In my experience, I have Stax products bought locally to the Spanish distributor; and some Stax products bought in audio cubes.
The Spanish distributor keeps spare parts for most their products, and has been able to solve a couple of issues regarding quite old equipment I bought from him. However, he states that he will not service products that he has not sold.
His other point is that he's invoicing 21% VAT, which puts him at a disadvantage over foreign offers. Many of the japanese vendors state value ridiculously lower than real, and therefore they pass through customs without additional charges (at least in Spain). He complained to me that he had to charge 870 € VAT for each SR-009 he sold, and he was even accused of stealing when comparing his prices with internet's.
My service experience is then duo fold. If you buy from internet, you're on your own. If you buy locally, you're well supported; and Stax uses good, classic engineering that lasts many, many years if cared for.