Written on: 30/03/2013
I went into the store to try out a couple of guitars, and the staff were friendly, asking me about what i play, what sounds i like ect. One after an other, they brought me different guitars relating to what I wanted, not hesitating to bring me a Gibson or the like. After about 15 guitars and 2 hours of playing, I found the guitar I wanted. I spotted a very small dent on a pickup, and the shop assistant gave me £50 off of the price of the guitar. Afterwords, i was looking at cables and one... (read more)
Written on: 14/03/2013 by Joeshoots (1 review written)
I headed into the GAK shop to buy a Jazz bass. I knew what I wanted (I thought) and only wanted a quick try before parting with my money, but the shop attendant was only too happy to let me try out other instruments to make sure I made the right choice for me. He asked me questions about style and sound, and made suggestions on the back of that. I didn't make a purchase on the day, but when I came back in several weeks later to purchase he not only remembered me, but remembered the... (read more)
Written on: 12/03/2013 by gaztrout (1 review written)
Ordered an Epiphone Texan and paid for it on Saturday, I was told it would be delivered on Tuesday. It never turned up. When I spoke to customer service they said it was because of bad weather and couldn't get rid of me quick enough. I then phoned back for a refund and was told that there had been an error on the order and the wrong guitar had turned up. To make things worse they said I wouldn't get my money for another 4 days so I can't order one from Thomann, also the only reason I ordered... (read more)
Written on: 21/02/2013 by KingV93
I've ordered form GAK quite a few times, I've bought guitars from them twice and countless other accessories, strings/picks etc. Their online store for products is handy, their prices are also decent it costs £4 for a pack of picks and about £5 for strings with a small delivery charge added because of the items cheap value. To be honest, you can't really argue with that. The main problem is their courier service, the FedEx people are some of the most incompetent useless idiots ever to... (read more)
Written on: 15/02/2013
I ordered a limited edition epiphone SG bass, it was not in stock and the expected delivery was about 3 months away. A few days later one surprisingly had arrived in stock. GAK called me, the balance was paid and it was shipped over to my address within a couple days. Unfortunately the instrument itself was a bit of a let down, but again, a call to GAK explaining the situation and they ordered a pick up and refund. Simon was the gentlemen who handled my order from start to finish, excellent... (read more)
Written on: 05/02/2013 by Disappointeddan (1 review written)
I ordered some items from gaks mail order team 6 days ago. I was told the items would be next day delivery, the money was taken out of my account by gak and I eagerly awaited my new musical equipment (which I needed for use ASAP) The next day the order didn't come. I called gak to ask where it was and when it would arrive., I was told would be the next working day..... Next working day comes and goes still with no package. Again I called gak. I was told the order had not been dispatched... (read more)
Written on: 13/03/2013
Totally the same experience. Have now ordered through Thomann for excellent German efficiency and slightly cheaper too, plus they don't pretend that it is next day delivery.
Written on: 14/01/2013
I recently ordered an second hand vintage sunburst Epiphone EJ200 from GAK, but unfortunately they couldn't find it in the shop or warehouse. Their customer service chap emailed me to let me know there was a problem, and that he would continue to try to find the item. A few days later he called me to tell me that it was definitely lost and to see if there was anything else they had that would fit the bill. They had a brand new blonde EJ200, and they did a direct replacement for no extra... (read more)
Written on: 18/12/2012 by droosay
Dont bother with this joke of a company. Why put things on your website to be told they've not got in stock after 2 weeks waiting. (read more)
Written on: 17/09/2012 by TheGooseofAnger (2 reviews written)
Well, I order a lot from the internet when it comes to gear, not larger items like Guitars etc, but strings, picks and capos. Writing this review will be the fourth time i've used GAK. What a waste of time, the first time I used them, my guitar, the first i'd ever bought online (great encouragement) came in the wrong colour and with the case! Second time I decided to get myself a nice Marshall cab, because I'm a bit remote so lugging one in my tiny car wasn't an option, that took three weeks... (read more)
Written on: 14/07/2012
I ordered a Marshall branded cover for a bluesbreaker combo amp for a good deal less than even marshall's own website. There was no stock at the time but stock duly arrived and was sent out immediately within a couple of days of the order. As the item wasn't in stock when I ordered it they didn't charge me p & p. full FedEx tracking as well. Bargain price, quickly restocked, helpful after sales. No problems at all. Would definitely use again. (read more)
Written on: 16/04/2012 by JeffBingham (1 review written)
Had problems with a guitar I purchased here, went into the shop to get it fixed, they almost ganged up on me to tell me it was fine, eventually they fixed it, took weeks to get back to me, then it was still broken, they fixed it again after weeks and its STILL broken, its not worth going back so I got the repair done elsewhere and it cost me ££££. The guys in the shop were highly reluctant to help and tried to blame various factors around the instrument rather than be helpful, they were... (read more)
Written on: 24/02/2012 by spingo (1 review written)
I ordered a guitar and case which arrived quickly, but damaged. They arranged to collect the guitar and said that they would repair asap. Two weeks later, the guitar came back to me in a cardboard box (not with the case i originaly bought, and sent back with the guitar), the original fault (split bracing) not fixed, plus deep scratches and the sides of the guitar severly cracked! They apologised and arranged to collect again for a refund. I then had to wait for a further 3 weeks, with many... (read more)
Written on: 14/12/2011
Disappointed with the communication. Had a confirmation email straight away to say the order was successful. I then had an email a couple of days later to say it wasn't due back in stock for another week. A week went by, sent 2 emails with no reply and then on the 3rd day of no communication I received a cancellation email. They had cancelled the order because the item had been discontinued, information they should've known before advertising on their website. I had waited two weeks for... (read more)
Written on: 27/11/2011 by 3473louise (1 review written)
I ordered a double bass drum pedal for my son last xmas. Approx 6 months later one of the springs went and the great customer service guy (Alex) got a replacement. Recently another spring went but the distributors GAK use couldn't get one till January, so he suggested I ordered it direct from Thomann and GAK refunded the cost and postage. Really helpful, couldn't fault them- will definitely use again and again. (read more)
Written on: 24/11/2011 by ldgc
Ordered an electric guitar for my daughter for christmas from GAK. The gentleman on the phone was very helpful and friendly ( which is very rare as customer service these days isn't what it use to be). The guitar came well packaged and 2 days early ( which was great for me), and in perfect condition. My husband said he had to do some adjustments to the strings as he said it needed setting up,strings too far off the fret and something else, have no idea what any of it meant as I am the non-... (read more)
Written on: 11/11/2011
Ordered many items from GAK over the years and never been let down.If I order before 3pm it always gets to me by the following morning.Quite simply GAK offer an incredible unmatched service. One time I ordered an MXR Pedal which was faulty.GAK collected it the SAME day and returned me a new one the following morning! Larger items I tend to order over the phone rathere than the site from a guy called Jimmy who is brilliant The website is the best in the UK and offers free leads and stuff with... (read more)
Written on: 21/09/2011 by d0gf1sh
To be honest, most review sites offer a window for disgruntled customers to complain. I too have been one. But on this occasion I am happy to say that GAK were brilliant! After being mucked around by Dolphin Music, someone suggested GAK and I used them for the first time. Absolutely no problem. For once I paid the money and got the goods in the time stated. Realistically, I would be less likely to buy something from a company or business with a near 100% good review score. Nowhere is... (read more)
Written on: 31/08/2011
When the guitar arrived (washburn d46sce)2 weeks later than they said it would ... it had not been setup correctly so I phoned and they assured me that it had been professionally setup buy the importer, but I could return it for inspection and they would rectify the fault. After waiting for another 2 weeks after they received it they sent it back and it was still not setup! I returned it once again only to have it returned minus the accessories and without any strings attached and now with... (read more)
Written on: 23/08/2011
GAK offered a great price and delivery on a variax guitar, but it was faulty when I received it - this is the fault of Line 6 not GAK, however I sent the guitar back to GAK but had to spend ages chasing them for a refund. Phones and emails went unanswered and of course all this time they still had my money. There is nothing more frustrating than being given the runaround by a company when things have gone wrong, still - lesson learned, I won't be bothering them with my business in future. (read more)
Written on: 16/08/2011 by tamadrummer (1 review written)
After having looked at a few different reviews for GAK I was dubious about whether or not to buy my gear from them but after trawling the interent for the best prices, I couldn't find a kit cheaper anywhere. I called up rather than ordered online because I'd read that they weren't too hot on updating stock listings on their website. Spoke to a friendly man on the phone who took my order with no problems. He said that delivery would be within the next two or three days but it actually arrived... (read more)
Written on: 16/08/2011 by GAKBAD
WANTED TO BUY A BASS AT THE STORE AND NOTICED A PRICE DIFFERENCE ONLINE. FIRST TIME I WENT THERE THE GUY I ASKED ABOUT THE DIFFERENCE WAS POMPOUS AND SAID ''DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH IT COSTS TO RENT THIS BUILDING?''. WENT AGAIN YESTERDAY, THEY WERE SHORT OF STAFF AND THE PERSON THERE TOLD ME I COULD SPEND 2 MINUTES IN THE BASS ROOM TO HAVE A LOOK, SINCE I WASN'T AFTER ANYTHING IN PARTICULAR. WHEN I ASKED HIM ABOUT A MODEL HE SAID HE SOLD DRUMS FOR A LIVING. 1 MONTH AGO I ASKED FOR THE... (read more)
Written on: 29/07/2011
Ordered a brand new £1400 Electric guitar... Arrived on time, packed in a nice big chunky box with lots of padding. Guitar was set up terribly. The guitar itself is lovely but arrived with smudgy finger prints all over it. The worst thing was the hard case it arrived in. The hard case looks like its been dropped down the stairs or something. It has several chunks taken out of it, along with a few scuffs. Also, one of the clips to secure the case is broken. £1400 and thats the best they... (read more)
Written on: 20/07/2011 by TopherJS (3 reviews written)
I ordered a few guitar effects pedals (which were in stock according to the website). As one wasn't in stock, they didn't dispatch the order. However, it took about a week and an email to them to discover that the item would not be in stock for another week. I have made other orders which have been fine, but this tainted the site for me. They did handle the order cancellation well though. (read more)
Written on: 05/07/2011
I paid a £12 premium for delivery of the product I ordered on a certain day before midday - I had an email to say this had been arranged, but the item didn't arrive. Phoned GAK, who said they'd arranged delivery on the wrong day and 'would have got around to telling me later on' (but not before I had waited in the house all morning!). Next time, I'll pay slightly more and buy things from a company who can arrange delivery on time. (read more)
Written on: 08/06/2011
For a company that was based in the UK (that is, in the same country as the buyer), the service was awful. I was told to wait till the end of the month for my order. When this came, I tried phoning only to spend a half hour being ignored by a call centre seemingly manned by one person (I mean seriously, how many complaints can one office get?). When I emailed I was promised a delivery on the following Wednesday and thus devoted a whole day to waiting around for a hypothetical delivery van... (read more)
Written on: 28/03/2011
I decided to upgrade the pickups on my Jackson RR to a set of EMG 81/60. They are very nice and I would reccomend them. But that is just about the only good theing I can say.
Bad Points: They said my pickups were in stock, when in fact they were not, and it took two weeks for one to arrive, and three for the other.
I ordered a cab for my amp from Thommann in Germany, and it arrived in 4 days. Clearly, bad service does not have to be tolerated.
The site is nigh unusable, and has got...
(read more)
Written on: 08/03/2011
This is the second time I have ordered something "In Stock" from GAK, only to receive an email on the supposed delivery day telling me the item is not in stock and it will be a week before they have the goods. I don't believe their stock list reflects reality. It would be far more benificial, if they could tell you that the item isn't available immediatley, instead of letting you wait a few days so that I could cancel the order and use another supplier. I guess they do not want you to do... (read more)
Written on: 06/03/2011 by ibanez agb 200 (1 review written)
I personally cannot fault "gak". I purchased an ibanez agb 200 & hardcase. I found that jim, who took my call was a credit to the sales team, not only was he very helpful he even gave me discount for buying the case and guitar together. They arrived with next day delivery as instructed. Ive now had my new bass for a week and i love it. Thanks again jim. (read more)
Written on: 04/03/2011 by Derek Crosby (1 review written)
DON'T BUY FROM GAK. GAK acts like it's doing you a massive favour by stocking equipment and that you are incidental to their existence. They'll expect you to pay their advertised price, even when it's comparatively overpriced (by hundreds of pounds as in my case). I have imported gear from the US for less, including import taxes. I do not like their business attitude. Why would I spend any money in their shop when they treat me as if they are doing me a favour for me offering them thousands... (read more)
Written on: 23/02/2011 by Chooseyourblues (1 review written)
Very nice website, seemingly good amount of stock. Staff helpful enough by email etc.
Problem is the stuff they send seems to be absolute rubbish. In the two different occasions i dealt with them both guitar amplifiers either arrived broken/faulty or broke within a day of use.
I imagine all the rubbish collected from music shops up and down the length of the UK ends up in GAK's warehouse, ready to be sent to unsuspecting customers.
(read more)
Written on: 17/02/2011
I used gak to buy my boyfreind's birthday present. They communicated very efficiently with me, by both email and telephone. I needed to change my order and they had to problem with this, and it was done very quickly. The item I received was scratched during transit, and as soon as I told them of this, they arranged to pick it up from my house and deliver a new one on a day that was convenient for me. I found them very helpful, quick, and honest, and would highly recommend them. (read more)
Written on: 01/02/2011
The key staff are too busy to give really good service, the guys that hang around at the counter seem disinterested, some member of staff played loudly while I was trying out guitars.
I was sold a guitar with a crack in the laccquer and returned it. The tech then chewed up all three screws on the truss rod cover while setting up the replacement, which I was told would only take an hour. I ended up paying £16 for three hours parking, not to mention the parking fees when I returned the...
(read more)
Written on: 18/01/2011
worst site ever used took over a month before telling me it had been discontinued after 5 people saying it would be with by in the next few days etc. (read more)
Written on: 11/01/2011
TERRIBLE - DON'T DO IT! I was looking for a Yamaha CPX900 Electro-acoustic guitar. I saw online that it was available for next day dispatch. Just to make sure I called thier sales department TWICE and spoke to two different employees who told me it was in stock and would be delivered within 2 working days. 4 working days later no sign of guitar and order still "pending". I called and was informed the Item was never in stock and would take 2-3 weeks! upside is i got my money back the next... (read more)
Written on: 10/01/2011 by hadenoughofit (6 reviews written)
I needed a Hiscox case for a vintage Gibson guitar that I'm restoring and, after comparing prices online, decided to order one from GAK. It arrived next day at 9.00 am. and fits the guitar perfectly.
Absolutely no complaints about the service but, as is my nature, I have one moan. When you compare prices online you need to know the total cost, including shipping. GAK is one of those companies that give no information at all about this until you've gone to Checkout and given your personal...
(read more)
Written on: 25/12/2010
Chose the wrong product from the warehouse to send me - when told of their error, they really couldn't care less and offered NO compensation even though it ruined a gig for me. (read more)
Written on: 15/12/2010
Like so many, I've stupidly given this lot too many chances. Their service is just terrible. I ordered an overdrive pedal and waited three weeks before they finally despatched it. They gave me someone else's Fedex details so I called them to find out why my parcel was on the other side of the country. Turns out they had delIvered my parcel to my neighbour.
Annoyingly, it was the wrong pedal. Morons. I am sick and tired of this company. They are completely useless and their service is...
(read more)
Written on: 07/12/2010
Emailed query on stock availability / lead time of item. Reply almost by return.
Goods delivered next working day after placing order via web site - free shipping.
Light marks on guitar - transpires showroom demo stock sent in error. Only one in stock.
Dan Harding of GAK very appologetic. I was offered refund or very fair partial refund on the (already low)price I paid.
Refund actioned same day.
(read more)
Written on: 04/12/2010
I was surprised to read about other people's experience with this company. I have bought 2 guitars from them. They were not expensive models. I had no problem with them. The guitars were good quality and very cheap. Arrived on time. I did have to speak to their customer service, and they were very polite. (read more)
Written on: 30/11/2010
I have given this company so many chances. Ordered lots of times when it said 'In Stock' and 'Next day delivery' only for it to be pushed back a week. Three weeks delay on the last purchase I made. No communication, website is slow in updating delivery times (can be updated/pushed back on the day you expected it) and I had to constantly phone up, told it was this date and yet was pushed back again.
I have bought two very expensive guitars only to find them dented and scratched up. The only...
(read more)
Written on: 09/11/2010 by Larry Little (2 reviews written)
Sorry. Not impressed. No communication at all. (read more)
Written on: 05/11/2010
Went to Brighton shop to look at Keyboards, shop staff were totally not interested in us when we walked in (we were the only people in the shop at the time)
The demo keyboard on display was scratched and we asked for a discount on the display model (as this was the only one in the store) and the guy was quite rude and refused and told us "we can sell it at the full price with the scratch" So with that in mind we walked out. Most of the stuff from their stock room i.e boxes with equipment...
(read more)
Written on: 19/10/2010
Lets be clear here, gak is a stack em high sell em cheap company, sadely this business concpept whilst acceptable at the lower end of the market does not washat the higher end. I have no doubt their internet service is ok if you dont care about the quality of the instrument your buying, set up, and condition. I would never buy an instrument over the net so this review is focused on thier shop and level of customer service. Over the years I have given gak many chances to impress me and have... (read more)
Written on: 30/09/2010
1st GAK experience 'In Stock Next Day Deliver' for orders before 10am. I ordered before 10am, product arrived 4 days later - go figure. Current order I've done by phone, item is in stock they say, be with you tomorrow they say. Day 3 still no delivery, I ring and get told now they don't have stock afterall - computer says no.
Moral of the story - nice website, cheap prices, but misleading website and telephone sales.
(read more)
Written on: 30/08/2010
I've had various dealings with Gak in the past, so I'll base this review on an overall experience.
The best thing about this company is undoubtably the speedy delivery service... providing the item is in stock to begin with however. Their website availability indicators are not based on actual stock levels, so I would recommend contacting them prior to making any purchase to confirm this.
I did order a guitar cab some time ago (it must have been around August 2007 time) with the intention...
(read more)
Written on: 18/08/2010 by MaxNormal (2 reviews written)
Phoned up to buy an entire SVT valve stack new. No answer from the shop (there never is), then got automatically transferred to the warehouse (as always) where the guy was angry at me for phoning the warehouse not the shop! Told them I had a a nearly new ampeg combo (BA300) to px. They offered my 1/3 of the value of the combo (£200.00 - the buy in price if I was not buying anything off them) saying they would not make enough profit on it otherwise, thus losing my custom on the ~£1500.00 I... (read more)
Written on: 15/08/2010
DO NOT BUY FROM THIS WENSITE!!
Ordered as clearly stated available for next day delivery. Completed the order and payed in full.
I've been waiting for a week so I emailed them a couple time, and got no reply. I then called them direct, they promised will be in the next day but answered in a rude way. The item recevied next day but only recieved 1 out of 2 items.
So still waiting!!!!
(read more)
Written on: 10/08/2010
Ordered and paid for a guitar over the telephone after finding what i wanted on the website- telephoned to double check stock was available as website was saying- asked a few questions about guitar and found the staff more than helpful - made payment over telephone and i recieved my guitar-FREE DELIVERY- 24 HOURS later. EXCELLENT SERVICE- HIGHLY RECOMMENDED- WOULD DEFINATLY USE AGAIN. (read more)
Written on: 29/07/2010
pay cheap get cheap.....! poor service and aftersales care. u get a box eventually and hope its ok! I will shop localy in future and buy what I can see!
(read more)
Written on: 01/07/2010
Ordered as clearly stated available for next day delivery. Completed the order and payed in full.
Only recieved 2 out 0f 3 items as 3rd not in stock.. no call, email to inform me of this and so I emailed them and got no reply for days. I then called them direct and was told the item was out of stock and I wouldn't receive it for another week!
I then cancelled this part of the order and required a refund which took weeks to get into my account.
Appalling company! Go elsewhere.. avoid GAK,...
(read more)
As rated by real users
"Great shop, great service." Read More
"Ibanez AG96" Read More
"It's all about the Service!!!...." Read More
"Very good even when they get i..." Read More
"Customer service second to none" Read More
Gaztrout's Response to gaztrout's Review
Written on: 13/03/2013
Ordered the same guitar from Thomann this morning at 07:00 and by 10:30 had a text to say that the order had been shipped, good old German efficiency hey. Oh and £10 cheaper than GAK.