Sweetwater Reviews 

1,904
•
TrustScore 4 out of 5

4.1

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Review summary

Created with AI, based on recent reviews

Evaluating 214 reviews, reviewers had a great experience with this company. Customers frequently praise the incredibly knowledgeable staff and the truly exceptional customer support team for always going above and beyond to help them out. Many enthusiastic buyers also deeply appreciate the remarkably wide selection of musical instruments available online and the extremely careful packaging protecting all of their precious purchases. However, some people mentioned experiencing notable difficulties regarding their online orders, citing frustrating delays with payment processing or completely unfulfilled deliveries over time. Other reviewers also noted that certain customer service interactions felt completely unhelpful or indifferent when trying to resolve specific purchase issues.

What people talk about most

Product

Users describe positive interactions with product, noting that items arrive quickly, are packaged with care,... See more

Staff

Clients share positive opinions on staff, frequently praising the knowledgeable, professional, and attentive... See more

Customer service

Consumers find customer service to be positive, frequently highlighting attentive sales engineers who provide... See more

Service

People report positive experiences with service, highlighting dedicated sales engineers who provide prompt,... See more

Order

Customers consistently note ambiguous experiences with order processes, highlighting a deep split in... See more

Reviews shaping this summary

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

I just watched Brittnee Kellogg unbox the stunningly gorgeous Gibson guitar you insisted on loaning her while her guitar, ruined by a S.W. Airlines handler, is being replaced. What an amazingly beauti... See more

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Placed an order for drum kit . The service before , during and after shipment are exemplary. The packaging was done to protect the shipment unbelievably well. Everything was as described or better.... See more

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

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.... See more

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

I pretty much use Sweetwater for all my music gear purchases. But I've recently discovered their GEAR EXCHANGE for selling and buying used gear. They allow store credit or direct payment (where... See more


Company details

  1. Music Store

Information provided by various external sources

Sweetwater is the world's leading music technology and instrument retailer, offering highly knowledgeable Sales Engineers, in-house Technical Support and Service Departments, huge selection, amazing prices, and free shipping.


Contact info

4.1

Great

TrustScore 4 out of 5

2K reviews

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No recent history of asking for reviews

This company hasn't invited customers recently, so reviews may not be representative

Replied to 87% of negative reviews

Typically replies within 1 week

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4.1

All reviews

(1,904)

207 reviews in the last 12 months

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Rated 2 out of 5 stars

Indefinite Back Order

Ordered a microphone on Jan 7th - which was in stock. It is now March 4th and still have not received the microphone. It never shipped. I called twice to check on the status and was told it was "back ordered" until April. If I had known it was not available, I never would have ordered it. If I had also known I would be waiting four months, I would have ordered a different mic. Very poor communication and disappointing experience here.

4 March 2026
Unprompted review
Sweetwater logo

Reply from Sweetwater

Thank you for your review. I am sorry to hear that you had a disappointing experience with use, and that there was a lack of communication. This sounds like a very frustrating experience. We want to do what we can to resolve the issue and make things right. Please email John_salmon@sweetwater.com so we can make it right. Thank you again for taking the time to share your experience.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

I've recently ordered 3 separate times…

I've recently ordered 3 separate times and every order is PERFECT! WELL-packaged and on time! The sales associates were each different, but ALL had exceptional customer service skills including not making me wait :) Gear was readily on hand, and overnight shipping was also spot on. Thank you, Sweetwater and I really do look forward to my next order!

Mick Moreau
Dallas, TX

26 February 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

What Online Purchasing Should Be.

What can I say - these guys do it right. I have been buying from them for a few years now, and while they aren't perfect, and neither am I, they strive to make the customer experience top notch. If there is a mistake, or any type of problem, Sweetwater goes above and beyond to make it right and ensure that I am pleased with the outcome. Owen, my sales engineer is prompt, courteous, and knowledgeable.

2 March 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Ordered a ukulele that arrived unplayable, ended up costing me money to return.

Ordered a ukulele that arrived unplayable…super sharp fret ends that stuck out, and a nut not seated flush. Sweetwater offered a replacement with shipping covered but never told me that asking for a return instead would not include shipping reimbursement. I ended up out of pocket for a defective instrument and poor disclosure…frustrating experience. A defective item that is unsafe and would require expensive repair should not result in additional out-of-pocket costs for the buyer.

6 February 2026
Unprompted review
Sweetwater logo

Reply from Sweetwater

Thank you for your review. I am sorry to hear that your uke arrived defective and that you were charged for the return. This sounds like a frustrating experience. please reach out to John_salmon@sweetwater.com so we can make this right.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Blown Away!! in a good way.

Best of the best when it comes to customer service. I spent under 500 bucks and they treated my like was designing and outfitting a 400k studio. This level of service sets the bar! Absolutely top tier.

26 February 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

A very likeable company

A very likeable company, that isn't perfect. They did not let me cancel an order that was gift to a family member 1000 miles away even though it hadn't shipped yet. That's my only bad experience with them after many other orders.

5 December 2025
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

If you don't buy from Sweetwater, fug you

You're assigned a salesman, talk to them and get to know them, ask for discounts and answer their phone calls for a nice experience. I can't imagine ever buying an expensive guitar online and not getting to chose the exact one I wanted, with Sweetwater i can chose the one i want and they include the weight as well as individual photos, and they send you the hi res photos when you buy it. they are great and they'll treat you right. Your salesman will stick with you and make sure you have a good experience, they'll let you return a guitar if it really doesn't work. I can't recommend them enough.

20 February 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Sweetwater is the resource for music guidance

Outside of a solid product selection, the sales engineering team are knoweldgable and teamed up to help me on my last purchase to choose the best instrument for my set up. They took time to assist me through phone calls and eamils and even were lexible on shipping to I could be home to take delivery. Great Work!

2 February 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

The Sales Engineer and 55 point check makes the difference.

The Sales Engineer, Sean DeLeon makes buying from Sweetwater a great overall experience. He always follows up on orders in a timely fashion giving tracking info, has great advice on peripherals I need and asks how the new product is working out. Guitars I’ve bought are always ready to play. The website is easy to use. Overall, Sweetwater is excellent to deal with!

17 February 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Everything is great until you want to return or exchange.

Everything is great until you want to return something. When you order they treat you like a king, when you return something they never process it. I sent back a guitar and it's been a week since they received it. I'm told my return is in "que" to be processed but no hint as to when it will actually happen. So when you buy it ships same day, but if you return it will sit there until "they get around to it" . I wanted to buy another guitar but not feeling good about this company anymore.

16 February 2026
Unprompted review
Sweetwater logo

Reply from Sweetwater

Hi Chris,
Thank you for your review. I am sorry that you had a poor experience with your guitar return. It is always our goal to take care of our customers during and after their purchase. I am sorry we fell short on getting your return checked in quickly. Please email john_salmon@sweetwater.com so that we can look into it and make it right.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

Average online store

Excellent products, but support isn't up to par.
Too long to get answers to software installation issues.
However, sales support during the purchase process was very quick.

4 February 2026
Unprompted review
Sweetwater logo

Reply from Sweetwater

Hi Mauro,
Thank you for your review. I am sorry to hear that there was a delay in getting help from our Support team. We aim to provide quick response times with our after purchase support. I am sorry we didn't deliver this time around. I will look into this and make sure it doesn't happen in the future. If you are still experiencing issues, please email john_salmon@sweetwater.com so that we can help resolve the issue. thank you for your feedback.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Mitchell Kehler PC Specialist helped…

Mitchell Kehler PC Specialist helped dial in some software on my New drum Machine then helped me get the audio toggled on in the software. He was patient and a joy to work with. Thanks Sweetwater for hiring Mitchell.

12 February 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Sweetwater allowed a fraudulent transaction I reported to go through and hit my credit card

Someone fraudulently purchased products from Sweetwater using my credit card number. I received two emails from Sweetwater confirming the purchases so I called and reported that the transactions were fraudulent. The representative at Sweetwater I spoke with told me that he canceled both orders; however, two days later the charge for the larger $600 order showed up on my credit card statement. so, I had to call my bank, report the fraud and of course cancel my card.

10 February 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Retired, new past time.

Retired, getting up there in age. I decided I would try learning an instrument. The harmonica always intrigued me, and seemed to be one of the easier instruments to learn. I researched brands and styles, (keys). I settled on a Lee Oskar. C Next, who do I order from. I had heard of Sweetwater, good reputation. Ordered it. Got a call from a rep from them before it was even shipped. He seemed honestly interested in my purchase, Why the harmonica, why I decided to deal with them, why the brand. The harmonica arrived in 3 business days. Great service. Harmonica sounds terrible. Operator error. Ha ha. Seriously seems to be of great quality. If I can get ok at playing it, I will probably order a couple more in different keys, And I know who I will order them from...Sweetwater.

11 February 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

I bought the Bose S1 Pro+

I bought the Bose S1 Pro+. I am happy with the equipment. However my experience with Sweetwater was less than acceptable. At first it was great. They helped me with the purchase and selection of microphones. It went down hill quickly from there. They touted the 2day delivery aspect of the purchase. I was told that I could expect the equipment on Friday (about 2.5 days from the point of order. Understand that I only live 45 minutes from the store and warehouse. So picking it up would have been an easy option. But, since I was told to expect it on Friday I decided to save the time and money of picking it up. Well, Friday comes around...nothing. I call late in the afternoon to find out if there was an issue. Apparently, there was an issue at the warehouse which held up the shipment. I was then told that I could expect it Monday at the latest. Still not an issue. Monday comes around and I check the tracking and see that the equipment was in Memphis TN. Not it's 9 hours away!!! That was the weekend that they had a bunch of snow down south. The fact that the shipment started in Ft. Wayne IN went to Memphis TN and then back to Ft. Wayne IN is crazy. The tracking showed that the equipment was put on the FedEx truck, with Driver Amy, on Wednesday morning to be delivered that day. It wasn't. It was delivered the following afternoon. A full 9 days after the purchase that included a 2day free delivery. Not once did my so called Sales Engineer reach out to me even though this was also emphasized as a selling point (follow-up communication) to ensure customer satisfaction. If you look at Sweetwater reviews on the BBB you will see that customer service after the sale is an issue with Sweetwater Sound. I wish that I would have looked here before my purchase because I would have ordered directly from Bose. I can only image the grief I will get if I have an issue in the future. My rating is not based on the equipment but solely based on Sweetwater Sound!

21 January 2026
Unprompted review
Sweetwater logo

Reply from Sweetwater

Thank you for taking the time to share this detailed feedback. I am sorry to hear about the delays, the missed delivery expectations, and the lack of follow up after the sale. That’s not the experience we aim to provide, as after sale communication is very important to us. I am glad to hear that you are happy with the Bose S1 Pro+, I completely understand your frustration with the shipping and communication issues, our team will look into the issue so that we can provide a better experience in the future. Thank you for your review as it helps us get better as a company!

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