Sweetwater - good place to buy??

[Mr. Kelly]

Hey there...

Have many of you out there purchased your systems through Sweetwater?

They advertize a team of Pro Tools "experts", to help guide you through to the "turnkey" implementation of your PT system.

Anyone have any experiences, pro or con to purchasing through this retailer?

[legacygt777]

sweetwater is has good reps and decent prices. i recommend them. if you find a better price, they can match it.

[BradLyons]

Be careful---there are some real characters there, especially that Brad Lyons guy----man, I've heard stories about him!!!!!!!! OH WAIT, that is me----well I'm sure I've heard stories that I've told myself but that's another topic

Okay seriously now..... I was a customer there for awhile, I say was because I've been employed by Sweetwater for close to 10-years now, actually they spent 4-years before that getting me to come there---obviously, I finally said yes. I can honestly say---you won't find a place in this business with as many experienced guys that know what they are talking about, know what they are doing, and will work hard to make sure you are happy every time, all the time. We seek to earn your business for life---not to just make a quick sale and move on.

That's all I will personally say, because I have enough faith that there will be those here chiming in about their experiences----most of them I think will say good things, and I'm realistic enough to know there will be a few bad too.

If you do have any questions, feel free to contact me directly and I'd be happy to assist.

[Benoni]

Dont care for them. Iv had bad experiences with the techs there. They always try to up sell you, they wont communicate with you on email, you HAVE to call them to get any quote, and when you call them you have to listen to a bunch of BS for about an hour before you get anything done.

You will get better prices and much better service with
www.Music123.com

www.GuitarCenter.com

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/
(those 3 are are all the same company actually, ship from the same warehouses)

www.americanmusicalsupply.com

of all of them I prefer Music123. But American Musical Supply is good if you are wanting to get something very expensive and want to make 3 or 5 payments.


Also, 2 of their Creation Station PC's use Integrated Graphics, which are not compatible with Pro Tools. I emailed my tech about why they chose to go integrated and he chewed me out for daring to question him and said If i want any answers I have to call in... WTF...

[robbi]

I've dealt with Sweetwater and with Brad in particular (he sold me my 11 Rack as well as other equipment)... he has never tried to "up sell" me and has always returned my emails and calls in a prompt and professional manner. He's given me good advice and never tried to pressure me in any way. He actually on one occasion recommended a lower priced product than the one I inquired about because he thought it would fit my needs better after I explained what I wanted to do.

At any rate, I've also dealt with AMS, Music 123, GC, and MF and had decent experiences at all of them (I think the only bad experience I've had has been at GC once many years ago).... but I do try to deal with Sweetwater whenever I can.

[ejwells]

Let me say a few words about Sweetwater, as I've done a lot of business with them.
Firstly, they're WORLDS above Musician's Friend, Guitar Center, Music 123, Same Ash, etc. in terms of service and product knowledge.. I'd NEVER buy from one of those Mickey Mouse outfits again...ever.
Most of those joints employ displaced McDonalds workers, the bulk of whom coudn't find their a**es with both hands.
I'll add:
All retailers buy stuff for x, then sell it for x.
Big suppliers like Sweetwater buy stuff in quantities, which means they get it cheaper than most places. They then TRY to adhere to MAP pricing, which is almost as big of a joke as RETAIL pricing is.
Your sales guy at Sweetwater is trying to feed his family, and makes his money by commissions. He gets a percentage of the margin. Pretty standard business procedure.
Whatever advertised price they have, is NOT the bottom line. They'll deal with you.

My guy at Sweetwater is Paul Allen.
1-800-222-4700 ext. 1318
paul (underscore) allen at Sweetwater dot com

He's a straight shooter.
I've dealt with some weasels over there too.
All business is made up of straight shooters and weasels.

[broken81]

Sweetwater is the best!

I will not buy from anyone else now. THey will go above any betond to make sure your 100% happy. I bought a used Central Station off ebay and it came from Sweetwater. After about one week the main volume knob was giving me problems. I called Sweetwater and they were willing to ship me a new central station (i paid the cost difference) or fix it and this was not even there item, It was a consignment item. Needless to say i hit the knob with some Deoxit and got it working fine and I called and told them I did not need there help. They offered to send me 25.00 in return for the problem I had and i did not even ask for anything. I mean come on what other company would bend over backwards for an item they did not even own to begin with. Needless to say im a customer for life and order everything though them now. They cover all items for 2 years as well.

Also as mentioned above there very knowledgeable unlike people at guitar center which are usually clueless and try and sell you stuff you dont need.

[therecordinghouse]

as a professional, I can't afford to buy from anywhere but Sweetwater.

[JPS]

I have been to their physical location in Ft Wayne, IN, which is just down the road about 40 miles. I bought a Kurzweil K1000 keyboard from them in 1987 when I saw an ad in the local paper. They had a much better price than any of the local music stores. At that time they were still running out of a house. I made a trip to the "business" and they setup the K1000 for a demo in the front room. Since then they have had several major upgrades and it is definately a pretty large operation now, with a large warehouse, 2 story office building, large parking, Instrument demo room, studios for recording, and so on. It is mostly geared for internet business, but is a solid business, and won't disappear on you. I have had good sales people along the way. One returned back to LA for a job offer in a studio. I have never had any dumb or uninformed sales reps.

Pricing is not bad. I can always find a cheaper price here or there by a few dollars. If you complain a bit, they will probably offer their lowest price... or not. Just depends. You will usually be assigned a sales rep and he will be the person to deal with you, unless you request another, or he is not around during your call.

Since they are close, they have gotten a larger share of my purchases. So, they are in the loop, but not the only ones...

[hnbike]

I have found the reps @ Sweetwater to be honest, very knowledgeable and helpful. Communication via email and phone is excellent, and they always follow up to make sure I am happy with my purchase and/or have any questions. I deal with Kenny Bergle/Matt Wood and have nothing but good things to say about their service and prices.

Vince Panico