When it comes to musical instruments most people prefer to see first hand and then make a purchase. But, if you have ever searched for a guitar online, you might have come across Sweetwater. An e-commerce only reserved for selling musical instruments.
At this point you will raise the question: Is Sweetwater legit? With so many local stores in your city is it worth buying online from Sweetwater?
Well, if you keep on reading you get to find out if Sweetwater is indeed legit (or not).
Sweetwater Review
Sweetwater was founded by current CEO and president of the company Chuck Surack in 1979. Based in Fort Wayne, Indiana, it is one of the largest retailers for musical instruments. The company started off as a recording studio in a micro bus and eventually evolved as an e-commerce.
If you search for background info, you will know that till now they’ve sold products worth $805 million. They have around 1500+ employees working for them and sell locally and as well as internationally. Fun fact about the employees, most of them are fellow musicians so they know what they are selling!
Their warehouse stands on 166 acres of land with a 480,000 square feet storage center. As you can see Sweetwater is quite the big deal in the music industry.
Is Sweetwater Legit?
Now let’s get to the main point of this whole conversation, is Sweetwater trustworthy?
The bottom line is yes Sweetwater is legit! They are the second largest retailer of musical instruments and have been serving people for decades. With an amazing collection of instruments, warranties and great customer service, Sweetwater guarantees complete user satisfaction.
Keep reading this review to reveal more on what makes Sweetwater so great.
Sweetwater Products
If you browse through their website, you will see Sweetwater offers a wide range of products. I know I have mentioned them being a musical instruments retailer, but it’s so much more than that.
They have guitars, bass, keyboards, drums, synthesizers, microphones and so much more. Under the guitars section you get electric, acoustic, bass guitars, ukulele and various parts of guitars. They don’t just sell guitar, bass and drums though.
Sweetwater also offers DJ equipment, recording gear like audio interface, headphones, amplifiers and even studio furniture. If you want to put on a show they also have your back with stage and lighting equipment.
If you’re in need of editing and musical software, they have several software to make your life easier.
Sweetwater Pricing
Everything sounds too good to be true right? But what is the price of the goods when it comes to actual shopping.
Prices start from $12 and continue up to a few thousands. But it’s expected from them if they’re selling a Ibanez Steve electric guitar alongside a Xvive microphone. Guitars and bass are some of their most expensive items along with their piano and keyboards.
Musical equipment and gears do not cost as much as instruments but can still pack a punch. You would be pleased to know that anything worth $299+ is inspected by their team of trained engineers. So no chance of getting a fake or defective item.
Sweetwater Quality Check
As mentioned before, their quality is topnotch. How do they maintain it? Let me tell you how.
Sweetwater has a dedicated team of trained individuals who inspect any instrument before sending it out. It’s called a 55 point inspection, where basically every single nitty gritty aspect is checked for defects.
From construction to packaging to tuning and hardware, they make sure it’s a smooth sail for you guys.
Moreover, if you have any concerns regarding the quality, one of their engineers will be happy to help. They will give you honest answers and even offer you a discount if you ask for it.
Sweetwater Shipping Policy
First and foremost, Sweetwater offers free shipping! Whether it’s a small thing such as guitar picks or an acoustic guitar, shipping is absolutely free. However, shipping is only free for domestic locations.
If you want to opt for faster shipping, you can also go for expedited shipping. The rate is determined based on the weight of the product. Some overweight products like a grand piano might not be eligible for free shipping and can be charged a minimal fee.
Sweetwater ships to some international destinations like Canada, UK and the rest of Europe. Inside the USA, deliveries typically take around 2-4 for smaller things and 1-5 for bigger ones.
Sweetwater Return Policy
Just like their shipping policy, Sweetwater’s return policy is also praiseworthy. Returns are no hassle and also free!
Yes, you heard it right! You get 30 days to make your returns after contacting your sales engineer. The reason for returning can be anything from finding defects to merely not liking the product. You can also return back used items within 90 days as long as they are not too used.
A helpful guide with texts and images are provided to show you the process on their return policy page. Almost all items are eligible for returns barring a few things like cables and speakers. Refunds usually
take around 5-7 business days to get back to you.
Feedback on Sweetwater
Almost all trusted sites like Trustpilot and SiteJabber have rated Sweetwater to be almost 5 stars. It doesn’t get better than that! Hundreds of reviewers have said the overall experience of shopping from Sweetwater is amazing.
Most positive reviews mentioned fast shipping, hassle free returns and amazing customer services. Not only that, each review has someone from the company answer it! The few negative reviews were also taken care of by their team and promptly solved.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Here are some additional questions answered about Sweetwater.
Q1# Does Sweetwater provide warranty?
Ans: They absolutely do! For most things they have a solid 2 year warranty to cover any repair or replacement. They also have a team to help you at lightning speed.
Q2# Does Sweetwater have a physical location?
Ans: They have one store which is their distribution center at Fort Wayne, Indiana. So if you are ever in that area be sure to check out the place.
Q3# Does Sweetwater teach music?
Ans: They have a music academy where they teach young and adults music. They offer DJ mixing, recording, instrument playing and more. Kudos to their dedication to foster musical talent.
Conclusion
Now that I have described all that makes Sweetwater great, does the question ‘Is Sweetwater legit?’ still stands?
By this time, you can gather that not only is Sweetwater legit but also provides you with ample benefits. If you aren’t against online shopping, Sweetwater could be your one-stop destination for all things related to music.
Comment down below to let me know what you think of Sweetwater!
Related Article: