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Am I asking too much?

I’ve  been looking to finally buy the cartridge my turntable - a restored Garrard 401 with Reed 3P tonearm - deserves.  So I sent a note to a local Koetsu dealer - wanting to support them over your typical big names (e.g., Music Direct, Upscale Audio, etc.) particularly during covid.  Though I’ve never bought from this local place,  I’ve visited them before a couple times, and live less than 10 miles away.   When I asked the dealer if they provide turntable set-up — remember, this is for a $7000 cartridge — he told me that they refer people to a local company for that (which means of course at an additional charge).

wtf?  So the only service provided by the local dealer is to order the cartridge that I can get cheaper on-line and then refer me to someone else to provide actual service.  Anybody else have a reaction to this?
128x128mdalton
mdalton's avatar
mdalton OP
483 posts
 
@whart 

my issue with the local dealer was not that he would use someone else to do set-up, but that he was telling me:  “good luck with that. if you want help, call this guy.  he won’t charge you that much.”  he also pretty obviously changed his story when i asked about it, which goes to integrity.  not cool.  
whart's avatar
whart
3,050 posts
 
@mdalton- ultimately, you’re the one paying and have to be happy with the service you are getting. I know some buyers are price sensitive and will do set ups themselves. Finding a dealer that does it all, and discounts, isn’t so easy. I had several long term relationships during my 36+ years in NY; one was a dealer in Jersey who made house calls with gear, came to troubleshoot, whatever and his pricing was reasonable given the products involved.
If you are shopping Koetsu in the US, just be aware that some dealers will claim they are authorized but are selling gray market goods which means you won’t get any support if you want to send it back for rebuild, etc. MoFi Distribution is currently the authorized US distributor as far as I know. Good luck, I’ve gotten two stone bodies and both are fun to listen to, but different in presentation.
mdalton's avatar
mdalton OP
483 posts
 
@whart 

thanks for your note.  will keep you posted. am close to pulling trigger.  it’s a big investment, and i go all hamlet-like on major purchases (e.g., “maybe the etsuro cobalt, or the new Hana”, etc.).  but i really love the idea of a koetsu, originally voiced on a 401, in my system (and it’s pretty to boot!).
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