icastle

[quote name='MiltyG565' timestamp='1421177872' post='2658149'] The shop also owes us nothing. Yet we expect so much. [/quote] You don't need to be a mega businessperson to know that a retail business cannot survive without customers. If a retailer can't, or won't 'pander' to the most basic expectations of their customers then retail isn't for them.

Hard to say for certain. If I was going to do this then I'd track down the measurements for the US and MIM ones and compare those to what I'd already got. The screw holes probably wouldn't match, so be prepared to drill new ones (the old ones will be hidden anyway). The pup holes and neck cutout will be in the right place, but may be a slightly different size (you can't 'shrink' those but you can widen them). The other alternative would be to remove the scratchplate and it's associated electronics and get a custom one made using that as a template.

Excellent.

[quote name='molan' timestamp='1421063715' post='2656642'] I think there's a bit more to it than that Ian - there's loads of similar examples. [/quote] I'm sure there is more to it than that, it was just a different possibility to throw into the pot. I'm far removed from being any sort of financial whiz kid, but could exchange rates perhaps play a part in this as well?

[quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1421071579' post='2656778'] I sort of meant that to suggest somebody uses something other than a Fender Bass is tantamount to heresy, as some seem to think that only "proper" bass players use Fender instruments. [/quote] I started off all Fender but, over the years, what 'I' wanted from an instrument wasn't always in accord with what Fender could offer, so I moved away. However, amongst my (comparatively) small collection of basses I've kept a Fender JB as I've discovered first hand that it's far easier to compromise than argue sometimes. The only impact is that I have to work a little bit harder to get to where I 'need to be' with the performance and that isn't necessarily a bad thing from time to time.

[quote name='molan' timestamp='1421018146' post='2656360'] The ones at I never quit understand are some European (including British) brands that are available at lower prices in the the US than over here. We had a recent example where it was cheaper for our customer for us to buy a European brand of pickups in the US from another retailer, ship them over here, pay duties and VAT and then pay UK postage costs. We actually undercut a 'large German online retailer' this way and the product we bought was made in Germany! [/quote] Maybe the German manufacturer has subsidised the prices in the US to gain some market share?

It's not very clear (you'll need to enlarge it) but this is the best I've been able to find: http://birdisland.tuzikaze.com/ph/sIMG_0016.jpg

[quote name='Weststarx' timestamp='1420993128' post='2655915'] Might sound daft but I wonder if the slow process through customs has anything to do with all terrorist activity recently, everyones on high alert so maybe they are checking everything? [/quote] I was just wondering about that myself. The 'default setting' for any Emergency Response plan is to take appropriate steps to secure all entry and exit points. Being just a Walliams length away from France it'd be naïve to think we sat and did nothing.

Playing EUB at a gig a while ago I decided that I needed to turn up a little part way through a song. I chose an appropriate pause in the song to stoop down to my Fishman pre and slide the volume up - it got quieter. I did it again - it got quieter still. I shoved the slide up all the way - totally dead. Then I realised... I was looking at it upside down.

[quote name='ambient' timestamp='1420908659' post='2654890'] What I ordered from them last week has spent the last 3 days here in the UK in customs, why ? [/quote] They recognised your name on the label?

I would doubt that the UK distributor (Source Distribution Ltd) will repair it FOC. They are a separate business from the German distributor and, as a stand alone business in their own right they haven't imported or sold the item and have no legal responsibility for it. The most likely process would be for it to go back to Thomann and for them to get it repaired using whatever process they have agreed with the German distributors (Audio Export Georg Neumann & Co GmbH).

[quote name='Roger2611' timestamp='1420828909' post='2654037'] Licking your I Phone....does that work? [/quote] I don't know, but the mental image appealed...

Looks good to me. I doubt you could buy the casing and associated parts for much less than you'd pay for a ready made unit. It'll have limited ethernet testing facilities, but for the price tag I could happily ignore that.

Fab to see you here Mike.

Something that's not been mentioned yet is to get yourself on a Business Skills course. Being able to repair or make guitars is one thing, turning that into, and maintaining it as, a viable business is something else entirely.

[quote name='Dave Vader' timestamp='1420797506' post='2653440'] am often laughed at when seen trying to work my phone with the side of one of my fingers. Damn you modern world..... [/quote] Haven't you tried licking it?

[quote name='6v6' timestamp='1420808541' post='2653673'] You can get a basic heat gun for a tenner from screwfix (or a slightly better one for under £20), so I'd really reccomend just getting one (check screwfix, toolstation or even argos). [/quote] +1 I've used various things to heat up shrink sleeve over the years and I've found using a gun by far the best way to go.

[quote name='andy67' timestamp='1420811643' post='2653746'] Quite happy to be wrong, just going on info imparted to me from a rep. [/quote] Yep. You're going on what you were told which is totally understandable. In comparison, I was 30 years out of date which is bleedin' ridiculous.

[quote name='skej21' timestamp='1420811116' post='2653739'] On paper, price fixing is illegal so I think you'd find it difficult to find proof that companies make such threats :-) [/quote] Hence the 'Not sure if they still do it' comment. They certainly did back in the mid 80's, but that was 25 years before the 'Competition Law' stuff that covers price fixing only appeared.

[quote name='clauster' timestamp='1420790174' post='2653357'] I've just seen that Fender are selling off the KMC percusion brands and Ovation guitars. [/quote] IMO, those were always odd brands for Fender to have bought. Few, if any, people would associate Fender with percussion and I can't actually recall having seen anyone using an Ovation for quite a while now. It sounds more like someone's gone manic with a cheque book than a business strategy to me.

[quote name='Big_Stu' timestamp='1420810326' post='2653726'] It's part of Fender - and possibly Gibson's pattern. They demand that the shop devotes a certain % of space, cost & items to Fender alone - it's costs thousands to do so. To pay those thousands you have to be big enough to do so first & foremost and cut other brands out in many cases, or ditch Fender and sell close copies. [/quote] Not sure if they still do it, but Fender dealers could have their franchise removed if they were caught discounting as well. They'd also only allow one Fender dealer within a certain area, which called for a little 'creative thinking' to get round when we wanted Fender kit. We were 'Gibson' so we did a deal with a 'Fender' shop in the next town - they supplied us at cost plus a drink and we did the same back.

[quote name='andy67' timestamp='1420809059' post='2653689'] From information given, at the £300 mark, it would cost £180. [/quote] Your information is wrong Andy. The Moderators were discussing markups last year and, as an ex musical instrument retail person, I threw very similar figures to those that you've been using into the discussion. One of the other Mods currently works in the industry and queried where I'd got my figures from. The answer (which I got ribbed unmercifully for) was... 1984. Back then 30/40% on major items was the norm and some 'accessories' could have as much as 70%, because that was what the market was used to. Obviously, markup erosion to the current level didn't happen overnight, but it has happened.

[quote name='Conan' timestamp='1420807536' post='2653645'] Then again, a lot of local music shops have contributed to their own downfall due to often appalling customer service and refusal to see where the business was heading... Still got to feel sorry for them really. [/quote] The independents have borne the brunt of technology in many areas and survival means reinvention. I saw a lovely bit of reinvention the other day. An old fashioned grocers shop, complete with all the shelves behind the counter (think Arkwright's) [b]but[/b] they'd joined one of those bulk buying groups (I think it was Nisa) that most independent convenience stores use in order to get the 'buying power'. They'd gone out of their way to select as many 'traditional' brands as they could, bought a bar and shelving from pubs that were closing, ripped out all their metal shelving and redecorated the place. It was mid afternoon but I had to wait to get served, and there were people waiting behind me. Reminded me of the shops when I was little(r)

[quote name='Mykesbass' timestamp='1420806376' post='2653620'] I gave up after just two years of running a small music shop (2004-2006) as even back then I was faced with the, at the time, fledgling internet sales boom and was having to work on 15% if I wanted to compete. [/quote] Yep. 15% may sound reasonable on the surface, but it only takes one theft, accident or bad purchase decision and you've got no safety net. Unfortunately, as with most things, people will only realise the value of something once it's all gone.

Problem is that we're looking at a selling price and making markup assumptions based on that. The only way to know exactly what markup has been applied is to know the buying in price and the sale price. Fred's Music Shop will buy three basses from a supplier. Thomann will buy 50 of each model from the same supplier. Who's going to get the biggest discount out of those two?