I am so impressed with this retailer! Their prices are competitive with the other major online instrument dealers, but when I found an even lower price from an obscure online seller (but wanted to buy from AMS due to the positive customer feedback), AMS price-matched it within an hour. It was shipped ground (free), and I literally recieved the instrument the next day! The other component of my order (a cheap gig bag) was sent from the west coast warehouse, so it took about a week to arrive. When it did, the interior smelled like paint thinner (obviously from the factory, not AMS). I called AMS to see what could be done, and they just said, "How strange! We'll send you out another tomorrow, no need to return the original." No fuss, fast shipping, great service - very satisfied!

So far so good for a seller I stumbled upon...  
 
My second purchase from this store took place several days ago, and I received my order today (the 10th)! Well packaged, and the shipping was fast.  
 
My first order (back at the beginning of the year), had free ground shipping, and that was handled/packaged with the same amount of care.  
 
Prices at AMS are competitive, and considering their sales, overall selections, and reliability, I'd happily pick this company other similar others anyday.  
 
Highly recommended.

Very satisfied with this American Musical Supply. My factory sealed amplifier arrived a couple of days after I placed the order and it works perfectly. I will give first consideration to AMS on my next musical supply order.

12/26/08 The midi keyboard that I ordered from American Musical Supply 2 days before Christmas was promised to arrive in about a week. It ARRIVED THE NEXT DAY on Christmas Eve in excellent condition.

I ordered products on a Monday afternoon (standard shipping) and they were at my house on Thursday. AMS is outstanding and I would definitely purchase from them again.

Over the past four years, I've placed over ten orders through AMS. Not once have I had a single problem with them. The customer service desk is great, and when they started doing the no interest split payments on items, they snagged me (I used to be torn between these guys and their rivals, MF) for life. The last item that I ordered through AMS was a Randall Half Stack. I used the 5-payment plan, again, interest-free, and paid with VISA. That was on a Thursday. The equipment arrived the following Monday. That was quick, fast, and in a hurry. Everything, as usual, was in perfect working order. The next thing I have my sights set on is an ESP LTD EC-500 or a Dean Razorback Shards. Hard choices. Thank you AMS! Without you guys, it wouldn't be loud enough!

1. Products and Payment options  
 
AmericanMusical has a massive selection and the no credit check payment options are excellent. I did notice they put a charge on my card for the price of the item after purchasing my item though. When you're on a budget, you can't beat the options they have to offer.  
 
2. Customer Service  
AmericanMusical has provided me excellent customer service. Over e-mail or on the phone, they know what their doing. I had to return my product because it was defective.. everything went well.  
 
3. Shipping  
I was kind of surprised when I saw the Tork Xponent alone in it's box in a larger box with absolutely no padding or nothing. I'm lucky my UPS driver doesn't like to throw things.  
 
All in all definitely a positive experience, I will buy from this company again in the future.

I've only placed two orders with this company, both within the last three weeks, but based on my experience I consider these folks "the Newegg of the musical merchandise online sellers."  
 
By that I mean items are in stock; they're shipped same day (or next if you order too late in the day for them to process, package and get in FedEx); their site has order progress info; a tracking number is provided immediately; there's no problems with credit cards or anything else; and everything arrives well packaged and as expected.  
 
PLUS free shipping on orders of $49.95 or more, and that's easy enough to do.  
 
I highly recommend this seller for what it's worth.  
 

Very pleased with this online musical instrument dealer. Prompt delivery and email updates with tracking #s. Well packed and absolutely no problems at all. I wish all of the "big guy" online music sites would look at how this company does business and learn a thing or two. I'm currently involved with an order from Music123 and so far I've found them to be pretty clueless about everything involved in an online purchase. They did manage to charge my CC immediately though insuring that they get their money for an item that they still have not shipped after one week...Sorry to mix this good review for American Musical with a bad one for Music123 but I feel a need to warn others about them. I did make the mistake of not checking Music123's ratings here before placing the order. After looking at other's experiences I see that I never should have ordered from Music123.  
 
Just so there is no confusion let me sum up by saying American Musical - Good................Music123 - Bad

This review was modified by its author, 1955dave, on 3/29/07 7:36 PM.

I couldn't be happier with American Musical Supply. I ordered a Crate GLX212 amp for $200 less than every other seller. They offer an "easy payment plan" option on purchases over $250 so your credit card is billed in 3 or 5 (depending on price) monthly payments.  
There was a $9 shipping fee (most items ship free) because it is big and weighs 60lb which I think is very reasonable. It was shipped the next day and arrived double boxed and in perfect condition. Shipping was fast because they have locations in NJ and NV.  
I will DEFINITELY buy from them again!

This review was modified by its author, shutterpuck, on 3/26/07 4:56 PM.

I cannot recommend American Musical Supply highly enough!  
 
Even though their store is located on the other side of the country from Washington State, they have a shipping warehouse in Nevada, so items almost always arrive here within 3 business days.  
 
They ship fast! My orders are always processed by the end of the next business day if I order late, and usually the same day if I order early.  
 
Aside from all that, their customer service is INCREDIBLE. I've been buying from them for years. I ordered a guitar from them that had the wrongs specs posted on their site, and they paid for return shipping and refunded my entire balance. They've always been happy to accept returns without needing an excuse, and always cross-shipped exchanges.  
 
Every item I've ordered, and I've ordered a lot from them over the years, has been perfectly and expertly packed with additional boxes and cushioning in addition to the manufacturer's packaging.  
 
Best of all THEY HAVE NEVER SHIPPED ME OPEN-BOX, USED OR "B STOCK" advertised as new product. Every product I've ordered has come factory sealed! I can't tell you how many times I've ordered "new" product from other online music stores and received open-box, returns, demo product, and similar B-stock.  
 
The 45-day return policy rocks! Also, with most products they give you an extra year of extended warranty coverage in addition to the manufacturer's warranty -- be sure and check when you order. That is so kewl!  
 
The prices are pretty much the same everywhere with online musical instruments, since manufacturers usually contractually require dealers to abide by "MAP" (Manufacturer's Advertised Pricing) pricing. As everyone pretty much knows "list" pricing is meaningless for musical instruments, but the MAP pricing is the same everywhere. So aside from shipping charges, which are usually free on orders over $50 or $100 depending on the dealer and time of year, the main difference is in the service.  
 
Great return policy, delivery of factory-sealed merchandise when advertised as new, quick shipping and tracking, excellent packing, plus usually extra warranty, fantastic customer service, make American Musical Supply a total winner.  
 
I've tried 'em all: Musician's Friend, Sweetwater, zZounds (bad bad bad), 8thstreet (the absolute worst -- terrible customer service, constant shipping of B-stock advertised as "new," and insulting when you want to return something). Sam Ash, Music 123, Sameday Music (I think these might all be essentially the same company) have all been good.  
 
I like samedaymusic too, BTW: Quick shipping and 60-day return policy.  
 
American Musical Supply has 'em all beat for me though. Their great customer service, nearby shipping warehouse, free extra warranty, consistent delivery of factory-sealed product, expert packing, and 45-day return policy, adds up American Musical Supply always being my first choice!

This review was modified by its author, Chickenhead, on 2/16/07 1:22 PM.

Ordered my Yamaha keyboard (PSRE-303) on Monday, item shipped on Tuesday (free ground shipping, by the way), package arrived on Thursday.  
 
Overall, the price of the keyboard was very good, and combined with the free shipping and the "Survival Pack" that was included (had an AC adapter, foot pedal, extended warranty), it was one of the best deals that I could find. The transaction went through smoothly, I received my package in excellent condition and I'm very satisfied with my order.  
 

Ordered a small mixer in the evening. They shipped it the next day and it arrived 2 days after that. Tested the mixer and it works as expected.

Purchased Ibanez RG370dx. Guitar fully assembled with new strings, ready to go out of the box. It had to be tuned ofcourse. Shipped the next day, got it 3 days later with free shipping.

Very very best shipping. Very helpful customer service.  
I order a Casio PX500 digital Piano from them, the price is very good and they shiped my piano the next day using ground shipping, gave me the track number by email.  
1.5 weeks later, my piano still not arrive. I checked UPS web site and found it seems the shipping is stucking somewhere in UPS.  
I then sent a mail to American Musical Supply to mentioned such situation at midnight(12am at CA), they response the email right after 5 minuts and said they'll ship another one few hours later using 2 days air shipping by their cost.  
Then my piano arrived in few days later.  
 
I don't really care about the delay of the shipping as this is not their fault, what important thing is their response time is very fast and willing to help you to solve the problem.  
 
This store is definitely a trustable on-line store, I'll recomment it to any of my friends.