RE: Selecting vendors

[Catilyne <catilyne@icicle.net>]

At 06:02 PM 8/11/2003 -0500, Jeff Shirkey wrote:

>How do you folks make your gear purchase decisions? From whom do you buy?

Keep in mind that I buy about 99% electronics, so this would be different 
if I ever bought things with strings, for instance.

If there's a local dealer who legitimately helps me decide on a product 
and 
can give me a good deal, then they get first tap.

Unfortunately, with the various Music Tech rags and the Internet, I 
haven't 
really needed a store clerk to help me with a purchase in... um, years 
really.  Usually I just need a few minutes physical access to a piece of 
gear to confirm/deny what I know about it already.  The closest I've come 
to actually *needing* a local vendor has been a shootout I put a bunch of 
near-fields through last year.

After I decide to buy a particular product, though, I generally scan the 
Net to get the absolute lowest possible price, then print a copy and walk 
it down to one of the local stores to get a price match.  Generally, if 
all 
else fails, the drone down at GC will honor the same price if they've got 
it in stock.

Otherwise, I've never really had a bad experience with the Fiend, ZZounds, 
or Sam Ash.  Also, mail order blem specials have already been mentioned, 
but what I really keep an eye out for are the manufacturers blowouts and 
overstock specials.  In addition to a $199 Echo Pro at GC, I also picked 
up 
a TC TripleC stereo multi-band compressor for only $299 (list is $999) 
from 
samash.com a couple of months ago.  Just missed the blowout on the 
Kurzweil 
Expressionmate, though -- darn it!

         -c-

_____
"i want to reach my hand into the dark and *feel* what reaches back"
                                                 -recoil