Wonder Why No Japanese Retippers?

I’m quite confident that there are retippers in japan who don’t speak English and do not want to be bothered with attracting non-Japanese speaking clientele. We travel to Tokyo every year to visit our son. We’re going again in late May. I’ll ask.

@cey Looks like you have not been following the Koetsu story. They have shut down due to the death of the son, and will no longer offer product or rebuild services. Nor will they be selling to company to another to continue the line.

@lewm I would think that would be the case. There I have been into a few Japanese audio stores during my trips, and they do have a passionate group of hobbyists. I am curious, the cartridge companies that do directly export to the US and Europe, are their domestic prices significantly different than what we get here? Or are all the Japanese companies using distributors, and with another level of mark up?

I was recently looking at a Forum based in Japan, that I did not Bookmark.

I’m sure when doing translations there was reference to Cartridge Repairs, but can’t recall if non OEM services were being referenced.

As for Koetsu, it is very early in their change of direction, to be able to really say with surety, that the Companies future is able to be forecast.    

@rauliruegas I got into high end audio back in the early/mid 80’s.  In the early 90’s I was selling Micro Seiki, Saec, Highphonic cartridges as well as various USA and English equipment and speaker brands.  We modified a lot of tube equipment and I know that not only my tech but I knew a couple others that were buying old tube gear and sending it over to Japan and usually just selling it as-is as they wanted it stock.  I don’t remember all the brands, but I know old Marantz tube gear was a big one.  My tech told me he would sell it for 3-4 times what he paid for it here and that the Japanese were buying a lot of old tube gear.  I remember feeling sad that so much vintage gear was leaving the country.