Topic: Schoeps Repair Question

[Dutchman1101]

For those who have had Schoeps repair something recently, what avenues did you take? I contacted Reading Audio and they said they are a point of contact for Schoeps repair but the turnaround time is 8 to 10 weeks! Does that sound about right?

Is it faster maybe to go though Schoeps directly if that is possible?

Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

Harrison

[mmedley.]

This is what DSatz explained to me when I inquired about service...if they ain't broke...don't send them in. I do not think he would mind me posting this...

Single- and dual-pattern Schoeps capsules don't ordinarily require maintenance, though. The three-pattern capsule (MK 6) and the old stereo microphones built around it (the CMTS 301 and 501) are the only Schoeps items that need to be sent in on any regular basis--and for me that has meant every ten to fifteen years or so. With my single-pattern capsules I might make that every 20 years or even 25. With single-pattern capsules that are a mere 7 years old I wouldn't bother, unless I had reason to suspect a problem.

I suggest that you contact Scott Boland at Redding Audio and put the questions to him.

[Dutchman1101]

This is what DSatz explained to me when I inquired about service...if they ain't broke...don't send them in. I do not think he would mind me posting this...

Single- and dual-pattern Schoeps capsules don't ordinarily require maintenance, though. The three-pattern capsule (MK 6) and the old stereo microphones built around it (the CMTS 301 and 501) are the only Schoeps items that need to be sent in on any regular basis--and for me that has meant every ten to fifteen years or so. With my single-pattern capsules I might make that every 20 years or even 25. With single-pattern capsules that are a mere 7 years old I wouldn't bother, unless I had reason to suspect a problem.

I suggest that you contact Scott Boland at Redding Audio and put the questions to him.

I unfortunately have a problem with one of my bodies so I have to send them in eventually. Thanks for the info though!

It sounds like Redding Audio is who I have to go through then.

Harrison

[DSatz]

Dutchman, I'm sorry that you're having a problem with your microphone. But you certainly don't "have to" go through Redding Audio; you have a perfect right to send your equipment in for checkout or service without anyone else's say-so. It's just that you'll probably be astonished at how much FedEx and UPS charge for insured overseas air shipments nowadays, and the amount of time saved may not be as much as you expect. Redding Audio offers a service, which is to bundle the repairs that come in and split the cost of shipment among them all, as well as managing the paperwork and insurance. This is not done at a profit to themselves.

The round-trip time you were quoted is longer than usual, and I assume that the holidays are the main cause (plus Redding might have sent a bundle out fairly recently already). I know that Schoeps will be closed for the last full week of December; most likely they won't be at full strength until January 2nd or 3rd.

Air mail is certainly cheaper if you trust it, and you might save ten days or more since Schoeps would send the microphones back directly to you. However, you would have to arrange payment with them before they ship. Are you familiar with the German banking system? You don't just send money to whoever you owe it to--you send it to their bank. Sending a check and getting it cleared can take three weeks. And of course, until your microphone has been at least looked at, they can't tell you what the charges will be.

So unless you're able to make instant payments in Euros--like, if you have Internet access to a bank account over there--you will probably save less time than you expect, you will definitely pay more for shipment, and the arrangements will be more complicated. I use the Redding route myself, but my repairs are never urgent--none of my Schoeps stuff ever seems to break (he says, typing with his fingers crossed).

--best regards

Important P.S., added the next morning: I'm blissfully happy to answer questions like this if I happen to know the answers, but people: Situations like this one are why we need professional audio dealers, and why it's worth cultivating some kind of relationship with such people (normally just business, though I know that "full service" can have another meaning).

Anyway, I urge you all to purchase your good recording equipment from dealers who will be there if you have problems, and who can help you reason out what to do next, if not actually take care of the problem themselves. I'm not just talking about Schoeps here. Back when I was starting out, microphones were still all horse-drawn of course--but dealers knew who their customers were, knew their product, and had advice that was worth listening to. There still are such people but you may have to look for them. I'm saying that it's worth steering your business to them, to keep them in business and to let them help keep you going, too.

[jhfinn]

Dutchman, I'm sorry that you're having a problem with your microphone. But you certainly don't "have to" go through Redding Audio; you have a perfect right to send your equipment in for checkout or service without anyone else's say-so. It's just that you'll probably be astonished at how much FedEx and UPS charge for insured overseas air shipments nowadays, and the amount of time saved may not be as much as you expect. Redding Audio offers a service, which is to bundle the repairs that come in and split the cost of shipment among them all, as well as managing the paperwork and insurance. This is not done at a profit to themselves.

The round-trip time you were quoted is longer than usual, and I assume that the holidays are the main cause (plus Redding might have sent a bundle out fairly recently already). I know that Schoeps will be closed for the last full week of December; most likely they won't be at full strength until January 2nd or 3rd.

Air mail is certainly cheaper if you trust it, and you might save ten days or more since Schoeps would send the microphones back directly to you. However, you would have to arrange payment with them before they ship. Are you familiar with the German banking system? You don't just send money to whoever you owe it to--you send it to their bank. Sending a check and getting it cleared can take three weeks. And of course, until your microphone has been at least looked at, they can't tell you what the charges will be.

So unless you're able to make instant payments in Euros--like, if you have Internet access to a bank account over there--you will probably save less time than you expect, you will definitely pay more for shipment, and the arrangements will be more complicated. I use the Redding route myself, but my repairs are never urgent--none of my Schoeps stuff ever seems to break (he says, typing with his fingers crossed).

--best regards

Important P.S., added the next morning: I'm blissfully happy to answer questions like this if I happen to know the answers, but people: Situations like this one are why we need professional audio dealers, and why it's worth cultivating some kind of relationship with such people (normally just business, though I know that "full service" can have another meaning).

Anyway, I urge you all to purchase your good recording equipment from dealers who will be there if you have problems, and who can help you reason out what to do next, if not actually take care of the problem themselves. I'm not just talking about Schoeps here. Back when I was starting out, microphones were still all horse-drawn of course--but dealers knew who their customers were, knew their product, and had advice that was worth listening to. There still are such people but you may have to look for them. I'm saying that it's worth steering your business to them, to keep them in business and to let them help keep you going, too.

If the Schoeps were purchased from Germany do you know if a US dealer like Redding/Posthorn will still help? I bought mine several years ago from Musicians-Gear.com and the one concern Ive always had is if they needed repair I would have to deal with getting them to and from Schoeps myself.Thanks in advance Dan your wealth of knowledge is greatly appreciated around here!!

Jim

[KLowe]

Yes, Redding will help.
I sent in an Ebay purchase that Redding sent off to Germany for a fix.
The guys at Redding are very helpful and very nice.  I don't think they care at all where the mic came from originally.

and yes....the turn around time is very slow....but the prices are "relatively" cheap.

[trajhip2000]

I can confirm that Redding and Schoeps don't care if you acquired your mics through the gray market route...

Steve

[Brian Skalinder]

I contacted Reading Audio and they said they are a point of contact for Schoeps repair but the turnaround time is 8 to 10 weeks! Does that sound about right?

I called Jerry at Posthorn to ask about service on a used MK41 I just bought.  He indicated Posthorn acts as the contact for service only if the gear was purchased from him directly.  Of course, he kindly steered me to RA and gave me a breakdown of how the process works.

So then I spoke to RA.  They quoted me ~10 weeks turnaround at a cost of $100 - $250, depending on how much work the mic needs.  I asked how much it would cost if no service was necessary after checking out the mic, and they still couldn't/wouldn't commit to anything other than the $100-250 price range.  RA confirmed they batch-ship mics to Schoeps monthly and the service is performed at cost - no profit by RA or Schoeps.  I think the mic's fine, as I bought it used from a trusted TSer who noted it was in excellent functional condition (and good cosmetic condition, I might add), but given its age (1981) I wanted to have it checked out for peace of mind.  Not sure I will, now, given the price tag, unless I notice something screwy.

[boojum]

The cost of repair/service by Schoeps is enough to make the margin between used and new that much smaller.  Unless you are getting a killer deal, new might be a better way to go. 

[Brian Skalinder]

The cost of repair/service by Schoeps is enough to make the margin between used and new that much smaller.  Unless you are getting a killer deal, new might be a better way to go.

That was my thought...unfortunately after completing the sale.    I'd assumed ~$50 for a check-up (assuming nothing's wrong with the mics).  Bump that up to $100 - $250 and...not sure it's worth it.

[jerryfreak]

food for thought, from scott boland of redding audio. He makes some alid points, but in the long run, theyre not gonna beat up people who bought them used:



Depends on your perspective. Facilitating repairs is a good-will service provided by Redding Audio. We spend an enormous amount of time and energy on the repair process and since we do it "at cost", we are lucky to break even at the end of the year. To effectively import, stock, distribute and market a foreign line like Schoeps - there hefty costs and that is why the mics are usually higher here - not because we want it to be higher. Not to mention exchange rates etc.. The gray market is a nemesis to anyone representing a foreign brand - to the EU manufacturer a microphone sold is a microphone sold.

When someone buys gray market, they are creating something larger than just a lost U.S. sale .... Here's a typical scenario -- a guy in the U.S. will get information from our website, call a dealer and ask questions, call me with many more questions, come to our AES tradeshow booth (in which we pay for) ask for us to send him/her a catalog which costs us six bucks etc... If they go and buy from the EU - we have lost a sale and the time and money of many other events too. Sooo, of course we will be unhappy about gray market sales and when a GM microphone owner wants us to facilitate their repair. Any moral responsibility by the user is thrown out the door as soon as the microphone has problems. It's very different than, say, buying a vacuum from WalMart instead of Target.

We have declined to accept GM microphones for service before and will probably again depending on the circumstances. I know we have a history with you personally in the past years so if you buy used GM mics, it's not a big deal. If we so choose, we should have the right to charge for any of our quality services as everyone else in any service industry does. Our approach is that if you buy a Schoeps microphone through our approved channel, you not only will get impeccable service from us during your warranty period, but first class service at extremely fair costs and a friendly knowledge base for as long as you own the mics. We feel that is worth something. The EU GM dealers will not do anything for you except take your money and tell you to call Schoeps the second you have a problem. This is when we get the call.... Some may care; some may not about how this ultimately affects them and us.

So the ultimate question is: Would it be fair for a company to charge more for facilitating a gray market repair in comparison to a mic that came through the U.S. channel?? The debate continues.
The customer with gray market goods always expects to be treated fairly regardless of whether their decision has treated us unfairly.

Regards,

Scott Boland

[DSatz]

Redding Audio is an independent U.S.-based company. They're not a subsidiary of Schoeps or any of the other manufacturers which they represent here (e.g. Rycote). If someone in the U.S. buys a Schoeps product from another country, both legally and practically speaking, Redding Audio isn't involved in that action. Thus Redding has no formal or legal obligation with regard to that sale, and any courtesy that Redding may choose to extend to that buyer at a later date is at their sole discretion.

"Denn wie man sich bettet, so liegt man"--our choices have consequences. Most of the time you don't need the fire department or the hospital in your town; does that mean that you're smart if you neglect their upkeep? One thing that I know first-hand is that professional courtesy abounds in this business--but its existence depends on dealers and other service providers being there when you need them, and the basis of that is their ability to make a living selling the stuff in the first place.

Unlike (say) digital recorders, which can become obsolete while the UPS truck is rounding the corner to deliver you the latest model, good microphones can have a service lifetime of forty years or more. If you want a service organization to be available for them in the future, there's more to consider than the relatively small amount that you might save on the initial purchase price.

--best regards

P.S. added the next morning: Used to be, the only people who could be successful dealers for nifty sound equipment were people who knew a lot about that equipment and the profession--people who every time you talked with them, you found out something that really helped. This included copious pre-sales discussions, which I certainly took more than my share of.

This system has been in decline for years as a direct result of gray marketing and of impoverished expectations--people who buy based only on the initial selling price as if that was the only possible benefit of a relationship with a dealer. Pro audio has been deeply affected by the larger trends in the world economy and consumer attitudes. We're supposed to buy everything as cheaply as possible and not think about any "later on." Nothing else makes sense, mostly; most things today are designed to arouse a sudden feeling of need, which is quickly forgotten when the next need arises for something else.

Here and there, though, remnants of the old service and support culture can still be found--most often in small dealerships with small annual gross sales, even one- two-person shops. I want them to survive, and I hope to infect people here with an awareness of the value--and the fragility--of their continued existence.

[it-goes-to-eleven]

I've dealt with Scott at Redding before and the service was impeccable.  I thought one of my new mk21's might have a problem and they swapped them out for me. Grey market, etc, would have been a huge pain.

[Brian Skalinder]

Here and there, though, remnants of the old service and support culture can still be found--most often in small dealerships with small annual gross sales, even one- two-person shops. I want them to survive, and I hope to infect people here with an awareness of the value--and the fragility--of their continued existence.

Great point.  I'm generally a firm believer in supporting full-service operations, whatever the gear/topic.  A TS-applicable example of the value of knowledgeable, professional operations:

A few years back, I wanted to purchase a Sonosax SX-M2/LS2, aka Lemosax, for running with my Schoeps caps.  I'd always used Oade Bros, given their previous ability and willingness to talk to me about my goals, budget, gear options, preferences, etc. - i.e. they provided full service in the past.  But if I recall correctly, they didn't carry Sonosax gear.  I found almost no useful information on the /LS2 online, aside from a few snippets here on TS.  Sonosax website?  Didn't even mention the unit, and emails and phone calls to the manufacturer didn't get me the information I needed.  Websites dealing audio gear?  Not even listed.  I called around to a few places known for having extremely competitive prices, some maybe "grey market", others not.  Whaddya know...no one really knew anything about the unit.  Based on a recommendation from someone here at TS, I called a full-service (if small) pro shop, Jerry Bruck at Posthorn.  He answered every question I had, shared information I didn't even think to ask about, and provided guidance and feedback beyond the call.  Wanting to support his support of me, I purchased the /LS2 from Posthorn.  Sure, I didn't pay the lowest price possible (well, maybe I did, since no one else even knew about the darn thing).  But without places like Posthorn in business I wouldn't have been able to make the purchase in the first place, since no one else with whom I spoke knew the details of the /LS2, if they even knew of its existence at all.  This experience, and others like it, are why I keep going back to full service pro shops for my gear, advice, support, etc.