What is it that prompts you to buy band or dj equipment? Is it the name brand, the cost or is it maybe the look of the item? For the dj or band that wants to succeed this can make or break you. The majority of entertainers get the idea in their head to go for the name brand thinking that if they buy name brand and pay more for it then it must mean it is better. Well that could not be further from the truth.
We have taken a look at a few brands and products and what we have found may shock you. As you may already know we do repair work on electronics. We had a top-notch dj come to see us about fixing his Vestax mixer that he had just bought for a little over $1000.00 that for some reason just refused to turn on. He exclaimed that he only had it a week and used it once then apparently for no reason just stopped working.
So this poor sap paid a grand for one show and then paid us $180.00 to service it for him. We had suggested he take advantage of his warranty but he told us that after the last run in with Vestax and a warranty issue he was without a mixer for 7 weeks and when it was returned to him it was in far worse shape than when it was sent out. He just didn’t have the time or patience to deal with that again so here we are.
That is a look at a rather expensive 2-channel dj mixer now lets look at a brand at the bottom of the chain. Numark, I would have never expected 7 years ago when I paid $300.00 for two Numark cd players and $500.00 for a matching mixer that I would still be using them today. I have never had a warranty issue with them so I cannot comment much on their warranty service but what that should tell you is this. The warranty expired without the products having any issues. Currently yes I have had to fix each of these pieces a small number of times but not as a result of poor craftsmanship.
A patron at a club got to close to my equipment and spilled a whole beer on the mixer and amp. They of course shut down in the middle of the show. I unplugged and popped the top off of them and dabbed the insides as dry as possible. I then took an air hose to force dry the insides with air. Within 15 minutes the show was back up and running as though nothing had happened. The client was most impressed for three reasons. The first being that we did not loose any business over the incident, the second was my handling of the situation and the third was that the club did not have to pay for their bouncers negligence in keeping my area free from drunken fools.
I could have taken the time to unhook the equipment and pull it out of the racks then replace it with our backup set but this would have taken to long and by the time it was complete and ready to go to many would have left the club and headed on to another. So once again before I finish what is it that prompts you to buy equipment? Don’t rely on a name alone. Look for background and also look for reviews unrelated to the site or retailer you are making the purchase from.
