Best Place To Buy New Gear, Regular Music store or internet? Options

[Nels]

Hey guys and/or gals,

Hoping some of you out there will shine a bright light on the subject of buying on-line.

Every piece of gear I own,(guitars, amps, recording gear, etc.) I've gotten at a local music store.(Sound Post, Guitar Center, etc.) I'll be getting some more gear in the near future and so I was wondering.....if anyone could comment on their experiences when ordering on-line.

Can anyone comment on their experiences with the likes of Musiciansfriends.com, ..GuitarVision.com and other such places?

Would it be safe to order a large, fragile and very expensive piece of equipment, like the Triton Studio, for example?(That's a lot of money to be gambling with.) ....And what about the return policy dilemma?

As with most of you, I've had some good and not so good experiences when buying at a regular music store, but the one thing that I just can't knock is that... ...if needed, you can return the piece of gear to the regular music store and not have to wait anxiously for a replacement. ...And generally one can check the gear out before ones buys.

Any thoughts, I'm sure would help others as well.

Thanks,
Nels

[robomark29]

BE CAREFUL with Musician's Friend. They're not your friend at all. As a matter of fact, they probably don't even like you much, but act like your friend to get your money. They're best for their "Blem" models and blow outs. I got a great deal on a Roland SH-32 from them (great analog modeling for cheap IMO) but when I tried to buy an Access Virus C rack (blem) it came as the model down! (Virus "Classic") They refused to make good on the price by giving me a C Rack for the better price. It wasn't that much better either. In the end I bought a Virus C (more expensive than the rack) from someone else. Had the drone on the phone spent one minute asking me if I'd accept the Virus C at a better price, they would have made SOME money and kept a customer. Instead they made no money and lost a customer. (I go with Sweetwater or Zzounds or try for used on Ebay)

So, if you find a good deal and don't mind possible waiting and screw up (how a Virus "Classic" got in the box of the Virus C rack [not sealed] is beyond me!) Musician's friend is OK. Oh, and don't try to get off their email list. You can't.

Mark