Al Krow

Don't believe all the fake news you read BRX. Unlimited quantities still available via the Amazon monopoly. Being a peasant, I'll stick to the cheap stuff...

It was me daughter, who brung it home, honest guv! My old man loves his posh teas, I'm totally content with my PG tips 😁

Awww bless 'im guv. Those Yorkshire brew tea drinkers will be well pleased. PS tbf the net cost of being in the EU after we got all those nice funds back was only about £350 per household (including single parents).

Really sorry to hear about the health issues, Stew. I actually managed to sell more gear by value than I bought last year, which was a first in a long time for me. And paradoxically I'm actually happier with the overall shape of what I've got left. I'm gonna to treat myself to a 2021 launch multifx, to complement my Zoom B1-4s, if the feature set / price-point is right, but otherwise no major GAS at the mo for me either. Apart from each time I look in the basses for sale...😁

Ah Swinton...that explains why we have this said brew in the house, brought down here (with appropriate Customs declaration forms completed) by daughter who's currently up in Manchester. PS btw where did the EU get those "EU funds" from that it kindly gave us - was it a Brussel's magic money tree? 😁

What we need is a Free Port regime where we can go and collect used goods up to our personal "duty free" allowance of £390. "Borris (dock of the) Bays". You heard it here first 😁

I think bondage at warehouses is not going to end well.

He is. Needs to go straight back to Lidl..

What, its NOT?!!! Dammit this is going straight back to Aldi then 😁

More choice is definitely good. But every time a local music store is shut down, to me that represents a loss of choice and a loss to the community, in exactly the same way that every time a local music venue shuts down.

A very good question. My educated guess is that the UK and Germany are the two largest pop / rock music markets in Europe, so by itself the UK is a (very) important market for bass gear. However the online competition in the UK for Thomann was already strong - I can of think of Andertons, PMT, Gear4Music, DV247, RichTone, GuitarGuitar, Hot Rox, Bass Direct, Bass Gallery off the top of my head based in the UK (and I'm sure I've missed some off that list?), combined with other EU retailers e.g. Bax, Muziker, Kytary and it may well be that the introduction of the additional hassle of dealing with the UK will shave the margins sufficiently to make it difficult to compete with the UK based retailers. Set against that - the retail mark-up on goods is pretty hefty. But if the end result of all of this is more local music stores surviving, in my books that may not be a bad thing. Sorry, just had to pick myself off the floor, given that we just agreed on something 😁 Yup, choice - good. Monopolies - bad. Except where they are held by the public to be good (e.g. the NHS) Sorted.

Their loss. If our money's not good enough for them, I'll buy elsewhere. End of 😉

That's the one. I have the 705. Light as a feather, lovely tone, Ibby quality, very playable neck and a ridiculous 30 fret range!

Ibanez Portamento

@ambient - please note the import duty is 2% "UNLESS subject to other measures" e.g. the UK / EU free trade agreement => no import duties on goods sold EU <--> UK in either direction

+1 ^^ That's one of the key things that the free trade agreement between the EU & UK has delivered. And the VAT on new goods is the same as before. So the likely difference is the £12 [?] handling fee. Yup and it was also the other way around historically - I bought something from DV247 online a while back (they have a very decent physical store in Romford too btw) and the order was fulfilled by Music Store De. with whom my legal agreement was with.

In collaboration with his mate from Leicester, right? Although after 4.5 years what's a few weeks between friends eh - he managed to get it baked before the curtain fell...and, besides, still likely to be released sooner than the promised DG mutlifx we've been waiting for?

Boris and the Basschatters...now there's a thought 😁

Yeah - I've read the thread. I think the concerns have been overblown - perhaps other than Fender are saying they can't sell some basses to the UK from Europe, so we will just have to buy them from Andertons, G4M, PMT etc instead. I'll continue to be buying stuff from Thomann particularly HB gear and Minatour straps (which are excellent). If it takes a couple more days to get across to me, well it's not like I've got any pressing gigs right now...

@stewblackwhat's the concern with getting kit from Thomann? I thought it was pretty much business as usual?

Fixed And we are. 😁

@bassbiscuits well I totally applaud the fact you're being creative!

Love the fact you've been putting your time to creative use! What set up are using in terms of recording ideas and building up your song lines? Any finished / uploaded material to share?

I'm just gobsmacked that DP are still on the road! Respect! I guess I was more of a Ritchie Blackmore fan and his departure in 1975 and formation of Rainbow followed by the DP line up breaking up in 1976 was it for me... The current "Mark VIII" lineup of Gillan, Morse, Glover, Airey and Paice is a bit Fleetwood Mac like with drummer Ian Paice being there from the start.

Amen to that! And that is perhaps exactly why the article is "uncomfortable" reading - it comes from the economics editor of a news source that was typically leaning the other way. Highly recommended reading.