Why do basses cost so much more in Australia?

[Cuphandle]

here is one example

http://www.bassemporium.com/item.php?sku=5501SNATRSW
cost 769 Us 888 aud

whereas http://www.basscentre.com.au/index.p...956557562-5234

$2680

What the? buy from America is that ultimately the way to go?

[Blind Rat]

It's the same with nearly everything here in Oz,it gives me the s#i&s.

[Jools4001]

Population of USA = 304 Million
Population of Australia = 21 Million

Supply and demand

[Cuphandle]

so do you buy internationally? or pay the extra $?

[bakjewel]

I guess Australia doesn't make any basses, so taxes for imports...

[ByF]

It's your close proximity to the South Magnetic Pole. It's well known that in the southern hemisphere, normal pickups made in the northern hemisphere, near the North Magnetic Pole, don't work correctly. The magnetic fields are aligned here, and intensify the strength of the pickup. In Australia, those fields would obviously cancel out, and the pickup would be very weak sounding.

So the bass manufacturers of the northern hemisphere make special pickups just for Australia, using rare metals imported from South Africa, and super-conducting coils to magnetize the pickups opposite the local field. Of course, they don't work very well in the US, but they sound great in Australia. That means they have to send people to Australia to test their products from time to time, which costs a helluva lot of money, thus adding to the cost of your basses. Sometimes they have to stop in New Zealand to test basses at ski resorts or in Tahiti to test at luxury beach resorts, thus adding to the cost.

So it's all the additional R&D, technology, manufacturing cost and testing that makes your basses so expensive. Trust me on this.

Ed

[Blind Rat]

Originally Posted by ByF

It's your close proximity to the South Magnetic Pole. It's well known that in the southern hemisphere, normal pickups made in the northern hemisphere, near the North Magnetic Pole, don't work correctly. The magnetic fields are aligned here, and intensify the strength of the pickup. In Australia, those fields would obviously cancel out, and the pickup would be very weak sounding.

So the bass manufacturers of the northern hemisphere make special pickups just for Australia, using rare metals imported from South Africa, and super-conducting coils to magnetize the pickups opposite the local field. Of course, they don't work very well in the US, but they sound great in Australia. That means they have to send people to Australia to test their products from time to time, which costs a helluva lot of money, thus adding to the cost of your basses. Sometimes they have to stop in New Zealand to test basses at ski resorts or in Tahiti to test at luxury beach resorts, thus adding to the cost.

So it's all the additional R&D, technology, manufacturing cost and testing that makes your basses so expensive. Trust me on this.

Ed

So you are the Rep for what company then?

[Cuphandle]

hah as if.. my guitard brought his guitar with him from America and it's been sweet no problems at all....