Mr. Bill Hubert....
Re. your "sad commentary" post: the first sentence was the most true
statement in the whole thing. The rest of the post is Exhibit A that you
have become a victim of this truth. You make many statements about
Rodgers--not just comments or opinions--that are presented as facts that I
and many others know to be completely false. But apparently this "sad"
state of affairs is what you have come to believe. Check your sources--if
there really are any--they're nefarious.
So how do I "know" this? What are my sources? First, I'm a top ten
Rodgers dealer buying new organs from Rodgers and supporting hundreds of
customers with Rodgers organs as old as 50+ years. I'm getting everything
I need from Rodgers to support the legacy organs, and and we continue to
support hundreds of existing Rodgers organs. The new owners of Rodgers did
not sell "all the parts for existing Rodgers instruments" as you stated.
This would have been an egregious abdication of their legal responsibility
for existing warranties. On its face, your statement is implausible, and
more importantly (for existing owners) what you claim didn't happen.
Second, I speak regularly with Rodgers personnel in just about every
department, and at every level of management, including the owners. We
have clear and honest conversations. I am more optimistic than ever about
the future of my Rodgers dealership.
Third, I have insights (and input) into some future product developments.
This, more than anything, confirms for me that the "soul" of Rodgers is in
good hands and that the company is continuing to be an innovator, as they
have for their entire history. As you might be aware, I am one of the
dealers that added the Johannus line in my showroom side-by-side with
Rodgers--your jumbled description of how this works for a dealer like me
bears no resemblance to my reality. It's pretty simple: I buy organs from
two
separate companies. The Rodgers models are the same as they were
pre-ownership change. The Johannus models are a different design and
sound--the brands are distinct and will remain this way. I invite anyone
to come to my showroom and see for themselves. Some will prefer Rodgers,
some will prefer Johannus--all will be delighted with their choice. Ask
any of my customers.
Per my earlier post in this thread where I advocated making this a
moderated list: I've changed my mind. I don't think it's necessary--why
inconvenience or second guess most of the list members who have
demonstrated their ability to make useful contributions? I'm now of the
opinion that everyone should have the opportunity to freely post and
contribute until they demonstrate an inability to handle the responsibility
that comes with such freedom. I am now suggesting that an irresponsible
and utterly confused post such as yours--particularly one that contains
multiple statements that are known to be outright falsehoods--would
immediately flag any future posts from that list member for review by a
moderator.
This is a users' group after all--not a political forum. From my
perspective it's about maintaining integrity and quality--free speech is
not the issue. If anything, members have a "right" to expect reliable and
useful information, which apparently requires some effort. Make the ground
rules clear when people sign up, challenge members to behave
responsibly--it's a fair deal. And ironically, if the list were operated
in this manner, this post wouldn't be necessary inasmuch as the amount of
misinformation would be minimal. This is my opinion--others may disagree.
Nelson Dodge