Hi Ebalog,
This is a great topic, and you raise some very important questions that span well beyond those of Schröder, Galibier and other small manufacturers - falling into two broad areas: extended waiting periods, and working with small manufacturers in general.
I've thought a lot about the latter issue from both sides of the fence - both from the perspective of a manufacturer as well as from that of a customer - probably dating to my purchase of a Merrill Turntable in 1991, and most recently with the Aurora Guitar Amplifier I ordered last month from Mission Amps.
Maybe I'm a sucker for a small guy who trades punches with the big boys. I don't know. Bruce Collins (Mission Amps) has a very helpful presence on a guitar amplifier forum I frequent and I sensed a genuine passion as well has high level of competence in the man.
I touch on some of these issues in my About Page, but perhaps it's best to discuss them here, in the context of your comments.
Your point about ongoing manufacturer support is an important one - whether in the context of a large corporation or a one-man shop. I think it's extremely important that everyone pick their comfort zone in this regard.
Let's look two extremes in manufacturer size - Micro Seiki and Merrilll.
Micro Seiki ...
Micro Seiki closed their doors in 1991, and people began scrambling for replacement parts. Thanks to the Internet, there is a Micro Seiki group on Yahoo Groups.
Now, most parts on Micros are fairly difficult to come by and no Internet group is going to help you replace some critical parts. On the other hand, several machinists frequent that group, and there has been talk for example about co-manufacturing armboards. Large companies go out of business. Others cease to support older models. It is not risk-free.
Merrill ...
When I purchased my Merrill turntable in 1991, it was with the understanding that the day would come when George would roll down is blinds for the last time. I purchased a spare motor controller, knowing that this was a part that was the most likely to fail over my lifetime of ownership.
It so happens that Anthony Scillia has partnered up with George to form Merrill-Scillia and Merill is as alive as ever.
Who would have figured in 1989 that Merrill would "outlive" Micro Seiki?
Now, I can't speak for other manufacturers (large or small), but it was my ownership of the Merrill which guided my design philosophy at Galibier. I don't want to hijack this thread into a sales pitch, but suffice it to say, that I worked hard to "future proof" my designs so that the end-user could keep his turntable running with local resources.
All of this is to say that large manufacturer or small, you are running a risk as far as the ability of the manufacturer to respond to your needs for one reason or another - whether it be due to business continuity (longevity), support of discontinued models, etc.
In the end, I think it is critical for the customer to feel comfortable with their purchase and I'd be the last to argue that any single business model is superior to all others.
-----
I don't know what to make of your friend and his waiting period for his Schröder. Surely, communications with his dealer would be helpful for him, although frankly there's not much to be said from such communications - other than to say "yes, your arm is on order, sir".
I do know that in working with Frank, I don't even consider getting a status for more than the next two arms on my list. I accept that any such estimate is meaningless. My reasoning is based on the assumption that I'm perhaps one of a dozen dealers world-wide. To ask Frank to predict more than two arms out is to expect him to predict beyond 24 tonearms which is plainly not possible.
I would estimate that 70% of the Schröders I sell are to people who have not purchased a Galibier turntable from me.
When I speak of the service I give to my turntable customers while they are waiting for their Schröder, I hope this wasn't construed as preferential treatment in terms of order fulfillment.
I was trying to convey an expression of gratitude for peoples' business by loaning armboards, sourcing arms where possible - that sort of thing. I maintain a list of orders and forward it to Frank on a monthly basis - as a "tickler file" if you will. I do not change the priorities based on what a person purchased from me.
It sounds as if you have found a marvelous tonearm and you are thrilled with it. This is great news. I have a Micro MX-282 which is on loan to a friend. I demand that this arm stay in my extended audio family, so I understand your comments about the arm you acquired being a "keeper".
I sense that on some level however, that you are curious about Schröders. Perhaps this is intellectual curiosity about the unobtanium, and nothing more. I understand. If you're ever in the Colorado area, feel free to arrange a "no obligation" comparison of a Schröder and Triplanar. Please note however, I just sent may personal arm to Frank to swap out the arm wand and the wire. Maybe I can pull some strings to get it back by the end of the year. Sorry, I couldn't resist injecting some humor here.
Your question about a Richard Sachs bike is a good one. Usually, when we're at the level of considering either a Schröder Tonearm or a Richard Sachs bike, we already own a fairly fine tonearm or bicycle.
Assuming this weren't the case, I'd obviously have to purchase a bicycle in order to get through the waiting period. My path would likely take me to another small builder like Tom Nobilette or Eisentraut. Alternatively, I might purchase a production Moots, which I'd equivocate with purchasing of a Triplanar Tonearm in our example - not exactly chopped liver.
Like yourself, I could find myself keeping the Moots and pedaling happily ever after ... or a Triplanar over a Schröder. We are talking about very fine pieces in these two examples, and given tastes and such, one never knows which one will prefer.
Cheers,
Thom @ Galibier
This is a great topic, and you raise some very important questions that span well beyond those of Schröder, Galibier and other small manufacturers - falling into two broad areas: extended waiting periods, and working with small manufacturers in general.
I've thought a lot about the latter issue from both sides of the fence - both from the perspective of a manufacturer as well as from that of a customer - probably dating to my purchase of a Merrill Turntable in 1991, and most recently with the Aurora Guitar Amplifier I ordered last month from Mission Amps.
Maybe I'm a sucker for a small guy who trades punches with the big boys. I don't know. Bruce Collins (Mission Amps) has a very helpful presence on a guitar amplifier forum I frequent and I sensed a genuine passion as well has high level of competence in the man.
I touch on some of these issues in my About Page, but perhaps it's best to discuss them here, in the context of your comments.
Your point about ongoing manufacturer support is an important one - whether in the context of a large corporation or a one-man shop. I think it's extremely important that everyone pick their comfort zone in this regard.
Let's look two extremes in manufacturer size - Micro Seiki and Merrilll.
Micro Seiki ...
Micro Seiki closed their doors in 1991, and people began scrambling for replacement parts. Thanks to the Internet, there is a Micro Seiki group on Yahoo Groups.
Now, most parts on Micros are fairly difficult to come by and no Internet group is going to help you replace some critical parts. On the other hand, several machinists frequent that group, and there has been talk for example about co-manufacturing armboards. Large companies go out of business. Others cease to support older models. It is not risk-free.
Merrill ...
When I purchased my Merrill turntable in 1991, it was with the understanding that the day would come when George would roll down is blinds for the last time. I purchased a spare motor controller, knowing that this was a part that was the most likely to fail over my lifetime of ownership.
It so happens that Anthony Scillia has partnered up with George to form Merrill-Scillia and Merill is as alive as ever.
Who would have figured in 1989 that Merrill would "outlive" Micro Seiki?
Now, I can't speak for other manufacturers (large or small), but it was my ownership of the Merrill which guided my design philosophy at Galibier. I don't want to hijack this thread into a sales pitch, but suffice it to say, that I worked hard to "future proof" my designs so that the end-user could keep his turntable running with local resources.
All of this is to say that large manufacturer or small, you are running a risk as far as the ability of the manufacturer to respond to your needs for one reason or another - whether it be due to business continuity (longevity), support of discontinued models, etc.
In the end, I think it is critical for the customer to feel comfortable with their purchase and I'd be the last to argue that any single business model is superior to all others.
-----
I don't know what to make of your friend and his waiting period for his Schröder. Surely, communications with his dealer would be helpful for him, although frankly there's not much to be said from such communications - other than to say "yes, your arm is on order, sir".
I do know that in working with Frank, I don't even consider getting a status for more than the next two arms on my list. I accept that any such estimate is meaningless. My reasoning is based on the assumption that I'm perhaps one of a dozen dealers world-wide. To ask Frank to predict more than two arms out is to expect him to predict beyond 24 tonearms which is plainly not possible.
I would estimate that 70% of the Schröders I sell are to people who have not purchased a Galibier turntable from me.
When I speak of the service I give to my turntable customers while they are waiting for their Schröder, I hope this wasn't construed as preferential treatment in terms of order fulfillment.
I was trying to convey an expression of gratitude for peoples' business by loaning armboards, sourcing arms where possible - that sort of thing. I maintain a list of orders and forward it to Frank on a monthly basis - as a "tickler file" if you will. I do not change the priorities based on what a person purchased from me.
It sounds as if you have found a marvelous tonearm and you are thrilled with it. This is great news. I have a Micro MX-282 which is on loan to a friend. I demand that this arm stay in my extended audio family, so I understand your comments about the arm you acquired being a "keeper".
I sense that on some level however, that you are curious about Schröders. Perhaps this is intellectual curiosity about the unobtanium, and nothing more. I understand. If you're ever in the Colorado area, feel free to arrange a "no obligation" comparison of a Schröder and Triplanar. Please note however, I just sent may personal arm to Frank to swap out the arm wand and the wire. Maybe I can pull some strings to get it back by the end of the year. Sorry, I couldn't resist injecting some humor here.
Your question about a Richard Sachs bike is a good one. Usually, when we're at the level of considering either a Schröder Tonearm or a Richard Sachs bike, we already own a fairly fine tonearm or bicycle.
Assuming this weren't the case, I'd obviously have to purchase a bicycle in order to get through the waiting period. My path would likely take me to another small builder like Tom Nobilette or Eisentraut. Alternatively, I might purchase a production Moots, which I'd equivocate with purchasing of a Triplanar Tonearm in our example - not exactly chopped liver.
Like yourself, I could find myself keeping the Moots and pedaling happily ever after ... or a Triplanar over a Schröder. We are talking about very fine pieces in these two examples, and given tastes and such, one never knows which one will prefer.
Cheers,
Thom @ Galibier