It isn't enough to just see the keyboard on display - who's going to fix it when it breaks? What is the lag time to get parts here in the US? What kind of service guarantees can you offer if I decide to base my business on your products?
To my knowledge it isn't just the absence of Keytron from GC and Sam Ash but from every major internet music store that's a factor. Keytrons haven't made it into the popular keyboard review sites and mags either. They also aren't widely discussed on discussion groups because they don't have a wide user base, at least here inthe US. So not only are Keytrons an unknown, unheard and unreviewed item for me, they would be to any potential secondary buyers also. Personally, I not only buy new keyboards every few years but I also sell my existing ones. Popular name-brands get top resale dollars which means I have more money to shop with come upgrade time.
So the motivation to buy Keytron here in the US isn't there... and that's before we even get to the actual features of the instruments. On the other hand, look at the huge splash that newcomers Open Labs generated at NAMM with what was percieved as a break-through product with the eKo. The talk has died down since many people realized how overpriced that instrument is, but it briefly gave many of us hope that we wouldn't be as dependent on the big-guy manufacturers as we have been in the past. So the potential is there for new and innovative products to capture the attention of the US market, but it has to have the follow-through with support and availability to succeed.
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Jim Eshleman