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Double Bass The poor Europeans

P

pierre

Jun 3, 2005
147
0
60
Médoc FRANCE
jazzcb.free.fr
#1
For us it's very difficult to try a lot of the amps you talk about on TB. I'd like too try Euphonic Audio ......no dealer, only in England but the lot of posts I send to know the price had no replys.

And nothing like Talkbass :crying: in Europe.

I'd like a lot of europeans doublebassist try and talk on the new French forum. For the moment it is in French but you can post in English THEY NEED MORE DOUBLEBASSIST.:hyper: :hyper:

Link Removed
 
#3
Not really - nothing is cheaper in Europe due to VAT - which is added on - 17.5% in Britain - more in some countries.

I have also posted at length in threads around here before about a huge lack of affordable Double Basses, as compared to the US - nothing like the 'New Standard' over here...:(
 
#7
massasahib said:
I live in switzerland. Some months ago i bought a set of velvet garbo. first i wantet to buy it directly from schertlers company. i thought it would be cheep, because its here in the country. but finaly i'v got the strings much cheeper in the german online-shop www.saitenkatalog.de
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Good link!!

I see they are offering a 3/4 Spirocore medium for 119 Euros , including VAT and P&P!

I paid 135 from PolyChord, so I shall probably use this site in future! :)
 
#9
before you waste your money for the garbos you should check it out on your own bass. some people love it, some people...! garbos are much different from spiros, much darker in pizzicato play and difficult in arco. i bought it, but use it only on my secund bass. for my first bass i keep playing E and A-spiros and D and G golden spirals.
 
#12
Bruce Lindfield said:
Not really - nothing is cheaper in Europe due to VAT - which is added on - 17.5% in Britain - more in some countries.

I have also posted at length in threads around here before about a huge lack of affordable Double Basses, as compared to the US - nothing like the 'New Standard' over here...:(
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That's not true. If you buy from the US, you also have to pay your local VAT as import tax. Otherwise, it's defraudation of tax :hmm:

And there are many affordable basses in good quality available, at least in Germany. In general, prices for basses are much higher in the US than in Germany.
(BTW: I'm not sure if I remember this correctly, but the New Standard basses are made in Germany, and varnished and setup in the US.)
 
#15
Bruce Lindfield said:
Sorry - there seems to be a misunderstanding - we are agreeing , as far as I can see!!

:)
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Sorry, you're right ... I had another post in mind while answering your's.

Bruce Lindfield said:
On the second part - I was talking about the UK - I've never seen a New Standard for sale here, or I would have snapped it up!! ;)
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I think that american made basses are very rare in Europe, because they would be far too expensive, in comparison to european or even chinese made instruments. And it would be somehow crazy to ship a white instruments from Germany to the USA, to do the varnish and setup job there, and to ship them back to Europe again ...
 
#18
I want to hear that Markbass amp! I live in Germany. We don't have all the Chinese stuff here, but I think you can get a decent European carved bass here cheaper than in the States. Also, I really think we have better luthiers and repair people.

As far as new stuff goes, it is much cheaper in the States, even if it is made here. I have heard of people sneaking Pirastro strings back in their luggage when they have visited the US. They cost almost double here, in the country where they are made! It is not just the VAT. There are retail pricing restrictions here, and also a certain attitude. If you try to have something shipped from U.S. to Germany, they kill you with import duties. Items with a declared value of under 50 Euros (~$62.50)are supposed to be exempt, but my cousin sent me some towels as a wedding gift last summer, and the "Zollampt" made me pay like $35 in duty. They had wrongly included shipping and U.S. tax to get over the €50 mark, so I eventually got it back, but my point is that there are some serious fair trade issues going on here.

As far as Amps and electronics go, You've got to be careful about compatibility. When I moved here, I brought along my Hartke amp, which claims to run on European 230v/50hz. It works, but hums badly. I had the same problem with other power amp gear. Transformers designed for North American 60 hz have a bad time with EU 50hz. I haven't seen much about this, but I would like to know which amp gear can be used on both continents. Professional musicians ought to be able to cross the Atlantic with their own amps.

So, in conclusion, buy your strings in the US, buy a nice old bass in Europe, and buy your amp in the country where you plan to use it!
Robobass
 
#19
Lucerne said:
The only thing to say is MarkBass. The states don't have them (yet). They are widely available in Europe and truly the best amps for double bass that i've heard
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They've got a load of those in my local shop and I was just put off, as they look so "cheap" and insubstantial...:hmm:

I would just be embarassed to turn up at a serious gig with something that looked like that - the bright yellow just screams "Tacky" to me - I'll stick with Euphonic Audio!! ;)
 
#20
the "new" look of the markbass amps is weird and look like a gadget i agree. But you still can find the "old" versions, which are classic aluminum looking and far better designed !

i play on a Markbass system ! TA503 head and 4X10 cab and have to say thats the better amp i ever played or tried. Very versatile, powerfull and it absolutely don"t color the bass sound !

and last but not least : weight is incredibely light ! a dream to bring for gigs !

others amps that i loved too for urb : Fafner (EBS) head and Glokenklang...but more difficult to find for a try !
 

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