Who's bought from Musicians Friend?

stu

Ive been looking at getting myself an electric piano however paying R14,500 in this country when they are selling in the US for R7,500 is crazy.

So Im looking into bringing in a used one in through Musicians Friend which I could pick up for about R6,000. Which is an unbelievable saving and definitely worth looking into, I would think.

So has anyone done this before and what advise or caution can you give me?

Reinhard

Quite a few guys on the forum have done it. I got my strat from them 2 weeks back. Got here very quickly, customs took their time and UPS delivered it to me. Definitely worth it, saved me a lot of money.

rikus

Did it as well (Bought an amp)... Same experience as Reinhard.

Do a search, I recall someone else shipping a keyboard over a couple of months ago and that also went smoothly from what I can remember.

AlanRatcliffe

There's the small issue of 110V vs 220V. ? So either make sure the unit you get is switchable power or factor in a stepdown transformer.

Electric pianos are also fairly large and some are very heavy, so check on delivery charges before buying.

6x9base13

Alan Ratcliffe wrote: There's the small issue of 110V vs 220V. ? So either make sure the unit you get is switchable power or factor in a stepdown transformer.

Electric pianos are also fairly large and some are very heavy, so check on delivery charges before buying.

What Alan said. I bought my strat and if UPS didn't mess up it would have arrived early !

If it wasn't for that small four lettter word (work !!) I'd have updated my NGD thread - I took a wild flyer and bought a level 3 guitar ! I must say I cannot understand why it was categorized as such. Plastics still on everything and not a scratch to be found.

Reinhard

6x9base13 wrote:
Alan Ratcliffe wrote: There's the small issue of 110V vs 220V. ? So either make sure the unit you get is switchable power or factor in a stepdown transformer.

Electric pianos are also fairly large and some are very heavy, so check on delivery charges before buying.
What Alan said. I bought my strat and if UPS didn't mess up it would have arrived early !

If it wasn't for that small four lettter word (work !!) I'd have updated my NGD thread - I took a wild flyer and bought a level 3 guitar ! I must say I cannot understand why it was categorized as such. Plastics still on everything and not a scratch to be found.

No way, it looked brand new in your pics ?

Cleric

I've got my eye on a lefty Studio in condition 2 that they have there as a back up if Marshall Music don't deliver (really hoping they do though, I want a brand new one rather).

My question is around the warranty. It says that anything that isn't new no longer has the manufacturer warranty. But Gibson are known for their lifetime warranties. Would this be completely void if I bought it that way?

AlanRatcliffe

Cleric wrote: My question is around the warranty. It says that anything that isn't new no longer has the manufacturer warranty. But Gibson are known for their lifetime warranties. Would this be completely void if I bought it that way?

The Gibson Limited Lifetime Warranty is non-transferable, so it automatically falls away with second-hand Gibsons. Anyway - even if it did not, you would have to ship it back to the seller (MF) at your expense (and back again).

Last I looked, Gibson also held the authorised dealer/distributor responsible for all repairs/replacements etc., essentially handing off their QC (and all costs involved) to their distributor. One of the reasons I've sworn I'll never own one...

stu

Just noticed my typo on the title ? Sorry about that.

Thanks for the replies all. I think Ill go for it and hope for the best.

Chabenda

Hey Stu - thanks for over 500 posts!

Ray

Will you get that piano landed much cheaper than the 14.5 G's? I wonder. It's not just the little keyboard thing but the whole thing on legs and stuff? I've also been wondering about prices of everything and combined with shipping and all the other side expenses and add to that the risk! For every one happy story I've heard about private import of an item or two, I've heard at least two bad ones. And had one or two shaky experiences myslef. And why is it more expensive here? I dont think the people selling the stuff want to kill themselves. Hell, I hope they dont disappear.

epictring

Ray wrote: Will you get that piano landed much cheaper than the 14.5 G's? I wonder. It's not just the little keyboard thing but the whole thing on legs and stuff? I've also been wondering about prices of everything and combined with shipping and all the other side expenses and add to that the risk! For every one happy story I've heard about private import of an item or two, I've heard at least two bad ones. And had one or two shaky experiences myslef. And why is it more expensive here? I dont think the people selling the stuff want to kill themselves. Hell, I hope they dont disappear.

I've imported over 10 items from overseas and have not had a single problem. Yes there are people with bad experiences, but I don't agree with your ratio based on my personal past experience.

Reinhard

Ray wrote: Will you get that piano landed much cheaper than the 14.5 G's? I wonder. It's not just the little keyboard thing but the whole thing on legs and stuff? I've also been wondering about prices of everything and combined with shipping and all the other side expenses and add to that the risk! For every one happy story I've heard about private import of an item or two, I've heard at least two bad ones. And had one or two shaky experiences myslef. And why is it more expensive here? I dont think the people selling the stuff want to kill themselves. Hell, I hope they dont disappear.

I have imported 3 guitars, loads of pedals, speakers a bunch of parts etc. Only thing that never got here was a cellphone cover.

Cleric

Alan Ratcliffe wrote: The Gibson Limited Lifetime Warranty is non-transferable, so it automatically falls away with second-hand Gibsons. Anyway - even if it did not, you would have to ship it back to the seller (MF) at your expense (and back again).

Last I looked, Gibson also held the authorised dealer/distributor responsible for all repairs/replacements etc., essentially handing off their QC (and all costs involved) to their distributor. One of the reasons I've sworn I'll never own one...

Thanks, makes it much easier to resist buying it that way then. Man I hope Marshall Music come right soon with my order.

Reinhard

Cleric wrote:
Alan Ratcliffe wrote: The Gibson Limited Lifetime Warranty is non-transferable, so it automatically falls away with second-hand Gibsons. Anyway - even if it did not, you would have to ship it back to the seller (MF) at your expense (and back again).

Last I looked, Gibson also held the authorised dealer/distributor responsible for all repairs/replacements etc., essentially handing off their QC (and all costs involved) to their distributor. One of the reasons I've sworn I'll never own one...
Thanks, makes it much easier to resist buying it that way then. Man I hope Marshall Music come right soon with my order.

It is a warm fuzzy feeling knowing you have a warranty, but the only Gibson I have had that needed a bit of help was one from the 60s. The savings when importing is so significant even after a repair job (if it is ever needed) you would likely still have paid less. That being said, I bought a great J-45 from MM, but acoustics are a different ball game.

IceCreamMan

Reinhard wrote:
Cleric wrote:
Alan Ratcliffe wrote: The Gibson Limited Lifetime Warranty is non-transferable, so it automatically falls away with second-hand Gibsons. Anyway - even if it did not, you would have to ship it back to the seller (MF) at your expense (and back again).

Last I looked, Gibson also held the authorised dealer/distributor responsible for all repairs/replacements etc., essentially handing off their QC (and all costs involved) to their distributor. One of the reasons I've sworn I'll never own one...
Thanks, makes it much easier to resist buying it that way then. Man I hope Marshall Music come right soon with my order.
It is a warm fuzzy feeling knowing you have a warranty, but the only Gibson I have had that needed a bit of help was one from the 60s. The savings when importing is so significant even after a repair job (if it is ever needed) you would likely still have paid less. That being said, I bought a great J-45 from MM, but acoustics are a different ball game.

yip, never had a guitar go bad on me ....guitars are robust devices ...a lil bit of preventative manintenance goes a LONG WAY.

The strat i bought from musicianfriend was flawless and still is ...... cost was around half of a new one here..... in a heartbeat i would do it again