TheLowDown

Mostly bigotry and naivety. People automatically assume made in somewhere in the East is cheap and nasty. The truth in 2021 is that that if it's made in the USA or Europe, it's most likely expensive garbage riddled with quality control issues. There is actually very little that is made in Europe or USA even if it says so on the label. The laws surrounding what constitutes a Made in USA or Made in Britain label for instance are typically vague and lax, and it's perfectly lawful to make everything in China or India and then ship it over to the USA to package it up with a "Made in USA" label. Many people buy good ol' British made or "made by Uncle Sam himself" goods because they left their opinion in the 1970s. It's much easier to tar groups and nations with the same brush for reasons of simplicity, and they truly believe that when they buy British or American they're getting a well made product by union jack wearing employees, and retailers play heavily on this perception and use it as a means to jack up their prices. Personally I would much rather have my bass made by a talented, enthusiastic, and efficient workforce than slackers who do a half arsed job because they hate their job and are just there to pay the bills or while studying at uni.

Too expensive and too heavy. I would also have to ask what I'm getting for my money that's worth me spending that much that I won't get at half the price. The answer is probably: nothing. At 4.5 kg I couldn't carry that on my back for long, so for long term health it's a definite NO.. Even it makes my breakfast every morning.

That's only one of many reasons, and not the most important one. It's where the talent and supply chains are closely grouped together.

Almost all of the best made gear these days is in places like Indonesia, Vietnam, Korea, China. It's where the talent is.

"Righty tighty, lefty loosey". When your headstock is pointing north, turning the allen key to the right to adjust the trussrod will tighten it and will bring the fretboard closer to the strings giving the fretboard a convex look. Turning to the left will give the fretboard a concave look and the fretboard will move away from the strings. Don't turn the allen key any more than a quarter tun at a time.

The fact that so many people are experiencing problems means that it's bad for trade, which means that it's bad for the government. If people just stop buying from abroad then that will force governments and retailers to introduce some easing measures.

A high stool would be best. It replicates standing up. An office chair or similar wouldn't be a good idea.

I'm not sure what you can't agree with in what I've said. Take 2 basses, one long scale and the other the equivalent short scale. The short scale will have less chance of neck dive. What part of that do you disagree with?

Glarry have a P bass for around £78 if you want to get your feet wet. I've considered it recently but the chunky neck puts me off, and it has some neck dive which I'm not keen about. Should be ok with a wide strap though.

After a full sniff investigation, your dog gives his approval.

Just to address the above highlighted points: This is what i was confused about. I've not seen any real world experiences on this from others who can say how much they've actually been charged, but I think it's most likely that there will be no handling charge if all the VAT business is handling their end (ie if the price shown on the website is less than £135) It's my understanding that if the net value of the goods(ie what's shown on the website) is below £135 AND the final price after VAT is added by Thomann afterwards is greater than £135, then we will not be charged a shipping fee. This leads me to believe that the sweet spot for avoiding as many different extra taxes(eg handling costs and shipping fees) is when we're buying an item with a net value of less than £135, but when the final price after VAT is added is greater than £135. In other words anything on their website between £112(ie £135 / 1.2) and £135. The "1.2" is "100 + 20%VAT / 100". UPDATE: apparently the shipping cost is added before the VAT (ie final price= (net price + shipping) x 1.2) . This seems strange given that the £8 shipping already contains VAT.

Thanks guys.

Thanks for the update. So it will be around £12 more expensive than before Brexit if buying goods at £135 or above. I don't recall paying any UPS handling fee beforehand when I bought a HB 6 string together with some strings from them.

Thanks, Steve. I was hoping for some real life experience of these 2 scenarios so they can reveal what extra costs were involved, if any. This is so that I can decide, from an economic point of view, where it's worth buying a bass between £100 and £135 on it's own, or bulking it up so that it exceeds £135.

There's 2 real-life case scenarios I want to hear about.: 1) what happens if your spending is a net total equal to or less than £135. In this case I believe that Thomann calculates the 20% VAT themselves and then adds it on before you pay for it. Brexit is a tariff free deal so there is no 2% tax involved. There may be some courier handing fees and other unknowns to pay. 2) what happens if your spending is a net total greater than £135 20% VAT is paid by the courier and then that is paid by you when you receive your bass. Again, there is no 2% charge because there are no tariffs. There may be some courier handing fees and other unknowns to pay in addition to the VAT.

I've not heard of covid having any effect on tinnitus, but stress and anxiety can make it a lot worse.

Same study from PNAS.

I may be looking at a lightweight 4 string SX bass in the near future. I've heard that they're decent, but their price may be slightly at the top end of what I'm looking for. Can't find anything about their weight of the different models though which is one of the main factors for me. Anything above 8lb and it's a "next?".

The military may find a good use for these sonic weapons.

Science has something to say about why the bassist may be the most important member of the band. According to research carried out by PNAS, people are more likely to respond to the rhythm and the lower frequencies of the song than they are the melody and higher pitches, such as played by the vocalist and the guitar. The bassist provides both the harmony - the arpeggiated chord tones - and the rhythm of the song. So I would say that we're at least as important as any other member of the band.

Chris, me old China. I'm very serious. Sorry to hear about your job, but those opinions expressed by you there are very out of date and out of touch with reality. It's not 100% about the cost. I suggest you do your research instead of judging by outdated stereotypes and what you read in the tabloids.

A lot of people fall for this old chestnut and actually believe it to be true. The reason why manufacturing has shifted to the East is NOT primarily because of cost. That's just one factor. The main factor is the availability of talent and the value chains within a small localised area. That doesn't exist in Europe or the USA. Another old chestnut that people, even now, continue to believe, is that products made in China/Indonesia/Vietnam are of poor quality. The truth of the matter is that the quality is determined not by where it's made, but by what the (Western) parent company has asked of it. If they ask for low cost skimping on this and that, that's what they get. If they ask for a well made product, that's what they get.

If you go to your basket on Thomann in now says this:

I'm not going to bother with Thomann or any overseas companies for a while, unless it's necessary. Basswise, I think it's now a good idea to take stock and appreciate more the things that I have.

My fretless(es) are mostly lightweight(around 7.9lbs) unlined Harley Bentons for less than £150. Spending a lot of money is best if you have specific requirement, so I would get something that's cost effective until you know what you want.