"Have purchased from here numerous times and have not had a problem. Ordering was quick and hassle-free."

"Very poor customer service!! Had to call about 6 times about my order. They did not follow the addressing and shipping instructions that they were given and as a result, my purchase was returned to them. I contacted them before item reached them and was assured that the minute it reached the warehouse, it would be re-addressed and resent. Did not happen and I had to call about 2-3 more times to finally get it resent to me. Will NOT do business with them again and will NEVER recommend them to anyone!!"

"I have made many orders in the past and have been very pleased with them. Of course, this is before I had to deal with customer service...

Upon discovering an extra DiMarzio humbucker in an order that MusiciansFriend sent me, I e-mailed them about it, decided that instead of keeping the humbucker I had ordered, I would keep the one they mistakenly sent, and I would send the other one back. They thanked me for my honesty and gave me instructions on how to return the humbucker I did not want -- and then charged me for it! This was an $80 humbucker! It was their error and they charged me for recieving it. They seemed unsympathetic when I e-mailed them to ask about it. They could have overdrawn my checking account if I hadn't had enough money to back it up, since they took the money without asking me. Sending something to someone's house without their permission and then charging them for it without their consent is called stealing in my book.

I also have another order which has been on backorder for over three months, every week or so, they have extended the due date by a few days to keep me waiting and guessing.

Bottom line: If you're going to order, do so if you must, but avoid their customer service. They punish rather than reward honesty.

Next time they send me something by accident, they won't be hearing about it from me, and next time I see something I want that's on back order, I'm going elsewhere. Even after returning the product it will be around two weeks before they can refund the money. What is that? Thanks for the memories, MF."

"Musicians Friend knowingly misled me by publishing a phony delivery date for a popular back-ordered item.


After I had placed the order and had confirmed by phone the expected delivery date, they had emailed and notified me that their earliest delivery date will be March 10, about 20 days later than what they had promised. Meanwhile, they had in their description of the item, updated their delivery dates on Feb. 22nd, 24th, and 26th, always showing that this item will be available within the next couple of days.


I phoned and asked to speak to a supervisor when it was obvious that their agent wasn't giving me any reassurance that the item I had ordered will ship on the promised delivery date of March 10th. I was told that she was not able to connect me to a supervisor!!! Can you believe that she could have been so arrogant and indifferent!?


I cancelled my order and closed my account. I got to speak to a supervisor the next day. He admitted that they have been posting incorrect delivery dates, but "THAT'S BUSINESS." Wow! Talk about misleading! Needless to say, I shall never do business with Musiciansfriend again.


Fortunately, there are many other alternatives, and I was able to purchase a better Martin guitar from Music123. I almost bought one from Sweetwater except they didn't have the model I wanted. In the future, I shall make every effort to deal with Sweetwater as they post photos of the actual guitars they have in stock. You can choose from several from the photos! And you always know what they have in stock. Go check it out: www.sweetwater.com.


Musicians Friend, I maybe a hounddog, but you're sure NO friend of mine. "

"I have ordered several times form Musician's Friend, either directly from them or through their Amazon store, and have always been satisfied. Merchandise has been shipped promptly and accurately. Highly recommended."

"Excellent, expeditious, & professional service. This is the first time I have ordered through this online company. I placed my order before reading the reviews on resellerratings. Well I'm glad to have such a positive experience. I purchased a Taylor 314-CE Grand Auditorium Cutaway Acoustic-Electric Guitar Natural for $1599.00 with free 2nd day air shipping to Hawaii, how great is that! I just paid a nominal handling charge of $6.50, wow! Best deal I have come across yet. No other online music company comes close. Shipping charges are $80 and up!

I highly recommend this company for all of your musical instruments and sound needs. Make sure you read the product description and stock availability, many people who order online have a bad experience because they never read all the information."

"I was somewhat leery of ordering based on the reviews. My experience with Musician's Friend was very positive. They had the product I wanted at a good price with free shipping. Once I ordered, I could check the status online at their website. The tracking number was provided on Dec. 8th and Dec. 9th my package arrived. I would do business again."

"I will begin by saying that I have not received anything from MusiciansFriend as I have been unable to get basic shipping questions answered by this company. Beings that I live in Alaska, I would be paying for shipping from Washington state. In asking them if they could provide me with box dimensions of the drum set I wish to purchase (so that I could get a shipping quote from my barge service), they were unable to to tell me the boxed dimensions, followed by admitting that they were too busy.
I then emailed them again, asking how much it would cost to ship to my location by Air-bypassing the barge service. No reply. A question that they should have been able to easily answer.
Too busy for new customers, they'll get no new customers. LOUSY customer service!
Buy locally, if you are able. Arrogant, lazy merchants are undeserving of anybodies business. Good luck."

"After the amp in my previous order didn't get shipped after a week, I called and asked them about it and found out that while my credit card was being verified they sold it to someone else, and since it was supposedly a discontinued item(although it is still listed on their site as being in stock), there were "none" left for them to send me. Thanks a lot, Musicians Friend, for making me spend 45 minutes on the phone, then $10 more for a "comparable" amp, and wait an extra week to receive it when they should have just not sold it to someone else, or even maybe let me know when it happened so that I did not sit there wondering why my amp was "being packed" for a week like it said in the order status online. "

"I initially had a mixed opinion of Musiciansfriend.com. I made a large order that included 2 guitars. I had to go back and forth with them about whether or not the Ovation guitar I wanted was in stock. Finally, it was shipped out....only without my amp. To be fair, it appears likely that it was UPS's fault. from the ACTUAL result of the transaction, I would rate it about average. HOWEVER, based on the incredibly responsive, friendly, sincere and truly helpful customer service staff (in particular Tom, John, Danson and especially Cassie), I now believe that this was just an unfortunate turn of events. Although I've yet to recieve the missing amp, I recieved immediate assitance and other "complimentary service" (I will not be more specific--I know there might be those out there who might take advantage of their sincerity). ALL-IN-ALL, THIS IS ONE OF THE VERY, VERY FEW COMPANIES THAT STILL UNDERSTANDS THAT CUSTOMER SERVICE IS OFTEN WHAT BRINGS CUSTOMERS BACK (not to mention that their prices are also pretty incredible)."

"Purchases a timpani dust cover after having one get lost from a borrowed drum set (borrowed from a local high school). Arrived promptly, packaging all indicated I'd received what I'd ordered. School was out for the summer, so the band director didn't open the package until he was back for the fall. What was in the package was not what should have been (ordered a 23" long cover, a 29" short cover was in the package). After numerous emails, they refuse to exchange this item pointing to their 45 day return policy. I find this most unsatisfactory."

"Ordered twice from them in the past week. Both shipments arrived promptly. Although they didn't email me with a tracking number for the 2nd order like they did the 1st. I had to find the tracking information on their website (which was fine, but automatic email is convenient). I managed to get a Telecaster HH Blackout for $250 new. Subsequent purchases were strings, picks, and a generic case. Overall I am pleased with them and will do business with them again in the future provided the price is right ;)"

"I ordered a Fender standard fat strat for $295 after coupon - good price versus the usual $370. That was Thursday, and I was told it shipped Saturday, but I never got an e-mail with a tracking number. I had no problem getting it from their customer service though; I was very impressed with how quickly my call was taken. They advertise a 24/7 help desk, and I called once at around 2 AM Friday morning and was greeted by someone who spoke good English within a few minutes. However, like many have complained about here, the guitar (which came in about a week, packed extremely well) was obviously used. I admit I'm extremely picky about my stuff, but there were scratches and other blemishes on the pickguard, and there was wood finish on the white parts of the neck, which made me wonder if they reapplied finish to it for some reason.

[EDIT 11/07]
I called Musician's Friend for an exchange on 10/22 and they immediately gave me an RA number after I told them what was wrong with it. They even e-mailed me a prepaid FedEx label to ship the guitar back when I asked if I was going to be reimbursed for shipping! Shipped it 10/24 and received the replacement guitar today. Not brand new, but much better than the first. I'm extremely satisfied with this company - their customer service is top notch! Much better experience here than with Guitar Center (long story - waited 4 weeks for a guitar and was sent the wrong one)."

"I am very displeased with Musicians Friend. I placed an order for a Yamaha trumpet in JUNE and they kept putting it off and putting it off and finnally it came in late August but when we opened it up there was a blemish from the factory. We sent it back and again they keep putting it off. I haven't gotten it yet."

"I purchased a Les Paul Reissue custom shop guitar. My main problem with Musican's_Friend is how poorly they pack expensive and heavy items. They shipped my $2,500 guitar in a box that TIGHTLY_FIT the guitar case. with NO padding. The guitar arrived damaged. The replacement they shipped, which they PROMISED TO BOX CORRECTLY was shipped the the same way and the 2nd guitar was damaged too. The UPS shipper saw one of the boxes and has told me they will be denying any claims due to Muscian_Friend's poor packing. I am now buying the guitar from another merchant who i know has packed items well in the past for me."