Chicago Music Exchange Plug

[ElCamino]

Just a quick plug for the Chicago Music Exchange. http://www.chicagomusicexchange.com/ (Hope this isn't bad etiquette on this forum, and I have zero affiliation with the operation other than two recent purchases.)

Anyhoo, purchased two medium-end electric guitars online from these folks, which involved using their online chat feature, email and telephone. I happened to hook up with Bob Taylor, who is super-accommodating, including working with me on price and seeing that both guitars were set up to my particular liking and equipped with the strings of my choice.

Both guitars arrived intact, mint as stated, and like somebody really cared about me on the receiving end. They were packed like this isn't their first rodeo and obviously tweaked and restrung by someone who listened to my requests and who knew what he was doing. (They even use this coolio packing feature that I hadn't seen before: It's a sticker on the outside of the box [UPS in this case] with a tiny embedded vial of colored liquid that apparently measures the amount of shaking or force or whatever that the box receives during shipping. The instructions say that if upon opening, the contents are damaged and the liquid in the vial registers red, to contact UPS and the sender, explaining that "red" means the package was improperly handled. FYI, my second purchase was indeed mishandled during shipping. [I mean how could it not be? Especially during the holidays.] However, it was packed so well that the guitar arrived in perfect shape.)

Part of the difference, I believe, is that unlike the big online boys, this place is essentially a big shop and everything is right there. One of the guitars I bought, for example, was their last one of that model. Bob went and grabbed it immediately until we finished transacting biz, and then took it over to the tech to whom he delivered my setup specs. No entering the purchase into a computer that then signals a warehouse somewhere else to ship it out. Guitar guys actually handled this guitar, described it to me while holding it, and made me feel good and confident about pulling an expensive trigger via an online purchase.

If you can't hold whatever you're buying and walk out with it underarm, Chicago Music Exchange is the next best thing. Bob took care of me, and I'm guessing the rest of the crew there is much the same.

That's all I got. Over and out.

[David Eastwood]

A couple of years ago, I purchased a Yamaha Guitalele from Amazon. The order was fulfilled by Chicago Music Exchange.

It arrived promptly, very well packed - but the thing that impressed me most was the hand-written note included inside the box detailing the tuning I should use. The fact that someone took the trouble to do that for a $99 instrument impressed me a great deal.

I haven't purchased anything else from CME since, but would not hesitate to consider them in the future.