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#271077 - 26/01/10 12:05 AM
Re: My latest bout of GAS
[Re: ]
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MacPhee84
Forum Council Member
Old Timer
Registered: 25/07/02
Posts: 2026
Loc: Woking - Surrey
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Beautiful guitar. Welcome to the G&L club!
Ohhhh.... Now i know that there is an exclusive club i might actuly get one!!!
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Guitars: Gibson Les Paul Classic - Gibson SG Standard Stomp Boxes - Digitech Hotrod & Digital Delay - Boss Compress/Sustain - Morley Power Wah *NEW* MXR Phaser 90 EVH Edition Amp: Vox AC30 WEB - http://www.myspace.com/top8theband
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#271085 - 26/01/10 03:35 AM
Re: My latest bout of GAS
[Re: MacPhee84]
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english_bob
english_bob
Unregistered
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Ohhhh.... Now i know that there is an exclusive club i might actuly get one!!!
There isn't really, I just made it up.
If you want a reason to get one, how about this- they're flippin' marvellous guitars. However, that means that whenever you sound bad, you won't be able to blame your crappy instrument.
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#271090 - 26/01/10 05:32 AM
Re: My latest bout of GAS
[Re: ]
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Richard - Richards Guitars
Administrator & Forum Council Member
Old Timer
Registered: 30/07/01
Posts: 5446
Loc: 5 Tiddington Road, Stratford U...
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Do remember when considering buying a G&L from the states:
VAT 17.5%
5% Import duties
Delivery normally minimum of £50
So on a £300 price tag add:
VAT = £52.50
Import = £17.50
Delivery = £50 (normally at least)
So £300 actually = £470
For this tiny saving (RRP in UK £549) you loose your warranty which on a G&L is offered for a LIFETIME on the guitar - against parts and materials being defective.
To show a link to an american website without discussing these details would be wrong so hope you don't mind me mentioning it.
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#271091 - 26/01/10 05:33 AM
Re: My latest bout of GAS
[Re: Richard - Richards Guitars]
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Richard - Richards Guitars
Administrator & Forum Council Member
Old Timer
Registered: 30/07/01
Posts: 5446
Loc: 5 Tiddington Road, Stratford U...
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And yes - G&L guitars are wonderful!!
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#271092 - 26/01/10 05:39 AM
Re: My latest bout of GAS
[Re: Richard - Richards Guitars]
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stickyfiddle
Spam Commander (Forum Council Member)
Old Timer
Registered: 22/04/04
Posts: 5874
Loc: London, UK
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Do remember when considering buying a G&L from the states: VAT 17.5% 5% Import duties Delivery normally minimum of £50 So on a £300 price tag add: VAT = £52.50 Import = £17.50 Delivery = £50 (normally at least) So £300 actually = £470 For this tiny saving (RRP in UK £549) you loose your warranty which on a G&L is offered for a LIFETIME on the guitar - against parts and materials being defective. To show a link to an american website without discussing these details would be wrong so hope you don't mind me mentioning it.
Not to mention the carrier's fee for handling the customs stuff. And a HUGE pain in the **** if anything goes wrong...
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PSN: stickyfiddle
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#271097 - 26/01/10 07:16 AM
Re: My latest bout of GAS
[Re: Richard - Richards Guitars]
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english_bob
english_bob
Unregistered
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Sure, a Tribute will cost you £549, but a USA model will cost twice that and more from a UK dealer, and it's not unheard of for a used US G&L to sell in the US for a similar bargain price, and new prices start from the equivalent of around £750 in the US, versus £1200-ish here. I don't think the manufacturer's warranty will cover a second-hand instrument regardless of whether it was bought in the US or the UK, so in that instance, that point at least is moot.
That said, it's still expensive to ship, VAT and other import charges are still going to add a hefty chunk to the final price, and resolving any problems with the seller if you get a lemon is likely to be very difficult.
Of course, you also have to consider the limited availability of G&L guitars in the UK, and the cost and inconvenience of ringing round dealers to find one with the guitar you want in stock, then getting there to try it. The change of distributors may have improved the sorry state I found their dealer network in some, but when I was looking for a dealer a year or more ago, it became very obvious very quickly that the list of dealers on the old distributor's website was extremely inaccurate and/or out of date, so even finding out which dealers were still dealers- or even still in business- was a chore. Once I did, only one (Hartnoll) advertised the guitars they actually had in stock, while everyone else (names withheld!) operated "if you have to ask..." pricing, didn't offer info on the USA models beyond "they're really really good- so good we don't keep them in stock- call us if you want to order one sight unseen from the factory!", or didn't feature G&L guitars on their websites at all.
Compare this to US dealers like Portland Percussion and ProGuitarShop- lots of nice pictures of actual instruments and actual prices, or Buffalo Bros, who had the same pictures and prices and actually published prices for the various available "upgrades" (but not the base price... duh!). Granted, they may not have been up to date, but I found that very appealing in its straightforwardness, but that's the Americans for you...
Caveat emptor, as they say. You pays your money, you takes your choice.
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#271102 - 26/01/10 07:42 AM
Re: My latest bout of GAS
[Re: ]
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Richard - Richards Guitars
Administrator & Forum Council Member
Old Timer
Registered: 30/07/01
Posts: 5446
Loc: 5 Tiddington Road, Stratford U...
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If you have been following my threads on G&L you will know I was very public about my horror at how G&L was handled in the UK by the former distributor(s).
They even tried hiking the prices up it seems and did not have the stock. I would not even open my account with them as they had no models I would buy!
Thankfully it is currently in the hands of a specialist distributor who value quality guitars so all good there. So far business on G&L has been fantastic because they have the stock and are supportive to my needs (IE quality control etc.)
I am specifically focusing on Tribute models in the earlier stages as they are such incredible value - unbelievable.
You will always get unsupportive dodgy dealers and dealer lists rarely represent the full story of who is "committed" to working with a brand but I would be surprised if G&L doesn't become more readily available in the UK - but look at Stonebridge - 4 years on and still a "secret" it seems to many!
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#271104 - 26/01/10 07:53 AM
Re: My latest bout of GAS
[Re: Richard - Richards Guitars]
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Richard - Richards Guitars
Administrator & Forum Council Member
Old Timer
Registered: 30/07/01
Posts: 5446
Loc: 5 Tiddington Road, Stratford U...
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£750
£131.25 VAT
£46.56 5% import
£50 delivery
£977.81 bought online unseen from an Ebay store for which you lose your lifetime warranty.
I could supply that guitar with a setup to the customers specification, diligently quality controlled and collected in person with full lifetime warranty for £1200. They could also bring the guitar back for a checkup and reset at 6 and 12 months at no extra charge for additional peace of mind.
Like you say you pays your money and takes you pick but as someone who would only want the very best for myself I know which I would prefer to do!
6-12 months ago however when the prices WERE different (hiked up) then there would be more pull to buying abroad but I think the difference is too marginal to warrant the risk, loss of warranty etc.
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#271108 - 26/01/10 08:09 AM
Re: My latest bout of GAS
[Re: Richard - Richards Guitars]
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english_bob
english_bob
Unregistered
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Thankfully it is currently in the hands of a specialist distributor who value quality guitars so all good there. So far business on G&L has been fantastic because they have the stock and are supportive to my needs (IE quality control etc.)
I would be surprised if G&L doesn't become more readily available in the UK
I for one would be glad to see them more widely available. The distributor has been taking a regular ad out in several of the UK guitar magazines with some very tasty guitars pictured, which is bound to help raise awareness. I hope they can do enough to persuade dealers to come back to the brand after the mismanagement by the old distributor.
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#271111 - 26/01/10 08:23 AM
Re: My latest bout of GAS
[Re: ]
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Richard - Richards Guitars
Administrator & Forum Council Member
Old Timer
Registered: 30/07/01
Posts: 5446
Loc: 5 Tiddington Road, Stratford U...
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I hate to say it but it could be a long haul for them because you keep coming back to the old "pathe of least resistance". Not every dealer has the desire to educate its customers about the quality of G&L and Fender is such a no brainer seller that shops find it hard to "test the water" and even if they do they have to have staff that understand the product to get it under the noses of the customer.
The UK distributor know all this but it will not be easy for them - but I wish them all the best as I want this distributor to stick around!
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