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Hi Ho, everyone,

the recent quot;marshall TSL on Ebayquot; thread shocked me a wee bit, as I've realised that, whilst we Brits are ripped off when it comes to American gear, Marshall amps seem to be a good deal cheaper for us. Is this because marshalls are all built in the UK, and must be exported en mass to the States?

correct. they pay through the nose on imports from us, we pay through the nose on imports from them.

Ripped off??
Why do all always whine about prices, be happy that you do not play an real expensive instrument....

There is no argument that Gibson's prices in the UK are a full on rip off.

Don't buy it if you don't want it, there is a whole world of alternatives.

I do want it, thats the problem.


Originally Posted by RidRipped off??
Why do all always whine about prices, be happy that you do not play an real expensive instrument....

Such as???

My only point being that there are cheaper alternatives for every musical instrument you'll find. True, though, that guitars may be on the cheaper end of the spectrum, but true cost is relative. To answer the question though, yes, it all has to do with import taxes. You aren't getting ripped off by the companies, however (they aren't the ones taxing you )


Originally Posted by RidRipped off??
Why do all always whine about prices, be happy that you do not play an real expensive instrument....

Some guy: quot;3 dollars for a bottle of water is outrageous!quot;
Rid: quot;Why do you always whine about water prices? Just be glad you don't drink Dom Perignon!quot;

Seriously, the quot;other instruments cost morequot; argument is lame. Give it up.

Give what up??
It is the whole I want it all for less that makes stuff expensive somewhere!
Money does not float out of the blue air, so someplace it will cost.
I can understand people that plays piano or woodwinds and other stuff like that, would think that it is expensive to buy instruments.

some things cost a lot of money, the truth is that most good musicial equipment is not cheap no matter what it is or where it is or where you are! Truth is I would love to have a Les Paul, I am not going to pay the prices that Gibson wants for one...Im just not gonna do it. And it's not just Gibson, Fender has a few guitars that I would like to have but again...Im not gonna pay that much! I bet the UK brothers have to pay a lot for Fender, Gibson, Duncan, EMG, Peavey, maybe even Ernie Ball strings! At the same time we (the foprum brothers in the states) pay more for Marhsalls, HiWatts, Carl Martin FX, Orange amps, etc...Here is the deal...if you want omething and it costs a lot, don't *****, save!

Ernie Balls are pretty reasonably priced strings over here actually, I use them excusivley. Same price as our homegrown Rotosounds.

Yeah I hear you TGWIF.


Originally Posted by RidYeah I hear you TGWIF.Thank you good sir

The problem is not with the manufacturers charging a lot more. It is all the import tax and duty fees that American Companies must pay to get the product to the comsumer in the UK. It is the same with the UK exporting product here. Duties and Taxes.

Well I had to work my a$$ off back when I was young to get the stuff I wanted.
That way I learned to have focus instead of getting frustrated over things, it is the only way to beat it.
Bought alot of good used stuff too, it pays off being patient and develop a good relationship with your local dealers, I ended up with good discounts without asking for them.
While most of my guitarplaying buddies where complaining never got jack.
Trust me my first good amp did cost me alot, but it earned me something else after that in the store, I ended up working there in the end

purchase, they knew that I was serious after thatThe problem is not with the manufacturers charging a lot more. It is all the import tax and duty fees that American Companies must pay to get the product to the comsumer in the UK. It is the same with the UK exporting product here. Duties and Taxes.

Well that is how the world is!
Capitalism costs.


Originally Posted by Kyuss_RockErnie Balls are pretty reasonably priced strings over here actually, I use them excusivley. Same price as our homegrown Rotosounds.I had to stop using rotosounds and switch to Ernie Balls and D'Addarios for bass...the rotosounds were eating my frets apart.

Okay, good stuff costs more than crappy stuff, and pianos cost more than guitars. Of course I can agree with that.

What I don't agree with is when people say quot;don't complain about prices: either buy it or shut up.quot; That is a terrible attitude to have as it implies a lack of respect for a person's opinion, whether they are right or wrong. Can you people honestly tell me that EVERYTHING is priced EXACTLY what it's worth? Do you think that there are no companies out there putting an unreasonable mark-up on their products? Do we not have a right to voice our discontent over these practices?

Unless you can say with 100% certainty that all prices in the world are fair, stop accusing people of whining. These are legitimate complaints. Deal with them on a case-by-case basis if you must, but leave the blanket accusations and name-calling out of it please. Thank-you.


Originally Posted by RidYeah I hear you TGWIF.

1

What I don't agree with is when people say quot;don't complain about prices: either buy it or shut up.quot; That is a terrible attitude to have as it implies a lack of respect for a person's opinion, whether they are right or wrong. Can you people honestly tell me that EVERYTHING is priced EXACTLY what it's worth? Do you think that there are no companies out there putting an unreasonable mark-up on their products? Do we not have a right to voice our discontent over these practices?

Not for being snotty or anything, but try to read my posts again, and the more you try to knock down the prices, the more expensive and crappy it will become in the other end as time goes by.
And I still have an easy solution for overly expensive stuff, either don't buy it or get it used, I don't hear very many complaining over their PRS guitars or Tyler's, Suhr's, Gamp;L's, because they get highquality stuff that actually is highquality, Gibson on the other hand has some issues to be frank, they have had those for along time now, Fender has turned their thing around, it is now very traditionally made, lots of stuff is now made by hand and not machines as many thinks it is done these days.
If you really want it, you pay....if you're lucky you might even get a discount or some additional stuff, companies are here to make money, money that gets used to get more stuff done, it simply works that way, when too many who wants a huge discount it acts negatively on alot of things, but not many are willing to see beyond their moleskin covered wallets, they just want to save a dime or more, and nobody is forcing you to buy it either.


Originally Posted by ratherdashingCan you people honestly tell me that EVERYTHING is priced EXACTLY what it's worth? Do you think that there are no companies out there putting an unreasonable mark-up on their products? Do we not have a right to voice our discontent over these practices?

Actually, an economist would tell you exactly that. If a company sells all the stuff it builds at $___ each, it's hard to say that they're overpriced because the fact is that folks are willingly shelling out the dough.
Also, the profit margins on a lot of gear end up being a lot less than you'd suspect, especially at the high end. Though it seems to me that a lot of gear importers/distributors mark up quite a bit, I suspect that there's a good financial reason for it.