Not sure if this is the correct area to post this....but, it seemed the most appropriate as it's not directly Sonar related...
 
Anyone here ever purchase a guitar (electric or acoustic) from Sweetwater?
 
I'm in the market for an acoustic, and a little nervous about ordering online/unseen/unplayed.....but, I live in a town where the (only) music shop carries Alvarez, Alvarez, and Alvarez...although...for those a little crazier and wild, they do also carry Alvarez....
 
I'm just curious for anyone who has, how the transaction went down?  Well packaged?  Undamaged?  Set up properly with regard to intonation, action and the basics?  I've never ordered from Sweetwater.....though I've gotten their catalogs for years....I've heard such odd things about their sales people being rather intrusive....and the fact that once you're assigned someone (as I apparently have been) you're basically stuck with that person and can only order if he/she is there.
 
But...they have a good selection....and they have their "55 point checklist" or whatever they call it (though, I've read on a number of forums that most people think it's complete "B.S." as guitars come to them with dings or broken tuners, or whatever....
 
Anyway....It's a lot of money (to me)...and I just want some confirmation from people who I've got some confidence in, before going further.
 
Thanks,
 
Ozz

I've never used them but from everything I've heard (here and elsewhere) you don't have anything to worry about aside from the whole not being able to physically try out the guit before buying (I've only bought one guit without playing it first off ebay but that turned out rather well thankfully).
 
If something is screwed up send the bugger back. They do not seem like the type of company that would just say "too bad, so sad" if they screwed up or something got broken in the mail. Their business model depends on not screwing up orders or creating bad impressions.
 
Also if you are really concerned just pay with a credit card that offers insurance for such purchases (if you have one... but most cards do these days I think). That way if they do try to bone you for whatever reason you can just make a claim with the CC company. Not sure if they accept Paypal but PP also has buyer protection of course.
 
Out of all the online companies out there SW seems pretty solid. Kind of like Amazon for musicians.
 
That said sometimes things go sideways (especially with something as easily messed up as a guitar). Due to the volume of business they do and the randomness of conssumers (especially online consumers) there is bound to be bad feedback. As a former ebay hound (seller) I don't outright dismiss negative online feedback but I try to take it in context. If HALF the people are ticked... that ain't good. If it's just a small number of complaints or the feedback seems weird (a LOT of people are stupid and/or just like to b*tch and/or are trying get something for free/less) then I'll weigh the risk vs reward. Like in a case such as yours where you have no other options (exclusively Alvarez? Gross, dude!) or in my situation being broke and needing something super specific.
 
When I bought my 90's era Yamaha Pacifica (they are better than the modern ones IMO and this bugger had been modded with an extra $300 worth of electronics AND cost the same as the crappier unmodded new Pacificas) I was definitely nervous but dog mnad it's a great ax. Easily worth twice or thrice what I paid for it and once I did my usual freaky OCD cleaning and setup on it it was in better condition that I thought it would be... especially consider I bought it from a gigging musician in swampy arse Florida.
 
Cheers.
 
*edited because I forgot that the pups and push pot system was actually about $300 worth of kit... not $150. I paid $300 for the entire axe which is the new retail price for the new models. The one I got used to sell for $400-500 back in the day unmodded.

I purchased my Rick 4003 bass from them. Arrived in great/perfect shape.
 
Of course any shipped product can fall prey to damage after it leaves Sweetwater. That UPS/FEDEX guy/gal couldn't care less if it's a guitar a quilt made by grandma in that box. Chit happens. 

I've ordered acoustic, electric, and bass guitars from them. Arrived in great shape. Set up nicely. No complaints. I ordered a compressor a few years ago that arrived with one channel not working. Called them up, they emailed me a shipping label, and shipped me a new one before I even sent the old one out. Excellent customer service. I would order another guitar from them again without hesitation.

And there you have it. If you are unfamiliar with bapu and leadfoot... well, I would trust their opinion.
 
Let us know what you get... and post pics because we're dorks and like pics of gear.
 
;-)

Return policy isn't the best.  If you return said guitar the cost of shipping (BOTH ways) is coming out of your refund and shipping guitars isn't exactly cheap.  
 
They would only refund the full amount if it is damaged.  So if the guitar isn't quite right, that isn't good enough.  
 
The complete satisfaction guarantee isn't what it seems.  I'd consider other options.  
 
What kind of price level are you looking at?  

Well... I think that's kind of fair if there is nothing wrong with the instrument itself. Otherwise people could just sample a different guit every month and the seller is stuck with the postage (and wear on the product) thus forcing them to add that cost into the price for other customers.
 
It's a delicate balance of wanting to keep pople happy and not getting burned by looky loos or people just ordering crap when they're drunk and regretting it when it arrives. I had to deal with people like that. It was a smallish percentage but the time and money lost dealing with them adds up... quickly.
 
My main advice in that regard is to know the product you are purchasing or if you are unsure to put the cost of shipping (and some places charge a restocking fee) into your budget.

Thanks for the replies so far, all....it looks, as with anything, it's a mixed bag....  It's funny....reading forums based on that topic...there's a certain group with an almost cult-like love for the place, and then on the other side are the folks who find them...well...nearly cult-like  ;-)
 
Price level...well....it's gone up since I started looking....truth is, I shouldn't be buying a guitar right now...but....sometimes that stuff happens...
 
I want to get the best I can for the least amount of cash.....but, the last time I bought an acoustic was about 25 years ago (and if I had it to do over, I'd have chosen something else)....
 
I'd say the absolute top-end maximum I could swing would be in the $1500 range.  (And although that's more than I want to spend, I also figure I only buy an acoustic guitar about every 25 years ;-)  so I should splurge a bit).  I just wish I could play all the models I'm thinking about rather than watching loads of youtube videos with bad microphones and equipment.  (Of course, I could always go with an Alvarez.)
 
And Beepster....I wanted to tell you that a post you made...maybe a year or two ago (in response to someone else's question) REALLY helped me out  (regarding your recording/mixing setup)....So, I thank you for that.

If I'm going to buy a guitar/bass online, it will be from Sweetwater if they sell the brand/model I want.
 
When shopping online, each guitar/bass from $299 upward is individually inspected, set up, photographed and weighed. You can see each unit they have in stock by serial number and order that specific serial number. I've bought several guitars and basses from them and have zero complaints.
 
Waiting for the annual guitar/bass sale (September?). I want one of the new Ibanez BTB845V high-C 5-string basses. Bad G.A.S. this time.
 
In comparison, I've bought 2 G&L guitars from Musician's Friend. Really happy with one; not so much with the other. You get whatever they send you.

Right on, Ozz. Glad some of my frantic old obsessive ramblings helped. I did a lot of research to get the most per dollar based on what I could conceive myself needing to do production-wise in the medium/long term and really, aside from the usual annoyances and glitches that comes with all this that I just work around, I have not been disappointed. When I was a young stage stomper in the late 90's and early aughts I would have eaten my own poop to have my own demo studio. Back then the bare minimum would have been about $10,000. I dropped MAYBE about 2 grand all in all and can do things I never thought even possible.
 
In that spirit... based on your stated budget and the fact you are looking to purchase an acoustic for long time guit luvin' I would say put some of that aside for gas/rides and get yourself to various pawn shops/used musical instrument stores and play/handle/find a used acoustic that is just right for you. You can get some amazing "previously loved" guits that way for far less than $1500.
 
Acoustic guitars, IMO, are indeed something that should be played before committing (even more so than electrics). There is too much tonal texture and feel involved with an acoustic instrument that even with the same model instrument I wouldn't trust it sight unseen.
 
I'll also say some of the most characteristic acoustics I've played were offbrand oddball thingies.
 
My current acoustic is something called an "Aspen" (never heard of them before or after) given to me by an ex girlfriend who just had it laying around and never learned to play it. I did literally hundreds of performances with that thing and insane hours of home practicing and kernoodling (it's the guit I tested all my modal theory crap out on originally). It unfortunately needs to be refretted and it's not a beefy sounding guit but it has great mid and high range and cuts very well.
 
I lovingly refer to it as the Ass Pin.
 
;-)