burningbusch Posted December 4, 2009 Share Posted December 4, 2009 I stopped in to GC Seattle to pick up some software and saw plenty of red. There were red KVR monitors, special-edition M-Audio Axiom Pro, a red Korg M-50 and the SV-1 73. After playing the SV-1, and liking it, I thought I'd do a quick compare against the Nord. I couldn't find one. I asked the sales guy and he said something to the effect that yes they had pulled them from the stores (my understanding ALL the stores). The reason given was the Nord is a small company and really couldn't supply/service GC in the manner they required. Interesting. I remember when GC and Kurzweil divorced. I don't think anyone would deny that had a big negative impact on Kurzweil (and still does today to a degree). I don't see this divorce as being as big an issue for Nord. They are well established and the instruments are much more straightforward. Can anyone verify this is the case in other cities? The downtown Seattle store is the largest in the area and carried products like the OASYS and Tyros, so for them not to carry Nord is significant. Busch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keyoctave Posted December 4, 2009 Share Posted December 4, 2009 I called the GC's in Charlotte, NC and Greenville, SC. They both said that they will not be stocking them in the stores as they did but will still be able to order them. An example, GC in Charlotte (which is a big store) only had one Nord in stock, Greenville had none. Kurzweil PC3, Hammond SK-1 + Ventilator, Korg Triton. 2 JBL Eon 510's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aidan Posted December 4, 2009 Share Posted December 4, 2009 I think we're already seeing, and will continue to see, a huge decline in actual stock in retail stores. I went into my local store today for some cables and out of interest had a poke around their keyboards section. Last time I was in there, they had a Motif XS8, a Fantom G7, a CP300 and an Oasys. Today, there was a lonely-looking Juno D, a couple of low-end arrangers, a handful of cheap MIDI controllers and a couple of home DPs. Clearly, there is little taste anymore for tying up huge amounts of capital in stock. Studio: Yamaha P515 | Yamaha Tyros 5 | Yamaha HX1 | Moog Sub 37 Road: Yamaha YC88 | Nord Electro 5D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
resigned Posted December 4, 2009 Share Posted December 4, 2009 You gotta feel for the GC's... everytime I've been in one the keyboards were all in terrible condition - missing knobs, keys damaged etc. and usually some manic kids running amok. This kind of abuse comes out of their pockets and for them to reduce their liability would not surprise me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mogut Posted December 4, 2009 Share Posted December 4, 2009 Just a little information about guitar center... it sucks ASS!!! -Greg Motif XS8, MOXF8, Hammond XK1c, Vent Rhodes Mark II 88 suitcase, Yamaha P255 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoodyBluesKeys Posted December 4, 2009 Share Posted December 4, 2009 the keyboards were all in terrible condition - missing knobs, keys damaged etc. and usually some manic kids running amok. This kind of abuse comes out of their pockets The last sentence - it SHOULD come out of their pockets if they don't at least make effort to control it. Both Nord and Kurzweil are now represented in the U.S. by the same distributor. I have heard that Kurzweil in the older days lost more money on the amount of new product that had been damaged returned to them that they had to repair and sell as B-stock from the GC stores than they made from the original sales -- seems like that might be a good probability. Might just be that the distributor is sharply limiting the amound of damaged merchandise that will be replaced free - and GC management figures they can still sell one to anyone that really wants one - without keeping them in stock. Howard Grand|Hamm SK1-73|Kurz PC2|PC2X|PC3|PC3X|PC361; QSC K10's HP DAW|Epi Les Paul & LP 5-str bass|iPad mini2 "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bhodaway10 Posted December 4, 2009 Share Posted December 4, 2009 I was wondering why all of the Nord's disappeared from the GC. www.brianho.net http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/brianho www.youtube.com/brianhojazz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProfD Posted December 4, 2009 Share Posted December 4, 2009 Even if GC sells Nord by order only, it would still make sense to have floor units to demo (despite missing knobs and such). Strange indeed. PD "The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return."--E. Ahbez "Nature Boy" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karl Sutton Posted December 4, 2009 Share Posted December 4, 2009 that's too bad I had never even heard of Nord when I played the Electro2 at the GC here in Nashville & bought the floor model from them I liked it so much. Yamaha P22 Upright / Nord Stage 2 SW73 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Benhamou Posted December 4, 2009 Share Posted December 4, 2009 Music stores suck! Collectively, the guys on this forum probably know more about all the boards old and new than the entire national GC staff. Unfortunately, we do need a place to demo them. I can't buy a board without playing it first. Problem is, I need like three days at home and hopefully a gig or rehearsal, through different speakers, headphones, patch tweeking, programming splits and layers, recording short demos. You don't know until you know, you know what I mean? Ian Benhamou Keyboards/Guitar/Vocals [url:https://www.facebook.com/OfficialTheMusicalBox/]The Musical Box[/url] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mogut Posted December 4, 2009 Share Posted December 4, 2009 Sweetwater has experienced and educated salespeople. Talk to a guy named Greg who works in the showroom. Top notch! -Greg Motif XS8, MOXF8, Hammond XK1c, Vent Rhodes Mark II 88 suitcase, Yamaha P255 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Benhamou Posted December 4, 2009 Share Posted December 4, 2009 Sweetwater has experienced and educated salespeople. Talk to a guy named Greg who works in the showroom. Top notch! Sweetwater is online. Different type of business. Anyway, I live in Quebec, where they don't deliver, and even if they did, I would get killed on customs taxes, so better off going to my local store. It just pisses me off to have to pay commission to a dim-witted 22-year old who did nothing to sell me the product except swipe my credit card (actually he doesn't even do that, the cashier does). Ian Benhamou Keyboards/Guitar/Vocals [url:https://www.facebook.com/OfficialTheMusicalBox/]The Musical Box[/url] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mogut Posted December 4, 2009 Share Posted December 4, 2009 Sweetwater has experienced and educated salespeople. Talk to a guy named Greg who works in the showroom. Top notch! Anyway, I live in Quebec, where they don't deliver, and even if they did, I would get killed on customs taxes, so better off going to my local store. It just pisses me off to have to pay commission to a dim-witted 22-year old who did nothing to sell me the product except swipe my credit card (actually he doesn't even do that, the cashier does). Canada sucks for music stores! Long & mcquade woohoo! And the prices and taxes WOWSA! Glad I moved away, after 25 years (born and raised there) Do they have L&M at least in Quebec? ps... although I'd take L&M over GC anyday -Greg Motif XS8, MOXF8, Hammond XK1c, Vent Rhodes Mark II 88 suitcase, Yamaha P255 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MonksDream Posted December 4, 2009 Share Posted December 4, 2009 Sweetwater has experienced and educated salespeople. Talk to a guy named Greg who works in the showroom. Top notch! Anyway, I live in Quebec, where they don't deliver, and even if they did, I would get killed on customs taxes, so better off going to my local store. It just pisses me off to have to pay commission to a dim-witted 22-year old who did nothing to sell me the product except swipe my credit card (actually he doesn't even do that, the cashier does). Canada sucks for music stores! Long & mcquade woohoo! And the prices and taxes WOWSA! Glad I moved away, after 25 years (born and raised there) Do they have L&M at least in Quebec? ps... although I'd take L&M over GC anyday Yep, ain't that the truth!? And it isn't just the brick-and-mortar stores. I would gladly order from Sweetwater or Musician's Friend is I didn't expect to get dinged badly for "brokerage" and customs fees. Instrumentation is meaningless - a song either stands on its own merit, or it requires bells and whistles to cover its lack of adequacy, much less quality. - kanker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedKey Posted December 4, 2009 Share Posted December 4, 2009 They (GC) created the environment for this activity to take place. Their managers and employees take little to no ownership or pride in their jobs. Hard to care about gear or customers when employment is a revolving door and your replacement need's little to no experience. The Sweetwater's & Gand's of the industry would not have broken keys and missing knobs. If they did, it would be serviced immediately. In their internal service dept. It's an environment that cares about gear & customers. Those are the environments that have ALL of the top pro boards hooked up and on display. Too bad there are not enough retailers like these anymore. There are other good examples, but these two stand out in the midwest states. You gotta feel for the GC's... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kanker. Posted December 4, 2009 Share Posted December 4, 2009 I see the big boxes starting to go the way of the dodo because of the internet, which will give rise to small mom and pop joints having a chance again. You see it right now in record stores - no more major players in storefront record sales, but every city has some serious mom and pop joints. Big box booksellers are starting to lose out too, and mom and pops are taking up the slack. Hopefully the same will happen with music stores... A ROMpler is just a polyphonic turntable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mogut Posted December 4, 2009 Share Posted December 4, 2009 I'm gonna open up a music store chain and call it "Guitar Center Sucks"... and make millions -Greg Motif XS8, MOXF8, Hammond XK1c, Vent Rhodes Mark II 88 suitcase, Yamaha P255 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Benhamou Posted December 4, 2009 Share Posted December 4, 2009 Canada sucks for music stores! Long & mcquade woohoo! And the prices and taxes WOWSA! Glad I moved away, after 25 years (born and raised there) Do they have L&M at least in Quebec? No L&M here. Actually, I bitch a lot, but Montreal does have some good music shops. Steve's started out back in the 60's I think as a small shop. Today they're still in the same location, although they've since expanded. I just refuse to shop there cause everyone who works there is a major league asshole. My goto shop for the past 10 years is Italmelodie. Also started years a go as a mom and pop shop. The keyboard department was fairly well stocked, and the guy who runs the department was actually very knowledgable on the current synth technology and the features of his products. But last summer, that store expanded and now looks more like a small GC than a mom and pop operation. And the keyboard department head doesn't work there anymore. The last time I went there wasn't a great selection of up to date gear, and the salesman I spoke to didn't strike me as a wealth of knowledge. I'm even thinking of applying for a part-time job there and show them how to run a keyboard department. Ian Benhamou Keyboards/Guitar/Vocals [url:https://www.facebook.com/OfficialTheMusicalBox/]The Musical Box[/url] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProfD Posted December 4, 2009 Share Posted December 4, 2009 Washington Music Center aka Chuck Levins located in Wheaton, MD is a GREAT independently owned music store. Had to plug my local spot. I'm sure the internet has affected their business too but so many musos from around the world know the place, they just keep coming back and sending others. Stevie Wonder stops through and hangs out at Chucks whenever he's in town. PD "The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return."--E. Ahbez "Nature Boy" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Muscara Posted December 4, 2009 Share Posted December 4, 2009 Stevie Wonder stops through and hangs out at Chucks whenever he's in town. Huh. So do I. "I'm so crazy, I don't know this is impossible! Hoo hoo!" - Daffy Duck "The good news is that once you start piano you never have to worry about getting laid again. More time to practice!" - MOI Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Pierce Posted December 4, 2009 Share Posted December 4, 2009 The San Jose GC used to stock 3 or 4 Nords. I'll try to swing by there in the next couple of days and see what they've got. I agree that they suck. But sadly, they've become the best-stocked keyboard department in the South Bay. Still not as good as Gelb Music in Redwood City, but if you don't want to drive out of the Santa Clara Valley, GC is the only place with a decent selection of keyboards now. (Not so much because they've gotten better, just because their competition has all scaled back.) --Dave Make my funk the P-funk. I wants to get funked up. My Funk/Jam originals project: http://www.thefunkery.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana. Posted December 4, 2009 Share Posted December 4, 2009 The two GCs in NYC no longer have Nords on the floor. Sam Ash, however, still does. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff_D_in_MD Posted December 4, 2009 Share Posted December 4, 2009 Washington Music Center aka Chuck Levins located in Wheaton, MD is a GREAT independently owned music store. Had to plug my local spot. +1 on Chuck Levin's. I bought my Nord Electro 2 there last year, and my QSC K10 there yesterday. AFAIK they still stock Nord gear (they had an NE3 out a couple of weeks ago). Yamaha P2 acoustic, Yamaha P120 digital, Nord Electro 3HP, QSC K10. FOR SALE: Nord Electro 2-61. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Synthoid Posted December 4, 2009 Share Posted December 4, 2009 Washington Music Center aka Chuck Levins located in Wheaton, MD is a GREAT independently owned music store. I wish they were a bit closer to where I live. Our GC (near Lancaster, PA) never stocked Nord. Plus--they recently dropped the Roland Fantom G. When an eel hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that's a Moray. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Loving Posted December 4, 2009 Share Posted December 4, 2009 I still buy everything on line anyway. CG never has anything I want to try out, except they did have a cp300. "Forget it, Jake. It's Chinatown." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bhodaway10 Posted December 5, 2009 Share Posted December 5, 2009 The San Jose GC used to stock 3 or 4 Nords. I'll try to swing by there in the next couple of days and see what they've got. I agree that they suck. But sadly, they've become the best-stocked keyboard department in the South Bay. Still not as good as Gelb Music in Redwood City, but if you don't want to drive out of the Santa Clara Valley, GC is the only place with a decent selection of keyboards now. (Not so much because they've gotten better, just because their competition has all scaled back.) --Dave Dave, I went to the SJ Gc today - no Nords. Although, they did have a Korg SV-1. I liked it! www.brianho.net http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/brianho www.youtube.com/brianhojazz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moonglow Posted December 5, 2009 Share Posted December 5, 2009 As of yesterday, not a Nord to be found at the CG in Merrillville, Indiana. Fortunately, Sweetwater or Gand Music is within reasonable striking distance from my nest here in NW Indiana. "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProfD Posted December 5, 2009 Share Posted December 5, 2009 This thread feels like election returns from around the country. Still awaiting word on Nord availability in GC Florida. PD "The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return."--E. Ahbez "Nature Boy" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichieP_MechE Posted December 5, 2009 Share Posted December 5, 2009 There haven't been any Nords (or other clonewheels, for that matter) in Pittsburgh-area GCs for at least the last 3 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Muscara Posted December 5, 2009 Share Posted December 5, 2009 Last time I went to GC here in Houston (there are three in the area, no idea about the other two), they had two Electro 2s on display, a 61 and a 73. That was it. I was willing to give 'em credit (as much credit as I'm willing to give GC, anyway) because they were going to move that store to a new location in a few weeks. But now, it would not surprise me if that was all they had or even less. "I'm so crazy, I don't know this is impossible! Hoo hoo!" - Daffy Duck "The good news is that once you start piano you never have to worry about getting laid again. More time to practice!" - MOI Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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