David S.

I used ZZounds a few times 10 years ago and never had a problem. I was just in the market for 2 Epiphone hard cases and these days I always look for alternatives to giving my money to amazon and that other music company with the sales "engineers." The prices on ZZounds were exactly the same as everyone else. I placed 2 separate orders a few days apart. Both orders showed up in 2 days Fedex as promised. They were each double-boxed and the Epiphone box inside was factory sealed. Someone told me the last time they had to buy a new box to ship a guitar it cost them $10.

As far as ZZounds itself, it seems that they and AMS and quite a few other small retailers are just online storefronts and everything comes from the same fulfillment center in Mississippi. I bought an SG off amazon a few months ago from some unheard of business and it shipped from the same address. They are all probably just buying from some larger wholesaler who does all of the order fulfillment. So, for the reviewers that have the complaints that such and such wasn't working, that problem most likely came from the manufacturer, unless you were sold a customer return, and that is usually obvious to determine. Frankly, if you want a guitar you know works properly, find one of the few brick and mortar stores remaining, go there and test the actual one you plan to buy. Otherwise, it is a crap shoot, especially on budget gear, but even on more expensive stuff. The place with the 'sales engineers' claim to 'inspect' guitars over a certain dollar amount before they ship, but I've seen several videos that suggest problems still make it to the customer.

I've also seen a few negative reviews from guys who were denied credit. Don't blame the retailer because whatever system they subscribe to pulled your data and discovered you have bad or no credit. As far as they credit offerings, they did have a few options for no-interest payments spread over 4 or 6 months. I sometimes use these because in times of inflation like this, you can pay them back in cheaper dollars. However, after reading the fine print, it seems they charge an 'application fee' which I think was ~$7. That should be more obvious.