JICO/EVG--What's Up?

S

savatage1973

Addicted Member
This has been touched upon in multiple threads as of late, but does anyone know what is going on with JICO?

Product pricing is all over the map--depending on where you look, product availability is also "spotty", at best, and it appears that agreements with their other aftermarket/rebranded vendors is getting pretty "sketchy".

I didn't want to de-rail other related threads, but just looking for any input as to what is actually going on?
 
JICO has ended its relationship with EVG who are now buying styli from the same Swiss company used by Pfanstiehl. I get the sense that JICO has also severed relations with its dealers like LP Gear/Tunes as well. It's possible that JICO is unable to supply its international distributors so have chosen to drop them all. They're acting like a company in trouble. I hope I'm wrong.

John
 
I think Jico has so much demand today, that they had to drop their distributors. And take care of their own customers. Also, costs have increased over the years too.
 
If you can trust Carole's Needles on E-bay she just received a new shipment of EVG PM3136's from EVG which she is still advertising as a Jico product.

I am thinking along the same lines as John, in that they seem to be a company in trouble. It would be a shame if they went under.
 
I have a few EVG low cost styli, alleged to be Jico. The VN35E replacement is very good for the money but below the performance I want. The VN15E replacement is just plain lousy, does not even fit snuggly in the cart body.

I get the value that EVG brings to the entry level market but it is more important that Jico survives as they really do keep many vintage classic MM cartridges relevant.

I am still wondering who makes the LPGear VL, I hope it is not Jico given the situation.
 
FYI

"
Jico is restricting sales to authorized distributors only - to ensure product quality and to protect the Jico brand. To those distributors, product availability will not be an issue.


In the Americas, the Jico brand has partnered with:


https://lptunes.com/


Thanks,

Rome"


LP Gear

www.lpgear.com"

This was in response to my original question " Jico Stylus availability Is there going to be a problem getting these stylus from Jico. It seems like they are getting scarcer. "


M~
 
needlestein said:
For me, these are good signs of healthy competition.
Click to expand...


Sir I agree with all that you've said. It's one thing to benefit from low prices, it's another thing to be the business whose livelihood depends on the sales from those products that we enjoy. Hopefully things work out for both those who are sellers and those who are consumers. I don't like the price increase, but I don't feel like I'm being taken advantage of. My Shures have caused me to either put my t$1K+ cartridges in their boxes or sell them. I have a Goldring GL2500, that I'm dying to use again, but can't because of how good both models of the Shure sound and work in my system. In order to use the GL2500, I'm going to have to buy another tonearm as I can't see the value in removing the Shures.

M~
 
Here's hoping that if they plan to move more heavily into selling their own brand in the states that the distributor they choose (LP tunes?) starts actually stocking a wide range of their products. $26 shipping for a $50-70 product is painful. If a distributor would import them in quantity the shipping cost could be much lower per stylus.
 
It does seem odd that Jico hasn't brought back the SAS after, what, like four months? If Jico were doing well, it seems like now would be the time. The global economy seems to be in a pretty decent place. Vinyl is booming, new turntables are selling, and high-end cartridge manufacturers seem to be flourishing. The SAS is a product that is bound to be in demand.

I get that supplies of boron were getting shaky, and that the more-than-doubled price of the Neo-SAS was a hard sell. However, people, at least some of them, were buying. And who says that a more affordable cantilever option, such as tapered aluminum alloy wouldn't sell?

I wonder if Jico has had difficulty getting SAS tips? Could some other manufacturer have signed a contract of sorts with Jico's diamond tip manufacturer guaranteeing exclusive rights for that cut of tip? (Someone like AT, since they seem to be trying to take over the phono cartridge world... Now they are even making rebadged Stanton DJ cartridges as well as the new entry-level Goldrings.) I wouldn't doubt that there are new cartridge manufacturers that would love nothing more than to sabotage the likes of Jico and the makers of the Swiss Pfanstiehl stuff.

Now that old stock supplies of tips have long dried up, and demand is starting to exceed supply, it seems like there is room in the world for at least one more company that cuts and polishes high-end diamond stylus tips. After all the vinyl resurgence has been doing nothing but gain steam the last twelve or so years. The price for anything beyond a cheap poorly cut bonded elliptical with a dark, occluded diamond has gotten outrageous.

It would be a shame to lose Jico, and all of the vintage cartridges that they support. New stuff is fine too, but I don't prefer spending hundreds more to get something that might be approaching the quality of something that was both excellent and easily affordable, just a few years ago.
 
Multiplex said:
It does seem odd that Jico hasn't brought back the SAS after, what, like four months? If Jico were doing well, it seems like now would be the time. The global economy seems to be in a pretty decent place. Vinyl is booming, new turntables are selling, and high-end cartridge manufacturers seem to be flourishing. The SAS is a product that is bound to be in demand.

I get that supplies of boron were getting shaky, and that the more-than-doubled price of the Neo-SAS was a hard sell. However, people, at least some of them, were buying. And who says that a more affordable cantilever option, such as tapered aluminum alloy wouldn't sell?


It would be a shame to lose Jico, and all of the vintage cartridges that they support. New stuff is fine too, but I don't prefer spending hundreds more to get something that might be approaching the quality of something that was both excellent and easily affordable, just a few years ago.
Click to expand...

What is really weird is that last fall they had the NeoSAS's in the $140 range. Something is very weird here.
 
I've ordered several times from Jico over the last 6 months and all products are fantastic, and received within a week of order. They also communicate very well, and when I had to cancel an order they promptly refunded my payment. I'd say they're one of the better manufacturers/retailers out there.
 
I don't see any issue with JICO. I have been buying directly from them for several years.

Regarding the connection between JICO and EVG it should be noted that the needles sold by EVG are not the same as those offered directly through JICO. Different suspensions and different magnets. The EVG's that I have are built just like the Swiss made Pfanstiehl needles.
 
savatage1973 said:
This has been touched upon in multiple threads as of late, but does anyone know what is going on with JICO?

Product pricing is all over the map--depending on where you look, product availability is also "spotty", at best, and it appears that agreements with their other aftermarket/rebranded vendors is getting pretty "sketchy".

I didn't want to de-rail other related threads, but just looking for any input as to what is actually going on?
Click to expand...

Have you purchased styli directly from JICO?
 
savatage1973 said:
Yes, actually I have in the past. Recently, their website has been rather inconsistent regarding product pricing and availability, or just plain "down"--just seems like something is amiss.
Click to expand...

I have never had any problems with JICO. I check their pricing regularly and have found no inconsistencies. Some prices have gone up slightly but that is to be expected.
 
There seems to be some confusion regarding the pricing and availability of the original SAS w/boron cantilever, and the NeoSAS replacement--and then the issue of second and third party distributors.
 
savatage1973 said:
There seems to be some confusion regarding the pricing and availability of the original SAS w/boron cantilever, and the NeoSAS replacement--and then the issue of second and third party distributors.
Click to expand...

JICO hasn't offered SAS for several months or more. Take a look at their website...

https://www.jico-stylus.com/

If you buy directly from JICO, then second or third party distributors are irrelevant.
 

@JICO_stylus
We are inundated with SAS, neoSAS/S and neoSAS/R orders, so we cannot receive your order for these items. We apologize for any inconvinience we caused. Thank you for your understanding.
11:23 PM - 13 Dec 2017
 
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