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I said two months ago that my NBD's are over...I lied. I just pulled the trigger on a P5R. Should be here this coming week. I really will probably have to sell a bass to get this one in the door. I think my 4 string Sire V7 Gen 2 will be going on the block in the not too distant future.
They do indeed, I couldn't get a Sire bag through them but I snagged a fretless NT V5 so that's on its way to me thanks to my tax refund
Also, where's the Natural/Alder option in the poll?!
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AFAIK, both the new and old Sire gigbag versions have different models for the V/P/D ranges and the M ranges and the U5. Unfortunately the seem not currently available via Side's website:
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I do own an old V series gigbag, which I really like but the newer ones seem even better... Could need one for my S7 guitar.
Well, it's my birthday in several days so I used that as a bit of "leverage" but I also told her I'd sell another bass I have...I now have to live up to my promise. I have to decide which one. It's like trying to decide which of my favorite pets I'm going to sell.
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I am looking to purchase a fretless. I have read and it seems to me that the roasted maple neck with the brown fret lines would be difficult to see in low lighting conditions. Opinions from those who have one?
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My Chief Space Allocation Officer has laid down the law: one in, one out! I guess 21 really SHOULD suffice...
So I can still have NBDs (a habit I can't kick, and don't really want to), but have to think long and hard about who's gotta leave the nest.
I'm with you on that brother! I keep looking at my stable to see who's gonna get the axe but they're all shrieking at me....Not Me! Not Me!
Thought I was only one dealt with one in one out! I just let two go so I could get a Sire U5. Missed a good deal here locally trying to decide to sell couple basses so I could justify getting another one. Most ones I see for sale on Reverb is more than what I got one brand new from a distributor. So I ordered the Tobacco Burst U5,but delivery is last of October.
I've got a U5 natural that I'm parting with if you're interested. I haven't put it on here or reverb or eBay yet. Just local offer up. PM me if interested.
My P5R I just ordered is coming from Thomann. I should see it Thursday. I don't know how they do it for the price. Their price including shipping is a $100 less than I can get one anywhere stateside. I asked my sales "engineer" at Sweetwater if he could match their price. He wasn't able to, mostly because they have to charge sales tax. Thomann doesn't.
Sire must sell to Europe at lower cost than US. Or maybe there are US tarriffs involved, who knows. I did buy one Sire bass from Anderton's (UK) and was pretty amazed with the price and speed of shipping. Selection there was WAY better than US also.
Prices for local German sellers seem way higher, for example a V5R 4st NT is currently 469 EUR (no further shipping costs), which are around 497 USD at today's exchange rates, whereas for US customers, I'm told it's just 419 USD plus shipping...
German prizes include 19 % VAT, and AFAIK VAT (with varying rates) would also apply for other European countries...
So I guess you US folks can buy quite cheap compared to local customers...
OTOH, I can buy there and send products back completely free based on their return policy. That won't work cross the Atlantic, methinks.
BTW, they are a huuuge online store but have only one (also huge) local shop here (in Bavaria), and I would have to drive several hours to go there, so I guess most German customers buy online, too.
I guess Andertons have even more Sire models, and are often the shop with the first access to brand new models.
I don't know...I know this is my fourth bass from Thomann and each one I've bought was much cheaper from Thomann than the US companies, usually 25% to 40% cheaper. Heck, the first one I bought wasn't even available anywhere in the US yet. Every place I checked stateside either didn't list them or they said "On Order".
Of course shipping costs have to be considered but for an item costing $450 US and shipping being around $75, it's still an easier pill to swallow than US prices for the same item being $650 plus state sales tax (mine is about 7%). Most of these companies claim "free" shipping but it's not hard to see that the "free" shipping is part of the cost of the item. I was told by Thomann that import duties/tariffs aren't levied against items like these shipped to the US that are under $600 US.
I actually found Thomann quite by accident using Google search. When I found them, I had to do a bit of research on them to make sure they were a legit company because of their much lower prices than the US markets. I was told by an acquaintance that they are indeed a legit company and one of the largest music dealers in the EU.
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There is a cost up to which there in no US import duty; I think it's $600 or $800. Mine was below whatever it was, so I paid no import duty. Plus I'm not in Europe so I didn't pay the VAT either.
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