stuff. I've dealt with AMS and ZZSounds before and had no issues with them either so I don't think that anyone has cornered the market for online guitar {censored}; I've just built a bit of a history of success and satisfaction with M123. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members deaner33 Posted August 12, 2008 Members Share Posted August 12, 2008 Never had any problem with them. They do send your stuff in multiple shipments if you order more than one item. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Geeter Posted August 12, 2008 Members Share Posted August 12, 2008 I had pretty good luck with them a couple of years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members vanillawafer Posted August 13, 2008 Author Members Share Posted August 13, 2008 Why risk the possible bs you get with the Bain screw-ups when there's Sweetwater, AMS, ZZ Sounds to name but a few, all with far superior track records then Bain. Because Sweetwater doesn't even come close to the discounts offered through Bain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jhorne Posted August 13, 2008 Members Share Posted August 13, 2008 They're idiots and their service sucks, just like MF, GC, etc. They sent me a '20% off your next order' coupon 3 weeks ago that is supposed to be good until August 15th. It seemed to be working the weekend of July 25th when I added items to my cart and applied the code (didn't buy anything at the time), then I got the message that it was expired or not yet valid. Been dealing with a 'team leader' in customer service for 2+ weeks and they basically have no clue what they are doing. Coupon STILL not working, he even told me the code didn't 'look like one of theirs'. Same old MF/GC/M123 runaround with their customer service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jhorne Posted August 13, 2008 Members Share Posted August 13, 2008 Because Sweetwater doesn't even come close to the discounts offered through Bain. Wrong. Call or email Sweetwater and ask them what they can do on price for you. They beat MF/GC/M123 by anywhere from 10-25% EVERY time for me. And that is just by asking, no bogus 'price matching' policy like the Bain companies. Try that with MF/GC/M123 and see how it goes... Aside from that, all the advertised prices at these places, and AMS, Zzounds, etc. are the same anyway (with VERY FEW exceptions). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members vanillawafer Posted August 13, 2008 Author Members Share Posted August 13, 2008 Wrong./QUOTE] No, you're wrong. I did call my sweetwater sales rep and he can't offer me the price I was quoted at M123 and this has been the case about 99% of the times I've asked him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jhorne Posted August 13, 2008 Members Share Posted August 13, 2008 No, you're wrong. I did call my sweetwater sales rep and he can't offer me the price I was quoted at M123 and this has been the case about 99% of the times I've asked him. There are always exceptions. I suppose if you're looking at some of the Bain blowout cheapo crap, you may not have much luck. But as a general rule, Sweetwater will beat the Bain companies, and all you have to do is ask them... If you aren't having any luck, maybe you need a new sales rep at SW. And your original statement, in general, is a LOT more 'wrong' than mine... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Naranolic Posted August 13, 2008 Members Share Posted August 13, 2008 They forward your order to a massive warehouse which provides guitars for Musiciansfriend, Music123, Woodwind/Brasswind, and Guitar Center. That warehouse usually ships you the correct guitar, usually promptly, and... sometimes... properly packed & in new condition. In other words, the service is crappy-to-non-existent. But their return policy is good, so if you don't mind the occasional drive to your local UPS store, it's relatively risk-free to order from them. Good point. Could not believe the box they shipped it in. Surprised it got here in one piece. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Kuz929 Posted August 13, 2008 Members Share Posted August 13, 2008 ive never had a problem with musiciansfriend or music 123...but zzounds on the other hand....ordered an epi LP from them what must be 2 years-ish ago now. when it came, it was decently packaged...basiclly just the case in a box...but all the strings were broken and the bridge pickup cover was smashed as well as the bridge pickup. i called them and sent the broken one back. but then, I demanded they send me express (it was my xmas present) at no extra charge, since THEY {censored}ed up...but they wouldnt have any of it. thats not customer service in my book. imo..dont buy a nice guitar online. go to your local shop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members vanillawafer Posted August 13, 2008 Author Members Share Posted August 13, 2008 I suppose if you're looking at some of the Bain blowout cheapo crap, you may not have much luck. Nope, Fender American Deluxe Tele Aged Cherry Sunburst w/Maple Fretboard for $1,070 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members vanillawafer Posted August 13, 2008 Author Members Share Posted August 13, 2008 imo..dont buy a nice guitar online. go to your local shop. Would love to do this, but anymore it's not an option if you want to save a little cash. GC doesn't haggle anymore, they don't ever have anything in stock, and I have to pay taxes. Basically I can save about $300 if I buy online. Believe me, I would much rather walk into a brick and mortar store and make my purchase, but saving $300 is a pretty big deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jhorne Posted August 13, 2008 Members Share Posted August 13, 2008 Nope, Fender American Deluxe Tele Aged Cherry Sunburst w/Maple Fretboard for $1,070 How are you getting that price from any Bain company? They're listed at $1274.99 on the website, and I've never known them to discount ANYTHING 16% without a price match, blood sample, first born, and a player to be named later. More than likely some 'special' circumstances surrounding this deal, and not the norm for MF/GC/M123 etc. when it comes to pricing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members vanillawafer Posted August 13, 2008 Author Members Share Posted August 13, 2008 How are you getting that price from any Bain company? They're listed at $1274.99 on the website, and I've never known them to discount ANYTHING 16% without a price match, blood sample, first born, and a player to be named later. Don't know what to tell you, I asked for that price and they sent me an email with a link to click on to add it to my cart and check out. Maybe it's an indication of the current economic conditions, who knows, but I'm not complaining. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jhorne Posted August 13, 2008 Members Share Posted August 13, 2008 Who knows, maybe they're learning to be a little more flexible. Although I've never dealt with anyone at m123 that seemed to be capable of learning anything... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitarman Posted August 13, 2008 Members Share Posted August 13, 2008 I've ordered 3 guitars from Music 123 and 4 guitars from Musician's Friend and had absolutely no issues with delivery hassles/damage with any of the guitars. If I count every order (strings, pedals, speakers, cables, stands...) with Music123 and Musician's friend, I have about 25 shipments total and every single one was spot on with tracking, delivery and all were damage free (knock on wood). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members roners5 Posted August 13, 2008 Members Share Posted August 13, 2008 I can't comment on the setup/quality of guitars but I ordered a lot of $$$ worth of recording equipment from music123 and customer service, price-matching and shipping were absolutely no hassle at all and they beat the prices I showed them with no problem/discussion. Stuff wasn't exactly packaged like a tank but it made it here no problem. Like everyone says, their return policy is pretty solid so I'd go for it- if you don't like it, send it back and they won't bat an eye prolly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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