From orion.oac.uci.edu!usc!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!pitt.edu!unix.cis.pitt.edu!minerva!metlay Fri Feb 7 14:41:26 PST 1992 Article: 29308 of rec.music.synth Path: orion.oac.uci.edu!usc!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!pitt.edu!unix.cis.pitt.edu!minerva!metlay From: metlay@minerva.phyast.pitt.edu (metlay) Newsgroups: rec.music.synth Subject: Re: Music Alley (was Re: Overseas Mail Order (Re: Price of K2000)) Summary: All RIGHT already! Message-ID: <201967@unix.cis.pitt.edu> Date: 7 Feb 92 21:46:04 GMT References: <12352.9202051046@orsun.dcs.leeds.ac.uk> <201956@unix.cis.pitt.edu> Sender: news@unix.cis.pitt.edu Organization: Atomic City Lines: 48 In article <201956@unix.cis.pitt.edu> metlay@minerva.phyast.pitt.edu (metlay) writes: >If there's sufficient interest, I'll post the phone number and email >address for Jamie's new stores. OK, OK, I get the hint! Geez, you people can choke a spool file in a hurry. |-> Here's all you need to know: Jamie Robertson (formerly of Music Alley) and his buddy Jerry (who ran the Sound Deals 800 number for mail orders) have split, apparently in an amicable fashion, from Music Alley. The new store, which is still getting set up but IS open for business, is going to be called "Music Services", with Sound Deals as a subsidiary. The address is: 201 Park Ridge Circle Birmingham, AL 35216 The telephone number is 205-979-1811, and Jamie's Email address is 72130.1746@compuserve.com He says he's getting the phone company to set up an 800 number, but it may take a few weeks before it's up and going (and some time after that to get advertised in KEYBOARD). When I spoke to him, he was down with the flu but still manning the phones; he says he prefers to get calls between 1000 and 1900 EST, but will answer emergency requests any time day or night. As I said before, I am not associated with Jamie in any way other than as a VERY satisfied customer. I got my Mackie and my Microwave from these guys for the best prices I'd seen, and everything was delivered promptly, in good shape, and with little smiley-faces drawn on the receipts. |-> One favor he's asked, though: if you DO call him, mention that you heard it here first-- he wants to gauge the size of the Net-crowd interested in his store. Thanks. -- metlay | "How about a new 01/W, Timmy?" "No." | "Well, then, how about an Xpander?" "NO!" | "Well, what DO you want to play with?" metlay@minerva.phyast.pitt.edu | "I want...LOG!" From orion.oac.uci.edu!usc!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!think.com!macdrf_43.dfci.harvard.edu!Paco_Ojeda_Gonzalez Wed Sep 2 13:06:14 PDT 1992 Article: 39138 of rec.music.synth Path: orion.oac.uci.edu!usc!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!think.com!macdrf_43.dfci.harvard.edu!Paco_Ojeda_Gonzalez From: Paco Ojeda Newsgroups: rec.music.synth Subject: Mail Order Prices Date: 1 Sep 1992 13:37:48 GMT Organization: Thinking Machines Corporation Lines: 29 Distribution: world Message-ID: <17vrndINN37t@early-bird.think.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: macdrf_43.dfci.harvard.edu X-UserAgent: Nuntius v1.1.1d9 X-XXMessage-ID: X-XXDate: Tue, 1 Sep 92 14:45:14 GMT Greetings to you all in Netland I'd be curious to hear from other people and their experiences with prices of synthesizers through mail order places. I'll be doing some purchases in the near future and I'll be looking for the best prices I can find. So far, I'm aware of two places: 1. Musician's Friend 800-776-5173 These guys are indeed friendly. They have a catalog with a rather large selection of keyboardists, guitar and bass players. Decent prices. 2. 800-BUY-BEST This number was given to me by the folks at the Boston Computer Society Music Group. When I called, the guy I spoke with told me that once you get the best price you can (by shopping around) you quote that price to them and 90% of the time they'll beat it. Plus they ship COD. If you've had any experience with either one of these places or any others, perhaps it wouldn't be a bad idea to have a list (I know there is an address/phone# list somewhere of manufacturers, but I don't think this list gives any more details as to the kind of service offered by these stores. Again, any input will be welcome. ***************************************************** ** Paco Ojeda-Gonzalez ** ** ** ** Paco_Ojeda_Gonzalez@macmailgw.dfci.harvard.edu ** ***************************************************** From news.service.uci.edu!ucivax!news.claremont.edu!nntp-server.caltech.edu!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!darwin.sura.net!convex!news.utdallas.edu!corpgate!bnrgate!bmerh85!bnr.ca!shiv Wed Sep 2 14:11:28 PDT 1992 Article: 39234 of rec.music.synth Path: news.service.uci.edu!ucivax!news.claremont.edu!nntp-server.caltech.edu!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!darwin.sura.net!convex!news.utdallas.edu!corpgate!bnrgate!bmerh85!bnr.ca!shiv From: shiv@bnr.ca (Shiv Naimpally) Newsgroups: rec.music.synth Subject: Re: Mail Order Prices Message-ID: <1992Sep02.155130.5591@bmerh85.bnr.ca> Date: 2 Sep 92 15:51:30 GMT References: <17vrndINN37t@early-bird.think.com> Sender: news@bmerh85.bnr.ca (Usenet News) Reply-To: shiv@bnr.ca (Shiv Naimpally) Organization: Bell-Northern Research Ltd. Lines: 7 Sam Ash (1-800-4-SAMASH) is pretty good. The people know their stuff, they have good prices and they'll usually match or beat any price. I have bought stuff on a number of occasions and have no complaints. Manny's, Thoroughbred, and Caruso advertise a lot in Keyboard/EM but I have no experience with them. I thought the prices in Musicians Friend looked a bit high. From news.service.uci.edu!ucivax!news.claremont.edu!uunet!cis.ohio-state.edu!pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu!linac!att!cbnews!milo Fri Sep 4 11:24:43 PDT 1992 Article: 39259 of rec.music.synth Newsgroups: rec.music.synth Path: news.service.uci.edu!ucivax!news.claremont.edu!uunet!cis.ohio-state.edu!pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu!linac!att!cbnews!milo From: milo@cbnews.cb.att.com (guy.f.klose) Subject: Musician's Friend (was Mail Order Prices) Organization: AT&T Distribution: usa Date: Wed, 2 Sep 1992 21:09:25 GMT Message-ID: <1992Sep2.210925.23609@cbnews.cb.att.com> References: <17vrndINN37t@early-bird.think.com> Lines: 99 In article <17vrndINN37t@early-bird.think.com>, Paco Ojeda writes: > 1. Musician's Friend 800-776-5173 > These guys are indeed friendly. They have a catalog with a rather large > selection of keyboardists, guitar and bass players. Decent prices. It's nice that Musician's Friend sends out lots of glitzy catalogs, but be careful...their prices can be a little out of wack sometimes. Actually, I think it's good that they send out catalogs, because they're useful for local price shopping first, before going the mail order route. I was looking for a J.L.Cooper MSB+ midi patch bay. Musician's Friend listed it for $359. I called a local store first, before driving over, just to see it I was going to be wasting my time. The conversation went something like this: Me: "Do you carry the J.L.Cooper MSB+?" Them: "We can order it." Me: "What kind of a price can you give me on it?" Them: "Let me look it up...what kind of a price are you looking for?" Me: "I'll order one now if you can beat $360." Them: "Where did you get that price...we don't match mail order prices." At this point, I knew where this was heading...I had been down this road before...personally, I don't give a shit whether or not they meet mail order prices...I just wanted to know if they would sell one to me for $360 or less....so, I lied to them: Me: "I got the price from one of your competitors down the road." (there are at least two other stores on the same road as them) Them: "Hmmmm...can't seem to find the price...let me call you back." So, I left my name and number, and he agreed that he would call back within a half hour. I would have driven over there on my lunch hour, if they needed me to leave a deposit or anything like that. Well, the guy didn't call back, but I'm not surprised. He probably knew I lied to him...maybe those other stores don't carry J.L.Cooper. Maybe he was just pissed that I told him that I was price shopping with him and his competitors. Sorry, but why should I be an idiot consumer? Later that afternoon, I called American Musical Supply, which is another mail order place that sends out catalogs. The MSB+ wasn't in the catalog, but all the other J.L.Cooper things are. I asked their price, and it was $259. I have no idea why it was a full $100 less than Musician's Friend, but AMS didn't have them in stock. They said a new shipment was due in a couple of weeks, and they'd send it then. I figured maybe they would just do one of those stall tricks, and hold onto my $$$ while they dicked around about delivery dates and such, but I ordered the midi patch bay anyway. It arrived on my doorstep a week and a half later. So, this is just one experience with AMS, so I don't know if they have a solid reputation...I'll certainly give them another try sometime. Now, about this local music store. There are times when they have pretty good prices...I bought a keyboard from them, and that was maybe $75 over the best mail order price I could get. That difference could have been mostly eaten in shipping and handling charges anyway. They're also one of the few places around here that's open on Sunday, and I always seem to need to buy extra cables on Sunday. But, several things have happened to me at this store that have really aggravated me. So, I don't really know if they want me as a repeat customer or not. I'll still shop there, because they do have some prices that are reasonable. Their salesdudes do, occasionally, know something about the stuff they sell, but mostly they are an obnoxious bunch. If one walks in there, in order to shop price, and quotes a price to them, they'll want to know if it's a mail order price. If it is, they just give the pat answer: "we don't match mail order prices." But what does that have to do with anything? A buyer just wants to know if they will sell something for a particular price. They should be answering something along the lines of "we can't possibly meet that price...our best price is $x", and then the buyer can decide if it's worth the difference. I've used this store for service on the keyboard I bought from them, and it was actually nice working with the techs in the service department. One went out of his way to help me with a problem once, so I understand there are situations where I'll want to pay extra for service. But, for a midi patch bay? The way I see it, this place wanted at least the $100 markup over the price at AMS for the MSB+. As a somewhat-intelligent consumer, I can't justify spending that kind of a dough just for the good feeling of buying at a local store. BTW, the recent Musician's Friend catalogs that have hit my mailbox still have the MSB+ for $359. Sorry for the ranting... Guy -- Guy Klose milo@mvuxi.att.com From news.service.uci.edu!usc!wupost!uunet!gatech!concert!samba!usenet Tue Sep 8 12:46:04 PDT 1992 Article: 39349 of rec.music.synth Newsgroups: rec.music.synth Path: news.service.uci.edu!usc!wupost!uunet!gatech!concert!samba!usenet From: Bob.Weigel@bbs.oit.unc.edu (Bob Weigel) Subject: Musicians Friend Message-ID: <1992Sep4.055034.13503@samba.oit.unc.edu> Sender: usenet@samba.oit.unc.edu Nntp-Posting-Host: lambada.oit.unc.edu Organization: Extended Bulletin Board Service Date: Fri, 4 Sep 1992 05:50:34 GMT Lines: 21 I have had mostly good experiences with this company, which runs out of my home state. I had one very interesting problem which they did no cope with in a professional manner. I ordered a mike stand so that I could check out the quality to see if it would serve the purposes of a campus group I was helping outfit. They sent me a very satisfactory mike stand, so I ordered two for this group. Guess what? They sent me a totally different model which was totally unsatis- factory! They did not find themselves able to send the other type, so I had to find another supplier. I won't go into detail, except to say that the three times I have had this type of problem, they have CONSISTANTLY dropped the ball, and covered up for each others mistakes. I wind up with a bunch of wasted time and nothing to show for it. The company who supplied the stands I wanted, and who have batted 1000 on the three orders I have placed to date is called Music Emporium. Their number is 800-648-8460 . Very competative group. -bob -- The opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the Campus Office for Information Technology, or the Experimental Bulletin Board Service. internet: bbs.oit.unc.edu or 152.2.22.80 From news.service.uci.edu!ucivax!ucla-cs!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!sdd.hp.com!cs.utexas.edu!torn!cunews!nrcnet0!bnrgate!bmerh85!bnr.ca!shiv Wed Sep 16 15:47:00 PDT 1992 Article: 39895 of rec.music.synth Newsgroups: rec.music.synth Path: news.service.uci.edu!ucivax!ucla-cs!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!sdd.hp.com!cs.utexas.edu!torn!cunews!nrcnet0!bnrgate!bmerh85!bnr.ca!shiv From: shiv@bnr.ca (Shiv Naimpally) Subject: Rogue Music Message-ID: <1992Sep16.192956.14067@bmerh85.bnr.ca> Sender: news@bmerh85.bnr.ca (Usenet News) Reply-To: shiv@bnr.ca (Shiv Naimpally) Organization: Bell-Northern Research Ltd. Date: Wed, 16 Sep 92 19:29:56 GMT Lines: 39 I have mentioned Rogue in the past. They have lots of used gear, but they also carry some new gear. Their used inventory and prices vary depending on supply but here are some examples from their July flyer: Ensoniq EPS $969 Casio FZ1 $950 Chroma Polaris II $499 Wavestation EX $1395 Mini Moog $649 Moog Prodigy $169 OB Expander $1595 OB Matrix 6 $429 OB OBXa $529 Roland MKS30 $279 Roland MKS70 $650 Roland MKS80 $1250 Roland S330 $719 Seq Pro One $225 Seq Prophet 5 R3 $795 Prophet 5 w/ MIDI $1195 Prophet VS $1350 Voyetra 8 Rev 4 $1450 Linn Drum $169 OB DX $149 Roland R8M $579 Roland TR808 $569 Roland TR909 $589 You can write and get on their mailing list: Rogue Music 251 West 30th Street New York, NY 10001-2801 USA Phone (212) 629-3708 Fax (212) 947-0027 From news.service.uci.edu!usc!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!darwin.sura.net!haven.umd.edu!uunet!decwrl!csus.edu!netcom.com!metlay Thu Oct 1 17:10:51 PDT 1992 Article: 40653 of rec.music.synth Newsgroups: rec.music.synth Path: news.service.uci.edu!usc!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!darwin.sura.net!haven.umd.edu!uunet!decwrl!csus.edu!netcom.com!metlay From: metlay@netcom.com (metlay) Subject: Re: Sam Ash Email? Message-ID: <1992Sep30.150543.8303@netcom.com> Organization: Atomic City References: <92272.135438MRLCC@CUNYVM.BITNET> <1992Sep29.112106.17555@stc.nato.int> Date: Wed, 30 Sep 1992 15:05:43 GMT Lines: 22 In article <1992Sep29.112106.17555@stc.nato.int> koelman@stc.nato.int writes: >In article <92272.135438MRLCC@CUNYVM.BITNET> writes: >> Is there any email address for Sam Ash Music in N.Y. or anywhere else? >> Could you please mail me the number or post it. Thank you. > >Is there *any* music store on e-mail? >(just curious) 72130.1746@compuserve.com gets you to Jamie Robertson at Music Services, Birmingham AL, the best allaround store for people who prefer buying gear via mail order that I've come across so far. Tell him Metlay sent you. (No, I don't get a cut. But Jamie likes to track how his customers learn about his store.) -- metlay | "It's the probability of some Perf/X box being dead or | wedged that I have to worry about. This week, it's the | Systemizer that's pining for the fjords." metlay@netcom.com | (e. hallgrimsson)