knudsen@ihwpt.UUCP (mike knudsen) (12/12/85)
My store experiences (just closed deal on Korg DW8000)
are better than those recently posted as far as salesmen are concerned,
but yes, I felt intimidated by the other players at times.
I went to one place where the two guys were very nice and friendly
but admitted up front they knew zip about the keyboards in the store,
being guitar types.
Another thing I noticed is: you walk in, say what your
general needs are, and the salesman steers you to one or two
boards. Good, but after you've spent some time on them, if you ask
about any of the other boards there, the salesman doesn't seem to
hear you. He's "locked in" on his initially suggested keyboards,
or maybe tired of you.
SHOPPING SUGGESTIONS:
Don't buy anything after less than two hours of
hands-on diddling -- it'll take that long to run thru the presets
and try out the patch-editing capabilities. If you haven't figured
out how to edit after that time, find a better human-engineered
synth or a better salesman. Be sure to check out the MANUAL.
Start by asking to borrow a pair of HEADPHONES,
so you won't feel SELF-CONSCIOUS around those "real" players,
and you can HEAR the synth over their noodling.
Phones also guarantee honest sound (no reverb or whatever added
by the store's sound system to make the instrument sound better).
Also makes A-B comparisons more honest, tho some boards have better
headphone output amps than others. Phones let you evaluate
the stereo chorus and related effects well.
Try out every FEATURE (chorus, after-touch, etc) that you care
about at all -- different makes do lots better or worse at
such things.
DON'T settle for the first price offered at any store.
Find out what store in your area gives rock-bottom prices and
get a quote from them. Use this as leverage at other stores.
You'll be amazed how willing most places are to deal.
Don't expect a quality store with good salespeople and service
to match the low quote, but they should score within $50 or so.
Try asking for a package quote -- pedals, cords, etc thrown in.
mike k