Going US in summer should I buy a Bass there?

[mohawkbass]

(i hope this is the right thread)

I should be going on a family holiday to the New York and then St. Petersburg, in Florida, in the summer

so iv bin recently thinking to get a Korg AX3000B to add to my ibanez gsr 200 and Marshall MB 30, but that was before i knew i was goin to America, so now im torn do i spend the £130odd on the korg now or do i save it n spend a bit more on a new bass (maby new from the shop new, maby second hand from a shop) in the US?

so i guess id kinda also like to know what i can get for about £150($300) in bass terms in the US?
If £1 = $1.9908

any help will be much appreciated

[jollygiantchris]

The dollar sucks right now as long as you don't get nailed by your goofy taxes when you come back into Europe you'd probably save a lot of money doing that.

[worker201]

You could get a dang nice bass for $300 in the US, but you'd have to shop around, a lot. In NYC, it could take you 2 weeks of browsing every day to find the best deal, and that might not be the best use of your vacation time. If I was to go to London, I wouldn't want to spend the whole time shopping for a bass - there's monuments and such to see, right? I'd take a day to browse around and see what you can find, but I wouldn't set my heart on chasing down the perfect bass during your holiday.

[ksandvik]

If you buy a quality bass and sell it when you are over, the profits would cover your flight ticket costs easily. Depends on the original price of the bass and the demand for it in Europe. Any high end Fender/MusicMan should do that. --Kent

[mohawkbass]

i had considered the whole 'tax' issue, i think the limit is like £100 but i know someone who bought a bike in the US rode it for a few days n then brought it back as not new n so it didnt apply for tax so i dont think a second hand bass would qualify for the tax but i could be wrong
i would love to get a good bass in the US but i think the excited part of me may have got the better of the practical part so like has been said i think ill be happy to look just incase i find a deal i cant pass up
tho any further advice would be more than appreciated

[Darko74]

I recently bought a Schroeder mini over in the states. when i was over there i posted it back to Ireland. i wrote on the form that it was a broken speaker and was worth $25. postage worked out about 80 euro. Have it here In ireland now.

[jondog]

Buy an SX and have it shipped to you at your hotel, then use the leftover $ for a fun vacation! www.rondomusic.com

[IanStephenson]

I think the limit is a bit more than £100 (a friend brought a guitar back years ago, and got "caught" at customs and he was allowed more than £100). Also that's PER PERSON, so if you're going over with a friend you can claim that allowance more than once. If yo ugo over you only pay tax on the extra (at least that's what happened to the friend - it was along time ago so check out the rules.).

Tax applies to the value, new or old. The trick is if it is old to make them think you took it out with you.

Ian

[RAM]

Originally Posted by mohawkbass

i had considered the whole 'tax' issue, i think the limit is like £100 but i know someone who bought a bike in the US rode it for a few days n then brought it back as not new n so it didnt apply for tax so i dont think a second hand bass would qualify for the tax but i could be wrong
i would love to get a good bass in the US but i think the excited part of me may have got the better of the practical part so like has been said i think ill be happy to look just incase i find a deal i cant pass up
tho any further advice would be more than appreciated

The best you can do is research, not ask friends, how you could be hit with taxes. Call the tax department and ask them. You don't have to say it's a bass, but ask them. Only they can tell you exactly what to expect.

If you're going to St. Pete, Florida, you COULD spend a day and go to Orlando. I'd ONLY recommend driving to Orlando if you have a lot of time, as Orlando is NOT an exciting city to spend time in...believe me, I've been there a hundred times. In Orlando is Bass Central, which is pretty cool. With the weak dollar, I have no doubt you could do well. But like worker201 said above, don't waste your holiday just shopping for a bass.