Klarinet Archive - Posting 000648.txt from 1996/05

From: Nate Burk <nathan@-----.COM>
Subj: Re: Mail order (factory seconds)
Date: Wed, 29 May 1996 15:01:19 -0400

> I assume you are thinking that some of the
>mail order instruments are factory seconds... makes me wonder, too.

I don't have much to go on, but I really doubt that manufacturers would send
their "rejects" to mail order stores. Think about it this way -- mail order
co.'s probably sell many more instruments than local dealers, so imagine how
unwise it would be for the manufacturers to send their duds to the stores
that sold the most.

In my experience, I played on "better" instruments at a local dealer only
because he fixes them up a little bit before he lets people try them. And
believe me, even after that they weren't all terrific. I think one has to
either have good contacts or good luck to aquire a good instrument. The gems
probably go out to the people endorsing the company, and the other
instruments float around until someone is lucky enough to snatch them up. I
don't think it would be wise for manufacturers to "favor" certain
distributers of their instruments, or they would lose a lot of business.

Just another viewpoint -- like I said, I don't have much to go on here.

--Nate

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Don't let school get in the way of your education. -- Mark Twain
nathan@-----.com/~nathan
--------------------------------------------------------------------------