TOOB/Metro US dealership update

**Gitterbug** · 10-19-2024, 02:32 PM

Guitars'n'Jazz in Summit, NJ, became the NA a reseller for my Toob/Metro ultra-light speaker cabs at the beginning of 2023. My high hopes ("I could sell tons of Metros") never fully materialized. A "by appointment only" showroom for premium archtops is not where a working musician stops by for a string set or whichever mundane need. The owner, after a long silence despite my queries, now says he's no longer stocking items that don't significantly contribute to the bottom line. So be it. GnJ, with its low volumes, Metros-only range, special discounts and tangible lack of enthusiasm, hasn't contributed much to mine, either.

I don't know what the current GnJ inventory situation is. Their website isn't up-to-date. All I know is that I've delivered substantially more products to the US direct, and my Finnish reseller Custom Sounds a good many as well.

Direct commerce benefits both parties: faster delivery, one shipping cost, no middleman margin. The flipside is no try before you buy. Resellers are bound by today's liberal return policies. My policy is iterative communication with the prospective customers (mostly pro musicians): 17,000 e-mails in the toobspeakers in and out box; return rate under 1%. All of this means that I'm not desperate for a new US dealer. One smoke on the prairie doesn't mean a continent conquered.

Availability: running low on 10"-12" Toob bodies, will reorder soon. Well stocked with Metro bodies and wooden parts but going low on SICA speakers. Some waiting time likely in November.

**Ukena** · 10-19-2024, 05:32 PM

Hey Markku, sorry that GnJ didn't work out, but it certainly makes sense.

I have found ordering direct from you works just fine for me (a Metro 6.5 and Metro 8 here in NYC, a Metro 6.5 in Paris), but I can understand that it could be advantageous to find a commercial foothold in the USA.

I wonder if Rudy Pensa's shop (Rudy's) might be a possibility. I'd be happy to take my Metro for examination by whoever does the purchasing there...

**SandChannel** · 10-20-2024, 07:25 PM

Reach out to Russo's Music. They have locations in NJ and PA - plus a strong online store. They might be the right size for you to get going here in the States. That said, I bought me Toob from GnJ. They had it shipped quickly, bought I never got the impression that they understood the product all that well. There was a lot of confusion as to which one I wanted to order and the differences between them. Of course, they may be rectified by now - but too late to matter.

**docsteve** · 10-21-2024, 01:54 AM

I’d find out which dealers stock the Quilter Superblocks and other small amps, and then position the Toob as the perfect cabs to go with them.

BTW it’s perfectly normal that the first try doesn’t work out. Analyse what you could do better and then do it.

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**Gitterbug** · 10-21-2024, 02:56 AM

Thanks for the understanding and supportive comments! A knowledgeable local scout visiting a store will no doubt produce more concrete results than firing off e-mails from the cold. I just can't request such favors from anybody. A few years back, I sent e-mails to 12 stores across USA IIRC, and one cared to reply. GnJ was actually found with the help of a Forum member. Perhaps the relationship was born under unlucky stars, as GnJ was just relocating their store and - as it now sounds - subsequently reviewing their business model.