Another great place to get musical instruments without a credit check is Sweetwater. While their best financing option is currently the Sweetwater Card, which does require a credit check, they also offer a 3 Easy Payments option for financing most of the items they sell, including their guitars. Sweetwater offers a super high threshold on their 3 Easy Payments option — it’s currently up to $4,000, but you’ll need to be able to afford paying as much as $1,333.33 per month if you want to push this to its maximum limit. This is also another place I’ve personally shopped before. In fact, I purchased several guitars from them. While not every experience has been perfect, they have gone out of their way to make things right when problems arose.
Pros
- Massive selection of guitars and other musical instruments
- Well established. They’ve been in business for 38 years
- People with bad credit or no credit can get approved
- Competitive financing with 3 term zero interest payment plan that doesn’t require a credit check
- Safe shopping guarantee ensures your shopping experience is private and secure
- 24/7 online support network ensures you can get help when you need it
- Currently rated 9.8 out of 10 on bizrate
Cons
- It would be nice if they offered 4 or more payments on their no credit check financing option with the EzPlay plan, rather than the current 3
American Musical Supply is another music supplier that offers interest-free monthly payments through their EzPay plan, which currently doesn’t require a credit check if the purchase is between $49-$1500. While, like Sweetwater, we do wish they’d offer longer payment terms without a credit check, this is still definitely one of the best options for people looking to finance a guitar. I’ve personally shopped with them and my experience has always been a positive one. It’s cool that AMS offers up to $1500 in credit check free financing — $500 more than zZounds does currently, but keep in mind that if you choose to finance more, you’ll have to be able to make higher payments over a 3-payment term to swing it. AMS also offers 5, 8, and 12 payment options, but they do require a credit check and approval.
Pros
- Massive selection of guitars and other musical instruments
- People with bad credit or no credit can get approved
- Competitive financing with 3 term zero interest payment plan that doesn’t require a credit check
- Low price guarantee helps ensure that you never overpay for you music equipment
- Currently rated 9.5 out of 10 on bizrate
Cons
- It would be nice if they offered 4 or more payments on their no credit check financing option with the EzPlay plan, rather than the current 3
Eastwood Guitars now offers interest-free credit-check-free financing on guitars as well through their Play Now, Pay Later option. While we weren’t able to locate the specifics regarding their minimum and maximum qualifying order amounts, it does appear that they currently offer payments spread out over a period as long as 6 months, which is pretty exciting because it makes getting more costly gear much more attainable for consumers. While I haven’t personally shopped with them and I wasn’t able to locate BizRate survey information on them, they do appear to have lots of good customer feedback on their website.
Pros
- Great selection of select acoustic and electric guitars and accessories
- Well established. They’ve been in business for 15 years
- People with bad credit or no credit can get approved
- Competitive financing with up to a 6 term zero interest payment plan that doesn’t require a credit check
Cons
- There isn’t currently any rating information for this company on bizrate
- Guitar selection is limited to the Eastwood brand
Lane Music also offers financing with no credit needed through their Progressive Leasing option. According to the information currently provided on their site, Progressive Leasing allows you to pay off music equipment over a 90 day term -or- make low payments over the course of a year on purchases up to $2,500. It’s worth noting that you do not own the musical instruments you buy from Lane Music until they are entirely paid off. While they claim to have ‘no up-front-fees,’ it’s unclear from their current info page whether or not fees are charged at some point or interest is applied. Given the generous 1-year term for payment, it may be something worth writing or calling them about to check into.
Pros
- Good selection of select acoustic and electric guitars and accessories
- Well established. They’ve been in business for 25 years
- Lane Music currently offers up to $2,500 instant approvals
- Currently, according to their website ‘credit bureau scores don’t matter.’ People with bad credit or no credit can get approved
- Rent-to-own financing with a 90 day early payoff option
Cons
- There isn’t any rating information for Lane Music on bizrate
- Lane Music doesn’t currently list prices along with their inventory so it’s hard to do a price comparison
- Some of the links on the site redirect to Reverb, which appears to be a different company
Alto Music is yet another online musical instrument store that allows you to finance finance a guitar on a payment plan. However, if you’re looking for payment options without a credit check, Alto Doesn’t offer a true pay as you play option. Instead, they offer terms up to 6 months on layaway, allowing you to pay for the instrument and receive it after it’s paid in full. AltoMusic also offers Progressive Leasing, which they currently claim does not require a high credit score. They also let you make payments via Affirm or the AltoMusic card, both of which require a credit check.
Pros
- Great selection of acoustic and electric guitars from a wide variety of brand names
- Well established. They’ve been in business for 38 years
- According to their site, applicants don’t currently ‘need a high credit score’
- It takes less than 10 minutes to apply for instant approval credit
- Rent-to-own financing with a 90 day payment term is currently available
- Layaway options are also currently available
Cons
- There isn’t any rating information for Alto Music on bizrate
While you’ll only have access to Kiesel brand guitars, Kiesel does currently offer a 90 day payment option with no credit needed through their Progressive Leasing option. You can quickly apply online for approval for this in-house financing option and Kiesel does appear to make some pretty badass guitars so you likely won’t be disappointed.
Pros
- Authoritative selection of Keisel brand custom electric, acoustic-electric, and semi-hollow-body guitars
- According to their site, there is ‘no-credit-needed’ for their leasing program
- According to their website, progressive leasing is interest free
- Lease-to-own with a 90 day early payment option is currently available
Cons
- There isn’t currently any rating information for Keisel Guitars on bizrate
- Not long established. They’ve been in business for 3 years
- They currently have an F rating with the Better Business Bureau
- Guitar selection is limited to the Keisel brand
While Reverb doesn’t currently offer any payment options without a credit check, they do offer financing on lots of new and used instruments, including electric and acoustic guitars, through Affirm. According to NerdWallet, Affirm currently has no minimum credit score or minimum credit history requirement so this may be a good guitar financing option for people with low credit scores, but we can’t say for sure.
Pros
- Massive selection of new and used guitars and other musical instruments
- Unique availability of used instruments, potentially making them more affordable over the cost of new ones
- Flexible payment options through affirm that make it easier to fit your budget
Cons
- We couldn’t locate any rating information for Reverb on bizrate
- Not long established. They’ve been in business for 6 years
While it’s probably going to be harder to qualify for than options I’ve already listed, Sam Ash is an amazing musical instrument store with years of experience and tons and tons of guitars to choose from. I’ve had plenty of positive past experiences with them and still have fond memories of visiting their store at King of Prussia Mall. Sam Ash does currently offer some pretty exceptional financing options through the Sam Ash Card, but according to one of the forums I referenced, it does appear to be a harder card to qualify for if you have poor to bad credit. If you’re feeling luck or adventurous, it may still be worth trying to apply for.
Pros
- Incredible selection of guitars and other musical instruments
- Incredibly well established. They’ve been in business for 94 years
- According to Sam Ash, there is currently no down payment needed at financing
- Awesome financing options for people with good credit
- Flexible payment options through affirm that make it easier to fit your budget
Cons
- While a page exists, there is currently no rating information on bizrate
- This may not be a very attainable financing option for people with bad credit
Guitar Center is another musical instrument store I’ve had lots of positive experiences with. In fact, I bought my first guitar at one of their stores back when I was a teen. They also offer some pretty awesome financing options with their Gear Card, which does require a credit check. According to WalletHub, people with fair credit have a pretty good chance of getting approved for financing at Guitar Center so this may be a good alternative to the Sam Ash card.
While most people don’t think of Amazon as a place to buy musical instruments, let alone a guitar, the fact is, they have looooooads of options to choose from and some of the best prices out there. Amazon also currently offers special zero-interest financing in 6 and 12 month terms through the Amazon Store Card. According to WalletHub, you’ll need good, but not necessarily excellent credit to qualify for financing with them.
I haven’t personally shopped at Musician’s Friend, but people I know have raved about them for years. While they don’t offer payment options without a credit check for your next guitar purchase, they definitely do currently offer some pretty awesome options for financing, including 6, 12 , 24, and 48 month payment terms with no-interest through the Musician’s Friend Platinum Card. According to the forums I referenced, including HarmonyCentral, it appears that it’s not a very difficult to card to qualify for. This may be a good option for people who want longer payment terms with no interest, but have poor to bad credit.
Zager makes beautiful custom guitars that can be purchased directly from their website. While they don’t offer their own financing, they do allow you to pay with PayPal Financing. However, according to Pocket Sense, the average score for people who qualify is about 720, which is rather high if you have poor to bad credit.
Like Amazon, Walmart is another place that might not immediately come to mind when you think of financing a guitar. However, you’ll find they have tons of great guitars to choose from on their website. Another plus is that, according to WalletHub, you may only need to have fair credit to qualify for the Walmart Store Card, making this a potentially awesome option for people with less than ideal credit scores.
Kraft Music is another well established musical instrument supplier that offers a good selection of guitars to choose from at excellent prices. They currently offer a number of interest-free financing options including terms of 12, 18, and 36 months. They do, however, require a credit check. While I wasn’t able to locate any information on what kind of credit scores usually qualify, it might be worth reaching out to them by phone or email to see what sort of credit scores currently have a good chance of being approved.
Fingerhut is well known for offering a great store card that helps with rebuilding bad credit, but what many people don’t know is that they also have a decent selection of guitars. While there is a credit check required, WalletHub currently reports that people with bad credit can get approved. If you do a quick price comparison, you may find that Fingerhut tends to have slightly higher prices on their items than other retailers, but they’re a great store with a long standing history of helping people rebuild or establish a good credit standing, so they’re totally worth considering as an option for financing your guitar.
HSN is another store that’s fairly well known for their accessible payment plans. They offer 4 payments on most of the items they sell through FlexPay. While a quick comparison may show that guitar prices at HSN tend to be a bit higher than other options, their payment plan is quick and easy to qualify for and they offer a limited selection of Guitars. If you’re a beginner looking for something to start out on, this may be a good option for you to consider.
Quest Musique offers a great selection of guitars and other musical instruments. For financing, they currently have three different options, Pay in Full, a layaway plan with an 8 week payment term that doesn’t require a credit check, and financing through Desjardins Accord D Financing Program. It’s worth noting that the last option, according to the site, may require a well established credit history for approval.
LeaseVille offers a wide array of products, including loads of guitars you can choose from. They allow you to lease your guitar and pay it off while you play it. According to their site, not having credit isn’t a problem, so if you’re having difficulty qualifying for other no-credit-check/bad credit options, this may be a good one to consider.
Gettington is another online store that offers a small but good selection of musical instruments, including acoustic and electric guitars. Wallethub currently reports that people with fair credit can qualify for financing with them, making them a great option for people who are building their credit scores or trying to establish credit.
Flexshopper is another online merchant that allows you to rent music equipment until you own it. The process looks quick and easy and they have a good selection of both acoustic and electric guitars to pick from. FlexPay also offers options like early purchase, which helps bring down the overall cost of a purchase. If other options haven’t worked for you, this may be a good one to consider.
Emporium is another retailer that offers a buy-now-pay-later option along with a surprisingly good selection of guitars, despite not being a music store. They currently offer up to a $5000 credit limit and state that less than perfect credit is accepted.
Originally published at ayrne.io on June 6, 2018.
