1. Quick links
2. Editor's pick
3. FAQ
4. Shopping tips
5. How we choose
6. Why you can trust us
7. Last year's picks
Black Friday is nearly upon us for another year, and this will be my third covering the Sweetwater Black Friday deals. Prior to moving online, I spent five years in music retail, so I've got a great overview of what makes a truly great deal. Here I'll be sharing all the very best deals from the upcoming Cyber Weekend, so if you want to pick something up from Sweetwater, you're in the right place.
Last year I saw loads of great deals coming from Sweetwater, including $500 off a Guild Starfire bass guitar, $300 off the Blackstar HT Club 40, and a massive 25% off Mesa/Boogie amplifiers. I'm expecting similarly good deals this year and with Black Friday falling on what is typically payday for most people, it could be one of the biggest ever.
I'd love to see discounts on some of the brand-new releases we've had this year like Fender Player II and Boss Katana Gen 3, but I think this is probably unlikely. I think we'll see some heavy discounts on the previous iterations though, so keep your eye out for a cheap Player Series guitar or earlier generation Katana amp.
If you want to see what's available from other retailers, make sure you bookmark our Black Friday guitar deals hub, which will have all the best deals from across the web. Of course, I'll be updating this page with all the best savings from Sweetwater too, including when the Sweetwater Cyber Monday deals start landing on the Monday following.
Make sure to keep checking back here for more early deals as we lead up to the Black Friday event proper.
Sweetwater Black Friday deals: Quick links
Shop the current Sweetwater sales by category:
- Guitar deals: Save big on guitars
- Amps and effects: Amp and pedal discounts
- Recording deals: Upgrade your studio
- Live sound deals: Save big on a PA
- Software deals: Money off plugins
Sweetwater Black Friday deals: Early deals
Sweetwater Black Friday deals: FAQ
When is Black Friday?
The 2024 Sweetwater Black Friday deals will land on Friday November 29, followed three days later by the Sweetwater Cyber Monday deals on Monday 2 December.
There are two origins of the term Black Friday: one relates to a huge stock market crash, and the other refers to the day after Thanksgiving in America, and that’s the one we’re referring to here.
Sweetwater's Black Friday sale always presents rich pickings for guitarists, as potentially thousands of products will be discounted. Black Friday is also a win-win for retailers and shoppers, as retailers get to shift a lot of products in a short space of time, and you get Christmas gifts and the gear you need at a discounted price. Some of the Sweetwater Black Friday deals will have huge discounts, while others will offer more modest savings.
Amazon, of course, is a major player in both the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales, and while it’s a place to stock up on cheap headphones and smart speakers, for musical instruments we recommend heading to dedicated retailer sales, such as the Sweetwater Black Friday sale.
What deals should I expect?
We’ve been covering the Sweetwater Black Friday sale for many years now, so we know from past experience that this is one musical retailer you can rely on for really good discounts. Sweetwater has a clear, no-fuss returns policy too, which should help you feel more confident when it comes to buying gear online, whether you’re after the best budget guitar amps or the best pedalboard to get your effects in order.
Based on what we have seen from previous Sweetwater Black Friday deals, there will be savings on acoustics and electrics, plus amps, strings and a range of guitar pedals like looper pedals and distortion pedals. There may well be discounts on the basics too, such as guitar cables and various guitar straps. Recording software and microphones are a more recent addition to the Sweetwater Black Friday offering, so if you're looking to lay down some tracks in the coming months, November is a good time to shop.
Rest assured that we’ll be rounding up the biggest discounts here, as well as the Sweetwater Black Friday sale offers that, while not monstrously huge, are still worth buying because of the immense quality of the product involved.
We’ll be updating this article with all the early Sweetwater Black Friday deals, but we fully expect the majority of offers to lack and on Black Friday itself.
How do I find the best Sweetwater Black Friday deals?
As we’ll be doing all the legwork of trawling the Sweetwater Black Friday sales during the event itself, all you need to do is bookmark this page and take a look at the killer deals we’re curating for you.
We can spot a worthy deal a mile-off, and know which ones aren’t worth snapping up, so if you haven’t shopped a Black Friday sale before, stick with us and we’ll make it easy. After all, some of these Sweetwater Black Friday deals will be time-limited, and the last thing we want is for you to panic, buy something because it’s a good price, then you figure out later that it isn’t right for you. That’s a waste of your time, right?
For an easier life, keep your eyes peeled on this page, and read our advice below on how to prepare yourself for a big event like the Sweetwater Black Friday sale so that you’re getting what you want and need with ease.
Sweetwater Black Friday deals: Shopping tips
Got your eye on a few things and wondering whether Black Friday is the time to buy? Here's a few tips from our personal experience that will ensure you're ready to strike if the gear you want is up for grabs:
1. Create a wishlist early - The most sensible way to take advantage of this year's Black Friday music deals is to know in advance what you’re looking for. This will make searching much easier, rather than having to trawl through loads of deals you don’t want to find the ones you do, or pondering things you don't need. To help you create your dream shopping list, take the time to explore our expert and up-to-date buying guides and reviews.
2. Work out what you actually need - Check out your favourite brands, see what you need and will genuinely use - don’t waste your cash and fill your basket with stuff that will never truly see any action.
3. Consider your music goals - What do you want to achieve with your music over the next 12 months or so? Do you want to gig more? Learn a new instrument? Or finally, record your songs? Now could be the time to invest in gear that helps you fulfil your musical aspirations.
4. Streamline your current gear - Something else you should consider ahead of time is whether you have enough space in your collection for new gear. Could you offload some gear you don't use to make room and generate funds for some new gear?
5. Sign up to mailing lists - In addition to bookmarking this page, we'd recommend signing up to mailing lists of your favourite retailers now to get the jump on the best deals when they do come around.
Sweetwater Black Friday deals: How we choose deals
Here at Guitar World, our writing team is composed of actual guitarists who live and breathe the instrument. We write, gig, and record our own music, and our goal here is to pass on our knowledge to our readers, whether that's advising on playing techniques or giving recommendations on the best deals.
Black Friday is prime shopping time for ourselves, so we're always on the lookout for great deals inside and outside of our work. Because we use the gear we write about, we'd never recommend something we didn't think was good enough. At the end of the day, if we recommend something, it's because we've come across it in real life and we think it's great.
We've covered a lot of Black Friday events over the years which means we've got a great eye for the prices of items. We know the difference between the RRP and the price something normally retails out, which once again informs our assessment of whether or not something is truly a great deal. With that in mind, you can trust that all the deals we present on this page are actual value for money.
Sweetwater Black Friday deals: Why you can trust our choices
We spend a lot of our time scouring guitar retailers for fantastic deals on our favorite gear. Not only is it our job to research and recommend the best gear in our buyer’s guides, but we’re also dedicated to helping players get the best deals for the gear they need, too. After all, the only thing better than new gear day is a hearty discount.
We cover a lot of the big sales events throughout the year, including Memorial Day, Black Friday, 4th of July sales and Amazon Prime Day, and we have a good view on which products are likely to receive the biggest discounts and when, the prices they’ve been in the past and which deals are genuinely worth a look.
Sweetwater Black Friday deals: Last year's picks
More great Black Friday deals to explore
- Check out the best Guitar Center Black Friday deals
- Shop the Musician's Friend Black Friday sale
- The best gifts for guitar players
