Musicians Friend - How Are They?

Anonymous · #1 07-07-2001, 05:38 PM

I'm considering ordering either a Shure SM-57 or SM-58 from Musicians Friend. *The reason I want to buy from there is because the price is good ESPECIALLY since they both come with a stand and 20 foot cord. *What I want to know, is how is Musicians Friend? *Are they reliable with shipping? *Any bad experiences? *Any good experiences? *Any recommendations? *Keep in mind I'm in Canada.

(Edited by Two_hands31 at 4:39 pm on July 7, 2001)

Cory Bottone · #2 07-07-2001, 06:51 PM

I've dealt with musicians friend several times and have never been disappointed. I've always got my orders on time and in tip-top shape. It seems that they pack their items well too. I think you will be pleased if you order from them.

Anonymous · #3 07-07-2001, 08:58 PM

Do they ship to Canada? *Because, you can't order stuff to Canada from their site. *Do they offer the same kinds of deals on their site as they do in their catalogue? *Cuz on the site they offer a Shure SM57 (I've decided) with a stand and 20 ft cable for $79.99 American. *Can you order the same deal from the catalogue, or is there a way to order over the net from Canada?

jay ratkowski · #4 07-07-2001, 10:53 PM

In my experience... they aren't bad at all. *The convenience of ordering online is great. *Their prices are competitive with most of the larger stores... but once you figure in shipping costs, you aren't getting that great of a deal. *The fact that you don't have to talk to a guitar store employee might be worth the extra couple bucks though.

As far as Canadian shipments... I guess the only way to find out would be to check their website or call.

bachle7 · #5 07-08-2001, 02:15 AM

Bad Experience Story:
I ordered a Standard Strat from them 2 yrs ago. *I ordered over the phone (which may have been my mistake). *The catalog listed a variety of colors, but when I asked for midnight wine, the guy told me that they only had black or white... and insisted that those were the only 2 colors the guitar came in (WRONG) and proceded to tell me that the catalog was incorrect. *So I ordered black.
Then he said that they had 3-day shipping. *Okay, after 3 days I called again... oh, it's on back order, wait a week. *Great, I'm glad they told me that. *A week later I called again and again and again. *After some more phone work, I finally got a UPS tracking number (because they finally mailed it).
I received the guitar SEVEN weeks after I ordered it!!! *That would have been fine if they hadn't kept telling me "3 days... one more week, another 3 days, etc." *I was stupid because I should have checked around and bought what I really wanted.
In was packed well (in the original Fender box) and was in excellent shape, but they didn't tell me crap about when it would get here. *-Andy

p4t4h · #6 07-08-2001, 02:36 AM

You can check the status of their stock for each item from the website, so make sure check that first before you order. If it says the item is on backorder, expected at xx/xx/xx date, don't count on that..it oftens get pushed back again, and again.. so I would only make an order of in-stock items, and if after I order they say the item is on backorder, I'd just cancel it.
Other than that, they're a really good dealer.
well, as good as guitar center, that is, since they're basically the same.

jay ratkowski · #7 07-08-2001, 03:27 AM

That is absurd... no non-custom Fender item should ever be on backorder. *They pump out more strats then Kevan pumps out farts after a night of Taco Bell.

Josh Blagg · #8 07-08-2001, 03:47 AM

I've seen good and bad experiences. *Good but clumsy experience when they sent me my order twice, with the same order number on each package. *I could have kept the second one and made out with some free stuff, but I kept myself honest. *A friend of mine has had many troubles however. *They aren't strange at times I guess you could say.

gkelm · #9 07-08-2001, 11:36 AM

I've ordered a few time for smaller items and have had very good experiences.
Greg

kirk · #10 07-08-2001, 11:56 AM

I always buy strings from them, D'Addario XLT's are only about $3USD per set. *I've got about 3 dozen D'Addario drinking glasses for free too! *I also buy my picks in bulk from them. *They always deliver within 4 days of placing my order.

I bought a Digitech 2120 from their scratch and dent section. *It *was $500. *When I got it it was in perfect condition - in original packaging, w/all manuals - there were no scratches or any other problems and it even came with a Control One pedal board. *They obviously made a mistake, the 2120 w/Control One sells for over $900 new!

I've bought mics and stands too, their packages which include stands and cables are worth the money you'll pay in shipping.

The only time I had a bad experience was when I ordered about six harmonicas they were running a special on - it took two weeks - but what can you expect when you get such a great deal? *I am sure lots of people were taking advantage of the sale.

I give them two thumbs enthusiastically up, except for their pricing on new guitars, you can always do better - but I also think they have a price gurantee.

bduersch · #11 07-08-2001, 12:08 PM

I've probably placed 2-3 dozen orders with them, and I've generally been really impressed with how quickly they send things out and their ability to get complex orders right the first time.

The exceptions:
1) Once I ordered about 30 cables for my studio setup and they missed a couple when packing. Not a big deal. They sent the missing cables out the same day.
2) Once (similar to Josh) they sent out the same order twice. Thankfully they didn't make it a big pain in my butt to return, else I would've kept it (they sent UPS back to my house to pick it up).
3) When they were closing out on Eventide DSP4000's I ordered one, and the sales rep told me I got the last one in stock. Yea! Anyway, apparently there was some problem with my MF credit application, so the order didn't go through and someone else got the DSP4000. Words can not begin to describe how PO'd I was. Anyway, in an effort to make things right, they did cut me one heck of a deal on the GTR4000, but I was really more interested in using it for studio stuff than my guitar rig.

Anyway, 95% of the time, they've done quite well. The remaining 5% they've always been very quick to remedy any problems.

--B

Anonymous · #12 07-08-2001, 02:24 PM

Ok, so they're good. *But do they ship to Canada and can you get the same deal (Shure SM57 w/ stand and cable for $79.99 American) from the catalogue as online?

kirk · #13 07-08-2001, 07:02 PM

Check out the Help Link on the Musician's Friend website.

Or, instead of wasting your time, no you can't buy from them.

International Shipping
Due to manufacturer restrictions, we are unable to ship outside of the United States. The only Exceptions to this policy (some restrictions apply for these destinations):

Puerto Rico
US Military addresses (i.e. APO and FPO addresses)
Locations that use a US Postal ZIP Code, such as Guam, The Virgin Islands, etc..

I would think though that if you had a friend here, who you loaned some money to (say $79-90USD) they might find the kindness in their heart to send you a gift - maybe an SM57 and some other stuff. *

At this point it may be more convenient to go to a local dealer, or watch eBay or Harmony Central for used gear.

ShredHead42 · #14 07-09-2001, 10:45 PM

* * I ordered a Japanese Jackson from there once (hey it was my freshman year in high school -- *no $$$!) *The day it arrived i was SO pumped... * i opened the box... and... it was a bass! *:doh: * * i sent it back and it took them like 3 weeks to get the guitar to me then...
* * I like AMS better... mainly b/c you don't have to stay on hold as long. *and they randomly sent me a year of Guitar Player for free. *

wyzenhymer · #15 07-10-2001, 01:57 AM

I've also ordered tons of stuff from them, including several guitars sight unseen. I've had 3 bad experiences, and the rest were great. One was an Epi Chet Atkins acoustic and case, which was sent as a nylon string, sent back, got the new one with no case, and couldn't get them to find thier error, and I cancelled the order with no lost money on my side. I bought my friend a sweet Ovation and he didn't like the color and grain of the top, so we sent it back 3 times till he was happy (I didn't "buy" it for him, just used my card, he paid me back!). The only other problem I've ever had was with an ART X-15 that lost the left CC function about a year after I got it, which ART tried to help with, but the problem was never fixed.
*All in all, they are my favorite big music store because of their fast delivery, and great prices on strings and such.

*I've also bought a bunch of stuff from AMS, with no complaints. I just like the "Friends" catalog better. I've also found it's much better to order over the phone than online. Just easier for me. **

Hey Kirk, Do you play harmonica? If so that's very cool. I love the sound of a harp. Are you any good?

G.M.