Steve PMHFinding the right place to buy reliable high-quality music equipment can oftentimes be a tough decision to make. It can be very disheartening to find that the item that you just recently purchased was available at another retailer for a much cheaper price.
Even more so to find that the item you ordered was incorrect or damaged, only to find out that they do not provide a way for you to get a refund within their return policy. Luckily we have stores that have hopped on top of these issues and are willing to help make this process much easier for you.
Today, we will be discussing an online retailer known as Musician’s Friend and the benefits that you will receive while shopping with them.
Check the Products and Prices of Musician`s Friend
What is Musician’s Friend?
Musician’s Friend is an online store for musicians in all categories. This store was originally founded in 1983 by married couple Rob and DeAnna Eastman. These two were one of the first to ever market their catalog of music gear, which in the long run, played a big role in their rapid growth.
Rob had received a loan of $5000 from his parents and from there on began to run the business out of his garage in San Diego. As time went on the couple made the transition of moving their headquarters to Southern Oregon with their brother-in-law where they would continue to grow the business.
Today they have a headquarters (located in Westlake Village), two support centers (one being located in Salt Lake City, while the other is based in Indianapolis), and a massive distribution center (which is located in Kansas City) in which they have been using in order to keep their business running successfully.
What Does Musician’s Friend Offer?
Guitars
Musician’s Friends provides a large catalog of over 4,000 guitars that you can choose from. This includes acoustic guitars, electric guitars, classical guitars, nylon guitars, private reserve guitars, guitar value packages, and guitar kits. The prices of these items may range from $50 to $50,000.
Amps and Effects
Another massive portion of their catalog is their amps and effects which consist of 3,000 items. This includes guitar amplifiers, bass amplifiers, effects pedals, multi-effects pedals, pedalboards, and more. The prices of these items may range from less than $25 to $15,000.
Drums and Percussion
For all of you drummers and percussionists out there, Musician’s Friend holds over 3,500 items in regards to drums and percussion instruments. This includes acoustic drums, electric drums, cymbals, hand percussion instruments, and more. The prices of these items may range from less than $25 to more than $5,000.
Keyboards and MIDI Instruments
Musician’s Friend also carries a wide variety of over 800 keyboards and MIDI instruments. This includes pianos, MIDI instruments, synthesizer modules, sound modules, portable keyboards, arranger keyboards, keyboard workstations, and more. The prices of these items may range from less than $25 all the way up to a little over $15,000.
Band and Orchestral Instruments
Another one of their larger categories is the band and orchestral instruments which contain over 6,500 items. This includes woodwinds, brass instruments, orchestral strings, concert percussion, and more. The prices of these items may range from less than $25 to $35,000.
Consumer Products
If you are looking to enhance your music listening experience, Musician’s Friend holds a catalog of over 500 items just for that. This includes connected home equipment, Bluetooth speakers, record players, headphones, and more. The prices of these items may range from less than $25 to $5,000.
Bass Instruments
Musician’s Friend also provides a catalog of a little over 800 bass guitars for you to choose from. This includes electric bass, acoustic bass, electric upright bass, and more. The prices for these items may range from $50 up to $15,000.
Live Sound
They also offer a large variety of over 900 items in regards to live sound if you are in need of hosting live events of any kind. This includes PA speakers, live sound packages, stage subwoofers, stage monitors, power amplifiers, and more. The prices of these items may range from $50 to less than $50,000.
Recording Equipment
You will be able to find a hefty selection of over 1,200 items to suit your recording needs. This includes audio interfaces, studio monitors, handheld recorders, recording packages, studio subwoofers, and more. The prices of these items may range from less than $25 up to over $50,000.
Accessories
This is the largest category of their catalog containing over 14,500 items. This includes stands, racks, cases, gig bags, covers, drum and percussion accessories, cables, snakes, strings, and more. The prices of these items may range from less than $25 up to a little over $5,000.
Microphones
Musician’s Friend holds over 2,000 items in regards to microphones. This includes condenser microphones, dynamic microphones, microphone packages, handheld wireless systems, instrument wireless systems, and more. The prices of these items may range from less than $25 up to over $6,000.
Lifestyle Products
In this section, you will be able to find over 1,400 lifestyle products. This includes home furnishing, clothing, collectibles, footwear, hats, and more. The prices of these items may range from less than $25 to $500.
How Can I Get Started?
In order to gain access to the benefits that Musician’s Friend has to offer, you must first create an account. You can do this by clicking on the sign-in button in the top-right section of the page. From there, a dropdown menu will appear and at the bottom will be a button that says “Join now for free“.
After you click this, you will be directed to their rewards page. Here you will need to click the “Join for Free” button again. After doing so you will be prompted to fill out the information required for you to create your account.
Once this has been completed, you will then be eligible to receive 8% of your money back on all future purchases.
Why Should I Pick Musician’s Friend?
Musician’s Friend Rewards
Shopping with Musician’s Friend gives you the benefit of receiving rewards each time you purchase. With this feature, you will be able to earn 8 points for every dollar you spend. These points equate to a dollar for every 100 points you earn, which will allow you to access their Members-Only Deals.
These deals will allow you to save more and earn double or even triple points on certain products. This feature will also allow you to gain early access to coupons and future sales within the site. The points that you earn from this feature will remain active for six months after your last purchase.
Making another purchase will reset the expiration time.
Free Shipping
Musician’s Friend also allows you to shop without having to worry about shipping fees. They provide free ground shipping, in which after purchasing, your order will be shipped within 24 hours.
This feature only applies if you happen to reside in any of the 48 contiguous states in the U.S. On business days if you order before 5 pm Eastern Time, your order will be shipped within the same day with the average delivery time being 3-5 days.
You will also have the option to receive your order faster by choosing their Next Day, 2-Day, or Saturday Delivery options for a fee that varies based on the weight and destination of your order.
Best Price Guarantee
If you happen to find that a product that they carry is listed at a higher price than another authorized U.S. dealer, you will be able to contact Musician’s Friend through the phone number provided on their website and request a price match in order to get the best deal possible.
As long as the competing retailer is authorized in the United States, you should be able to receive the best price guarantee.
45 Day Satisfaction Guarantee
At Musician’s Friend, their goal is to make sure that you are satisfied with their service. This means that if you ever purchase a product from their site and are not happy with what you received, you will be able to return the product within 45 days and receive a refund.
Musician’s Friend also makes it clear that all returned products must not show any signs of use or wear. If they do, you will be required to pay a 15% restocking fee.
85,000+ Products
Due to the longevity of their business, they now have a catalog of over 85,000 products for you to choose from. These products are all stored and shipped from their distribution center which is roughly the size of 12 football fields ensuring that you have plenty of options to choose from.
2 Year Warranty
If you are looking to buy you or someone you know a new guitar or bass, this feature will be of benefit to you. Each time that you purchase either one of these instruments, it will automatically come with a 2-year warranty just in case you do happen to come across any unintentional damages.
This warranty is separate from other warranties that the original manufacturer may offer.
Multiple Ways to Pay
Musician’s Friend provides a built-in system where you can deposit and manage your funds within the store. You will also be able to pay bills, access any previous transactions, and receive email alerts in regards to the account.
Ways that you will be able to make payments are with the Platinum card that they offer, PayPal, PayPal Credit, and other various credit cards that they accept.
Sweepstakes and Giveaways
Becoming a customer at Musician’s Friend can result in you winning some of the neat gear that they have to offer. Each month they will release a product in their Sweepstakes section in which you will be given a chance to win an item for free.
Special Financing
Musician’s Friend provides their very own platinum card that you can apply for upon credit approval. Once you have been approved you will be eligible for special financing. This will allow you to make monthly payments for purchases that exceed $499.
The plan that they currently offer is a 48-month financing plan where you will be paying equal payments over the course of this time period with 0% interest. This can be helpful when investing in large amounts of equipment that would originally result in a massive upfront payment.
Pros
- Daily Deals – Each day a new deal will appear under the “Stupid Deal of The Day” tab at 8 am Eastern Time
- Customer Support – Musician’s Friend allows you to contact their “gear heads” for any questions or advice on their products.
- Educational Information – There is a tab labeled as The Hub which offers tech tips, buying guides, “behind the gear” information, and news to keep you better informed on specific topics.
Cons
- Strict Policies – Their policies tend to have various factors in whether or not you will be eligible to follow through with them.
- Complex Navigation – Their website is very large and may be more difficult for some to navigate through.
- International Shipping Fees – Free shipping is not included internationally.
Should I Shop With Musician’s Friend?
When deciding where to purchase reliable equipment, Musician’s Friend can be a good option to choose from. Their catalog contains everything that you may need as a musician and their financing solutions can for sure be of help in the long run.
With choosing this store, not only will you be able to save on every purchase, but you will also be provided with the knowledge you need in order to maximize the use of the products you receive. With the help of their buying guides and their team of gear heads, finding the best equipment for you and your budget will be a walk in the park.
If you are interested in shopping with Musicians Friend, you can click here to get started.
Check the Products and Prices of Musician`s Friend
1 comment
I recently bought a level-3 open-box electric guitar from Musicians Friend and I did not get friendly service after the sale. The guitar I purchased did not have a picture of the damage. Considering the online hype about customer satisfaction, I decided to make the purchase and if it was too horrible then I would send it back. I got the guitar and bound a gauge on the back of the body (about the size of a flat blade screwdriver face and a significant chunk of the body on the lower body. Considering the damage I did not feel the discount was worth the damage and likely hood that the damage would continue to spread along the finish of the guitar.
I contacted them via chat (so I could have a record of whatever they said) and found out that I could send it back -at my own expense- and they would determine what they would decide for return. They kept telling me that open-box items are not eligible for return shipping pointing to the web page about open-box warranty. I pointed out that nowhere does it state this policy and after souring their site I still have not found one.
To say that I am upset would be putting it mildly, I am pissed-off. So mush for "No-Hassle" returns I am a retired and disabled vet that lives in rural eastern Oklahoma. So, getting the guitar packed back up and finding a shipping site, plus the cost of shipping is not my idea of "No-Hassle" and I certainly am not happy that they say anything different about warranty, replacement or return on open-box items than they do for new merchandise.
Therefore, I strongly discourage from ordering from this site unless you are certain you are getting what you want and are getting the best possible price. Although other sites also offer price matching, so that would eliminate why to purchase here.
My choice was based on articles like this one that expel the virtues of customer satisfaction. Actually, since purchase I have not been asked to review my purchase or to sent a customer survey on whether or not I am happy with my purchase and there service. It's pretty easy to have people write nice articles about your company but, post purchase they have been as silent as the fake sites promising you something but then not delivering. Then they get away with it because they do not provide for feedback.
So reconsider spending your hard earned money at their store and if anything is promised (or written on their site) do not trust it and get it in writing first-although I doubt their written word since they said 45 days return "no-hassle". It's no hassle for them they'll just tell you your not covered, point you to a link that does not tell you you are not covered, then ask if there is anything else they can help you with, that they did not help you, and finally you are left on your own.