What are you Yanks whinning on about...Look what we Limeys can pay....LOL

[Bluesbubba]

Hey brits!

Since Marshall is there in your wonderful country, and yes I say wonderful. Do you get a fair price for an amp or amp head. For instance, the reissue 1987x use to go for $1190 USD and now it jumped to $1700. I don't know if that is a tariff issue or a demand issue. Yes I do think your country is great. I have many friends here in CA that are from there. Here in CA people take this state and great country of ours for granted. Alot of immigration issues and disrespect going on here! I don't know how much more I can take! Just bought 41 acres though in a beautiful state. Can't wait!

 

[BillyBling]

Ok, lets say I go on a 5 day 'vacation' to London, and happen to bring 2 of my historics with me. Your saying that I will be able to get mad cash for them? Really? Hell if thats the case, I'll go buy a couple of R9's and get on a plane. Just tell me where to go. I'm dead serious.

 

[phil47uk]

:spin :spin
Well obviously you can't just stand there in Piccadilly circus with a couple of guitar cases under each arm. Unless of course you wanted to be arrested by one of those nice British Bobbies with a pointy blue helmet. And this forum is obviously not for touting private sales. Haven't they got an Instruments for sale section somewhere on this forum?
You probably could easily make a few contacts there and talk to them about it via e-mails.
I'm sure there are many Brits reading these posts who would jump at the offer. I know one that would skin you alive for a 57 goldtop at the right price... :wha

Put it this way....Here at least in the UK. If a guitar sells for $4,000 US in the States. It will cost roughly the equivelant in pounds sterling in the UK ..That's £4,000. ($7,663 U.S )..... A bloody great big difference eh? Nearly half the price on top again.
Of course you then have to take import tax and value added tax (UK) .. State tax (in the US) bla bla bla into account, but even with all that taken care off, you should still have room for a profit and the customer will be getting it for ££££'s cheaper than he normaly could here.

It's really a case of being able to supply what people want at the right price for both parties.

Certainly what I would do if going on a holiday in the States again.

Marshall's. Ah!..... Now that's something else. I can normaly get a fair deal on them from a dealer friend of mine.
It would be interesting to compare prices. Theoreticaly you should be paying a bloody fortune for them, but somehow I've got a sneeking feeling that you'd get a better deal on imported European goods, even though the dollar is weak, than visa versa.

The 1987 X head over here is approx £652 ($1,249 U,S )
Here's a link to a British web store to compare some prices. Go to page 3 for the 1987X

http://www.guitarsuperstore.com/sea...y=&strManufacturer=Marshall&intPageCounter=33

Phil.

 

[Bluesbubba]

Yah Phil,

The 1987X is 500 USD more here! I see on that web site they don't have Gibsons. I'm in the process of selling my Strat (roadhouse) to a guy in New Zealand and he really didn't shutter over the whole asking price a bit. Guess things are hard to come by in certain areas.

 

[phil47uk]

Bluesbubba,
The very noticeable difference between the States and the UK for equipment is in the second hand (used ) market, that I have noticed
on my trips to the States, is that many guitar stores over there don't seem to have many bargains. I was told that your best bet for baragins in used equipment was is private ads.
I noticed that a Strat, say for example that was $1,000 new would be on sale used (good condition) at most of the shops I visited for say $900. Not a great deal different from the new price.
Now over here it's a different ball game. The dealer basicaly will offer the seller 1/3rd of the discounted retail, and will then re-sell it for 2/3rds of the new retail price. ( Obviously depending on condition)...
So the original $1,000 Strat would be on sale in the store for round about the $700 mark (used).
These figures are off course rough, and also according to certain brands which may hold their price more than others, but I do feel generaly that you may probably be able to pick up more bargains in the used dept over here than in many of the US stores I have seen.
Off course this is also relative to currency differences and fluctuations.
Privately you can sometimes expect even more of a bargain.
That's probably why there is a huge second hand market for things like that over here.
Cars for a start. Drive a new basic family car off the forecourt and it automaticaly looses about £1,000 in the first ten yards. Obviously there is a massive market for nearly new cars from dealers, as you can save thousands on a car with only 6,000 miles on the clock. And at approx $6.89 a gallon of petrol (gas). You know why....

Sounds as though we are an island of second hand buyers over here...Probably not far from the truth.
I think it was Napoleon that once refered to the English as 'A nation of shopkeepers'.. :spin

Phil.

 

[maidenstrat]

Phil that dealer has had a lot nicer les pauls in stock that that one, in fact one of my fav tops on a guitar was on a early reissue they had a few years back at £2500. In fact i`ve not been on there site in a while but they had another R9 which had a nicer top at the same time as that one was put in it.

 

[Hammerhead]

Vampire... Bringing guitars into the UK is a real chuck and chance it affair.
You may get stopped. You may not.
A pupil of mine just returned from Miami last week and walked straight through 'Nothing to declare' at customs with an electro acoustic in a brand new shiney case. He reckoned the customs officers just watched him walk through and said nothing. On the other hand another guy I know got stung for taxes with an R9 under his arm. I really am begining to believe it's all according to whether your face fits or not.

Phil.

Phil, what exactly happened with this guy? Did they just make him pay the taxes there and then? I've taken a LP Standard and a Gretsch home with me on my last two trips to the US and had no problems. I ask because I've never actually met anyone (or seen anybody post on here) who was stopped by UK customs. I'll be taking an R4 home in a couple of months, fingers crossed I can make it a hat-trick!

 

[Desertdawg]

Hammer...I don't know about that guy, but usually you end up paying on the spot, whatever the Customs people want + an additional handling charge....i.e. a fine. If you can't pay, then you MAY get a time period in which to cough up your cash, but, the guitar could also just be confiscated. It can even be confiscated if you can pay but the Customs people deem you to be intentionaly smuggling. In that case, you'll often end up at one of H.M. "residences" for a few days too.

In Billy's case, if caught, he'd certainly end up there and get deported too.

It's just like any other crime. Try it, you might get caught....you might not. Only you can weigh up whether the risk is worth it.

 

[Hammerhead]

Yeah, I'll have my chequebook handy and just plead ignorance if challenged, but I do know quite a few people who have taken guitars back, but I've never actually come across anyone who has said "yes, i got stopped at and fined by customs".

 

[Fenderaddict]

Ok, lets say I go on a 5 day 'vacation' to London, and happen to bring 2 of my historics with me. Your saying that I will be able to get mad cash for them? Really? Hell if thats the case, I'll go buy a couple of R9's and get on a plane. Just tell me where to go. I'm dead serious.

I go to London, and also visit family in and around Norwich ever 2 years like clockwork. The minute I land in London I drop of an American Vintage, or CS Strat, or a Gibson at a shop I've dealt with for years. 2 weeks later when I'm back it's usually sold and my vacation is paid for. On the rare occasion it's not I leave it and he sends me a check later (I have a UK dollar account in Canada).

I've often thought about sending hundred over in a large shipping container and really cashing in like a guy I know does with Motorcycles.

p.s. I've even made good deals on Epi's. Bought a discontinued model here for 399 CDN, sold it in a week in London for 500 Pounds or at the time 1300 bucks.

 

[Red Baron]

I walked through British customs with a huge didgeridoo wrapped up in brown paper last year, I'm talking a jumbo sized didgeridoo (picture and elephant's trunk).... "anything to declare?" ...."Nup" ....."ok, you're right"

 

[56jnr]

Yep,UK prices are mad when you see what you can get in the US for what looks to us as silly money! Trouble is, not only dont we get a huge choice but I know for a fact that we get nothing like the quality of,say,nice tops.
I recently paid just over £4000 for an R9 and a couple of years ago £3250 for a Murphy R7.But what can I do? The market is dictating what I have to spend to get what I want.
The fact that the dollar is weak right now should make a difference but our distributor(Rosetti,God curse them)are quite happily charging the retailer as much as they can get away with,and,of course,this is being passed on to me,the poor punter.
Phil,I had to miss out on your Easter invite;gigs got in the way but remember June 11th,Hope and Anchor,Bridport!Come and have a blow.

 

[DEVILBAT]

YOU GUYS WOULDN'T BELIEVE HOW MANY HIGH DOLLAR HISTORIC AND VINTAGE AMERICAN GUITARS ARE GOING TO EUROPE, NEVER TO RETURN. THANKS TO RECORD DEFICIT SPENDING IN THE USA,THE EURO IS VERY STRONG AGAINST THE WEAK DOLLAR. AMERICAN HISTORIC AND VINTAGE GUITARS SOLD FROM THE UNITED STATES TO FINLAND,THE NETHERLANDS,FRANCE,GERMANY,SWITZERLAND AND THE UK ARE A REAL BARGAIN FOR EUROPEANS.

 

[BillyBling]

In Billy's case, if caught, he'd certainly end up there and get deported too.

Hey man, I'm on vacation........

I go to London, and also visit family in and around Norwich ever 2 years like clockwork. The minute I land in London I drop of an American Vintage, or CS Strat, or a Gibson at a shop I've dealt with for years. 2 weeks later when I'm back it's usually sold and my vacation is paid for. On the rare occasion it's not I leave it and he sends me a check later (I have a UK dollar account in Canada).

I spoke to my buddy and we're going to make a trip to London in August. I'm gonna bring an R8 and an R7. I have a reunion blues double gig bag that I'll bring on the plane and I'm gonna ship the cases to the hotel. Its that simple. If It pays for my trip and I can take $500 home its worth it just for the fact I can make someone very happy with a new guitar and I'll get to see Stonehenge. wtf.......I could use a little excitement.

 

[GuitarDean]

You know, an interesting way to get around this, and I don't really know how fesible this is, would be to arrange for an even trade. Find somebody of the Isle who wants a LP historic and buy it. Tell them what Marshall head & 1/2 stack bottom you want they buy it for you, and then just exchange "gifts". Would this work or do the taxes still zing ya?

 

[BillyBling]

Are trades taxed?

 

[Desertdawg]

Same as other imported goods. The Customs guys don't care whether you pay in cash or kind!

Sounds like it's time to learn a few Johnny Cash classics Billy....they could come in useful!

 

[Hammerhead]

Sounds like it's time to learn a few Johnny Cash classics Billy....they could come in useful!

:lol

 

[BillyBling]

I'll be in London te week of the 12th in August. Its done......I'm bringing an R8 and R9. Perhaps we can do lunch Phil. Let me know!

 

[marika]

my daughter's going to England in JUne with about 15 of her high school class mates for two weeks.....hummm... send them with a LP under their arms would be a little too suspicious i expect.

Oh well, would not want to ruin their holiday, but would have been nice to get back all the coins this is costing me.