Sweetwater (www.sweetwater.com) has a 4.2 out of 5 rating on OK.one, based on 101 user reviews collected here. It is listed under Media & Publishing and its reputation is good. 76% of reviews are 4 stars or higher and 14% are 1 star; The business has replied to 95% of negative reviews. Last updated 2026-08-10.
What people say
E
EnginEars · 3 reviews · Experienced 2026-06-08 ·
★★★★★
long time customer won’t shop elsewhere
Both Sweetwater staff & their online ordering/shipping process exemplify the ultimate in customer service.
My experiences with Sweetwater over the years have been ONLY positive. They have ALWAYS done right by me.
In an age of A.I. commandeering the human element, Sweetwater have a team of great people problem solving so the working musician can have the equipment needed by downbeat.
We live in a time when “things” have been elevated in value & people are sometimes dismissed.
I am humbled by & grateful for Sweetwater’s attention to a working stiff like me & will often consider their goodwill when i perform music with the equipment they have helped me with.
Sweetwater = integrity.
Sweetwater is, without a doubt, the best company I've ever worked with. They are always ready to help in every way possible!!! Sweetwater is truly a pleasure to work with!!!
Last month Sweetwater billed me for a return I processed for a customer on Sweetwater Gear Exchange when his guitar was damaged in shipping. Everything was handled promptly between us, but their system decided to bill me for $700 for the return I already completed. After a few hours of back-and-forth, they admitted the error and refunded me, along with all the usual assurances it wouldn’t happen again…until this morning when they did the exact same thing. Of course, you can’t contact anyone on the Gear Exchange side of the house directly, so I’m sure this will be another massive waste of time and anxiety to get resolved with the potential for doing it all again next month. I fear something is in decline at Sweetwater as my customer service rep. of nearly 15 years left a few weeks ago and the customer service issues seem to be going downhill.
Reply from Sweetwater2026-06-06
Hi Steven, thank you for this feedback. I'm very sorry about the poor experience you had using Gear Exchange, and the time you've had to spend getting help for mistakes we made. That is not our intent, and we'd love to help turn things in a positive direction for you. If you'd like to discuss your issue further, please email [email protected]
R
Robin Nice Bjella · 4 reviews · Experienced 2026-05-19 ·
★★★★★
Our trusted “go to”…
Sweetwater has been our trusted “go to” for audio in the church I serve. Tom is 300% trustworthy and reliable - and he makes it incredibly easy to communicate. Thank you for stellar service.
K
Keith L. Tolbert · 4 reviews · Experienced 2026-05-04 ·
★★★★★
Great care and follow-up
Had a little trouble with the delivery of my Sire Marcus Miller M2 Bass, but it was FedEx's fault. Called Sweetwater and their shipping department was immediately on the case. They assured me that even though FedEx dropped the ball (or in this case, the bass!) Sweetwater would replace my purchase. Sweetwater even called a few days after the delivery was finally made to make sure my bass had been delivered and was in good shape. Sweetwater has been a dream to work with for every purchase I have made!
If only I could play bass as well as Sweetwater serves after the sale!
B
Ben · 1 review · Experienced 2025-11-12 ·
★★★★★
I tried to order a rental for a…
I tried to order a rental for a clarinet and they told me I don't qualify and they refused to tell me any reason why and then they charged me even though I have never got clarinet and then order something else from them which they canceled me and never sent
Reply from Sweetwater2026-05-25
Hi Ben, thank you for this review. I'm so sorry about the poor experience you had. I seems like we didn't live up to Sweetwater standards, and I understand your disappointment. We would love a chance to turn this around and get you taken care of. If you want to discuss this further, please email [email protected]
B
Bill Barfield · 1 review · Experienced 2026-05-05 ·
★★★★★
I purchased 6 guitars from Sweetwater…
I purchased 6 guitars from Sweetwater the last one this month. I also went to their facility three times. It is truly like dealing with a small local music store. They foster a one on one relationship with a sales engineer which learns your intersest and is always available to help with any questions whether it genreates a sale or not. Sweetwater is my go to store for all things music.
J
Jeff Gabriel · 1 review · Experienced 2026-05-08 ·
★★★★★
Excellent selection
Excellent selection, good prices, amazing customer service.
J
Jared Drogose · 1 review · Experienced 2026-05-01 ·
★★★★★
My go to.
I always have a excellent experience here. My sales guy checks in periodically and is extremely personable. We discuss range of topics like what gear is best for my dudget and listens to what I'm looking for and makes excellent recommendations. I truly appreciate his help and care.
Their selection is pretty great, too. I've ordered over 2,000.00 worth of gear already now.
S
Steve Freides · 5 reviews · Experienced 2026-05-13 ·
★★★★★
Exceptionally customer friendly
Exceptionally customer friendly, customer helpful, customer centered. In my most recent purchase, I thought of something I needed, emailed my person at Sweetwater, Nick, and asked if he could just use my credit card on file - and that was it, it's on the way to me. Absolutely, positively my first stop and my first choice for musical instruments and related gear.
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Walter Knoll III · 2 reviews · Experienced 2026-05-11 ·
★★★★★
A 15-Year Sweetwater Customer Who Is Deeply Disappointed
A 15-Year Sweetwater Customer Who Is Deeply Disappointed
I have been a Sweetwater customer for approximately 15 years. For that time, my opinion was that Sweetwater was one of the finest-run merchants I had ever dealt with, bar none. In the music equipment business, I truly believed they had no equal.
Over the years, I have spent tens of thousands of dollars with Sweetwater on keyboards, sound equipment, and accessories. Their customer service, support, and overall customer experience have been the reason I kept coming back.
Unfortunately, my most recent experience has been deeply disappointing.
I purchased a Yamaha YC88 keyboard in October. The keyboard had what appears to be a manufacturer-related issue: the USB port would not recognize a loaded drive. In December, Yamaha released a new software update, but because of the USB issue, I could not get the update to load.
I contacted Sweetwater support, and the people I spoke with were pleasant and helpful. They told me my options were to take the keyboard to one of two local Yamaha-authorized service partners in my area. I contacted both service partners, and both told me they were booked out more than 120 days. I put my name on both lists, and both assured me they would call if they could get to it sooner.
After 90 days, I called both service centers again. At that point, they were still approximately 90 days out. In other words, I was looking at roughly six months to repair what appeared to be a factory defect on a nearly new keyboard.
I called Sweetwater back. To their credit, they agreed to let me send the keyboard to them for repair. They also agreed to pay the freight, although I was told that this was a special accommodation.
I shipped the keyboard to Sweetwater. About a week later, I received a message stating that it would be 15 business days before the keyboard could even be evaluated. The message also included a long list of reasons why the repair might not be covered. I called and explained that the keyboard was only about 120 days old and that the problem appeared to be a factory defect. I asked whether they could make an effort to look at it sooner. The answer was that they would try.
Three weeks later, I received a message saying the keyboard had been repaired and was waiting to be shipped back. I was then told it would be shipped in the order it was received. As of today, it has been five days since that message, and apparently the keyboard is still waiting for the shipping department to send it back.
This is not the Sweetwater I grew to love, respect, and admire.
Chuck Surack built Sweetwater into a legendary company with one of the finest customer experiences in the world. Since the company changed its ownership structure, it feels as though something important has been lost. Providence Equity announced an investment in Sweetwater in June 2021 and later reported that Surack was selling a majority stake in the company.
I cannot begin to convey how disappointed I am. I am currently in the market for another keyboard, but based on this experience, I might as well purchase it from Amazon. The customer support that once made Sweetwater truly special no longer feels special.
Reply from Sweetwater2026-05-15
Hi Walter, thank you for your review. I'm very sorry about the defective keyboard you received, and the long timeline it took to get it repaired. It's understandable that you now have lost trust in Sweetwater, and we'd love a chance to make this situation right. Please email [email protected] and she will help you with this.
J
James H. Hobson · 3 reviews · Experienced 2026-05-06 ·
★★★★★
Always an Excellent Experience
Always an excellent experience! Prices are extremely competitive. Free shipping is a huge plus! Product selection and "in stock" reliability is unmatched. For us, our rep Adam Hunter is what really brings the customer experience full-circle. He is fantastic!
i
ipmala · 1 review · Experienced 2026-04-24 ·
★★★★★
Totally incompetent sales people
Totally incompetent sales people. And they are not REAL "engineers". Just young twenty somethings. Watch out for a sales person named Justin Wu. He does
not cooperate or return emails or phone calls. I made
3 requests for a paper copy of my sales invoice, but my
sales person never cooperated. I would recommend
buying from some other dealer. Also....I paid extra for
a "pro setup" on my classical guitar, but it was not done
correctly. Their setup department is a JOKE. Their setup people are also unqualified. I would advice that
you buy your musical equipment from someplace else.
Reply from Sweetwater2026-05-12
Hello, thank you for sharing about your experience. I'm so sorry you were not treated with cooperation and respect, and that your requests were not honored. I'd love a chance to help get you what you need. Feel free to email [email protected] to discuss this further. Thanks!
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Wes · 2 reviews · Experienced 2026-05-06 ·
★★★★★
Sweet water did an amazing job stay in…
Sweet water did an amazing job stay in contact and the ukulele we order looks absolutely amazing. My son and I ordered it as a mother's day gift but they were out of stock and estimated the original delivery for June. When they called I had told them it was intended as a mother's day gift and I completely understood they were out of stock. A few day later I received an email that they had pushed one forward and made it possible for us to receive the exact ukulele before mother's day. We appreciate the urgency and care Sweetwater put towards making sure we could give an amazing and beautiful gift to celebrate mothers day.
J
Jared Morris · 2 reviews · Experienced 2026-05-04 ·
★★★★★
Terrible experience
Terrible experience! They lost my business right away. I started a new job and wanted to build credit so I got a Sweetwater credit card. The guitar was 82$ more than my limit so I gave a second form of payment.
I have thousands in the bank yet “there was a problem” please call. I told them I that’s silly it should go through. ONE person sent me a real email, but the same guy kept sending an automated email asking me to call. Terrible service, they can go to hell. I ordered it from another company and MAGICALLY, it went through! What a miracle! When that credit card comes in, it’s headed straight for the wood chipper. Will never be activated.
Reply from Sweetwater2026-05-12
Hi Jared, thank you for this review. I'm very sorry about the negative first impression we made, for the hassle with processing your credit card, and that we weren't able to send you a guitar you could be excited about. If you'd like to discuss this in more detail, feel free to email [email protected].
D
DAVID O · 2 reviews · Experienced 2026-01-05 ·
★★★★★
This is a terrible experience
This is a terrible experience. Order a Kala Ukulele but kept being told it would arrive. Four months later no ukulele. Called Kala and was told that the Ukulele I ordered from Sweeteater was never coming. Ridiculous how Sweetwater strung me alone. Never again go to source and buy or a reputable resale
Reply from Sweetwater2026-05-12
Hi David, thank you for your review. I'm so sorry about the inaccurate information you received, as well as the long wait you had. We definitely fell short of the experience we hope to provide our customers. If you'd like to discuss this further, please email [email protected]. Thank you!
These folks are great. They answer the phone and don't hassle their customers about returns or anything else. They also answer questions from newbies, which is helpful!
Thank you Katie for helping me switch to Ezy Drummer 3 when I ordered the upgrade by mistake.
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Tara Murphy · 1 review · Experienced 2026-04-07 ·
★★★★★
I bought the Rode NT1 Signature Series…
I bought the Rode NT1 Signature Series (with the SM6 shockmount and pop filter) specifically for recording my Soundtopia singing bowls, crystal bowls, gongs, and sound healing sessions — and it has exceeded every expectation.
The low self-noise (just 4dBA) is a game-changer. Singing bowls produce delicate, long-decaying harmonics and subtle overtones that most mics bury in noise. This one captures every shimmering detail with crystal clarity, from the deep fundamental tones to the highest sparkling partials. The wide 20Hz–20kHz frequency response handles the full spectrum beautifully — rich lows without mud, present mids, and airy highs that make the bowls feel alive and three-dimensional.Sweetwater
I record both close-miked individual bowls and ambient room setups for full immersion tracks, and the cardioid pattern does an excellent job rejecting unwanted room noise while still pulling in the natural resonance of the space. The included SM6 shockmount + pop filter combo is sturdy and effective — no handling noise even when I’m moving around during live sound baths.
Whether I’m capturing a private healing session, creating guided meditations, or livestreaming on Zoom, the NT1 Signature delivers professional, broadcast-quality sound that feels warm, open, and incredibly natural. No harshness, no coloration that fights the pure tones of the bowls — just honest, beautiful capture.
For sound healers, meditation teachers, or anyone working with acoustic instruments that have complex harmonics, this microphone is an absolute must-have. Incredible performance at this price point. I couldn’t be happier with my purchase from Sweetwater.
J
Jill P · 1 review · Experienced 2026-04-15 ·
★★★★★
I bought a demo model cajon drum pedal…
I bought a demo model cajon drum pedal and got stellar service. What I like about their service is you can have as much or as little help as you want. I didn’t need help, and they sent 1 email to check on the order and if I needed anything. So many companies send dozens of emails trying to get you to buy more. I recommend Sweetwater - i got the same service when spending hundreds, as when spending just a few $.
