Official Luthiers Forum!

Several months ago, I took on a banjo restoration job for a former co-worker friend who is a great claw-hammer player.
I ordered a new skin head, and a few other things from StewMac, along with a set of Waverly banjo tuners and the accompanying 5th string tuner.
I opened up the tuners just the other day, which were really nice, and they looked as Waverly's typically do. That said, the 5th string tuner came through with the barrel unpolished and the tuner head a different color (more yellow) than the other tuners.
I guess this proves that even the Waverly factory has the occasional thing slip past their inspection team!

I sent an email to StewMac asking if it was still possible to send the tuner back for a replacement.
Not only did they say "yes", but they immediately expedited sending out the replacement that they hand-inspected the following business day. Plus, they sent me a postage-paid envelope so that I could return the other one.

It doesn't get any better than that folks....which is why I keep going back to them.

Same thing with LMI and Allied, ...I might add.

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"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

I agree Don. I've been doing business with Stew Mac for 20 years now and I've not once ever had a problem with them. Very reasonable and very fast. I had built a classical guitar for a guy many years ago and one of the ebony tuning pegs broke on his Sloan tuners and Stew Mac sent me a whole new set no questions asked. All I really needed was a knob but they wanted the broken ones back so they could study what went wrong. Very pleased with them. They also provide a lot of information on there website which BTW is also very user friendly and easy to navigate.

Indeed! StewMac sets the standard for high quality products and excellent customer service.

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George :-)

I agree 100% , I will admit fussing a bit at the shipping cost at times , however if an issue arises they have answered Instantly and have never let me down . I will continue to purchase from them and encourage others to do so as well . ALSO they graciously provided a very good prize for our last challenge above and beyond what I was seeking . Top Notch Supplier !

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The Shallower the depth of the stream , The Louder the Babble !
The Taking Of Offense Is the Life Course Of The Stupid One !
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http://www.facebook.com/groups/GatewayA ... rAssembly/

+1 for SM. They've been really helpful and responsive.

I had an Ivoroid Waverly tuner button worm-out and no longer grip the shaft. I called SM to just see if they sold a replacement. They sent me two replacements FREE. I've never found better service from any company, anywhere.

Stewmac et. al. kind of set the standard when it comes to service so when I was dealing with other suppliers who don't have the same level of service, it becomes frustrating.

I ordered some guitar woods which included some pau ferro fingerboard. Well one of them is severely bowed and I sent a picture to them asking for a replacement. Normally LMI or Stewmac would have sent a replacement, no questions asked (and let me keep the original since it wouldn't be worth the cost of shipping it back). Except they said they will add it on my next order, and I said it could be a while before I order again (I order large-ish batch to keep shipping costs down) and they said they are not spending 30 euros to ship me a replacement for a 4 euro item. So I asked for a refund which took a LONG time before it showed up...

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Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

Typhoon Guitars
http://www.typhoon-guitars.com

indeed, customer support and after-sales service are my main reasons for going back to stew-mac´s shop.

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member of the guild of professional dilettantes

I have had experience with Stew Mac and LMI. They are both EXCELLENT when it comes to customer service.

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Joe Beaver
Maker of Sawdust

StewMac isn't the cheapest, but you get that for which you pay!

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A man hears what he wants to hear, and disreguards the rest. Paul Simon

Just what I expected to read here. They are top drawer in my book. Very well deserved reputation,

They just do what they are supposed to do. It's what a customer would expect.
LMI is the same, so is Allied.

This is true Hans...sadly, it's still quite surprising to me when companies fulfill their end of our bargain as consistently and positively as SM and the others mentioned do...so I think they earned a shout-out (wouldn't it be nice to live in a world where everyone did what they promised they would?).

God help us if these folks (Allied, SM, LMI) and our other suppliers ever go the way of most businesses these days in how the define "customer service."

I've dealt with SM since the 1970s and have only had stellar service from them. As Haans says, just what they're supposed to do. A few months ago, I placed a $300 order with them. It arrived promptly and well packed, as usual. There was a $30 dollar item missing. I called, and without question, they told me they'd send it right away. I guess they misunderstood, because they sent the whole order, not just the missing item. $300 order, sent again, without hesitation. Of course, I sent it back, except for the missing item. How could I not return such a behavior?

Pat

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formerly known around here as burbank
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http://www.patfosterguitars.com

True, Beth. I meant it as a shout out.
Pat, I've had a few mistakes with SM and they are very prompt.