Re: [Harp-L] Harp Price increases

["david robbins" <drobbins5658@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Ok, I'll sell you a brand new bicycle. Now, once you get it home you'll need 
to call/pay someone to tweak it so it will work the way its supposed to.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Vern" <jevern@xxxxxxx>
To: "Michael Easton" <diachrome@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Saturday, July 02, 2011 3:13 PM
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Harp Price increases


> Michael has it right.
>
> You can't complain about low quality and cheapness at the same time. For 
> people who are willing and capable of tweaking a new harp, a cheap one can 
> be a great buy for the money.   It took 20+ years but asian competition 
> has improved the quality of US-made autos.
>
> Seydel has stepped up to the challenge and has done the one most important 
> thing to improve the longevity of harmonicas, SS reeds!  Because SS is a 
> much harder and tougher metal than brass/bronze, the reeds are much more 
> difficult to make.  If you play chromatic, their Saxony also has a more 
> precisely made slide.  A metal comb (powder-coated aluminum, I think) is 
> also high quality.  Their harps come well-tuned and responsive out of the 
> box.
>
> They are listening to what to what customers say they want.  e.g. special 
> tunings from the factory.
>
> Cherished myths about the tonal effects of comb and reed materials 
> actually impede quality improvements.  Hohner keeps selling abominable 
> wooden combs with nailed-on reedplates because buyers still think that 
> "wood sounds warm."
>
> Seydel diatonic and chromatic harps are arguably better and lower-priced 
> than other top-of-the-line offerings with copper-alloy reeds, fancy 
> covers, and silver plating .
>
> Seydel appears to be really offering a better product at a reasonable 
> price.   They deserve our support.
>
> I have no financial interest in Seydel success.  I hope that they do 
> succeed financially because that will keep their products available. 
> Seydel flexibility and willingness to try new things is something that the 
> Harmonica community should not lose.
>
> Vern
>
>
>
> On Jul 2, 2011, at 6:21 AM, Michael Easton wrote:
>
> > Not sure there is an easy answer to any of it.
> >
> > I sell Hohner's, Seydel's and Suzuki's. Repair them too.
> >
> > Some wholesale suppliers have cut back on the Hohner's they stock for 
> > dealers because they are too expensive to keep in inventory.
> > I had to switch off 3 different Hohner suppliers because they stopped 
> > carrying or refused to order certain chromatics that my customers wanted.
> >
> > Suzuki sells direct to the dealer so there is no middleman price hike.  I 
> > lost recent business because of their extreme price increase.  Hohner's 
> > pales to it.
> > A Suzuki Sirius chromatic is now close to $200 more at dealer cost then 
> > last December. Other mid to high priced Suzuki's also jumped $200 in 
> > price at the wholesale level. As the product prices increase the 
> > insurance value costs increase to ship them.  I cover customers shipping 
> > costs so I have to eat the extra cost.
> > In this case only the mfg and Feds are making extra money.  Dealers have 
> > to absorb the costs trying to bring in customers.
> > Those of us that are harp playing dealers aren't too happy to see these 
> > price increases. It doesn't mean we reap extra income.
> >
> > Seydel has seemed to maintain it's grasp on reality and what players can 
> > afford.  I switched over to playing 1847's in 2006. At the time they 
> > seemed expensive.
> > I figured with the cost being roughly 4x more then a Marine Band or 
> > Special 20 they better last 4x as long.   I know milage varies for 
> > different players with regards to reed life but I'm still playing the 
> > first C and A  1847 I bought in 2006. Still with the same reeds.  My play 
> > mostly  in the Cotton/Butterfield style so I do play them hard with heavy 
> > vibrato.   I put away all my customs after the first year and only play 
> > 1847's out of the box.
> >
> > Being a repair tech I don't have time to mess with my own harps. I want 
> > them ready to play  when I need them and not breaking down every 4 months 
> > to be repaired.
> >
> > Invest now in good quality built harps and when the price increases  do 
> > occur you can ride the wave a bit longer instead of drowning in 
> > replacement costs every couple of months.
> >
> >
> > Michael Easton
> > www.harmonicarepair.com