Sweetwater Reviews 

They Was outa Stock for the original pre Amp i needed for my Sm7b But luckily they had the CT-1 Which is the Different Version of the original Pre Amp i was Going for But i was Happy they called me and told me they would give me the CT-1 Works Great for my Sm7b and shipping was amazing to. Customer Service was a 5/5

I am a seller on Sweetwater's Gear Exchange. I find it "best of breed" now after 3 years of selling used guitars etc hassle free... except when opting to receive a gift card payout instead of a fee based payout. I find it a hassle to use the gift card when seeking to use it on a Sweetwater purchase, that is my only criticism... their website obfuscates use of gift card balances in my experience. Of course, they offer to resolve if you call them but I find that cumbersome.

Sweetwater sales reps know their products. They communicate and respond kindly, quickly and with a lot of knowledge. No question is too "stupid" or too hard.
The products arrive in a timely manner in great condition.
This company has a winning formula for great service, fair prices, and customer satisfaction.

Sweetwater has an excellent staff. The salesman was professional and he listened to what I said. Remembered that I might want to change payment methods. The kit was delivered sooner than expected. All parts were delivered at the same time and everything was in perfect absolutely new condition.

As always with Sweetwater, the shipping was terrible. The problem is that they don’t acknowledge that they are the ones choosing the shipping company. So they ate responsible for that. They should know that we can buy the same items from many other stores with way less issues. That’s what I’m going to do from now on. I’ve been having shipping issues with sweatwater for years now. Every time the response is “we can’t control the shipping company “…. I’ve been a loyal customer for years now and nothing has been done to fix this. Guys when you hire a contractor you are responsible for what they’re doing. When I place and pay my order I pay sweatwater. Not the contractor. Keep in mind that customers can go at any other stores to get their products for the same price with no particular issue on shipping. And the fact is that I’m not the only one having this problem with you. So if you guys don’t want to end like Guitar Center and Sam Ash you’d better react now and make sure to keep your customers. At least those who’ve been loyal to you for many years despite this recurring and persistent issues. You just lost one more customer despite Jay and Luis saying that if I stay with you things will chane and they would make me happy…. I’M NOT AT ALL. Bye !!!!

Just purchased a new Martin HD-28 from Sweetwater - my first acoustic from them (I own 4 other Martins - all from local dealers). Based on my positive experience last year ordering 2 Fender vintage series (reissues) I thought I'd give them a try. Outstanding customer service, fair pricing, their rep (Jay Aden) responded to my MANY questions, the HD-28 arrived yesterday here in Connecticut via FedEx. Perfect. With the (unfortunate) decline in the number of independent guitar shops where I used to purchase my guitars, Sweetwater will be my "go to" source for higher-end guitars from now on.

Great company, very helpful staff and sales team. Garrett Pratt was very helpful and got me a great deal! Thanks Garrett!

Sweetwater is, without a doubt, the best company I've ever worked with. They are always ready to help in every way possible!!! Sweetwater is truly a pleasure to work with!!!

Both Sweetwater staff & their online ordering/shipping process exemplify the ultimate in customer service.
My experiences with Sweetwater over the years have been ONLY positive. They have ALWAYS done right by me.
In an age of A.I. commandeering the human element, Sweetwater have a team of great people problem solving so the working musician can have the equipment needed by downbeat. 
We live in a time when “things” have been elevated in value & people are sometimes dismissed. 
I am humbled by & grateful for Sweetwater’s attention to a working stiff like me & will often consider their goodwill when i perform music with the equipment they have helped me with. 
Sweetwater = integrity. 

Last month Sweetwater billed me for a return I processed for a customer on Sweetwater Gear Exchange when his guitar was damaged in shipping. Everything was handled promptly between us, but their system decided to bill me for $700 for the return I already completed. After a few hours of back-and-forth, they admitted the error and refunded me, along with all the usual assurances it wouldn’t happen again…until this morning when they did the exact same thing. Of course, you can’t contact anyone on the Gear Exchange side of the house directly, so I’m sure this will be another massive waste of time and anxiety to get resolved with the potential for doing it all again next month. I fear something is in decline at Sweetwater as my customer service rep. of nearly 15 years left a few weeks ago and the customer service issues seem to be going downhill.

Sweetwater has been our trusted “go to” for audio in the church I serve. Tom is 300% trustworthy and reliable - and he makes it incredibly easy to communicate. Thank you for stellar service.

Had a little trouble with the delivery of my Sire Marcus Miller M2 Bass, but it was FedEx's fault. Called Sweetwater and their shipping department was immediately on the case. They assured me that even though FedEx dropped the ball (or in this case, the bass!) Sweetwater would replace my purchase. Sweetwater even called a few days after the delivery was finally made to make sure my bass had been delivered and was in good shape. Sweetwater has been a dream to work with for every purchase I have made!

If only I could play bass as well as Sweetwater serves after the sale!

I tried to order a rental for a clarinet and they told me I don't qualify and they refused to tell me any reason why and then they charged me even though I have never got clarinet and then order something else from them which they canceled me and never sent

I purchased 6 guitars from Sweetwater the last one this month. I also went to their facility three times. It is truly like dealing with a small local music store. They foster a one on one relationship with a sales engineer which learns your intersest and is always available to help with any questions whether it genreates a sale or not. Sweetwater is my go to store for all things music.

Excellent selection, good prices, amazing customer service.

I always have a excellent experience here. My sales guy checks in periodically and is extremely personable. We discuss range of topics like what gear is best for my dudget and listens to what I'm looking for and makes excellent recommendations. I truly appreciate his help and care.

Their selection is pretty great, too. I've ordered over 2,000.00 worth of gear already now.

Exceptionally customer friendly, customer helpful, customer centered. In my most recent purchase, I thought of something I needed, emailed my person at Sweetwater, Nick, and asked if he could just use my credit card on file - and that was it, it's on the way to me. Absolutely, positively my first stop and my first choice for musical instruments and related gear.

Always an excellent experience! Prices are extremely competitive. Free shipping is a huge plus! Product selection and "in stock" reliability is unmatched. For us, our rep Adam Hunter is what really brings the customer experience full-circle. He is fantastic!

A 15-Year Sweetwater Customer Who Is Deeply Disappointed

I have been a Sweetwater customer for approximately 15 years. For that time, my opinion was that Sweetwater was one of the finest-run merchants I had ever dealt with, bar none. In the music equipment business, I truly believed they had no equal.

Over the years, I have spent tens of thousands of dollars with Sweetwater on keyboards, sound equipment, and accessories. Their customer service, support, and overall customer experience have been the reason I kept coming back.

Unfortunately, my most recent experience has been deeply disappointing.

I purchased a Yamaha YC88 keyboard in October. The keyboard had what appears to be a manufacturer-related issue: the USB port would not recognize a loaded drive. In December, Yamaha released a new software update, but because of the USB issue, I could not get the update to load.

I contacted Sweetwater support, and the people I spoke with were pleasant and helpful. They told me my options were to take the keyboard to one of two local Yamaha-authorized service partners in my area. I contacted both service partners, and both told me they were booked out more than 120 days. I put my name on both lists, and both assured me they would call if they could get to it sooner.

After 90 days, I called both service centers again. At that point, they were still approximately 90 days out. In other words, I was looking at roughly six months to repair what appeared to be a factory defect on a nearly new keyboard.

I called Sweetwater back. To their credit, they agreed to let me send the keyboard to them for repair. They also agreed to pay the freight, although I was told that this was a special accommodation.

I shipped the keyboard to Sweetwater. About a week later, I received a message stating that it would be 15 business days before the keyboard could even be evaluated. The message also included a long list of reasons why the repair might not be covered. I called and explained that the keyboard was only about 120 days old and that the problem appeared to be a factory defect. I asked whether they could make an effort to look at it sooner. The answer was that they would try.

Three weeks later, I received a message saying the keyboard had been repaired and was waiting to be shipped back. I was then told it would be shipped in the order it was received. As of today, it has been five days since that message, and apparently the keyboard is still waiting for the shipping department to send it back.

This is not the Sweetwater I grew to love, respect, and admire.

Chuck Surack built Sweetwater into a legendary company with one of the finest customer experiences in the world. Since the company changed its ownership structure, it feels as though something important has been lost. Providence Equity announced an investment in Sweetwater in June 2021 and later reported that Surack was selling a majority stake in the company.

I cannot begin to convey how disappointed I am. I am currently in the market for another keyboard, but based on this experience, I might as well purchase it from Amazon. The customer support that once made Sweetwater truly special no longer feels special.

Totally incompetent sales people. And they are not REAL "engineers". Just young twenty somethings. Watch out for a sales person named Justin Wu. He does
not cooperate or return emails or phone calls. I made
3 requests for a paper copy of my sales invoice, but my
sales person never cooperated. I would recommend
buying from some other dealer. Also....I paid extra for
a "pro setup" on my classical guitar, but it was not done
correctly. Their setup department is a JOKE. Their setup people are also unqualified. I would advice that
you buy your musical equipment from someplace else.