I've been a customer for decades. Never again. I recently purchased an Empirical Labs EL-9 from Sweetwater. After very clearly specifying where I wanted this not-exactly-cheap unit shipped -- and despite having a shipping address on file I've been using for about 5 years -- somehow, SWS still sent this to the wrong place. I didn't find this out until the tracking info revealed the destination city. In a frantic effort to stop this from being delivered, I contacted my sales engineer -- no response. Then I reached out to SWS through the website's contact form. Here are the highlights from the response I finally got: "Sorry about the incorrect address. Probably the best way that you’d be able to get the package rerouted would be to contact FedEx about the order yourself," And if the delivery "occurs"... "The best course of action at [this] point would be to go to the address to recover the package if that’s possible." I finally CC'd this thread to the Director of Customer Experience, at which point SWS finally took the initiative to fix this and re-ship it. Never heard a peep after this point. I'm done here -- Sweetwater has lost a customer. P.S., I attempted to leave this on their own site, but they seem to filter negative reviews from product profiles. Explains a few things... P.P.S., I guess they now ignore negative reviews elsewhere as well.

Always a great experience! I always have a great experience with Sweetwater. Their selection is amazing, and I always appreciate the plethora of videos they have about each item. I love having a real person to talk with, and I love even more that that person stays consistent over time, so I can get to know them and they can get to know me. Having that history makes future questions and purchases so much easier.

Am extremely happy with the guitar I… Am extremely happy with the guitar I received. Main reason I bought from Sweetwater is the 55 point inspection, unlike some other stores I could mention who just give you the unopened box, take your money, and you never hear from them again. Customer support is excellent and Candace is outstanding. I also just ordered a Boss pedal and have bought several other items from Sweetwater in the past for 2 reasons: They are usually in stock while unavailable in other stores, and FREE SHIPPING.

PEDAL DOWN, SWEETWATER RESCUE I had a Headrush pedal that malfunctioned. I contacted Sweetwater after contacting Headrush. I still have not gotten a single reply from Headrush (been almost 3 months now). Joshua Bortner of Sweetwater's support team took care of me and got me up and running in my studio again within days. You can't get better service than at Sweetwater....... Bruce Brewer

Ian Haas = a great experience I've purchased my last two guitars from Ian Haas, with one more in the pipeline. I also just purchased a Boss Katana amp. Ian makes the process enjoyable and fun, more like chatting with a friend rather than a salesperson. I'm not a high volume buyer, but Ian and Sweetwater have my loyalty. I can't imagine shopping anywhere else.