Sweetwater Reviews 1,829

I just recently took delivery of a custom made Taylor, KOA Grand Auditorium acoustic guitar, with all the bells and whistles. Over the years, I have purchased numerous guitars and amps from Sweetwater, and always with the remarkable professional, technical, courteous, and timely assistance of my Sales Engineer, Joel Perfetti. Joel is the reason I keep returning to Sweetwater for all my musical instrument needs. Not only that, but Sweetwater always has an unbeatable variety and inventory of instruments, sound equipment, and accessory brands. Prices are also highly competitive, so......what's not to love??
I'm certainly a very satisfied customer....
Thank you Joel, and thank you Sweetwater!!

Quality products. Most importantly is the customer service Sweetwater provides through every step of a transaction. Even after the sale they contact you to ensure satisfaction. They make me feel that I am a valued customer.

I should have written this review months ago, and was prompted to by horrible experience with another Retailer, Ishibashi Music Corporation.

Sweetwater USA was so easy to deal with when I was not able to find the guitar I wanted in Canada. They made my international purchase a pleasure.

I will certainly look to them in the future for those items I just cannot get in Canada. Thanks.

super friendly and good customer service.

Sweetwater is my GoTo. Their customer service and nice price have earned my patronage for as long as they'll have me. Thank You, Randy. Thank You, Sweetwater..

Item arrived defective. No response to email. On hold for over 15 minutesafter being transferred. They don't want to handle the issue. They don't take things seriously.

Great experience. Received it fast, got a phone call to make sure I had no questions and sent candy with my product. Will purchase from again.

The customer service was great and products of excellent value.

I have made many purchases from Sweetwater and the process has always been exemplary. Their customer service is second to none from start to finish. They go out of their way to make sure you have a great buying experience.

FOUND A COVER FORMY DENON SC2 LIVE MIX BOARD USE FOR TO KEEP OUT DIRT ANDDUST AND FOR STORAGE. A GREAT FIT AND PRICE AS WELL

While they have a great knowledgable staff, Their shipping is extremely slow in terms of they never ship same day. I've had to wait several days for the item to even get into the carriers hands. This results in me using other places who ship same day free of charge. Just be aware thats all. If you need it in a timely fashion, check out places like B&H photo or Zzounds, they ship same day.

Best service of any musical supply I have ever used. Bought a 22 channel Xynex mixer that died 3 months after purchase. Told my sales rep about it and had a new one less than a week later. They didn't even want the old one back. Will buy all of my equipment from Sweetwater going forward.

Sweetwater as a company that offers musical products , tech support and fair prices gets a full 5 stars in my book!
They are absolutely awesome ! I have bought 2 guitars there as well as the setups at an extra charge and have been completely satisfied!
My biggest issue with Sweetwater is this!
I was in the market for a great quality acoustic guitar that fit my budget of $1500.
I found some sweet offerings in both the Martin and Taylor lines that really fit the bill! I settled on a Martin product. Mainly because there was a promotion that if you spend at least $900 on Martin products you would get free interest 24 month financing with your “Sweetwater card”.
I had purchase a $400 guitar a few years earlier with the Sweetwater card. The only problem is I never received a card of any sort.! I figured it was lost in the mail or something so I asked for a replacement card. Never recieved it either! Then I asked for another replacement card, and of course nothing!
You see the Sweetwater card advertised by Sweetwater isn’t a Sweetwater card at all! It’s a Synchrony Credit card!
Sound like a con or dishonest? Just wait!
When trying to find out what your balance is or your payoff , you can’t! Because they ask for your card number , Cvv, and expiration date…. ON A CARD YOU NEVER RECIEVE!!!!!
Now 2 years later I ask for a replacement card. “Which is about as possible as recieving a round trip ticket to Mars!”
Then I asked for a credit line of $1500 to purchase a better guitar, and I’m instantly approved !
There was a zero interest promo going if I bought this guitar with my Sweet water card …. Which is actually a Synchrony credit card you never recieved!
I ordered the guitar. Then my sweet water rep calls and says my order was turned down because the account is only approved for $400. I’m like what?
Then I go back and start checking on what is going on!
I type every explanation possible into the AI chat on synchrony and the AI Bot can not answer a single question!
Let me say that I have 162 screen shots and proof of what I’m saying , just in case someone at one of these businesses wants to “go there”!
There is no way a financial lending entity of any sort should be allowed to do business like Synchrony does!
In fact I’m considering turning my information over to the authorities!
But most disappointing is a reputable and upstanding company like Sweetwater using this jacked up and shady business practice of advertising such great deals on a “Sweetwater card” that has nothing to do with Seeetwater!

I’m now trying to decide if I want to just call and place my order and pay full price up front, or completely forget about Sweetwater period!
I’m concerned about people who order an instrument they otherwise can’t afford , but thinking they can handle 2 year , no interest payments. only to run into this ridiculous and shady routine!
Message to Sweetwater! I love your business!
If you want to offer a “Sweetwater card” make it legit! Don’t use a back alley BS internet , AI run con game!
Decision made! No more business with businesses who don’t care about their customers any more than that!

I bought a Gibson Les Paul with no problems then I tried to purchase another guitar and Conner Bowdowin never emailed me back or call me.
I purchased 4 Eastman's 1 Gretsch and one Martin this year and tried one more time emailing Conner Bowdowin to purchase a E10omtc but again he did not bother to get back with me so LAguitar was happy to sell me one.
I tried to contact my son's sweetwater rep John Tique and again no reply. So I am done trying to buy anything else from sweetwater.

I have a Boss V 2 Vocal Harmonist which is working well. I needed an additional harmonizer and so after seeing the demo video, I ordered TC Helicon Harmony Singer 2. But I was dismayed and disappointed. The mic and guitar volume were low and weak. The Reverb and Harmony were also weak and not hearable well. Upon writing to them, they replied that they don’t support overseas buyers. If I have to return I have to bear the shipping charges. I already paid the onward shipping charges. I don’t understand why a customer has to lose for returning a defective product. So overseas buyers please be aware.

On July 29, I placed an urgent order through Sweetwater Music Company's website to rent a professional Selmer alto saxophone and a Selmer soprano saxophone. I had been invited to perform at an elegant, high-level professional event, and I needed the instruments to arrive promptly.

I trusted Sweetwater Music Company because their website clearly promises a “1–2 business day ship-out”, which played a major role in my decision.

The following morning (July 30), I called their customer service to confirm the order and ensure everything was processing correctly. I spoke to a representative named Geoff, explained the urgency of my situation, and he informed me that nothing had been shipped yet because they needed “additional documents” — a requirement that was nowhere to be found during the online checkout process.

I provided the documents right away and reminded him that I was trusting Sweetwater Music Company to honor their advertised ship-out timeline. To my surprise, Geoff claimed he had “never heard of any 1–2 business day ship-out promise,” despite it being clearly stated on their website — which I will prove with a screenshot attached to this review.

Then came the worst part.

Today, July 31 (Day 3 after the order), I called again to check the status of my shipment. I was told Geoff was on his lunch break, so I left a voicemail and waited. Hours later, he called me back — only to inform me that my order had been cancelled and refunded without any phone call or warning.

When I asked why, he said I had never submitted the required documents. I reminded him that we spoke two days ago and I sent everything. He then claimed there was no record of our previous call — yet minutes later, he slipped and said “last time we spoke,” exposing that the call indeed happened.

I asked him if he understood the urgency of my case (he said yes), and if we had agreed that I should be contacted by phone if anything changed (again, yes). Then why did Sweetwater Music Company cancel my order without calling, even though they had both my phone number and a clear understanding of the critical time sensitivity?

This is not just a shipping delay. This is a total failure of Sweetwater Music Company on every level:
– Customer service inconsistency
– Misleading and unverified website promises
– Zero communication between departments
– No courtesy call for cancellation
– No accountability from the team that processed my refund

Geoff did what he could, and I appreciate his effort — but Sweetwater Music Company as a whole failed me completely. They left me empty-handed just 48 hours before a major professional performance, with no time to recover or find alternatives.

This is a formal and public declaration of how Sweetwater Music Company lost a customer for life. I will now turn to companies like Music & Arts, where professionalism and urgency still mean something.

If you're a serious musician with real commitments or even just a parent of a student who is just starting this beautiful world of music, think twice before trusting Sweetwater Music Company. What happened to me can easily happen to you — and they won’t even bother to pick up the phone.

Sweetwater has been my go to for online gear, I don't go anywhere else. Sweetwater's customer service is top notch, Nick never misses a beat, especially for traditionally challenging shipping locations like mine.

I recently bought a beginner guitar set for my daughter from Sweetwater, and the entire experience was top-notch. Fast delivery, excellent packaging, and above all — real human support. Huge thanks to Tobias Hiller for his care and attention. It’s not often you find a company that combines professional service with such a personal touch. Highly recommended!

Awesome experience. Outstanding customer service and value.