MathewsMusic=Best to AVOID

[Demolisher]

Hi,
They ship you a horn and dont look ever look back. They even send a sheet that says the horns been inspected with a signature. Its bullocks in order to give you false security.

-Bad customer service
-Very slow emails(almost a month and I had to send a reminder email)
-Either bad technician or lies (If bad intonation passes an inspection, then there is no point in inspecting anything)

My story: YAS 62II was sent with a unknown dud type neck, they did not offer to replace it, they said I should buy another one from them.
Here is the neck in question - http://forum.saxontheweb.net/showthread.php?t=63678
Here is the email exchange:

Hello.

Yamaha's suggestion is that you purchase a new neck. (Surprise)

My suggestion is that you price them in the US and that we offer you
our dealer price on the neck.

Hopefully it's lower than the US retail at this point.

David Matthews Music


At 03:35 18-7-2008, you wrote:
Hello
Are you guys ever going to respond?

Date: Mon, 23 Jun 2008 14:45:28 +0200
To: michaelmorimoto@hotmail.com
From: info@matthewsmusic.nlSubject:
Re: Matthews Musical Instruments information request

Hello.

I will pass this problem on to Yamaha here In Europe.

Let's see how they respond.
David Matthews Music

[Teagan]

I've had the same problem. Bought a YAS62. Received it completely uninspected despite the certificate.

I had been convinced by their man that the neck was a G1. However that the G1 wasn't stamped on it.

I later asked to order a neck with a G1 on it. 'NO REPLY'.

Yamaha in the UK have sent me a real G1 for testing. The difference is phenomenal!

At the moment I'm in the process of trying to order a G1 from someone... but I doubt it will be Matthewsmusic. I haven't heard from them for over a week now despite my repetitive calls.

In conclusion, they're friendly, cheap, but ... in the end they're just trying to get rid of old stock!

Teagan

[Teagan]

I've bought the same YAS62S sax from them.
Same problem.
As yet no response.
I was assured it was the original G1 neck. However that it didn't have G1 stamped on it!
Having received a REAL G1 neck with the G1 stamped on it.. the difference is very noticeable.

I'm going to get on to Matthewsmusic to try to get them to change it.

Wish me luck!

[Teagan]

Well this is the reply I got from Matthewsmusic...

Hello,

I have looked at a few websites in Europe and Yamaha delivers a few countries with the G1 neck and
a few with a C neck.
Denmark, Norway, Holland and a few others with the C neck and Italy, France, GB with the G1 neck.

I can deliver you a YAS 62 S G1 neck for 250 Euro including shipping.

The neck is not in stock and the delivery time is approx. 5 weeks.

Kind regards,

Eddie

Matthews Musical Instruments
Lingerzijde 30-32
1135 AR Edam
The Netherlands
T 0031(0)299371999
F 0031(0)299371002

Website: www.matthewsmusic.nl

Should I really have to pay an extra 250€ to have the real thing?

I'll leave that up to you to decide.

Teagan :shock:

[milandro]

Very strange! My experience with Matthew's is completely different. I know the people there very well and I visit the shop regularly. I've always been helped by competent and helpful people, I've being given plenty of free advise, I've been sold good products, my horns were checked for free, given minor things like oiling and minor adjusting also free of charge. David is one of the most senior repairman in Holland and many other repair persons trained at his shop .


What I understand from the story that the two of you are telling us is that Yamaha sells this saxophones with different necks in different parts of the world and that you would have liked another neck with your saxophone than the one that you received. Matthews wrote you that ( The speed with which they answer e-mails might vary......but this is a common problem with all shops, I call them on the phone.......) the neck provided in this particular part of the world is this one that you received and that if you wanted to have the other one you have to purchase it and that they cannot swap it. Am I getting this right?

Now, I cannot comment on intonation , but Yamaha is surely one of the more competent factory in the world and there is very little in the way of intonation and mechanics that one could blame on Yamaha. However the shop where you bought the saxophone receives the entire saxophone from Yamaha and only has the models that Yamaha provides them in Holland. If you wish a model that is not sold in Holland then perhaps you shouldn't have bought it in Holland? Do I see it wrong? I wonder!

My advise to you is to call them up and discuss this with them. Their offer to give you a dealer's price for an Item which is not standard in the country where they operate (and that they would have to order especially for you from another distributor of Yamaha abroad) seems to be a good one.

Again, I am surprised of what you are saying because I know this shop to be very different from how you describe it. They are among the best sellers of quality flutes in Holland .......and if you would know how fussy flute players are ........you could understand that it is impossible to sell flutes if you are not a service oriented company.

[milandro]

In conclusion, they're friendly, cheap, but ... in the end they're just trying to get rid of old stock!

Teagan

I know for a fact that Eddie and David were both on a business trip through the States and to the Frankfurt music fair so this might be the reason of their delay in answering you. About them wanting to get rid of old stock. Man! You have no idea of how fast the sales of Yamaha at Matthew's are! They provide hundreds of horns of all categories to many other shops in the Netherlands and abroad.........I really don't think they have old stock of Yamaha saxophones! ;) Since Yamaha prices just went up they wish they had been stocking up " Old Stock" but unfortunately they have to buy their Yamaha products with the new, increased, prices!

[styxywyx]

Tegan,
Was the G1 neck you have offered me for sale the one that came with the sax - ie G1 not stamped on it and noticeably different from the loan Uk G1 or was it the one from the UK.
I think I will reconsider your kind offer thank you.
:?

[styxywyx]

hi Teagan - thanks for clearing that up - Different neck - you had me worried for a minute! :shock:

[Joe Jazz]

I once bought a "new" JK SX90 black nickel alto from them, but returned it because it obviously wasn't new. It had some scratches and noticable spit marks all over it. They did make good on the return.

[Teagan]

I would like to highlight the fact that since my last posting Matthewsmusic have contacted me to find out why I wasn't satisfied with my neck. Following a very clear conversation from David 'Customer Satisfaction Manager', they offered to send me a silver G1-neck for free on the condition that I send back the original. I received it a week ago and after only a few minutes of comparison had no hesitation in putting the original one in the box to be sent back.

It has to be said that apparently certain countries don't automatically receive the G1 by default on their new 62II saxophones. This seems to be the case for Holland.

They assured me that customer satisfaction is extremely important for them and they especially ordered me a silver G1 alto neck from Japan at no extra cost.

I must say I TAKE BACK ANY CRITICISM OF MATTHEWSMUSIC, they have done everything to correct the original misunderstanding.

Thank you MatthewsMusic,

Yours sincerely Teagan (aka Mike Wilson)

[gary]

Thanks for closing the loop on this, Mike. Some people would just keep it to themselves for fear that it might reflect on them as overreacting, or whatever. You did the right thing.

[milandro]

I am very happy to hear that I know your case was discussed very seriously in the shop..........I know them to be among the best and most conscientious people in the trade.........

[Demolisher]

Wow lots of posts on my original thread.
Unfortunately for me, I finally had them send me another neck after a ONE YEAR of email exchanges. Finally they did the deed but guess what? They sent another neck without the G1 stamp on it.
As for intonation, the non g1 stamped neck plays drastically different from any other yamaha I have ever tried (g1,g3). The intonation on the top end is very low.

[Demolisher]

I recontacted them and now their service is amazingly fast. I don't exactly know what happened the first time but I talked with David at Mathewsmusic and he dealt with all my concerns in a very efficient manor.