Yamaha DTXpress/DTXplorer/DTXtreme

On Friday, December 5, 2003, at 03:48  pm, moosetication wrote:

> It seems Yamaha UK are closing down the Milton Keynes main facility
> and moving everything to Belgium.
<snip>
> Seems we're in for a bumpy ride with Yamaha over here for a while.

Pearl did something similar a little while back and it took six months 
before they got sorted out - if you call a wait of between 6 to 8 weeks 
on orders 'sorted' that is. Drum distribution in the UK is abysmal and 
getting worse, and is the reason I dropped plans to start up a drum 
business recently. The contracts were onerous, the start up costs 
ridiculous, and the whole industry runs as if this was the 1950s. And 
don't get me started on the drum stores.......

For most Japanese manufacturers their home market is the most important 
(probably accounting I would guess for more sales than the UK, France 
and Germany put together), closely followed by the US. I'm afraid 
Europe is an after thought and things won't change unless UK customers 
complain and demand something better, but I see little sign of that 
happening :-(

And this move by Yamaha rather seems to leave the electronic market to 
Roland doesn't it? Roland have quite a high profile in the UK (and good 
support), and the new DTXpress III will be about the same price as the 
Roland - not the cheapest kid on the block anymore. And if Yamaha's 
distribution and backup goes down the tubes........well I know where 
I'd put my money in that situation.

pb