On Thu, 13 Jan 2005 23:36:10 -0800, "Benjamin Maas"
wrote:

Yeah, same here with both their Neumann and Schoeps bodies. I found a KM
body there that they only wanted $300 for and I thought that was a deal
until I found out what the capsule cost... May as well buy the mic new for
that... snip

For years, I've opined that Coast caters to the "fish" market...or, as
Burnum would put it, "There's a sucker born every minute." Why waste
time grinding on price with a knowledgable buyer, when there are
wannabe idiots running around in Hollywood who want to get what they
THINK is the gear that will make them the major domo of recording at
any price? Fleecing one sucker yields more profit than selling to
five or more smart guys.

I remember when Heider and others were dumping their early 440s, and
Coast had a bunch of them lined up in their "showroom." $3999 for a
beater 440A-2 with obviously worn heads and tweaked guides!!! The
440-4s were even more ridiculous. Granted, this was about 20 years
ago, but still, I could get an identical 440 from any number of
broadcasters or other private sources for about half that, in better
condition. The fact is, Coast SOLD them...eventually...and probably
got their price. That's their business model...hold out for the big
markup.

The last time I was in that place was because I had a job a customer
needed done ASAP on my 300-3 and my pinch roller was "iffy." I had
mistakenly thought I had a fresh spare, and didn't. Off to Coast, 5
minutes away, and voila...the $120 pinch roller...and it had obviously
been around for a LONG time. WTF??? Their $75 brake bands were
another hoot. I've never been back since. I did enjoy gawking at
those Altec A-2s over in the Scottsound staging room next door,
though. Visually intimidating in any studio!

dB