[rodgersorganusers] Re: New Organ Blues

As a technician rather than a salesperson or customer, let me approach this 
interesting debate from a different angle.

Many consumers make their buying decisions based purely on the specifications 
and prices of available brands.  Tires, for example are usually purchased in 
that way.  A typical non-musician on an organ committee will apply his 
tire-shopping logic to the decision about an organ.  This person will obtain 
stoplists and prices for various brands and quickly determine which organ seems 
to be the best value.

Last week I serviced an organ that a church had bought in exactly that way.  It 
has a bigger stoplist than what they thought was the comparable Rodgers model, 
so of course they chose the "better value."  More bang for the buck, they felt. 
 But the console is almost laughably shoddy, the speakers look like guitar amps 
hung on the chancel wall (including little red pilot lights staring at the 
congregation) and the tonal quality falls way below Rodgers'.  Add to that, 
they can't find the dealer who sold it and the minister of music (one of my 
customers at a previous church) called the Rodgers tech to work on this orphan. 
 But the church got a real "deal" by comparing prices.

That approach, I think, is the nemesis of posting prices in a field where it's 
hard even for an informed person to know whether he's comparing apples and 
apples.

I can also see Ronnie Johnston's point.  His church is located a long distance 
from a typical dealer's showroom.  Looking at organs is not something he can 
casually do in two or three afternoons.  And there's no guarantee that the 
dealer for Brand X is located in the same city as the dealer for Brand Z.  
Ronnie might have to travel hundreds of miles in different directions to visit 
a number of competing brands.  For an experienced organist like him, already 
aware of the issues of quality and reputation, internet shopping does make 
sense.

So how is this debate going to end?  Some marketing observers tell us that 
insurance agents are a shrinking breed due to internet purchases, and that 
automobile dealers are in the same boat.  Wonder what that means for organ 
dealers?  

Bill Ehrke




New link to Christmas Music at www.frogmusic.com!

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