No. 8 Wire

Good talk Scott. Absolutely fascinating, watched from beginning to end. Thanks for being so candid re youtube, also for the clarity over what is SBL vs what is external. Perfect response to this thread.

I'm not sure actually. I don't watch that many of his YouTube vids and only watched this one as it was mentioned here. I did watch his top 10 basses though, plenty of active only basses on that list. Also his 2 signature basses are both active, seems strange if you never play active!

Just for the record, he didn't really say active basses are no good, he just said don't get one thinking it will improve your tone or playing, it will just be different. His overwater sig is active as well. Unfortunately the way of YouTube is to actively promote these sort of controversial statements when in context they are not controversial at all. Like: don't get a 5 string bass (if you think it will make you play better), don't get a fretless (unless you put in the time to get proper technique and intonation), etc. All the most popular channels do this sort of thing, so it clearly works.

I'm only judging on what you have actually said in this thread, what else can be done? I'll leave it there though, everyone is entitled to an opinion.

This is getting weird, he owns the company with his wife only and now you are casting doubt on his marriage?

There's a lot more than just fact in there, and it's distinctly unfriendly. It doesn't bother me, but seems at odds with your liking of basschat because it is open and friendly.

Not sure I'd describe your opening post in this thread as friendly...

I've got no problems with Scott making money, seems very strange to begrudge a musician (especially a talented one) making money from supplying a service that is in demand. I'm a lifetime member and I don't object to the external courses but I think it's a shame as it will change the dynamic of SBL. A great attraction to me was the all inclusive nature of what SBL offered and the lifetime membership. Without these things I could see less people staying on in future. In fact the only course I'm disappointed is going to be external is the upcoming Nolly Getgood course. I would love to do that but can't justify it over and above my SBL subs. Also, there is no metal content in SBL at all, so I think that really would have been a great addition. Also a missed opportunity to get younger (non-jazz) players into SBL, as this could attract them in.

I think you may have hit on the reason for the external courses. Also, the lifetime sub isn't offered anymore, so maybe that just wasn't long term sustainable.

That's not the discussion at all. The discussion is why are BMWs in the UK are a lot more than BMWs in Germany (spoiler, they're not, just using your terms).

Just by way of comparison, our American cousins are also paying through the nose for UK bass gear. Just had a quick look at Orange 4 Stroke US prices! Maybe there is some kind of transatlantic reverse price war going on...

Well they shouldn't. But even so, a business would have to factor that into a retail price to make a profit. I just did a quick comparison of USA made (or assembled!) bass gear. Most brands seem to be at about the 1:1 or less dollars to pounds conversion. What makes Mesa the exception I guess you have to ask?

I understood that Mesa are their own distributor in the US. Could be wrong. Remember that duty is also added at 4%, so total of 24%, and that is added on the unit cost + shipping cost. I'll stick to my conclusion a reasonable UK retail should be about £1000. On the warranty, it is not the variable cost of repair that will add extra cost, but the fixed overhead of having a mirrored organisation to administer and execute returns and repairs. Although again, it might just be cheaper to rtb to Mesa in the USA given the much higher retail price.

It will be a bit more than a little extra in the UK. A few posts back I worked out that figure to be about £1050 if you imported it yourself, so perhaps £1000 ish if imported in bulk at wholesale. You are missing out another middle man though, which is the European distributor. Under EU and UK law the importer is responsible for all statutory guarantee rights. So they have to factor in the overhead of the probability of warranty claims. It would be an extra cost to the US. Although you could argue at a £300 margin for distribution and warranty costs, it would perhaps be cheaper to pay the shipping back to Mesa USA for warranty claims than have it done in the UK.

Solved please delete.

The manufacturer or distributor fixing the prices at the retailer or retailers fixing the prices between themselves is illegal in all but very limited circumstances in the UK. Some of you guys are basically asking agedhorse in incriminate Mesa... They are allowed to set an RRP though. I think rather than look at Mesa, aim should be taken at the UK Distributor, surely they are getting the units at the Mesa wholesale price + shipping, so any any added cost must be due to them (maybe due to warranty costs)? Maybe what is happening here is that by the time the units get from Mesa USA to Westside (UK dist) and then to the shop, so much margin has been added that the retailer can't really go below RRP and still make a net profit. Just my 2c. Not likely to buy one any time soon, but I would certainly be looking if I ever needed an 800w version of my walkabout scout.

I just did a little experiment to see how much importing one from the states would be. Allowing for 100 USD shipping (generous as it seems to about 50 USD, but I'm adding insurance) then 24 % duty + VAT, you get to about £1050 on your doorstep. That suggests that the rule of thumb that a US made product should sell for approx the same sticker amount but in pounds is correct. You would hope that an importer would get much better shipping terms than an individual too. Caveat: I know that to import this way would void the warranty, its just a price comparison. I can actually see how having a separate warranty system in Europe would add to the retail cost, but that's quite a lot extra.

From what I have gleaned in the practice logs, it is that finickyness that makes the difference. That attention to detail is very hard to accomplish by myself. I could see myself doing this course in the distant future when i have more free time.

I've been following the practice threads for the course on SBL, well, skim reading them! I've been surprised how much of the information members say is new to them is actually within the fundamentals courses already on SBL (which is a good thing). It makes me wonder how many people sign up to SBL and then don't do the courses! Or maybe they think the fundamentals courses are below their level of playing so skip to the advanced levels. Or maybe they have been members so long they have forgotten those early lessons. I suspect paying for a limited time course with a very focused syllabus is more motivating than an all you can eat lifetime SBL membership!

Are you still going to complete the course?

I'm happy to be corrected, that's not how I read it when I last set it up. In fact it works very well for an even string volume though with the bass side at the lowest setting! YMMV etc. I question how the same setup can apply to all single pickup EBMM basses though (Ray, Bongo, Ray Special, Sterling, etc). I don't know if that guidance has been changed or I just read it wrong a couple of years ago. It's definitely very different to the FAQ published online when I bought by EBMM 14 ish years ago.

How is it achieved in the cab? Is it switching coils in the driver or series/parallel type circuitry between driver and jack?

Gary Thain?

Where did put the series parallel switch on the bass?

That one sold unfortunately. I suspect I'll end up doing it in the end. I'll keep a lookout for another used one.