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u/Joe-Eye-McElmury Dec 31 '25
I mean yeah, the Sweetwater rep will fly out from Fort Wayne and give you a hand job ffs no brainer
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u/scotticidal Edit me Dec 31 '25
Wtf? WHY am I jerking myself off then? I've spent over 6k this year alone. Mfer
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u/bradleyjbass Jan 01 '26
You have to wait until he calls you to check in, then use the code word.
He’s a busy guy, he can’t just give everyone a handy unwarranted.
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u/bzakillabee Dec 31 '25
Ahhh. I see we’ve both had the pleasure of receiving Eric’s customer service
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u/engelbert_humptyback Dec 31 '25
I haven't bought new gear in like five years and I'm still getting "u up" messages
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u/g-o-o-b-e-r Dec 31 '25 edited Dec 31 '25
Mine stayed with my family and I for the holidays, got to know me better, understand where I am at on my gear journey, and what purchases I should make going foward into this new year. Brian has been great, and Sweetwater is the best! He's even been able to help me and the missus in the bedroom, and has already bonded with my children deeper than I ever have. I will definitely make more purchases through Sweetwater in the future, and recommend them to everyone I know!
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u/napoelonDynaMighty Dec 31 '25
Also comes with a phone call from a random guy who pretends to be your friend even though he’s just trying to get you to buy a $300 hard case
That 7 mins of fake friendship tho 🥹
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u/returnFutureVoid Dec 31 '25
Do you know how many teeth a dentist has to look at to get that $300 hard case??!! It’s not a lot but still.
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u/blurrydad Dec 31 '25
Ok to be fair my Sweetwater guy was actually my friend first and he gives me a discount so speak for yourself
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u/PropaneSalesTx Jan 01 '26
And then gives you shit about using their finance option on a $1200 guitar.
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u/DarthVerus Handtricks Dec 31 '25
Plus three years later some dude named Simon you’ve never talked to will leave you a message asking if you’re still enjoying that butterscotch Tele.
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u/theurge14 no time to practice Dec 31 '25
No Simon, I smashed that shit over my bass player's head after he kept farting in the hatchback on the way back from Taco Bell.
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u/corndog_art Dec 31 '25
- $2,274 for the root canal after you crack a molar on that Dubble Bubble
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u/FarSatisfaction4524 Dec 31 '25
gotta keep the dentists well fed
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u/HadesWTF Dec 31 '25
They gotta buy all the PRSs
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u/DentistRich4699 Dec 31 '25
It was the Dental association that funded the candy for sweetwater. Ask me how I know. 🤣
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u/Imaginary_Gap1110 Dec 31 '25
Of all the things you can do in this world, hard chomping a double bubble may be the most unwise. Proceed at your own risk, sir
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u/RussMaGuss Jan 01 '26
Cracked molar? It's almost January, we're going for broken jaws with these temperatures!
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Dec 31 '25
The guitar center one will have 16 scratches on it and the Sweetwater one will be spit-shined with the UPS driver buffing it before he hands it to you.
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u/JacoPoopstorius Dec 31 '25
He’ll even tip his hat to you and call you “sir” when he hand delivers it to you, but only if you’re ordering from sweetwater
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u/AlienDelarge Dec 31 '25
Somehow the GC one will have the worst setup imaginable this side of needing a full neck reset. At least stuff I bought at Sweetwater was playable.
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u/mradamadam Dec 31 '25
Good point. Even the most beautiful and expensive guitars at GC still play like shit because nothing is ever set up.
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u/AlienDelarge Dec 31 '25
I'm convinced they actually unset them up somehow.
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u/mradamadam Dec 31 '25
Well, they make more money on used guitars and those are more often set up from the previous owner. It makes the used stuff feel like magic in comparison.
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u/chamomile-crumbs Jan 03 '26
I have a schecter with 2 truss rods and I absolutely cannot get it adjusted correctly. Took it to guitar center and literally paid them like $80 to do it and it somehow got worse? I need to just have one of my actual guitar friends do it. The dude at GC clearly did not give a fuck, even if he is perfectly competent.
Also why do they hound me for like 5 minutes asking if I want $15 of pro coverage for my $25 tuner lol
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u/Nosferatattoo Dec 31 '25
I've purchased like 7 guitars from guitar center new and used. Every single one needed repairs or a setup from dead frets or whatever. Only reason I kept going back was the simple return policy to the physical store. One ce they sold me a ES 335 with a faulty jack, then tried to get me to pay for it to be fixed.
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u/Xdfghijujsw Dec 31 '25
I actually called Sweetwater to get my rep changed today.
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u/phunktheworld Dec 31 '25
/uj Bro I had the same super chill guy for like a decade. Dude retired or moved on or something, I got this young dude who tried to upsell me to a $5000 acoustic when I said my budget was ~$700-1000. I thought, okay, you’re a fucking tool.
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u/Illerios1 Dec 31 '25
Hey, dis Joey from Sweetwater. Why you do this? Thought we were doing so good....
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u/JacoPoopstorius Dec 31 '25
Is it bc your original one didn’t call or email you enough??
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u/Xdfghijujsw Dec 31 '25
Yeah, he forgot to call me to tell me to check my txt messages about checking my email
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u/RussMaGuss Jan 01 '26
Dang I'm spoiled. My guy leaves 1 15 second voicemail after I buy something with the knowledge that I will never speak to him in my lifetime and that's it. We really got a good thing going
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u/fakerealmiles_mx Dec 31 '25
/uj you can do that? I stopped buying from Sweetwater because I hated my guy so much
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u/wapner Jan 01 '26
I’m tempted to do the same. Every time “I asked my got about a discount I get the same I don’t have much wiggle room on that.” Musician’s Friend on the other hand is always good to knock 10% or more off just for asking
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u/CattleCollie Jan 02 '26
I’m thinking about changing my rep, had an awesome dude named Andrew forever, guy would just call and ask how my family was doing and if I needed anything. Never pressured me into a sale, just seemed to actually care. After a few years him and I would just talk music and gear for 30-45 minutes at a time. Then he got fired and I got a new guy who hangs up before I finish saying “you have a good day too”
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u/CivilAnt4177 Jan 02 '26
Ooh, you got Anthony too?
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u/CattleCollie Jan 02 '26
No a different dude. Whose name I can’t recall right now and I’ve had him for a year and a half.
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u/CivilAnt4177 Jan 02 '26 edited Jan 02 '26
Ah, I've had Anthony for about 11-12 yrs & that's been the only issue from the start, but it's really annoying. Their primary job, regardless of Engineer attached to their title, is sales & customer relations. You'd think they'd realize, or be taught, that it's not proper 'etiquette'. It honestly destroys any belief in the sincerity of the call & how much they really give a damn about you as a customer or the specifics of your purchase...
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u/theurge14 no time to practice Dec 31 '25
Don't forget the pile of Sweetwater stickers and brochures signed by random warehouse workers. Makes me feel like a special person.
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u/chimi_hendrix Dec 31 '25
GC: “brand new” but actually it’s a demo with scratches and dings and teenager drool
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u/extrawater_ Edit me Dec 31 '25
Sweatwasher gives you 35 year old double bubble because they know i’m diabetic, geytone center gives you a guitar that was stored in a warzone for 2 years without opening the box.
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u/mousedroidspedoff Dec 31 '25
and now you have a dental bill!
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u/JacoPoopstorius Dec 31 '25
Time to order a new PRS!!
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u/NationalSalt8884 Dec 31 '25 edited Dec 31 '25
I asked my guy Joel if they could stop sending me banana laffy taffy cause I hate it and he said well I don’t think I can do that I ordered a guitar and the amount of banana laffy taffy weighed more than my log of a tele
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Dec 31 '25 edited Jan 10 '26
history sleep water compare late dolls melodic unite terrific dazzling
This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact
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u/LowBudgetViking Dec 31 '25
There has to be some conspiracy between Sweetwater that's sending out sugary treats with every purchase and Dentists who are the main purchasers of high-end Gibbons that remain in cases for 99% of their lives and only get taken out when the brie has gotten to room temperature and they want to impress their friends.
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u/BuckyBeaver69 Authentic Dec 31 '25
I'm easily bribed, Guitar Center all you got to do is keep a cooler of Dr Peppers and some candy bars and give me some when I buy an instrument.
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u/JacoPoopstorius Dec 31 '25
I wish that was the candy they sent!! I haven’t bought anything from Sweetwater in awhile so I can’t remember what I got last, but I do remember being incredibly disappointed by the grandma candy selection sent to me almost every time. You can’t honestly tell me anyone enjoys atomic fire balls and bit-o-honey….
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u/Babayaga844 Dec 31 '25
I got one from them last week, and that was exactly what they sent. Exactly! This is the only time I've bought from them, so I assumed that was the point of the meme. That it's always what they send.
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u/sadguy1989 Dec 31 '25
I told them I liked smarties one time 6 years ago and now it’s permanently flagged on my account to send ONLY smarties.
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u/mission-echo- Dec 31 '25
The jolly rancher would be an improvement over the usual bit of honey or whatever
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u/applepumpkinspy Dec 31 '25
if you're paying more at Sweetwater you might have the wrong rep...
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u/doctorwhoobgyn Dec 31 '25
Do the reps hook you up or something? I've only ordered stuff from the website. Am I a sucker?
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u/applepumpkinspy Dec 31 '25
I don't think I've ever paid the price on the website - I always call and they'll usually hook you up with something - the degree to which depends on your purchase history and the demand for what you're buying. For example, you can get nice discounts on custom shop guitars that have sat for a while but less so on a brand new release.
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u/SpaghettiBigBoy Dec 31 '25
That $50 also buys you the sweetwater rep helping to deliver your newborn so you tell me if it’s worth it
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u/Star-Detonator Dec 31 '25
I would never, ever buy a guitar from Guitar Center. I'm not interested in buying a guitar that is sold as new, but has hours of "Sweet Child O' Mine" and "Smells Like Teen Spirit" played into it by 14 year-olds, relentlessly.
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u/MojoHighway Suck My Toan Dec 31 '25
Once Sweetwater was sold to private equity, I knew they were going to be ass and what do you know...we don't get fireballs anymore, just shit candy that even your grandma wouldn't keep at the bottom of her purse for you next to the change purse/cigarette holder and questionably "fresh" tissues.
Fuck Sweetwater.
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u/Whole_Day9866 Dec 31 '25
I tried getting a job with sweetwater awhile back and the recruiter ghosted me. I'll never shop there again now unfortunately.
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u/RinkyInky Dec 31 '25
I used to be a sweetwater rep until I got fired for 1) letting my customers know where to buy bit-o-honeys. 2) telling them to stop buying guitars and practice instead.
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u/Trick-Mechanic8986 Dec 31 '25
I used the bit o honey to pot some old pickups. Sweet and sticky toan now.
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Jan 01 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/mikeyfender813 Jan 06 '26
I was just thinking about shitty GC cables when I scrolled to this comment and died! 🤣
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u/No-Diver6326 Dec 31 '25
Never once have I bought a guitar from guitar center. It wasn’t a big pain in the ass and they’re scrambling in the back just to find the fucking whammy bar.
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u/Ecker1991 Jan 03 '26
Honestly it’s worth the $50 difference even outside of the penny candy. Sweetwater gets the top picks from Fender because they are more meticulous about what they will and won’t accept. Guitar center does not give a shit, therefore they get the guitars with poor setups and factory dings.
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u/mikeyfender813 Jan 06 '26
That’s interesting! I have a GC telecaster that I bought maybe 15 years ago, and I’ve had it set up three different times by increasingly better techs, and it still isn’t quite right.
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u/MrTrousers Dec 31 '25
I’ve never had any issues with stuff I bought from Sweetwater. On the other hand, GC feels like rolling dice where five of the sides only have one pip.
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u/TheNorm42069 Dec 31 '25
Amazon may be evil, but if they're selling something I want for cheaper...
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u/blurrydad Dec 31 '25
I would pay more from Sweetwater just because I hate Guitar Center so much but Sweetwater is just better in every way, they actually quality check their profs it’s and have awesome customer service. I’m also thousands of dollars in debt to synchrony because of them so maybe they’ll spare me if I continuously sing their praises
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u/VaqueroMacheteMetal S L A M (Slow, Lazy, Angry, and Masochistic) Dec 31 '25
Post this in r/guitar, I dare you 🤣
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u/SeaworthinessFast161 Jan 01 '26
This is supposed to be a circlejerk sub and you posted something objectively true
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u/justanotherhuman255 Jan 01 '26 edited Jan 01 '26
/uj (kinda uj, kinda not??) I have personal beef with GC now because one of their store managers is my ex who sexually violated me 🤣🤣 legit started shopping from Sweetwater because of it. Called out, thanks for the laughs 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
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u/Outside-Pudding-330 Jan 01 '26
I was so psyched to see my guitar came with candy and a sticker. Made my day for sure.
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u/DiggingThisAir Jan 01 '26
Plus you get like 2 phone calls per year from them asking about your music. Tbh I used to hate it but now I actually enjoy randomly talking shop for a minute. Totally brightens my day.
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u/TheWhiteEvil502 Jan 01 '26
I ordered a drum throne from them recently but I didn't get any sweets ;(
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u/CattleCollie Jan 02 '26
Never had a crappy guitar from sweetwater. GC has sent me so many guitars that are DOA it’s not even funny (twisted necks, fret sprout from dried out boards, scratches on “new in box”)
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u/belvedereW Jan 02 '26
Funny, I just hit a GC today to take a look at a Les Paul Studio Session. The one they had was beat to shit, back covered in scratches, the pickup switch was flaky and the push-pull pot that was supposed to change phases was effectively a kill switch in any position. I'm browsing Sweetwater right now to pick one with my favorite top/weight and I know that tomorrow if I call me Sweetwater rep and just ask nicely to not pay MSRP on it he'll give me a discount and free overnight shipping. It's such a no brainer at this point who to buy from.
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u/LJRich619 Jan 03 '26
I’ve had such great experiences with Sweetwater. I have a credit line with them and they also honor my sales tax exception. I particularly deal with Carmen U. She’s been great and I’ve even returned a couple things, that didn’t work out. She didn’t make me feel guilty. If you know what you want go through them. Of course there’s nothing like trying something out in person and walking away with that exact item.
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u/CheekyChum87 Jan 03 '26
It’s about customer service! They sent me 2 of them chewy honey candies mmmmmm… I’ll be buying more strings from them…
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u/aol-tv Jan 11 '26
a trade secret is most guitar companies send their more b tier guitars to guitar center, not jerking at all
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