[rodgersorganusers] Re: New Organ Blues

Bill Ehrke, of all people understands my dilemma.  He has been wonderfully
faithful in servicing our present organ for 25 years.  I place a great deal
of confidence in his opinion.  He knows that I would never consider anything
but a Rodgers for myself or for my church.  Bravo to Bill for his years of
faithful service.
----- Original Message -----
From: <diapason@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <rodgersorgan@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Monday, October 27, 2003 9:48 AM
Subject: [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!
>
>
>



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

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