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Double Bass Ordering parts from Canada

G

guillermo

Oct 1, 2004
49
37
#1
Hi:
I'm my quest to get my DB (3/4 ply from China) to sound better I'm considering upgrading some parts:

- Ebony Tailpiece
- Tail wire
- end pin (if not much trouble to change oneself)

Here go my questions:

please recomend upgrades for the parts, not to cheap
but not too expensinve either. from where ? Gollihur, Lemur
other ?

And, how does it work when parts are ordered from the USA and shiped to Canada , I mean is there any customs or taxes to pay when things get delivered here in Canada (a.k.a
Taxland), any Canadians in TBDB that can share info on this ?

Thanks
Guillermo
 
#3
hey there,

i understand you are shipping from u.s. to canada?
you could try looking into canadian makers instead.

1)for end pins. Link Removed
2) for tailpieces. there is a maker in ottawa name dominik zuchowicz who specializes in violones and viols. he also makes tailpeices for modern. I have seen and heard them and they are very good. In fact, I have one on one of my instruments.you could find him on the internet. also......[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
3) for tailpiece wire. I was at mario's shop a year ago and he was talking about some sort of wire that he was happy with. he would explain more. A pal of mine, who is a player and luthier, has started using titanium wire. i know nothing about the results. you could also ask domink zuchowicz about getting gut for the tailpiece.
all the best,
curtis
 
#4
Hi, first off, upgrading the end pin probably won't do much to the sound, but I'm not sure. Also, maybe look into having your bridge properly fit and soundpost adjusted by a professional if you haven't already, just a thought.

I've ordered LOTS of instrument related parts from the US. Obviously you'll pay for the shipping, but also a customs fee, which is $5.00, I think, and then you'll pay the taxes on the price of those items, possible on the shipping costs too. Depending on which province you're located in taxes vary, here in BC it's 14.5%. I think on certain items, like big stuff, you also pay a brokerage fee, as I paid one when I bought a 4/4 cello from the US, to which I also had to pay a special delivery fee because the box was HUGE.
 
#6
There is no customs duty to paid on practically any of this stuff. Leastways I don't believe I've ever paid any.

On goods & shipping, you've gotta pay the federal GST at 7%. Depending on how you're doing things, you may even have to pay your provincial sales tax.

The so-called "customs fee" varies depending on who brought your stuff over the border. The government does not bank this fee as revenue -- they see none of it. The fee is charged by service providers who fill out the form declaring importation of the item and its value. Canada Post charges $5 for this service. So do most professional customs brokers. UPS charges 50 outrageous freaking dollars for typing the value into a computer form and hitting return.

Think what you want about tax, you gotta pay that. There's no duty to complain about. The main area to watch for trouble is who's carrying your goods over the border and what they will charge to actually deliver them to you. American vendors all seem to love UPS to death for some reason -- UPS screws every single one of their non-American customers. FedEx not quite so bad but still predatory on that service. Post Office is almost always the cheapest way to go. The postal services of either country have never given me any trouble; not so the commercial messenger services.
 

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