HardLore Explores SWEETWATER Headquarters

Summary

HardLore Episode Summary: Exploring Sweetwater Headquarters

Title: HardLore Explores SWEETWATER Headquarters
Release Date: August 14, 2025
Hosts: Colin Young, Bo Lueders
Guests: Tad and Josie from Sweetwater
Location: Fort Wayne, Indiana

---

Introduction

In this episode of HardLore, hosts Colin Young and Bo Lueders take listeners on an exclusive tour of Sweetwater Headquarters in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Joined by long-time Sweetwater representatives Tad and Josie, the hosts delve deep into the operations, culture, and unique features that make Sweetwater a legendary name in the music retail industry.

Sweetwater HQ: The Mecca of Music Stores

Colin introduces Sweetwater as the essential hub for touring bands, emphasizing its reputation as "the Amazon of music stores" (00:08). However, Tad adds a humorous twist by noting the term "with much derogatory connotation" (00:26).

Notable Quote:

Colin (00:26): "It's kind of the Amazon, for those who might not know. Kind of the Amazon of music stuff, but with much derogatory connotation."

Inside the Headquarters: A Comprehensive Tour

The Grand Entrance and Pedal Display

Upon entering, the hosts are greeted by Tad and Josie, who boast about the scale and sophistication of Sweetwater's operations. The team showcases the world's largest pedal display, sparking excitement and awe among the hosts.

Notable Quote:

Tad (05:53): "It's the Guinness Book of World Records largest."

Performance Theater and Acoustic Excellence

The group explores Sweetwater's state-of-the-art performance theater, designed for internal training and product demonstrations. Mitch Gallagher, a key Sweetwater figure, gives an immersive demonstration of their Atmos-certified acoustics.

Notable Quote:

Mitch Gallagher (21:45): "Like, get goosebumps every time."

Training Center and Rock Camp

A highlight of the tour is the training center and Rock Camp, where aspiring musicians can learn and perform. Tad explains how Rock Camp offers three-week intensive sessions, culminating in live performances with full sound systems.

Notable Quote:

Tad (51:45): "So you can learn how to play a song with a band and then you have the ability to be able to go on stage in our pavilion outside for a first show."

Warehouse Operations and Quality Control

The hosts delve into the meticulous processes of Sweetwater's warehouse, emphasizing climate control to preserve high-value instruments. They observe the guitar inspection line, where each instrument undergoes rigorous quality checks to ensure customer satisfaction.

Notable Quote:

Bo (39:56): "Every time they pick one up or put it back, they're double checking that serial on the guitar in the box again, making sure nothing is mixed up."

Sweetwater's Legendary Customer Service

Colin and Stephen discuss Sweetwater's unparalleled customer service, which includes personalized phone calls and thoughtful touches like sending chocolates with orders.

Notable Quote:

Colin (02:33): "Everything is treated with love. If you order something, you get a phone call, you get chocolates in the mail. It's unbelievable."

Tad elaborates on the company's history, attributing their customer-centric approach to founder Chuck Surak, who emphasized relationship building through consistent communication and personalized service.

Notable Quote:

Tad (32:53): "Chuck Surak, the owner of the company, started that 30 years ago... It was the continual relationship building, and that entails lots of phone calls and a lot of communication."

Inventory and Shipping Logistics

Sweetwater guarantees same-day shipping for orders placed before a specific cutoff time (39:00). The hosts marvel at the efficiency and precision of the inventory system, ensuring that customers receive their orders promptly and accurately.

Notable Quote:

Colin (39:00): "Does it move from somewhere over here to somewhere over here to somewhere over here? And how long does that take?"

Estimated Shipping Time: Approximately two hours from order placement to shipment.

Quality Control and Inspection Process

The tour highlights the dual-tier inspection system, where Tech Twos and Tech Threes collaborate to maintain high standards. Instruments undergo multiple checks, from initial handling to final packaging, ensuring that only the best products reach customers.

Notable Quote:

Bo (41:07): "Everything that they can't fix, we usually sell at a discount. If it's beyond what Sweetwater accepts as the quality we're willing to sell, then we're going to send it back to the vendor or send it elsewhere into the ether."

Unique Offerings: Rock Camp and Lessons

Sweetwater's Rock Camp provides a platform for aspiring musicians to learn, practice, and perform. The hosts express admiration for this initiative, likening it to "Space Camp" for rock enthusiasts.

Notable Quote:

Stephen (52:37): "When I was a kid... I made my mom write to Legends of the Hidden Temple because I wanted to be at Space Camp. Wish I was at rock camp."

Relationship with Staff and Artists

Throughout the episode, the camaraderie between Sweetwater staff and artists underscores the company's community-focused ethos. Interactions with Mitch Gallagher highlight Sweetwater's connections with prominent figures in the music industry.

Notable Quote:

Colin (54:40): "My dad thanks you, my brother thanks you, my mom thanks you, my wife thanks you."

Final Thoughts and Conclusion

As the tour concludes, Colin and Stephen reflect on the comprehensive and heartfelt operations of Sweetwater Headquarters. They commend Sweetwater for being more than just a store, but a thriving community that fosters lifelong friendships and supports musicians at every stage.

Notable Quote:

Colin (57:27): "Sweetwater. It's so much more than a store. It's a community. And you may just develop a friendship for life with your sales engineer."

---

Key Takeaways

• Sweetwater's Scale and Sophistication: From the world's largest pedal display to state-of-the-art performance theaters, Sweetwater's HQ is a testament to their commitment to excellence.
• Unmatched Customer Service: Personalized interactions, thoughtful gestures, and rigorous quality control set Sweetwater apart in the music retail industry.
• Community and Education: Initiatives like Rock Camp and comprehensive training centers highlight Sweetwater's dedication to nurturing musical talent.
• Efficient Operations: Advanced inventory systems and climate-controlled warehouses ensure timely and safe delivery of high-quality instruments.

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Colin (00:26): "It's kind of the Amazon, for those who might not know. Kind of the Amazon of music stuff, but with much derogatory connotation."
• Tad (05:53): "It's the Guinness Book of World Records largest."
• Mitch Gallagher (21:45): "Like, get goosebumps every time."
• Tad (32:53): "Chuck Surak... started that 30 years ago... It was the continual relationship building..."
• Bo (39:56): "Double checking that serial on the guitar in the box again..."
• Colin (57:27): "Sweetwater. It's so much more than a store. It's a community..."

This episode offers an in-depth look at Sweetwater Headquarters, illustrating why it remains a cornerstone for musicians worldwide. From unparalleled customer service to cutting-edge facilities, Sweetwater exemplifies dedication to the music community.

Transcript

[Bo]

Hello.

[Colin]

Welcome. It's hard lore time here in Fort Wayne, Indiana. How you doing, Bo?

[Stephen]

Where the hell are we?

[Colin]

We are at Sweetwater hq. This is the mecca of music stores. Any touring band knows you need stuff from Sweetwater to be on the road. If you're on the road, you're probably using something that you or somebody in your band ordered from Sweetwater.

[Stephen]

It's kind of the Amazon, for those who might not know. Kind of the Amazon of music stuff, but with much derogatory connotation.

[Colin]

Everything is treated with love. If you order something, you get a phone call, you get chocolates in the mail. It's unbelievable. And we wanted to go to the heart of where this incredible service takes place and see what the operation is like, see what the ins and outs are like. We're going to show you every single aspect of a day at Sweetwater headquarters. Let's go in.

[Stephen]

But the problem, Colin, I feel, is we just don't have any guides. You know, like, wait a minute. We're just going to wander.

[Colin]

Oh, my God.

[Stephen]

Is that.

[Colin]

This is Stephen. Come here. This is unbelievable. There's a family going in.

[Stephen]

There's a family going in right now.

[Colin]

Hello. Behind them, it's Tad and Josie.

[Stephen]

Hello, fellas.

[Bo]

Hello.

[Stephen]

Hello.

[Colin]

How are you guys doing?

[Tad]

Good, how are you?

[Colin]

Now, I talk about Tad on the show all the time.

[Stephen]

Likewise.

[Colin]

But for those who don't listen, Tad has been my rep and my entire family's rep for about 20 years now.

[Stephen]

Josie, probably.

[Tad]

12 to 15, something like that.

[Colin]

About how long have you worked here?

[Stephen]

So, a decade.

[Tad]

Just about same. Yeah, both of us have.

[Bo]

There you go.

[Josie]

So, 20 years.

[Colin]

20 years combined.

[Tad]

Combined, 20. 100%.

[Colin]

So let's. Do you guys mind showing us around Sweetwater HQ today?

[Josie]

Let's do it.

[Colin]

Thank you so much. This.

[Stephen]

Oh, this is unbelievable.

[Colin]

My God.

[Tad]

Welcome.

[Stephen]

It's like the Institute in Fallout Four.

[Colin]

Yeah.

[Stephen]

You know what I'm talking about.

[Colin]

Yeah. This is not what I expected.

[Stephen]

No. We expected this to be a series of cubicles, maybe a receptionist, some storage.

[Colin]

I expected a very efficient warehouse.

[Josie]

Now, we have all that still.

[Tad]

Yeah, we still have that.

[Stephen]

Okay.

[Tad]

We still have that.

[Stephen]

Don't worry. Perfect.

[Colin]

Tad, it's so nice to finally meet you after all these years, after all the many memes I've made about you and Sweetwater in general. Do those get around the office?

[Josie]

Yes. My kids have seen them, too.

[Stephen]

They have it saved.

[Josie]

They do. They Google my name. It brings up this man. I would kill for this man.

[Colin]

Okay.

[Tad]

I've done meme contests in the past, I haven't done one in a little while.

[Colin]

But who won?

[Tad]

Like Bobby from Signs of the Swarm.

[Colin]

He's good.

[Tad]

Yeah, he's. He's pretty good.

[Stephen]

I have in there a Josie shirt. I have this on a shirt.

[Colin]

You got shirts?

[Stephen]

No. So we got your. We got shirts on the team. Josie. Now it's in storage and I couldn't find it, but. Oh, and stickers. Lots of stickers.

[Colin]

I got memes that I made. Exactly.

[Stephen]

So this is an actual store?

[Tad]

Yeah.

[Stephen]

So people can come here and shop anytime.

[Tad]

Yeah. It's the largest music retail store in the us.

[Stephen]

In the US in the United States, Yep.

[Tad]

So sweet. We opened this side of the building in 2021, I believe, right after Covid. And so we had a smaller music store area which we've converted to our merchandising and marketing and all that other stuff. But yeah, so this is new. We got the world's largest pedal display back there as well.

[Colin]

We're going to have to.

[Tad]

Have to take a look real quick over yen.

[Stephen]

We need that.

[Colin]

Tad and Josie, I have a question for you.

[Tad]

What you got?

[Colin]

How did we get assigned to you?

[Stephen]

Yeah, how does that happen? Is it like Hogwarts? Is there a sorting hat? A sorting high hat?

[Josie]

It just depends. It could be completely random. It could be somebody leaves and it just gets assigned to you. I think I worked with Taylor first.

[Colin]

Yes, you did.

[Josie]

Just through that. And it's kind of you and your mom and everybody and. Yeah, it's just.

[Stephen]

All.

[Josie]

Just all random.

[Colin]

My wife.

[Stephen]

I wonder if you have. My dad, everyone.

[Tad]

I think I've talked to your dad before. Yeah, yeah.

[Stephen]

Now that is. I didn't know that.

[Tad]

Well, we work off referrals.

[Stephen]

Right.

[Tad]

So like a lot of that is word of mouth, which is the reason why we have a bunch of mutual friends at this point.

[Stephen]

Yeah. That is unbelievable.

[Colin]

You know, does everybody get one to two day home delivery on the house?

[Josie]

You can comment.

[Tad]

Well, yes, actually, for the most part. If we have it in stock, if it's in Arizona or in Fort Wayne.

[Colin]

Oh, man, that Arizona facility.

[Josie]

Great.

[Colin]

Yeah, it changed everything.

[Stephen]

Well, being in Chicago, I order something. If I order something before noon, I'm getting it the next day. Sometimes the same day. I've gotten stuff so fast.

[Colin]

I've never gotten that, but it's unbelievable. That's on me.

[Stephen]

He's waiting.

[Colin]

Yeah. And he's ready. That's what I believe. I believe an order comes in and you run as fast as you can across the floor. Like get up, go Go back and that thing's out the door same day. So that's real.

[Josie]

I hit a button.

[Colin]

Okay.

[Josie]

So.

[Stephen]

Yes.

[Colin]

You have a Colin button, a Claudio button?

[Josie]

Colin's mom.

[Colin]

Yes. Okay.

[Stephen]

I didn't even see that.

[Colin]

So this is the biggest pedal display in the world.

[Tad]

It just keeps going.

[Colin]

Us?

[Tad]

I think so. I think it just. In general, because it's on both sides as well.

[Stephen]

Oh, my God.

[Colin]

Never even heard of these. I know that one. You know that one. Harm's Way knows that one.

[Stephen]

This one's really good. Amp in a box, noise gate built in.

[Colin]

You know what we should do?

[Stephen]

What's that?

[Colin]

Plug them all in on one board. Really? Was it sick?

[Tad]

It's the Guinness Book of World Records largest.

[Colin]

Are you serious?

[Josie]

You'll see part of the pedal board over there.

[Tad]

Yep.

[Stephen]

This is the coolest place in the world.

[Tad]

Yes.

[Colin]

Did it sound good?

[Josie]

I don't think so.

[Stephen]

Straight into the amp and all them on the best.

[Colin]

Okay. What. What head was were you using?

[Tad]

I think there were Marshall staff.

[Stephen]

Yeah, right.

[Tad]

I'm pretty sure.

[Stephen]

Rock roll.

[Tad]

We had to document the entire thing. It's a very, like, intricate process.

[Stephen]

Yeah.

[Tad]

So they had to take pictures and videos of them. Even plugging in the cables.

[Josie]

Sure.

[Tad]

To ensure that signal was passing all the way through for Gunnins.

[Colin]

Do you know, off the top of your head, how many petals it was?

[Tad]

Oh, I have no idea.

[Bo]

I think it was like.

[Josie]

Yeah, it says over there.

[Stephen]

So we'll see that for sure.

[Tad]

Yeah.

[Stephen]

This whole time, we were joking about this kind of being like Willy Wonka's factory.

[Colin]

It's so much thicker than Willy Wonka.

[Stephen]

Yeah. You guys are just.

[Colin]

You have more stuff than he did.

[Tad]

Chocolate.

[Stephen]

Yeah.

[Josie]

Less deaths.

[Colin]

Less deaths.

[Stephen]

Well, we'll see.

[Bo]

We just got.

[Josie]

Maybe it's important.

[Colin]

Heart attack from deals and savings.

[Stephen]

That's good. Oh, this is his deal. This is outstanding.

[Colin]

This is crazy.

[Stephen]

Colin.

[Colin]

I got to play the one riff I know.

[Stephen]

He's got to play the Faith no More song.

[Colin]

Somebody's getting that.

[Tad]

Pick your poison.

[Josie]

Nice.

[Colin]

What?

[Tad]

That sounds like Metro.

[Stephen]

It's like Rush, dude. That's what he was doing.

[Tad]

It's on the homie.

[Stephen]

Rush.

[Tad]

Some River Dance.

[Stephen]

All right.

[Colin]

Only 40 grand. You got 40 grand? Oh, man, that's laid.

[Stephen]

All right. Hit me with some epic. Oh, yeah, yeah. I know. It is.

[Colin]

It's alternating. Oh, good.

[Stephen]

This is unbelievable. I mean, all due respect to Guitar center, we were just talking about this. Guitar center is a needed thing for touring musicians. You know, it's an important thing. It's an Institution. This.

[Colin]

If I. This makes a mother want to move to Fort Wayne.

[Stephen]

It's unbelievable.

[Colin]

Nobody's ever said that before. Sweetwater.

[Stephen]

Do you guys live in Fort Wayne? Yeah.

[Josie]

Yeah, we are. We're all here.

[Stephen]

You're from my way, right? Yeah, that's right. Yep.

[Tad]

Chicagoland area.

[Stephen]

And you live here?

[Tad]

I live here.

[Stephen]

Did you move here for the gig?

[Tad]

Yes.

[Josie]

Everyone who works here lives here.

[Colin]

Straight up. There's no remote employees.

[Stephen]

And Amazon's right across the street. Correct. Are those the big two?

[Tad]

I. I guess gotta be.

[Colin]

Any hospitals and stuff?

[Josie]

They're pretty big.

[Colin]

But any big attention?

[Stephen]

No.

[Colin]

No fights. Sharks and jets?

[Josie]

Not that I've heard.

[Stephen]

Plead the. Yeah.

[Tad]

Plead the F. Yeah.

[Stephen]

Yeah. Okay. Does. You guys don't ever ship through Amazon.

[Tad]

We don't ship through Amazon. We only ship from our warehouse.

[Josie]

Yeah, we sell through Amazon. But sure.

[Stephen]

Yeah. Of course none of that's interesting. And then do you fulfill it through here?

[Tad]

Yes, yes. So we see all quality control and everything on.

[Stephen]

I've. Hey, I've never got a wrong order.

[Colin]

Yeah.

[Stephen]

I've always gotten candy. I've always gotten a dm.

[Colin]

I always get stuff.

[Stephen]

I.

[Colin]

The thing with the. The. The pop filter replacement that you just got me. You're crazy, man.

[Stephen]

Yeah.

[Colin]

How did you know that?

[Josie]

Pretty good.

[Bo]

God good.

[Colin]

This the. The sales that you guys engine drums. Oh, let's get in there.

[Stephen]

Yeah, of course. You got to get in there.

[Colin]

I gotta cause quite a ruckus. No pun intended. You got those? Yes you do.

[Stephen]

Wow. Rock the out of those front. That's all I got.

[Colin]

Are you in Bolt Thrower?

[Stephen]

What's up?

[Colin]

You're in Voltror.

[Stephen]

I did play in Boltroyer. Warmaster was. You know, it was a session. Cool. That's going to be so loud. It's going to be so funny to imagine what he thinks he's hearing versus what we're actually hearing. When you showed me playing, make it a perfect drum solo from something and then show that just that audio. Great.

[Bo]

Feels pretty good.

[Stephen]

Really good. Really, really good. Love to leave. Love to get out of here now we need to go to like a guitar room so I can.

[Colin]

Oh, that'd be awesome.

[Stephen]

Friggin riff. Services and repairs too. Yeah. So is it just like a normal repair shop?

[Tad]

No, we have something back here. You take a look.

[Colin]

Something you won't do. Absolutely won't do.

[Josie]

Here.

[Colin]

Yeah. Not really.

[Stephen]

Not really. What?

[Colin]

Hello.

[Stephen]

Howdy.

[Tad]

You know.

[Stephen]

What is that? What does he do?

[Colin]

You printing people?

[Stephen]

You making more Sweetwaters?

[Tad]

Yes, exactly.

[Unknown]

This thing is Basically like a big front leveler. You know when people do level crown polishes on guitars.

[Stephen]

Huh.

[Unknown]

This is like a very accurate version of that. Machined basically over down to the thousands versus just kind of doing it by eye.

[Stephen]

Can I open this up? Yeah, absolutely. I'm just trying to put the guitar in here.

[Unknown]

This little pokey finger pops out, scans along the fretboard of the guitar, goes down the string path of every. Of all the strings and records everything. All the fret heights and everything relate to the neck. All that stuff. We get a bunch of info about it, we manipulate it, tell it what a where to cut. And then this little turny blade here starts spinning and it cuts every single fret.

[Stephen]

It's a technical turn.

[Unknown]

Typically 5 passes all the way down. Machines them to be perfect within a few thousands of each other.

[Colin]

So this sets up guitars pretty good. Sets up guitars pretty good.

[Unknown]

Oh yeah.

[Tad]

It's cool.

[Stephen]

Wow.

[Colin]

Unbelievable.

[Stephen]

I'd never heard of such a thing. Okay.

[Tad]

Need to get your guitar spot.

[Stephen]

Dude, I didn't get my guitar spot.

[Tad]

You need to get your guitar spot.

[Stephen]

Thank you.

[Colin]

Exactly. Well, let's get up in here. For sure.

[Stephen]

I'm gonna need something.

[Colin]

I need something real expensive.

[Stephen]

Need something with some hot pickups.

[Colin]

You guys a dunnable dealer?

[Stephen]

I just. I'm looking at amps. I'm trying to see what we can play out of it. Oh, whoa. Steven.

[Colin]

No fun.

[Stephen]

Get this. So this is a. Is it an actuator too? Or is it just.

[Josie]

Just a switcher?

[Stephen]

Just a switcher. You select. Is this on? I know. Now he is.

[Tad]

There you go.

[Stephen]

Wow. There you go.

[Josie]

So you select what head. You want to use the what cab.

[Stephen]

This is incredible. I don't think Sean would. He wouldn't play a 6505. Marshall's great. Sean would prefer a Marshall.

[Colin]

That's what Sean wants. Wwsmd.

[Josie]

Which is.

[Colin]

That's fun to say.

[Stephen]

Is that right? Yeah. Cool. Pretty fun.

[Colin]

That's good.

[Stephen]

Thank you.

[Colin]

You can only play that at Sweetwater, right?

[Stephen]

Yeah, that's.

[Colin]

You can't play that outside of Sweetwater. That's what I heard.

[Stephen]

Name a haybridriff Beholder Justice.

[Colin]

I think that was pretty close. Yeah, it was good.

[Stephen]

Let's move on because otherwise we'll noodle all day. We'll open up the noodle shop. Just want to point out the cafeteria, a cafe, something called the Downbeat. I don't know. Sorry.

[Colin]

Craig Downbeat got his own diner.

[Stephen]

What do we get?

[Colin]

We're working on something next. Okay. That sounds awesome. Thank You, Tad.

[Josie]

You're welcome.

[Colin]

Come on now. Whoa.

[Stephen]

What is this?

[Tad]

This is our performance theater. So people come in, do trainings in the morning. It happens two, three times a week with all sales on products. On products specifically. So that when there's a new release, we're aware of it. We know what it does. We know if it's going to work with your application.

[Stephen]

Do you guys film or stream them or do anything, or is this only for internal?

[Tad]

All internal, all in.

[Josie]

Sometimes they'll do stuff and they'll put it out, but mostly it's all internal.

[Tad]

Okay.

[Colin]

Is this where Mitch Gallagher does the product stuff?

[Josie]

Hi, I'm Mitch Gallagher from Sweetwater. Hi, I'm Mitch Gallagher from Sweetwater. Hi, I'm Mitch Gallagher from Sweetwater.

[Colin]

You're gonna show me that later, and it's gonna blow my mind.

[Josie]

Maybe.

[Stephen]

The acoustics in here are very interesting.

[Josie]

That's what we brought in here for.

[Stephen]

Yeah.

[Colin]

Now, hypothetically, if we were to do a live podcast in here, we.

[Josie]

There was a guy who did a live.

[Stephen]

Get people to Fort Wayne, dude.

[Colin]

After they see this.

[Stephen]

Yeah.

[Colin]

True mother are moving to Fort Wayne.

[Josie]

Just. Just host a festival here. We have some venues around town.

[Stephen]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Tad]

If you guys want to, like, Hard in the back. Yeah.

[Josie]

Parking lot.

[Stephen]

Yep.

[Tad]

Cody's played there.

[Stephen]

Cody's played there. Yep.

[Josie]

Shaky Graves will be here this weekend.

[Stephen]

Oh, wow.

[Josie]

Todd Rundgren was here last night.

[Colin]

Oh, last night.

[Tad]

Sorry.

[Stephen]

This is. We recently did a Haunt Lore episode where the vibe was intense. This is the opposite.

[Colin]

This is the opposite.

[Josie]

I walk in here, I feel great.

[Colin]

I want to deliver a keynote in here.

[Tad]

You can.

[Stephen]

I. I think you should probably deliver the one and only spin kick on that stage, and then, as is tradition.

[Josie]

And then when you get done, just yell really loud.

[Colin]

Okay.

[Josie]

We won't talk until then.

[Stephen]

All right.

[Colin]

If we wait here long enough, I will rip the biggest fart possible.

[Josie]

Okay, so the cool thing is there's microphones that ceiling that can.

[Stephen]

Yeah.

[Tad]

So do it again.

[Stephen]

Look. Whoa.

[Josie]

Do it again.

[Stephen]

Hello.

[Colin]

It's fake.

[Stephen]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Josie]

There's not a real Grand Canyon in.

[Stephen]

Here to complete it.

[Colin]

What do you have the, like, red rocks decreasing trio?

[Stephen]

Oh, just, like, hall light settings.

[Tad]

Yeah. So different delays. So if you wanted to track drums in here, you could. It's minimal, right?

[Stephen]

Aha.

[Tad]

If you want it to be muted, it can be completely quiet. If you want it to just go.

[Josie]

Balls, my back hurts now.

[Stephen]

How. Okay, so there's room. So there's room mics picking this up that are not feeding back by the way. Which is pretty impressive.

[Colin]

Yeah.

[Tad]

Yeah. Yes.

[Stephen]

Who set this up?

[Josie]

Russ Berger.

[Stephen]

Who's Russ Berger?

[Tad]

He designed this room and our studio. He designed studios?

[Stephen]

Does he work here or is he a studio designer?

[Tad]

He's a studio designer.

[Stephen]

So someone probably thinks I'm an idiot for asking that question. It's okay.

[Colin]

Yeah. But, like, if you get hired to design the theater for the place that sells every guy ever their music gear.

[Stephen]

Yeah.

[Colin]

You're probably gangster.

[Stephen]

This is awesome.

[Colin]

This is unbelievable.

[Stephen]

This is really cool. I wish they won't know how dead it is in here. Yeah. Which is unfortunate. But just imagine you're in a isolation.

[Colin]

It's a perfect room acoustically.

[Stephen]

And then, like.

[Colin]

And then you hit the sound city reverb button and you're in an echo chamber. What does it say?

[Stephen]

Grand Canyon.

[Colin]

Grand Canyon.

[Stephen]

Ouch. That's amazing. Yeah.

[Colin]

That.

[Stephen]

You knew that was gonna blow up. Ouch. Little dead. Little dead. Little dead spot here.

[Colin]

Nobody would have heard that. Now, in terms of bands that you read, were there any that you got where you were just like, that's crazy. This is the dream. Holy.

[Tad]

I get to sell stuff to this guy. I mean, like, I've been doing this 15 years.

[Colin]

Yeah.

[Tad]

So it's. It's interesting when stuff goes, like, full circle. Like, I've been listening to, like, Aaron Marshall for a really long time, and then Ricky over at 64 recommended me over to him. And it was just really funny because then we tracked their whole record here as well, and they won't do that.

[Stephen]

Yeah. Speaking of.

[Tad]

They won a Canadian Grammy for it recently, so that was pretty sick. But then other things, like, other people, like Suicide Boys.

[Stephen]

Yeah.

[Tad]

I didn't think I would ever talk to those guys. But they're great.

[Stephen]

And I'm sure they're becoming friends.

[Tad]

Thousands of stories. A tad, you know.

[Josie]

Yeah. Same as just like, you know, Foo Fighters or even Coheed.

[Stephen]

Like, it's just.

[Josie]

Just wild sometimes.

[Stephen]

So who was the band that got you into music? Just in general? Shot of a can of mine's Led Zeppelin. You know what I mean?

[Tad]

Diva Borgar.

[Stephen]

That'll be one right there.

[Colin]

We should have done that in there.

[Stephen]

Yeah, we should do that in there, actually. The.

[Josie]

Oh Neaters.

[Colin]

Oh, really?

[Josie]

The oh Ners.

[Colin]

Great movie.

[Josie]

That thing you do. Was it.

[Colin]

Great song. That was it. That song. I only had one.

[Stephen]

You know, that minor right in the beginning.

[Bo]

It's nice.

[Colin]

Let's. We'll see.

[Stephen]

Studios. By all means. You got a plaque on the wall for that Canadian Grammy or what?

[Tad]

Not Yet.

[Josie]

Sure. So they gave away parts of the pedal board, like influencers and stuff to give away. But this is one of 34 boards.

[Stephen]

One of 34.

[Colin]

And they were all chained.

[Josie]

Yeah. 319 pebbles.

[Stephen]

390.

[Colin]

Was this the start of it? Did you start with the muff?

[Josie]

Well, this is just a fuzz board.

[Colin]

It's just fuzzy board.

[Stephen]

How did you power it? How many power supplies?

[Tad]

I. I can't even. I have no idea. It might say it in there, but.

[Stephen]

Because that's crazy. Like the. The milliamp draw alone.

[Colin]

Yeah.

[Stephen]

Well, 300 pedals.

[Josie]

Each board has its own dedicated power supply, so it's just a matter of plugging it in.

[Tad]

So probably 36, 319 pedals, 34 volts, I would assume. 34 power supplies.

[Stephen]

That's awesome.

[Colin]

Who got to play this thing? Rob.

[Josie]

Rob Scallion.

[Tad]

Rob Scallion.

[Stephen]

He sounds like a real rap Scallion. Look at that. You get that pic of it. That's the whole thing.

[Colin]

That had to have sounded like absolute dog, right?

[Tad]

You can check it out. We'll send you the link.

[Stephen]

Because the wah had to be on. Right? So it's just like, even at the beginning of waz.

[Tad]

I mean, it's not just a couple.

[Stephen]

Okay.

[Colin]

What is this?

[Tad]

This is our studio.

[Stephen]

I thought we were just Instagram. Look at at that.

[Tad]

That's Sean.

[Stephen]

Hey, Sean. Sorry.

[Colin]

No, that's not true. That's not true.

[Stephen]

Sean, how you doing? Oh, good to meet you. Colin, how's it going? Welcome.

[Colin]

So good.

[Stephen]

This is Stephen. He's holding the camera.

[Mitch]

How's it going?

[Colin]

Fantastic. What a beautiful place.

[Stephen]

Yeah, welcome. Yeah, please.

[Colin]

What do we got?

[Stephen]

We got. Show us.

[Mitch]

Yeah, there's a session next door here. But we got. This is where I spend a lot of time, so.

[Colin]

Oh, hello. Atmos certified.

[Josie]

Have you guys heard Atmos before?

[Colin]

No. I love Atmos.

[Stephen]

Cool.

[Colin]

But only, like, in theaters. Yes. And.

[Josie]

But never in a environment.

[Colin]

Not in, like, this.

[Bo]

No, I won't.

[Colin]

And. And then I know that, like, a Sonos Atmos is probably not quite as different.

[Stephen]

Yeah. Is there anything you can show us?

[Colin]

Yeah, can you me up real quick here?

[Josie]

Sit here in the middle.

[Tad]

It's in the middle.

[Colin]

In the middle.

[Tad]

Mixed position.

[Colin]

Okay.

[Stephen]

You can. The green dots are when there's a signal.

[Colin]

That sounds so good that Beethoven would have been like that. Yeah, that sounds good.

[Stephen]

I can hear again. Mein got.

[Colin]

Yeah. Now, are you having done this for a while, are you, like, numb to this, or do you still hear a mix?

[Mitch]

Like, get goosebumps every Time.

[Stephen]

I'm here. I can't. It's obviously crazy. It's not going to hit on the recording, but every single one of those. Those signal inputs that you saw on the screen in every one of these speakers correspond. And when stuff would come in, probably never heard. I thought there were people behind us. That was unbelievable. This was awesome.

[Colin]

Great. Great answer. Unbelievable. Thank you so much.

[Mitch]

They're doing a session here. I'll take you into Studio A, though.

[Stephen]

Okay, cool. All right. Thank you.

[Mitch]

Mic lockers. You know, there's. There's 400 microphones in here, so it's like.

[Colin]

You got a lightsaber.

[Stephen]

This is for your brother. He's gonna lose his mind over this one.

[Colin]

Oh, yeah.

[Stephen]

Oh, wow.

[Colin]

I know that.

[Mitch]

We have the access to all. Anything anyone could ever want. We have some vintage. Most of it's new stuff, but, like, everything functions. We're really.

[Colin]

And if they. If a band is like, oh, this pedal would be cool, they can go run and grab it over there.

[Stephen]

But we.

[Mitch]

I'll trade our pedals.

[Josie]

We got a lot of pedals.

[Colin]

Yeah, it is.

[Stephen]

Oh, wow.

[Mitch]

Just sort of like a little tech shop and spare stuff.

[Colin]

Strings and nuts and bolts and picks. You got picks back here, Josie, this is unbelievable.

[Stephen]

How do you not have you just played with everything so much that you're kind of like, yeah, we got that. Or do you wait?

[Colin]

Well, no, I mean, we're.

[Mitch]

Obviously.

[Stephen]

We're spoiled here.

[Mitch]

Like, there's, like, sure, too much stuff, but we have spent a lot of time finding the things that work really well, and that's kind of what's in all of our studios. And so there's extra gear that kind of, like, flows in and out if we need a session or whatever. And so, yeah, we get an opportunity to try things and have people come in and show us stuff.

[Stephen]

So. Yeah. What's. What's your go to guitar Head? You were tracking something rocking. Not necessarily heavy, but just.

[Mitch]

I know we mix a whole bunch of tones together. So, like, that. That rack of 5amps is usually all going.

[Stephen]

It's just a blend. Wow. Yeah.

[Mitch]

Unless it's, like, really heavy stuff, then that new Uber Ultra has been.

[Stephen]

That thing's great. Yeah. Cool.

[Mitch]

We have an old Uber, that snake skin, which is kind of cool.

[Stephen]

Badass. Jake the Snake.

[Colin]

All right.

[Stephen]

Yeah.

[Colin]

Well, guys, this is insane.

[Stephen]

It's overwhelming.

[Colin]

I, like, I just didn't. I. I didn't know.

[Stephen]

Now you do.

[Bo]

Yeah.

[Colin]

I thought it was a warehouse.

[Mitch]

All right.

[Colin]

Warehouse dares. Now, there's a sign here that's says racquetball court this way. So here we go.

[Stephen]

It should be like racket. Like the locust making noise.

[Colin]

Okay, it's real.

[Stephen]

It's an actual racquetball court now.

[Colin]

Dark. Sold shoes. Oh, I got bouncing soles.

[Josie]

Those aren't shoes.

[Stephen]

They're good.

[Colin]

Exactly.

[Stephen]

Damn. People play racquetball. Oh, yeah. This is the opposite of that theater.

[Colin]

Anybody ever track anything in here?

[Tad]

Totally.

[Stephen]

Really?

[Tad]

Rob's gallons tracks some stuff in here.

[Colin]

Go getting a star. Go getting a star.

[Stephen]

Wait. This will be the Christmas ready. Nice.

[Colin]

Does anything unite people more than the halo?

[Stephen]

No. No.

[Colin]

It's like a language.

[Stephen]

I watched five guys out there, like.

[Colin]

Just like choppers in their head. Like.

[Stephen]

What a. What a thing. This is crazy. Have you ever played more?

[Tad]

I played indoor soccer in here.

[Stephen]

Aero soccer. Indoor indoor soccer.

[Colin]

Arrow soccer.

[Tad]

Soccer was wild. People rent it for different things, too. So, like, they're set up for, like, jiu jitsu and other. So sorry.

[Josie]

I'm sorry.

[Stephen]

I said, does anybody want to roll Sweetwater yet again? Delivered.

[Bo]

Unbelievable.

[Colin]

Unbelievable. Before we head out this room, should we do a natural D? Yeah.

[Stephen]

Oh, yeah.

[Bo]

It's a good call.

[Tad]

So, yeah, we have multiple, like, cafeteria type areas upstairs. So this we have about 500 salespeople. So that's including J myself.

[Colin]

Out of 500. We got you guys.

[Tad]

Yeah.

[Stephen]

How many? There's 500 of you guys. Yeah.

[Josie]

All throughout here. And upstairs we got the cool ones.

[Stephen]

Yeah.

[Colin]

But there's level.

[Stephen]

Right. And you guys are your senior.

[Tad]

Yeah.

[Stephen]

Well, now, seniority. Yeah.

[Colin]

Hey, congrats.

[Stephen]

Appreciate it. Thank you.

[Colin]

I know this picture so well. That's my.

[Stephen]

I know that. My favorite thing. And maybe you can give me some insight on this. When I go to Sweetwater and it says, like, do you need help? You are always. Did they do that on purpose through cookies?

[Tad]

Absolutely.

[Josie]

Yeah. So email in the site. It'll come right to us. It comes right to us.

[Stephen]

Yep.

[Colin]

But if I'm not logged in, you're still there.

[Stephen]

Yep.

[Josie]

I'm always there.

[Stephen]

It's the cookies.

[Colin]

He's always there.

[Stephen]

Perfect.

[Tad]

We're going this way.

[Colin]

We're going this way.

[Stephen]

Oh, my bad.

[Colin]

So we don't get to see your office.

[Tad]

Sorry. Sorry.

[Stephen]

Sorry about that.

[Tad]

Jesus Christ.

[Colin]

Look at this.

[Tad]

If you need a haircut, a massage, if you need your hair dyed, any of that stuff, you can just swing.

[Colin]

I really do.

[Tad]

We have a doctor.

[Stephen]

I'd love it.

[Tad]

So if you need prescriptions, just like.

[Stephen]

Like a mini clinic type thing. Awesome.

[Josie]

Have a cold.

[Colin]

Do they take your insurance that's pretty good.

[Tad]

And the slide.

[Josie]

Of course, there's a Waldo up there somewhere too. But he said what? Yeah.

[Colin]

On the wall.

[Stephen]

Yep.

[Josie]

I know where he's at.

[Stephen]

Oh, okay. I'll find him.

[Colin]

Oh, I found him.

[Stephen]

Yeah. No, you didn't. Yes, I did. You ready, Steven?

[Colin]

Get. Get ready then. So pick my feet up.

[Stephen]

Yeah. Yeah. Oh, you don't really have a choice.

[Colin]

That was so fun.

[Josie]

So whenever you get higher chair have to go through 16 weeks of training to even.

[Stephen]

Four months of training.

[Josie]

Yeah. To even become a sales engineer.

[Tad]

Yep.

[Josie]

So.

[Colin]

Cuz, you got to know what you're talking about. You're embarrassing the whole company.

[Stephen]

So are there. I'm sorry, Please. Oh, you're. You're.

[Colin]

Are there.

[Stephen]

Are there like. That was not good. Are there like. Like total laymans who can pick this up and start. Like, is this. Is there anybody?

[Josie]

It depends on who it is. I mean, if, If. If they can get stuff quickly. Yeah. But it's pretty intense.

[Stephen]

You need a background. Yeah. Music.

[Josie]

You have to kind of know at least what's going on.

[Stephen]

Okay.

[Colin]

Not every non. You know, you got to be force sensitive to be a Jedi.

[Stephen]

Totally.

[Colin]

You know.

[Stephen]

Yeah.

[Colin]

This is Padawans.

[Stephen]

These are Padawans.

[Josie]

You guys, you got to be sweet to be sweetwater.

[Stephen]

Is that in the book? No. You just came up with that? Oh, my God, he's good.

[Colin]

What's next, guy?

[Stephen]

Yeah, please.

[Tad]

So this is our training center where we'll have large format type discussions and things of that nature, especially if we're doing a new product unveiling or something like that, where we can have the entire staff in the same capacity as the performance theater that we were in before.

[Stephen]

Holy Lord.

[Tad]

But you know, in a larger scale. Like you can rent this room if you want as an employee. So we've had like super Smash bro tournaments and everything.

[Colin]

You got Mario Kart in here?

[Tad]

Oh, of course.

[Stephen]

I'll call in a. You a Smash Bros Guy. I don't think it's so. I think that's something I could beat your in. Probably like Mario Kart for you if.

[Tad]

We had it set up.

[Colin]

You should have told us now when you said something else. This. Like this up for jbl. Are they pumped about it? Like, does John Bradshaw Layfield himself come and test the. And should see here the quality.

[Tad]

Well, we have a JBL rep on site as well, so he has his own reps. Yeah, yeah, of course he does.

[Colin]

He's a great.

[Stephen]

An acolyte, if you will.

[Colin]

Yeah.

[Tad]

So same thing. We video all these in the same like, just like the other room as well. And then people have rented this room for music videos.

[Stephen]

And when you throw a spin kick.

[Tad]

In here, you'd be the first probably.

[Stephen]

Yeah.

[Colin]

These are tight.

[Stephen]

The slide. So this is what I was expecting. This, none of that. I was expecting a big ass room with partitions exactly like this.

[Colin]

And we've not been in the room yet where Mitch Gallagher does the product demonstrations.

[Josie]

Hi, I'm Mitch Gallagher from Sweetwater.

[Tad]

No, you're.

[Colin]

Dude, your guys are safe.

[Stephen]

Well, there's. There's another. Remember there's a million square feet of warehouse still.

[Tad]

And that's where we're going.

[Colin]

One million?

[Stephen]

Well, there's 2. 500,000. I've lived in a thousand foot apartment that's at least 500 times the size mathematically. Mathematically true.

[Josie]

That's the best way to get there.

[Tad]

We could walk. Walk through the back.

[Colin]

This is the warehouse.

[Stephen]

Yeah, this is what I was expecting. Something I was going to ask, is this the kind of place like kid growing up in Fort Wayne wants to get a job at? Is it like a good place to like start working in, you know what I mean?

[Tad]

There's actually a bunch of people that are sales engineers like ourselves.

[Stephen]

Yeah.

[Tad]

That started in the warehouse.

[Stephen]

Right.

[Tad]

Years ago. And then kind of work their way up to become like an assistant, you know, customer service and then move on to be like a sales engineer at that point.

[Stephen]

More slides. Oh yeah.

[Colin]

What's the time? Cut off for your order shipping?

[Tad]

Same day, 2 3pm 2 3, 2 3pm Eastern Standard.

[Stephen]

It's quarter to three. So. Yeah.

[Tad]

So all the guitars, they, they ship out of this warehouse. You don't have any in Arizona. It's because this warehouse is climate controlled.

[Stephen]

Right. Of course.

[Tad]

So humidity controls, temperature control, all of that. So you can regulate it appropriately otherwise, you know, with acoustic guitars that are ranging from 500 guitar. $500 to $10,000.

[Colin]

Could be a disaster.

[Tad]

Yeah, it could be. Could be nuts.

[Stephen]

In Arizona, what is the most popular guitar? Oh, Strat. It's hard.

[Tad]

That's tough. Yeah, it depends.

[Josie]

It ebbs and flows all the time.

[Stephen]

Depends really.

[Josie]

It's like Tim Hence. So when his guitar came out, we.

[Stephen]

That.

[Josie]

That was it. That was the guitar. And then this changes.

[Stephen]

Yep.

[Tad]

So it'll fluctuate depending on the season as well. Like typically in the winter time, people are buying acoustics.

[Stephen]

Yeah.

[Tad]

They're at home inside by the fire, chilling, cozy, you know, doing their thing during the rest of the year for the most part.

[Bo]

The shred.

[Tad]

Yeah, Shredding Steve Vi. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Stephen]

Okay.

[Tad]

Yeah.

[Stephen]

So wait a minute. Everything's human labor, right? There's no robots here?

[Tad]

No, well, there's robots in different capacities, but.

[Stephen]

Yeah, but just. But not like when. When some. When somebody orders one of these splitters, somebody comes and picks it. Wow.

[Josie]

But there's like robots for, like, sorting and stuff like that?

[Stephen]

Of course.

[Bo]

Yeah, sure.

[Stephen]

But not like the Amazon.

[Josie]

No.

[Colin]

Now, a couple questions. Sweetwater's legendary customer service. How. When did that begin? Who spearheaded that? How did. Because you guys are kind of the.

[Stephen]

Only company that does the phone call thing.

[Josie]

It was Chuck.

[Tad]

Chuck Surak.

[Stephen]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Tad]

The owner of the company started that 30 years ago. 20 years ago. So he. He started recording in his. In his home and then traveled around in a Volkswagen. So if you'll see, like the Volkswagen buses all over the place.

[Stephen]

Okay.

[Tad]

He would do mix downs for live shows, do them all same day, and then give them to the band the following day. So he did that continually. And then when people would show up to his studio at his house, he needed something to show that it's actually the studio. And there was a creek in the backyard that was. Just had sweet water. So he called it sweet water.

[Stephen]

Really?

[Tad]

Yeah. And so he started that, and then really just kind of people started asking for Kurzweil keyboards from him because he was doing sampling before pretty much anybody was doing sampling. And so Stevie Wonder got a hold of him, he started sending out all these different samples. And then people started asking him, can I just buy this from you? So from there. Oh, well, I need a drum kit. I need a guitar.

[Stephen]

Wow.

[Tad]

I need a PA setup.

[Stephen]

Right.

[Tad]

And so then it's the continual relationship building, and that entails lots of phone calls and a lot of communication.

[Colin]

So when in that process did it entail the candy?

[Tad]

Oh, I don't know. That question.

[Colin]

Who's. Who's putting that old man candy in my. It's not you.

[Stephen]

No.

[Tad]

The candy.

[Stephen]

Is that in here?

[Tad]

Yes, it is. You want to check it out?

[Stephen]

Right now, candy's in this room. I'd love something sweet.

[Colin]

I'd love to see it.

[Tad]

Okay.

[Colin]

I'll be honest with you. I've never eaten, but. But. But every time I get it, I. It means something to me, you know?

[Josie]

Is that one bit of honey?

[Colin]

Yeah, that's.

[Stephen]

I choose to believe it's still you guys, though. I don't. I think I'm saying that for the camera.

[Tad]

I've packed up a whole box of candy and sent it to Bad Omens or Mark Re I take bags of candy to shows and festivals.

[Stephen]

People, you know, hey, I'm from Sweetwater. Yep.

[Tad]

Literally, you know, you show up at a venue at the bag. They know that.

[Colin]

They know no passing it. Right this way, sir.

[Stephen]

Yep.

[Tad]

Yeah, keep it going. Keep it going. But yeah, we could head up there real quick and then we can check out the guitars in a second.

[Stephen]

I would love to do that.

[Tad]

So we got the pallets of the candy.

[Stephen]

Pallets of candy.

[Josie]

Here you go.

[Tad]

Here you go.

[Colin]

There it is.

[Josie]

Grab what you want.

[Colin]

And this dated. So these do this every day.

[Tad]

Oh, this is you guys just bit of honeys. We can make that happen, right?

[Colin]

Of course.

[Tad]

So they individually do those, and then we pack them in the box when it ships.

[Stephen]

Like some thousand people are gonna see this. I hope you know.

[Tad]

Yes.

[Colin]

Now let me ask you. Bit of honey. Tootsie Roll. Laffy Taffy. Do they know what you're doing? Oh, are they? Sweetwater head. You got a Tootsie Roll rep in there?

[Tad]

That would be hilarious, actually. That would make sense.

[Josie]

They're getting the money.

[Colin]

Yeah, they're getting the money. But are they like, are they ordering? Are they psyched? Do Chuck and Tootsie Roll have a relationship?

[Tad]

I would assume so.

[Josie]

At this point, maybe.

[Stephen]

Pretty fascinating.

[Josie]

We're probably bigger than Tootsie Roll is.

[Colin]

I've got it. I gotta imagine straight. I gotta imagine Tootsie Roll seeing these orders to Fort Wayne and they're like.

[Mitch]

Is going on there.

[Stephen]

Yeah, I like Laffy Taffy.

[Colin]

They're gonna account for that in inventory.

[Tad]

No, you're good.

[Stephen]

We're missing one Laffy.

[Tad]

One Laffy Taffy.

[Colin]

I think this is what I expected. All of Sweetwater.

[Stephen]

Yes.

[Tad]

Oh, we haven't even done the guitar.

[Colin]

Oh. Where the surfaces yet is unscratched. Yeah.

[Tad]

We still got a little ways to go that's fresh.

[Colin]

Now if you're next day airing stuff, do you do, like, we have to detune when we fly with stuff?

[Stephen]

I never do.

[Colin]

You never do.

[Tad]

Total myth, really.

[Josie]

They're going to break the guitars in the world way.

[Stephen]

The air pressure doesn't do anything. They put dogs down there.

[Colin]

Oh, yeah.

[Stephen]

Doesn't do anything.

[Colin]

It's a myth.

[Stephen]

Yeah. Of course.

[Colin]

You never detune.

[Stephen]

Literally never.

[Colin]

What about all these headstocks that are breaking?

[Stephen]

That's from m mishandling.

[Bo]

Oh, really?

[Stephen]

Yeah.

[Josie]

It's hitting just right.

[Stephen]

And it's a snapping Air pressure is not going to change tension on a string that so.

[Colin]

So Sweetwater, the official stance is that if you detune for A flight. You're an idiot.

[Stephen]

It's my stance.

[Josie]

Well, even from here, like, we'll ship a guitar to California, they'll pull it out and it's perfectly in tune after two.

[Colin]

I've been wasting my time my whole life.

[Bo]

Don't.

[Colin]

I guess. Don't detune.

[Stephen]

You're actually doing more damage because you're taking all the tension off the wood.

[Colin]

Don't say that.

[Tad]

What's that?

[Colin]

Hello. How are you?

[Stephen]

I'm Bo.

[Bo]

Nice to meet you.

[Colin]

Good to meet you.

[Stephen]

Nice to meet you.

[Colin]

Nice to meet you.

[Stephen]

Stand by you. So we get the mic.

[Bo]

Sounds good. I'm just signed the second shift manager here.

[Stephen]

Awesome.

[Bo]

I'll show you guys a little bit about the gallery.

[Colin]

Thank you so much.

[Bo]

Sounds great. All right, so we'll swing around the corner here where it all starts. And wow. Oh, yeah.

[Stephen]

Just looking. That's crazy.

[Bo]

So that all the way down is where they store stuff before it's processed. It's called non con.

[Colin]

Okay, so so is this guitar inspection world?

[Bo]

Yes, sir.

[Stephen]

This is cool.

[Bo]

So we'll start with the super boring stuff, but kind of where it all starts. So this is called holding. So when stuff comes off of a truck, if it's not of priority to us, we're going to send it to those shelves back there. If it's something that we want right away, we want it to come to us. So we have all of this organized in order of priority. So stuff furthest to the left is already purchased by a customer, and we want to process that first. Obviously they already paid for it. Let's get it out the door. And then next, since we sell individual serials online and we show you the actual picture and weight of your instrument, we want to make sure that we have as many available. I'm going to drop that off right here. As many available of each item as possible. Like at least up to the four that you can see online. So that's what we do next. So if it's not available up to four, let's do that.

[Colin]

And then if I order a guitar. Yeah, right now? Yeah, maybe if I ordered it at 10am this morning, Eastern time.

[Stephen]

Yes.

[Colin]

Does it move from somewhere over here to somewhere over here to somewhere over here? And how long does that take?

[Bo]

So if we already have it in stock.

[Stephen]

Yeah, yeah.

[Bo]

And you buy it. Our inventory guy who lives over here instantly sees it pop up on his list. He goes and grabs it from the shelf, brings it in, marks it with a different color mark depending on what shipping you got. So if you paid for express shipping.

[Colin]

Well, I ordered through tad, So I have either next day or two day air.

[Bo]

So that's instantly coming into the line. It's marked with a red and green line. That way, the whole team, they're all trained on this. Look for the red and green lines. Pull those from the front and do those first.

[Stephen]

Yeah.

[Bo]

So typically a guitar takes about two hours to get from front to back.

[Stephen]

Okay.

[Colin]

And so. And which of these have been ordered already?

[Bo]

So all of this is in order of priority. Right now we're all caught up on what we would call negatives.

[Colin]

That's the stuff waiting for FedEx or UPS here.

[Bo]

This stuff is not processed yet.

[Colin]

Okay.

[Bo]

So this is waiting to be processed. This is all that stuff that we were looking for that we don't have four of on the web.

[Stephen]

Got you.

[Bo]

So because we're all cut up now, we're on that.

[Stephen]

So. So red and green Christmas. Because it's like Christmas every time you.

[Colin]

Get something from Sweetwater.

[Bo]

That's Christmas every day when you're opening a guitars, though, so.

[Colin]

Amen, my brother.

[Bo]

All right, so our inventory guy makes sure that he's grabbing the right pallet in the right order.

[Colin]

Yeah.

[Bo]

And he puts it into unbox rollers.

[Colin]

Look at that.

[Bo]

So these two gentlemen here are guitar handlers.

[Colin]

Beautiful.

[Bo]

And what they're doing is taking those guitars off the pallets and scanning them in. They're going to confirm that we let it acclimate for 24 hours. We don't touch them before they've acclimated. And then they're going to make sure that it has its case, gig bag, and accessories. They're going to initial it, put the card with the guitar, and then they all go on these carts that we've designed.

[Colin]

So now, was there an incident or incidences that made this process? Did somebody order a PRS and get a Les Paul? And then seems like this job is born.

[Bo]

It's more so a way to ensure that that doesn't happen. Sure. I don't know. That was a reaction. It was more of a. How can we be more efficient with grabbing a guitar, a box, and making sure it all stays together while it goes through this whole process from front to back?

[Stephen]

Right.

[Colin]

Beautiful.

[Bo]

So, yeah, we designed these carts. Now, several vendors actually use the same cart design.

[Colin]

Hey, all right.

[Stephen]

Instrument box. They acclimate here.

[Bo]

They acclimate in the box before they ever get open.

[Colin]

Yes. Because the warehouse is perfect.

[Bo]

Temperature as we know it is indeed.

[Stephen]

Somebody's gonna have a good day. It's a pretty Good gig.

[Bo]

When we get to come into AC and perfect humidity, it's just like we'll take it.

[Stephen]

Too shabby.

[Bo]

So after they fill those carts up, they get pushed up to inspection and that's what this whole line here is.

[Stephen]

These. This is inspection?

[Bo]

Yes. So this is where our tech twos and tech threes are going to live. So these carts all go to the front and our inspectors pull from the.

[Colin]

Front, ride one of these bad boys.

[Bo]

What's that?

[Colin]

You ever ride one of these bad boys?

[Bo]

Not officially, no. Of course not. Of course not. Not on the clock.

[Stephen]

Come on.

[Bo]

So as inspectors grab these guitars, they're going left to right on the cart, front to back on the carts. They're on the row. They each have their own band to tell where they are to make sure when they come and put that back, it's going to the right spot. Every time they pick one up or put it back, they're double checking that serial on the guitar in the box again, making sure nothing is mixed up. We'll walk around here so we can see an inspector in action here.

[Colin]

When we love. Say that.

[Stephen]

We'd love to see that.

[Bo]

All right, gentlemen, putting you on the spot. Got a tour.

[Stephen]

Hi.

[Colin]

Are you inspecting as we speak?

[Bo]

Sorry, Isaiah is actively inspecting.

[Colin]

I would love to see you inspect if that's.

[Stephen]

If you.

[Bo]

So, well, what's the.

[Stephen]

What's the go to chord? Oh, when you pick up a guitar to see how. How it's doing, what do you play?

[Bo]

I mean, obviously you got to start with some.

[Stephen]

Just some simple open quartz cable cord.

[Colin]

Stuff, but I don't know, probably something.

[Stephen]

Like Any nice voicings?

[Bo]

Tasty, pretty voicings up here on the neck.

[Tad]

I like.

[Colin]

Beautiful.

[Stephen]

That's beautiful. I didn't know that was possible.

[Colin]

I'd consider that inspected, but I'm not a professional.

[Stephen]

When whatever model from whatever maker comes in is like, oh, I know I'm going to have to do this to it, because they all come this way. Do you know what I mean? Yeah. You get used to certain interesting works.

[Bo]

Yeah, definitely. When he does need to bench an instrument, if he finds something, then he's going to turn right around. Luckily, he's got a tech three right behind him.

[Stephen]

Wow.

[Bo]

There's a tech three every three benches. So they're not every other. But.

[Colin]

So he's got a good spot.

[Stephen]

He's got a great spot. Yeah.

[Bo]

So Kaden Here's a Tech3 and what they're doing is all day long as these tech twos are finding issues, they bring them to them, they're answering the questions of whether it passes or fails. If it's a quick fix and they can do it in like a minute or two, they're going to do it right on the spot. So if that's a quick wet sand of a scratch and they can buff it, they'll do that. If it's a quick filing of a fret to get some buzz out, they're going to do that. If it's something that's going to be a little more of an extensive repair, they'll just have them kick it out.

[Colin]

Yeah.

[Bo]

And they'll sign off on their card so they can do that. Everything that they can't fix, we usually sell at a discount. If it's beyond what Sweetwater accepts as the quality we're willing to sell, then we're going to send it back to the vendor or send it elsewhere into the ether.

[Stephen]

Right.

[Bo]

So after these guys are finished with their carts, they're going to push them on up to the photo studio. So there's two studios here and two on the other side. And if you look in here, you'll see that famous white brick wall that all of our shots are voted against.

[Colin]

Iconic.

[Bo]

The photographer is going to. He's going to place it on the stand. The photographer will take a few shots of the front, get some detail shots, some bigger shots. You can see the whole thing. Then he's going to flip it around. He'll do the same thing on the back.

[Stephen]

You ever do portraits?

[Bo]

Portraits, like with a face near humans? I don't know.

[Stephen]

Like two adorable podcast hosts.

[Bo]

I don't think we've tried it yet. I'd like. We can try it. Hey, Lily, would you mind taking a super quick snapshot of these two lovely podcast. Podcast hosts?

[Colin]

Lily, how are you?

[Stephen]

Hey, Lily.

[Colin]

You too.

[Bo]

Bug you on your stage here.

[Colin]

I'm sorry, where should we go?

[Stephen]

Trying to think. Where do you guys put your photo tape?

[Colin]

I mean, in front of the wall for sure.

[Bo]

Yeah, definitely.

[Stephen]

Do you want the guitar the front or the back? Well, can I turn it around? Is that okay? Yeah.

[Bo]

Sorry to invade your space here.

[Stephen]

You're good.

[Bo]

You're good. If anybody was going to be down, I knew it'd be you.

[Stephen]

All righty. Lovely smiles. Oh, it might not be the best lighting. That's okay. Yeah, sure. It's just set to the guitar. I don't have.

[Colin]

Yeah, that's.

[Josie]

We're.

[Colin]

We're basically human guitar.

[Stephen]

I didn't put on my gloss today. It's okay. You're good. But yeah, you're both you guys.

[Bo]

Nice.

[Colin]

Incredible.

[Stephen]

It's outstanding.

[Josie]

Please add that picture to the photo on the site of that guitar.

[Stephen]

All the. The tiered text, would you say are they all musicians?

[Bo]

Oh, yeah, Everybody.

[Stephen]

So most people here probably are. Yes.

[Bo]

Every single person in here is. At least now we have had people start that weren't.

[Stephen]

Yeah.

[Bo]

And then they quickly kind of get on board.

[Stephen]

Yeah.

[Colin]

Who's the best guitar player in the room?

[Bo]

Oh, gosh. There's different. Actually. Supervisor Tony's really freaking good at shreddy stuff, so he's like a Satani guy.

[Stephen]

There we go.

[Bo]

The guy that we stopped for. Tech two.

[Stephen]

Yeah.

[Bo]

He said he's not a shredder, but he's like a fast bluegrass.

[Stephen]

I saw those fingers.

[Bo]

He's good. Yeah, he's good. So this team down here is also handlers. This whole area is Reebok.

[Stephen]

Oh, very cool.

[Bo]

And they are the final eyes on the instrument. So they're the final ones to check that serial once again. Again, make sure it's correct. And then they're going to pack it back in the box that came in. And on top of that, they're going to add extra bubbles and then shake it as hard as they can and make sure that the angriest UPS driver could kick it off the truck and it'll probably be okay.

[Colin]

And what else do they add?

[Bo]

They add bubbles. They make sure it has its accessories.

[Colin]

Who's the candy person?

[Bo]

The candy person comes after this.

[Colin]

Really?

[Bo]

So when you guys walked in, you saw this stations where they're packing boxes inside of boxes. That's our double pack team. And that's where the candy goes in. So it's outside of the guitar box and case. We don't want the candy to damage the instrument. Sweet water candy guitar for sure.

[Stephen]

Yeah, yeah.

[Bo]

But we double pack it there, then the candy goes in.

[Stephen]

Fascinating. Yeah.

[Bo]

So they pack it up, then they scan it onto a pallet. But before they do, it gets this final strip of tape that says guitar gallery.

[Colin]

That means ready to go.

[Bo]

That means we inspected it. It is good to go. And if at any point that tape is broken, it goes back through the whole thing again.

[Stephen]

Really? Yep.

[Bo]

That's our seal of approval.

[Stephen]

Basically.

[Colin]

Unbelievable.

[Stephen]

A literal seal of approval.

[Bo]

Literal, yes.

[Colin]

So if you ever felt uncomfortable ordering from something from Sweetwater, you're a fool.

[Bo]

All right, so this where our OP side starts, the operation side.

[Stephen]

Okay.

[Bo]

This first area here where you see all these cases lined up against the wall. And over here on this stand, this is where we Test all the cases that we sell against all the instruments that we sell.

[Colin]

Totally.

[Bo]

We get measurements of every single case in different areas, and we're able to say exactly how each instrument's going to fit in that case, whether it's a good fit or whether it's like a certified tour fit where you can kick it off the tour bus, throw it across the stage. It's going to be good.

[Stephen]

Wow. Huge.

[Bo]

Another added thing that we have with this is we have a relationship with Gator where if there's an instrument that there is not a case in existence for, we can take the measurements that we always do, send it up the road to Gator, which is literally right up the road, and say, hey, let's make a case for this.

[Colin]

Wow.

[Bo]

And then all of a sudden, we're the only ones with that case.

[Colin]

Make a case for a great partnership.

[Bo]

I like the way you do business.

[Stephen]

What are you doing?

[Bo]

We look through here. This guy's doing what we call invoices. It's Brewer. He's also got a lovely nature documentary. Bumping in the corner. Keep him awake. So this is kind of where we give the customer a white glove experience. If they've ever had maybe a previous issue where we messed up, we're going to own that and give them, like, extra care this next time.

[Colin]

Very nice.

[Bo]

The other things that he's doing in between that is if customers have a hyper specific question. So they're like, I want to buy this Yamaha, but what's the width of the nut? Or what's the width of the fretboard at the 11th fret?

[Stephen]

Ah. Just for whatever reason.

[Bo]

Whatever reason.

[Stephen]

I've called before and definitely had to ask about clearance under a temple board. Right. Because I wanted to put something under it. Yeah. And I got. I don't think I got a hold. I got a hold of somebody and we asked about it. I don't remember. It was a couple years ago now. But I was was. It was definitely like, oh, give me a second.

[Bo]

Yeah, this. This is the guy that's gonna do that.

[Stephen]

I had no idea. Pretty cool.

[Bo]

All of this area is returns.

[Stephen]

Oh, no.

[Bo]

So all of these carts are specifically for returns. All these benches are returns tech threes. So they're doing what the tech twos and tech threes did on that other side, but specifically for returns.

[Stephen]

Gotcha.

[Bo]

Now, if it comes back, it's in perfect condition. They're gonna run it through. Through the whole process again, clean it up, and we'll still sell it.

[Colin]

Okay.

[Bo]

If it's got Anything wrong with it, we're going to sell it at a discount. And if it's. Once again, if it's beyond what Sweetwater is willing to sell, we're going to send it to the Ether.

[Stephen]

Sure. What's the return policy if a customer just doesn't like a guitar?

[Tad]

You just handle it.

[Josie]

It's 30 days.

[Stephen]

Amazing.

[Colin]

30 days.

[Stephen]

30 days. Outstanding.

[Colin]

Have I ever returned anything?

[Stephen]

No. I have.

[Josie]

You're one that good ones.

[Stephen]

You're one of the good ones.

[Tad]

Trial and error.

[Stephen]

Yeah. Truly Trial and error. Nice.

[Colin]

I just deal with it, you know.

[Josie]

Don'T deal with it.

[Colin]

I know a guy. I. I'll be like, yeah, I don't need this. But some guy does. Anthony does.

[Bo]

So that's the whole guitar gallery.

[Colin]

Fantastic.

[Stephen]

Thank you so much. I. I truly assumed it was a guy with. Pick it. Check it out. Strum.

[Colin]

I don't even. I didn't even know they did that. I'll be honest with you. I figured it's in a box. They can't. They're not opening my box, you know, they're doing way more.

[Bo]

A lot more than that.

[Stephen]

Yeah.

[Colin]

So you feel pretty at ease ordering a guitar from Sweetwater?

[Bo]

Absolutely.

[Colin]

What's next, guys?

[Bo]

I think we're going to have you guys head over to the shop and sweat.

[Stephen]

Yeah. Oh, yeah.

[Colin]

Thank you so much.

[Stephen]

So much.

[Colin]

Thank you for your time. This is return land.

[Stephen]

Yep.

[Colin]

Misfit toys.

[Tad]

That's right.

[Stephen]

This is unbelievable. Yeah.

[Josie]

You stand out one of the aisles and get a picture of it.

[Stephen]

Oh, my God.

[Colin]

Jesus.

[Stephen]

So notice a lot of youngsters walking around a lot of instruments. What is Rock Camp?

[Tad]

So we have an entire lessons facility. If you wanted to learn how to do vocals, learn an instrument, just in general, DJ production, anything. You can come to the lessons department. But also we have Rock Camp. So you can learn how to play a song with a band and then you have the ability to be able to go on stage in our pavilion outside for a first show on a full line array with the band that you created in a short period of time.

[Colin]

First gig. So real console.

[Stephen]

Yep.

[Colin]

Great engineer.

[Stephen]

Yeah. Recording your song, too. Yeah. Like actually creating.

[Colin]

Hearing something in a studio built by Russ Berger.

[Stephen]

That's crazy. The. When I was a kid. Yeah. I made my mom write to Legends of the Hidden Temple because I wanted to be at Space Camp. Wish I was at rock camp. Yeah. 100% didn't go either way.

[Tad]

Bring it back. Hidden Temper.

[Colin]

You could go to rock. We could go to Rock.

[Stephen]

We could be counselors.

[Colin]

No, no. I don't I don't know enough.

[Stephen]

How long is Rock Camp dinner?

[Tad]

I think it's three weeks.

[Stephen]

Wow.

[Tad]

Does that sound right? So you have a. A summer to be able to, like, really dive into and. And understand the track and then be able to play it.

[Colin]

So can you sleep in the studio or is it. You go home? No, you go home. Okay.

[Stephen]

And I'm sorry if you don't know this, but, like, do all the kids show up and it's like, okay, who wants to do a. A metal band? Who wants to do a country band? Like, how do they.

[Tad]

Yeah, they. They talk once each other about what their favorite band is, who their favorite artist is. There was a.

[Stephen]

A little.

[Tad]

I think it was last maybe a couple years back, somebody had mentioned Pablo from Chelsea Grin. They're like, oh, it's my favorite artist. And so the lesson staff reached out to me and said, hey, can you maybe get him to autograph a drumstick or something? We FaceTimed him. Just completely made his day. So, like, we can make stuff like that happen just based on the relationships that we have, you know, because again.

[Colin]

Every touring band in America uses Sweetwater in some capacity.

[Tad]

Yeah.

[Colin]

And it's probably these two guys making the deal.

[Stephen]

So you're. You're. This place is literally keeping guitar music Alive. Life.

[Colin]

100%.

[Stephen]

That's outstanding. It's beautiful. This place is. It literally is really.

[Colin]

It's better.

[Stephen]

Yeah. There he is. There he is. There he is. There he is. He's doing.

[Tad]

He's doing stuff.

[Colin]

Hello, how are you? Hello.

[Stephen]

Such an imposition. Hey, what's up? Thanks.

[Colin]

How are you? Hello, Mitch. Great to meet you.

[Josie]

Nice to meet you.

[Colin]

How are you?

[Stephen]

Good. Hello, sir. How are you? Good. Really good.

[Colin]

Colin.

[Bo]

Colin, Nice to meet you.

[Colin]

Let's do it again.

[Josie]

Nice to meet you.

[Colin]

We bought a lot of stuff because of Mitchell, so.

[Stephen]

Thank you, Mitch Watched a lot of exhaustive demos.

[Josie]

Well, thank you very much.

[Stephen]

Fantastic.

[Colin]

How much. How much intensive study goes into every single one of those.

[Josie]

It varies, you know, some products take. Some take some work to dig through them.

[Stephen]

Yeah.

[Josie]

Some are faster than others, but I've done about 3,000 videos at this point.

[Colin]

You sure have seen about 2,914. So that's, you know, you get.

[Josie]

You get a little practice.

[Stephen]

Yeah.

[Josie]

And stuff. So. But yeah.

[Stephen]

Does it take some.

[Colin]

Anything really fresh or. I guess anything really rewarding that you learned working on one of those?

[Stephen]

Man.

[Josie]

Always. There's always something that you pick up.

[Stephen]

Midi. Controlling MIDI and learning how to program something. The. The PC change and the CC chain.

[Bo]

Like all that stuff.

[Stephen]

Yeah.

[Colin]

Look how old that badge is.

[Stephen]

Pretty good, right?

[Josie]

Just my eyes are going to be load pretty soon. It's just going to be like only my eyes.

[Colin]

Unbelievable.

[Josie]

My last badge was like that. It was like the Marty McFarlane fly joke. When it's completely gone, I'm just gonna quit.

[Stephen]

Right, right.

[Josie]

20 year old badge.

[Stephen]

Wow.

[Colin]

Unbelievable. Well, I thank you. My dad thanks you, my brother thanks you, my mom thanks you, my wife thanks you.

[Stephen]

Heard you might be available.

[Colin]

Yeah, yeah. We're old. We're old. Gallagher heads.

[Josie]

They walked up before they said anything to us. Like is Mitch Gallagher?

[Stephen]

Yep.

[Josie]

I said we'll see what we can do.

[Colin]

Had to bend the knee, man.

[Josie]

Keep me back here in the cave, you know.

[Colin]

Any videos coming up you're psyched about?

[Stephen]

Yeah.

[Josie]

You know, new products, I can't, Sure. I can't say before they, they come out, but man, there's just always so much cool stuff.

[Stephen]

Yeah. And real top of your head, is there anything you got done with when you're like, I need one of those A lot.

[Josie]

Too many things.

[Stephen]

Fair enough. Good answer.

[Josie]

Lots of good stuff.

[Stephen]

All right, well thank you so much.

[Colin]

Thank you so much.

[Stephen]

Thanks for your time. Take care.

[Josie]

Enjoy your stay here.

[Tad]

Yeah, thanks man. Appreciate it. So one of the black box studios.

[Colin]

So what is this?

[Tad]

So it was very shoot like larger discussion type format, content and whatnot. Besides stage in the studio. So.

[Stephen]

And says this is how you. Wow. Sit right here, Colin, and get a.

[Tad]

Feel for different monitoring.

[Colin]

Hi, I'm Mitch Galler. I know a lot of.

[Stephen]

You said when we were setting this up that we could go anywhere. Yeah. Didn't believe you.

[Tad]

Didn't believe me.

[Stephen]

Now I do.

[Colin]

Well, there you have it. The best ending to the best day possible. Tad, Josie, thank you so much.

[Tad]

Thank you guys.

[Colin]

I'm speechless.

[Stephen]

Yeah. We really appreciate your guys time and generosity and patience over the last 10 or so years working with us individually.

[Colin]

Yeah, I've been good, right?

[Stephen]

Oh yeah.

[Colin]

So have you.

[Josie]

The best.

[Colin]

Thanks man.

[Stephen]

We've been good.

[Tad]

Oh yeah.

[Colin]

Sweet water. It's so much more than a store. It's a community. And you may just develop a friendship for life with your sales engineer. So log on today and see what handsome face or beautiful face or ugly face greets you. And either way, you might have a friend for life. You can cut the ugly face.

[Stephen]

Bye.