Buying from Musician's Friend

[Bruxist]

I have not bought an instrument from Musician's Friend in ages. Over 15 years.

They have a guitar I want on sale so I am thinking of getting it.

I usually buy used and I usually buy local but I can't find this local or used.

Anything I should know going into buying from them again?

Looks like their return policy is still pretty good.

Thanks in advance.

 

[TeleTex82]

I bought a guitar and amp from them last year and received excellent service. I called the platinum guitar line though, even though I wasn't buying anything super expensive they took great care of me.

 

[memorex]

A few years ago, I ordered a set of Hipshot guitar gears and they sent a Badass bass bridge by mistake. Returning it and getting the correct part shipped turned into a fiasco, because the computer system that handles online orders, and the system that handles customer support are not the same system. I had updated my shipping address online, but apparently customer service was not aware of this. If you've moved since the last time you ordered from them, make sure you update your account both places.

 

[Killing Floor]

Good return policy.

Guitar Center owns (affiliate) MF and they share inventory including a lot of used items. Maybe GC has your same guitar on their site? Maybe you can have it shipped to a nearby store so you can plug in before you get home.

 

[backporchmusic]

Just a thought here. MF return policy is good, but--if there's nothing wrong with it, and you 'just don't like it', you are on the hook for return shipping. They only cover shipping if it's defective or what have you. I believe...

If you order online from GC and get them to price match (they will), you can simply return the item in store and avoid the return shipping charge, even if you just don't like it or it's not for you and your style or whatever. This may work if the GC is close enough to make the trip worthwhile vs. cost of paying return shipping. Mine is 100 miles away, still cheaper R/T than paying shipping.

 

[Bruxist]

Good return policy.

Guitar Center owns (affiliate) MF and they share inventory including a lot of used items. Maybe GC has your same guitar on their site? Maybe you can have it shipped to a nearby store so you can plug in before you get home.

Just a thought here. MF return policy is good, but--if there's nothing wrong with it, and you 'just don't like it', you are on the hook for return shipping. They only cover shipping if it's defective or what have you. I believe...

If you order online from GC and get them to price match (they will), you can simply return the item in store and avoid the return shipping charge, even if you just don't like it or it's not for you and your style or whatever. This may work if the GC is close enough to make the trip worthwhile vs. cost of paying return shipping. Mine is 100 miles away, still cheaper R/T than paying shipping.

I did check Guitar Center and they did not have the same sale going. I did not think about price matching though. Great idea.

 

[backporchmusic]

If you do order from GC, insist on a new item from the warehouse, not one shipped from a store.

 

[Bruxist]

If you do order from GC, insist on a new item from the warehouse, not one shipped from a store.

That sounds like good advice.

 

[tery]

6 months ago, I ordered a $1,000 guitar from MF that was listed as "New & In Stock". The guitar had been shipped to a Guitar Center halfway across the country. It was a demo hanging on the wall. It seems MF's new policy is to send their inventory to GC stores to display and sell.

 

[schmee]

You never know for sure what you are really going to get from MF or GC if it's a used item. But you can always return it.

 

[Bob M]

The last guitar I bought from MF was a Gibson HB Special. It was a “stupid deal of the day”. It was a good price. Brand new. Not a 2nd. When I got it I had to work on the neck and the pots needed to be cleaned to work. I noticed the serial number. The guitar was 2 years old. Sweetwater claims that their warehouse is climate controlled. I don’t know about MF. 2 years of sitting on a warehouse shelf? Can’t be good for a guitar. At any rate just one more thing to think about.

 

[old school fender]

They will ship you store stock from their GC locations that have been pretty heavily played, no plastic on the pickguard, meaning it will have pickguard scratches then tell you it can't be returned without being charged a 20 per cent restocking fee because it's not in new condition. Plus you pay return shipping. When I added all this up I was going to be on the hook for close to $200 simply because they sent me a well played floor model that should have been described as such and priced accordingly! Me personally? Never again!

 

[knavel]

My brother and I have bought tens of thousands in guitars from MF. If there is any issue they will cover the cost of return.

The only issues I've had was from their tendency to pack an outer or non factory box quite often very poorly. The most memorable was a J-45 that had a crack on the inner butting at the base. Courier's handle guitars very roughly that are shipped to military bases so I am more sensitive to the shipping issue.

All other issues I've had were with selling open box items that were not even suitable to be called "scratch and dent"--ie a cracked headstock at the base of a headstock on a Gibson is a little worse than "scratch and dent". Again, not once have they given me an issue about a return nor have I been charged for return shipping.

 

[rxmoore]

If you do order from GC, insist on a new item from the warehouse, not one shipped from a store.

I will second this very sound advice. They shipped me a Mighty Mite Strat neck off the floor of some Guitar Center store that had obviously been returned. They were very quick to discount it significantly when I called about it, but it shouldn't have happened in the first place.

I will say that my experience with Musician's Friend has been overwhelmingly positive, their return policy is solid and their rewards program is fairly generous by industry standards.

 

[OldPup]

They will ship you store stock from their GC locations that have been pretty heavily played, no plastic on the pickguard, meaning it will have pickguard scratches then tell you it can't be returned without being charged a 20 per cent restocking fee because it's not in new condition. Plus you pay return shipping. When I added all this up I was going to be on the hook for close to $200 simply because they sent me a well played floor model that should have been described as such and priced accordingly! Me personally? Never again!

I had a similar experience a few years ago but it ended much better. There was a new J45 they were selling from a GC location at a discounted price. I picked it up at a local GC minutes before they closed, so I rushed my brand new guitar home. It came with pickguard scratches and was poorly packed, so it had a broken headstock - which I did not discover until I was home with the instrument. GC apologized and sold me an actually brand new, never before played J45 at the same discounted price. It was a hassle free experience.

 

[tbp0701]

I just had them cancel the Elixer strings I bought in a Stupid Deal of the Day. Ah well.

I've only bought one guitar from MF, my first, but it was a good deal. I wish I'd known enough to take it to someone to properly set it up and address the nut I didn't know was bad for some time, but the experience was okay.

I once bought an amp from them that was DOA. They quickly sent a shipping label to return it. They were going to ship out a replacement right away, but I went for the refund and had no trouble.

 

[8bit]

I stopped using them in recent years. As has been mentioned, they currently have a habit of selling you a "brand new" item and then shipping you one that's been hanging on the wall at some random Guitar Center for god knows how many months. Last purchase I made from them was a Jazzmaster. It arrived in a repurposed, generic box. The guitar was shoddily wrapped in bubble wrap. It did not come with the manual or the tremolo arm. No film over pick guard/pickups and the guitar itself was absolutely filthy. Just covered in fingerprints and grime. Like they couldn't even bothered to give it a courtesy wipe down.

Oh, and look at how it was strung.....

LMAO. Never again.

 

[old school fender]

Oh, and look at how it was strung.

Obviously a customer return item. I don't think Fender lets them leave the factory strung like that. The one I mentioned in my previous post also looked like it had been re-strung by a three year old. Mine also came in a non-factory box wrapped in about three miles of bubble wrap.

 

[Deeve]

That sounds like good advice.

Also - if you ask them to ship it to your nearest GC (rather than to your door) you may find no shipping charge.
I forgot this when I ordered a resonator and paid for shipping needlessly.
Share your NGD when it arrives.

Peace - Deeve

 

[8bit]

Obviously a customer return item. I don't think Fender lets them leave the factory strung like that. The one I mentioned in my previous post also looked like it had been re-strung by a three year old. Mine also came in a non-factory box wrapped in about three miles of bubble wrap.

Oh yeah, I definitely did not think that was on Fender. What's crazy is the thought that someone is out there, actually working in a guitar shop's service center, who strings guitars like that. I guess someone could have bought it and returned, but why would they restring the guitar first?