Good places to buy hardware

[thehadgi]

I'm usually always in search of good deals on hardware, synths, mics, speakers, etc, and wanted to see any sites out there anyone uses. So far I've been using the classifieds here and on gearslutz, and then ebay and craigslist searchers to find deals, and it's worked out pretty well in the past, but I want to checkout other options as well.

Any sites you guys know of specifically dedicated to music hardware stuff? I'm keeping an eye out for synths especially

[Celestial]

google dude, I remember coming across a site that had a load of hardware synths, synthopia I think is what it was called, I could be wrong though, and you must be loaded looking for hardware, good for you man

[AbstractQuality]

google dude, I remember coming across a site that had a load of hardware synths, synthopia I think is what it was called, I could be wrong though,

yeah synthtopia is a "synthesizer and electronic music news site" as they put it. they don't sell anything. (they do have a buy/sell section in their forums though, but it looks pretty desolate)

Besides what you mentioned alan, I don't really think theres much else as I usually check the same 4 sites when looking to buy something used. If I'm buying something new I usually wait for a 15% off deal from Musicians Friend (theres one going on now till the 16th btw). You also might want to check analogue haven for new stuff (they might have a used section too, i'm not sure). Also VintageSynthExplorer has a buy/sell section in their forums. Last resort I'd check MuffWiggler. It's a modular forum but occasionally people will sell non-modular gear there too. I'd recommend staying away from MuffWiggler or you WILL want to go modular heh.

[Phi]

Agiprodj.com pssl.com americanmusical.com musiciansfriend.com zzounds.com music123.com sweetwater.com and lots more if you look, these are just the few that come to mind.

The best thing to do with these type of sites is wait until a seasonal holiday when they offer big discounts for a few days, and make whatever BIG purchases you need then. Get stuff new 30% off, but also lookover their deals/clearence/used stuff regularly.

[login]

novamusik has always some kind of specials.

That have been said, it depends on the hwardware you need.

[Mystic]

I usually buy from Sweetwater. Their service is top notch.

[jmack953]

Everyone has thier own experiences, some good here, some bad there. You can always try places like ebay and amazon, but beware! Many of these places won't be able to back up products if something goes wrong (eg: no warranty, etc) and then if you try to contact the manufacturer, they then have to look into if the place was an "authorized dealer".. chances are, going thru Ebay or Amazon, the person may very well not be such. I've always used AMS (americanmusicalsupply) as they are authorized dealer of all the products they sell, and they have a 45 day return policy, and a good selection of the gear I need. If you ever have a problem, they will work with you to get the problem solved. Even go beyond thier way to contact manufacturers on your behalf. Had a bad encounter with GC... sounded like the person I got on the phone didn't even want to talk to me, unresponsive, etc. That'll leave a bad taste in your mouth.

[thehadgi]

Huh, I guess I'll check some of those sites out. I kind of an leaning more towards second hand forums/auction sites for expensive stuff like synths. it's just not worth it to me to pay 1400 more for a moog voyager at a retail store just for whatever random warranty they have. But I'll keep those in mind for stuff like mics possibly.

[drop1]

I usually buy from Sweetwater. Their service is top notch.

I love Sweetwater. I have never been disappointed with them. Felt strange getting a call from them months after my purchase to see how I was liking my softsynths.

[thehadgi]

I'm thinkin of picking up the Arturia minibrute from them, they have a little discount going on and the price is about right