| Mr. Oakes did not play or touch the new ZeuS trumpet.
What he did do is see a page with about 40 high-resolution pictures and with a complete list of specifications on my website. This page was up on my site for close to a week and the link was disclosed to only ZeuS dealers and a select number of customers. Most ZeuS dealers are TH and TM members and will confirm this. My intention was to provide all the ZeuS dealers with an advance showing of the prototype trumpet yet under strict confidentiality which they were fully aware and respectful of. I have full confidence that none of the ZeuS dealers gave out the link to this page but my mistake was to also provide the link to some current and possibly future customers, some of which happen to be or were in the past WT owners. To my regret someone did not respect my strong wishes and the link to this page was leaked. The page is no longer up but will be uploaded again when the trumpet is ready for market.
Anyone with business experience would know that there is absolutely no manufacturer who would disclose a proprietary prototype to another retailer. This is absolutely absurd to even imagine.
I am shocked that Mr. Oakes would use this method and go to this level to try to denigrate my product even before it is put to market and at a time I am not able to respond on the TH. This is testament to his tenacity and business ambition, which I do respect on some level and I do believe he has a fine product. I know he designs and believes in his instruments with the same passion as I do and I can’t fault him for that. I understand his important concern, motivation and the reasoning behind his actions, although I would not have done what he did. I do want to assure him that I have no intention to hurt his business and his name did not even enter my mind when designing this new trumpet. This is why his actions are somewhat of a shock to me. I will not be making any comments about his product or publicly giving a false description of it as he has of mine.
It is no secret that I strongly believe that the quality and the performance of a horn have nothing to do with its final retail price. Price is simply a marketing tool that many in the industry have used very effectively. I have no desire to do that and have taken a different approach since the beginning. Again, I do things my own way and will not fault anyone if they chose to market their products differently. People should understand by now that I have the financial resources to create any trumpet at any price. Therefore, I don’t market anything that is second best regardless of what its selling price may be. I am guilty of making fine instruments affordable for everyone and this is something that I am very proud of and is central to everything I do in business.
Alex
Will someone please post this message on the thread in question on the TH, I am not able to do so.
Thanks |