tredders Posted July 26, 2007 Share Posted July 26, 2007 Hi all In the USA on business until Friday of this week, and managed to find the local Guitar Center in Grand Rapids, MI. If ever I wished for 5 empty guitar flight cases, and an army of people to carry stuff back for me, it was tonight! I picked up a couple of small items: - 1. SD Basslines Quarter Pounder pups for my P Bass = $60 (30 quid) 2. Rotosound Swingbass 66 strings for $19 (9.50 quid) However, I could have gone mad! A few things that caught my eye: - 1. Brand new candy red Fender Jag for $700 (or 350 quid) including a hard case. 2. Brand new Epiphone Thunderbird (never played one before, but it was actually quite nice) for $299 (150 quid!) 3. Selection of new 'Rays for $999 (500 quid) 4. Boss MicroBR solid state recorder for $210 (105 quid) Had they had a nice Jetglo Ric 4003, I'd have flexed the plastic, but the guy was telling me that they 'fell out' with Rickenbacker and aren't allowed to sell them now. I've got another trip planned next month with work, so pretty sure I'll be taking over an empty flight case with me, and bringing something nice back! Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cetera Posted July 26, 2007 Share Posted July 26, 2007 Don't worry about the flightcases! Just buy the basses you want, get them to put them into Gator soft (but hard!) flightcases, put some greasy fingerprints on the basses and get the shop to give you a load of stickers to cover them with..... It's worked many times for er.... mates of mine.....! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Tinman Posted July 26, 2007 Share Posted July 26, 2007 (edited) Tinman should be off to the States with work at some point and at those prices I'm not sure I would bother to risk a guilty looking shuffle through Customs - just pay the duty etc and you'd still be quids in! (but that's because I'm a big wuss and I always manage to look guilty going through Customs whether I've got anything to hide or not!) Edited July 26, 2007 by Mrs Tinman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metalmaniac Posted August 22, 2007 Share Posted August 22, 2007 Ahh Guitar Centre... It annoys me how cheap it is... Why do i live in tax crazy england... why...? ..sobs... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obbm Posted August 22, 2007 Share Posted August 22, 2007 We are very fortunate that the exchange rate is acting hugely in our favour at $2 to the £. I can remember when it was even higher at $2.4 to the £ and also as low as $1 to the £. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OutToPlayJazz Posted August 22, 2007 Share Posted August 22, 2007 My father is going over to the States again in the spring, so I may ask him to bring back something. Otherwise, I have plenty of contacts in the US, so I may ask someone to send me something from the guitar center. A Fender Deluxe for the price of a standard... That's tempting! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-bitch Posted August 24, 2007 Share Posted August 24, 2007 Don't bemoan the cheap instruments - we could have that too but we'd also be spending £1-200 a month on health insurance! American companies also have some pretty handsome tax breaks IIRC to get US products (note US owned, not necessarily manufactured) to the domestic markets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gilmour Posted August 24, 2007 Share Posted August 24, 2007 ahhh.... Guitar Centre. They're excellent stores, not only is the kit as cheap as the proverbial chips but the staff are all really good and knowledgable, and the atmosphere in the stiores is always really good, they're happy for you to pick up and play the instruments (unlike many UK stores where the instruments are wired to the wall). I used to have family in the states, they've moved to the uk now, probably a good thing as every time I went to see them I wound up sepnding a fortune in Guitar Centre! They should franchise them to the UK ... and keep the prices in $$'s Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cetera Posted August 24, 2007 Share Posted August 24, 2007 [quote name='gilmour' post='50220' date='Aug 24 2007, 04:06 PM']ahhh.... Guitar Centre. They're excellent stores, not only is the kit as cheap as the proverbial chips but the staff are [b]all really good and knowledgable[/b],[/quote] Wow.... that's the opposite of what they say on www.talkbass.com.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misrule Posted August 24, 2007 Share Posted August 24, 2007 [quote name='cetera' post='50235' date='Aug 24 2007, 04:21 PM']Wow.... that's the opposite of what they say on www.talkbass.com.... [/quote] Yup, at first I thought Mr Gilmour was being sarcastic. Cheers Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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