Re: OT- Waterphone Question

["Dennis Leas" <dennis@mail.worldserver.com>]

Well, not to just be contrary, but I've bought lots of things from Lark in
the Morning and recommend them.

Yes, they have a number of cheap, poorly made items.  They also have a
number of top-quality items.  I would never buy tablas or euc didjs from
them.  I think there are many better, less expensive sources.  On the other
hand, I have bought a number of wonderful singing bowls, gongs, dumbeks,
shakers, whistles, etc from them.  You *definitely* should be aware of what
you're buying, both price and availability.

To me, the main advantage of Lark in the Morning is their variety.  (Their
prices are generally higher than more "targeted" stores, though not 
always.)
For example, I needed a Jew's harp in a specific key.  Rather than spending
a lot of time shopping around, I found one at Lark in AM and had it in a 
few
days.  And it was the highest quality one I'd every seen (not that I've 
seen
*that* many).  Cool!

They have a good return policy for mail-orders, which I have used in the
past.

Just my $0.02 (USD) worth...

Dennis Leas
-------------------
dennis@mail.worldserver.com


----- Original Message -----
From: "nicholson_matt" <nicholson_matt@msn.com>
To: <Loopers-Delight@loopers-delight.com>
Sent: Tuesday, October 22, 2002 4:48 PM
Subject: Re: OT- Waterphone Question


> I realize you only referenced larkinam.com because they had a similar
> instrument to the waterphone, but I thought I'd issue a warning. I would
> strongly advise buying anything from Lark In The Morning. Sure, they've
got
> a neat couple of shops on the west coast that are kind of fun to stop in
and
> play with stuff. However, many of their musical equipment is very cheap
and
> shoddy, which is probably the case when it comes to this "ocean harp" you
> found. I took a knowledgeable friend into their Seattle store once to
check
> out a set of tablas and he didn't approve at all. Their didges are also
> second rate too from personal experience. They've got a ton of stuff in
> their catalogue but they seem to get all their instruments from a select
few
> international mass producers instead of authentic instrument-smiths. 
>Sorry
> for continuing the OT discussion.
>
> -- Matt