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Canada sucks for musicians. Here's proof.

shawshank72

shawshank72

Mar 22, 2009
5,493
8,311
Canada
#1
Stopped in a Long & McQuade with my son and found a Fender Rumble 200.
After taxes $689!
20160328_112625.jpg

What a frickin' rip off.
A 200w combo amp for almost 7 bills?
In the states these are $449 and no tax if online.
Just sick of this crap.
 
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#3
Las time I was in the local l&m, a road worn jazz was almost $1500. Over $1600 after tax for a mim bass.

I am in the market for another bass and wanted to buy Canadian made, all I can find is 3 options. Godin, which doesn't have a model that speaks to me, F-bass and Dingwall, also mucho $$$$ for Canadian made.

The cost of living in Canada is terribly high. I am tired of it as well.
 
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#6
L&M often has the lower prices on higher priced items around here.
Other places either have higher or the same prices.

On cheaper accessories it could be anywhere.
Except strings--they have the best string prices in town.

I get most of my stuff there, but still check out other stores--L&M doesn't carry everything--so sometimes I do stop other places.
 
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#8
corndog said:
I am in the market for another bass and wanted to buy Canadian made, all I can find is 3 options. Godin, which doesn't have a model that speaks to me, F-bass and Dingwall, also mucho $$$$ for Canadian made.

The cost of living in Canada is terribly high. I am tired of it as well.
Click to expand...

... which is probably why those Canadian makers have to charge accordingly, and also the distributors that stock them to pay their rent, keep the lights on and pay their employees. They have to eat and keep a roof over their heads too, and as I discussed with @Sheldon D. recently, they're not exactly making a huge profit and drowning in Ferraris!

As pointed out earlier, we pay a hell of a lot more here in Europe. If I were to buy a high-end secondhand instrument every time I went to the States, then sold it on here having snuck it through Customs (which of course I'd never do...), I could pretty much pay for my flights with the profit.
 
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#9
corndog said:
Las time I was in the local l&m, a road worn jazz was almost $1500. Over $1600 after tax for a mim bass.

I am in the market for another bass and wanted to buy Canadian made, all I can find is 3 options. Godin, which doesn't have a model that speaks to me, F-bass and Dingwall, also mucho $$$$ for Canadian made.

The cost of living in Canada is terribly high. I am tired of it as well.
Click to expand...
that is because you have to pay for socialized medicine among other things
 
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#10
The cost of consumer goods is high. The cost of education and healthcare is lower. Also, our government (provincial and federal) have a wide range of programs to support artists and musicians. Having lived in both the US and Canada, there are certainly trade offs, and I miss cheap goods and cheap mail order. But I was honestly surprised at how good musicians have it in some other ways here. And I love the labyrinths of Montreal's music scenes

Also, because the exchange rate shifts, it's possible now and then to find amazing deals on gear. But I suppose that's like playing a currency market.
 
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#11
corndog said:
Las time I was in the local l&m, a road worn jazz was almost $1500. Over $1600 after tax for a mim bass.

I am in the market for another bass and wanted to buy Canadian made, all I can find is 3 options. Godin, which doesn't have a model that speaks to me, F-bass and Dingwall, also mucho $$$$ for Canadian made.

The cost of living in Canada is terribly high. I am tired of it as well.
Click to expand...
I looked at Godin once also. Not worth the + $1000 IMO.
Also..... Whats with the ego of puting their name all over the bass?
Headstock, pickup, other pickup, pickguard and or body.
Wow.
 
#13
shawshank72 said:
I looked at Godin once also. Not worth the + $1000 IMO.
Also..... Whats with the ego of puting their name all over the bass?
Headstock, pickup, other pickup, pickguard and or body.
Wow.
Click to expand...

Brand recognition? I guess they figure if you replace some parts, other parts with their name will remain?
 
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#14
I dunno why this is thread worthy, really... It's not like you don't have options: buy used or move south.

Yes, the $$$ situation sucks but it is what it is. I'll repeat: do not buy new, tons of good deals in the used market. And trust me, it is a buyer's market right now, some sellers are getting desperate to move their stuff.

I absolutely love my american neighbors but I won't complain about my canadian situation and it would need something life changing for me to move south.

Stop looking at what you don't have and get creative, there's good stuff out there in our country.
 
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#16
I've bought several items at L&M and Cosmo Music in the last few years; 2 amps and 2 axes, brand new. I recently put in an order for a new small amp and gave a down payment only to see the recycling fee ($5) on the bill for the first time. I didn't think this fee would affect music gear. Anyone else notice this on recently purchases ?
 
#18
Living in a bordering area, heavily trafficked by Canadians coming in, I know it's more than just the primary cost. It is also taxes. it does a lot to help our economy when our norther neighbors come to shop. My only wish is that they would not leave their "trash" in the parking lots. It is not uncommon to find old used clothing, shoes, etc just dumped in the lots as they head home wearing the new items, to avoid possible duty tax. The malls have even put in extra dumpsters, donation bins so that those clothes could go to homeless, but yet.......oh well. I still love my Canadian friends.
 
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#19
I was thinking this thread would be about how a miniscule population density and the proximity to a country with ten times our population more or less within less land and a culture of exceptionalism can possibly affect musical demographics. But yeah, prices on everything suck too - granted, I'm sure they're justified, they need to pay rent and utilities and everything, but our struggling dollar and economy doesn't allow for many toys either :rollno:
 
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#20
How un-Canadian of them.
I'll apologize for my selfish fellow citizens, that's embarrassing.

But yeah, if you're not over in the States for over 24 hours, you have to pay tax and possibly duty on goods coming back.
And depending on the province, that could be 13% tax on the already charged state taxes. Plus applicable duties, if they apply.
And that only accounts for US made goods, not imported into the US goods.

Fortunately for me, my gf lives in Michigan, and I'm right on the border, so I get stuff shipped there.
So if I'm over 24-48 hours on a weekend, I can bring most stuff back free.

But as I have a pre-clearance border pass called Nexus, I claim everything.
I go over enough that taking the Nexus express lane makes a big deal in my life, so I don't take the chance of losing it to save a few dollars.
 
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