Cost of gear in SA

D-Man · 2009-12-17T15:13:38+00:00

I'm sure I'm not the first one to notice this but musical equipment in South Africa is extremely expensive. An amp that costs 169 pounds in the UK is R3200 on the shelves of our music stores. 169 pounds at the current exchange rate is now about R2028. It gets even worse for the higher end equipment. Now, i know shipping also comes into play but how much shipping would you honestly end up paying if you purchased something like a Peavey Vypyr 30 from a sit like sweetwater.com, for example?

vic

Guys...I said it before...BUY PRE-OWNED. There's plenty out there to pick and choose from. If you're looking for something specific, try an ad in the media...also plenty to choose from.

Stoner-Riff

vic wrote Guys...I said it before...BUY PRE-OWNED. There's plenty out there to pick and choose from. If you're looking for something specific, try an ad in the media...also plenty to choose from.

Just stay away from Gumtree . . . a total waste of time !
In three years i fund nothing i wanted on that site.

vic

Stoner Riff wrote
vic wrote Guys...I said it before...BUY PRE-OWNED. There's plenty out there to pick and choose from. If you're looking for something specific, try an ad in the media...also plenty to choose from.

Just stay away from Gumtree . . . a total waste of time !
In three years i fund nothing i wanted on that site.

Try advertising for what you're looking for. You never know....It has nearly always worked for me

Tokai-SA

Stoner Riff wrote
Stevovo wrote Hi Guys,
I'm experiencing the cost of buying international gear - got a really nice Fender SuperChamp XD amp from the US, and only realised it's spec'd for US 110V voltage after purchase [stupid, I know]. The standard voltage converter I bought from electronics shop doesn't seem to be able to power the amp and all I get is fuzz and whine. Any idea where I could buy / get built a transformer I can use? Also not sure if this is a regular issue with US voltage amps? I didn't think that I'd need an elaborate voltage converter? Any advice would be great - I'm dying to crank up my amp!

Hi there . . .

. . . many US muso's who take their American-110V amps to 220V-Europe to gig, or even moving there to live buys from this place and swear by it !

http://www.dvdoverseas.com/store/index.html?loadfile=catalog1_0.html

Good Luck !

Why would you want to import a step down transformer from overseas, the shipping costs would be more than the actual transformer that you can buy here in Joburg....I think you've got "IMPORT" on the brain. ?

Zakspeed in Woodmead Sandton, next to Marshall Music, they sell step down transformers...I used one on my Rivera.

matta

Stoner Riff wrote Just stay away from Gumtree . . . a total waste of time !
In three years i fund nothing i wanted on that site.

Really? I bought my AC30 and Bandmaster off there, not to mention LOADS of pedals/stomboxes, keyboards, some studio gear etc... for prices that were MORE than fair, even compared to prices abroad... just need to either look harder, or act faster ?

Matt

MIKA-the-better-one

matta wrote
Stoner Riff wrote Just stay away from Gumtree . . . a total waste of time !
In three years i fund nothing i wanted on that site.
Really? I bought my AC30 and Bandmaster off there, not to mention LOADS of pedals/stomboxes, keyboards, some studio gear etc... for prices that were MORE than fair, even compared to prices abroad... just need to either look harder, or act faster ?

Matt

I second that, I managed to go from a R3000 buy of a tele, to a american deluxe via simple trades, and selling for more than I bought for. I also managed to get a ac50 NEW for R5000, as well as trade that for a twin, and then a bassman 10 for R3000 in full working order.

I dont think I have made a loss off gumtree, infact its where I make most my money

Tokai-SA

The cost of gear is cheap in South Africa.

I walked into a Pawn Shop in Louis Botha avenue, saw a grille cloth sticking out from behind a bunch of old PC printers...removed the printers to find a 1966 Vibrolux Reverb, with the original Jensen Red Label speakers, GEC KT66 power valves, and a bunch of Mullards in the pre-amp....I walked out 5 minutes later with it, I paid R 950.00.

Sold it in the States for $1800.00

?

singemonkey

I can beat that. ?

My best buddy bought a 70s Gibson SG Special in Cash Converters for R400.

A little beaten up, but plays great and sounds fantastic.

MIKA-the-better-one

this is fun I like these stories............. I had a friend see a jag, at a cash converters, for R1000, from what he described it was pretty beaten up, but still sounded good........ ☹ by the time i got there it was gone, granted it was like a week later

IceCreamMan

Stoner Riff wrote
vic wrote Guys...I said it before...BUY PRE-OWNED. There's plenty out there to pick and choose from. If you're looking for something specific, try an ad in the media...also plenty to choose from.

Just stay away from Gumtree . . . a total waste of time !
In three years i fund nothing i wanted on that site.

i've done pretty well out of gumtree ...and junkmail.

Scored some excellent deals.

Looking at the music stores in the vicinity of my house i have 3 "mega" stores and a couple of smaller ones. The "mega" stores are carrying huge amounts of stock and carry stock equates to tieing up money. I have a smattering of economic knowlege (probably just enough to be dangerous) but to my mind i reckon all these stores are making higher than normal profits at this point in time. So possibly they creaming it a bit BUT someone is carrying risk and that is worth a premium i spose.

Its in my interest that stores make a good normal profit and remain in business. that way i am guarenteed of getting what i need.

PaulJ

guidothepimmp wrote most of the cool shit (and by cool shit i mean electronics and music gear), are cheaper overseas.

My Jackson DK2 cost me R5000 from the UK. A big music outlet in jhb said they could get it for me for R11000. That is just stupid!

My mate brought me a 1 TB harddrive from the uk for R1000, here you cant buy 500GB one for that.
Got a Canon camera for R3800 from the UK, here it costs R7500.

Electronics in Portugal are cheaper too. at least half the price.

i agree completely. we get shafted proper with all the cool stuff.

I had some family visiting the UK in December, I could have got Guitar Rig Mobile for R800 and a set of Creative Powered monitors for R1000, but unfortunatley they were unable to get the stuff due to the weather conditions and delivery in the UK at the time, but I ended up buying my Guitar Rig Mobile from Music Mate in Boksburg for R1800, It was a crap feeling knowing that I could've got the Guitar Rig and the speakers for the same price in the UK. SA prices are up to SH!T, so lets not kid ourselves.

PaulJ

singemonkey wrote I can beat that. ?

My best buddy bought a 70s Gibson SG Special in Cash Converters for R400.

A little beaten up, but plays great and sounds fantastic.

Got this Marshall stack for R800......

Amps
Marshall 100Watt Bass Amp

Fingerpicker

I was in a music shop in Cresta last week, browsing through their music books. HUGE mark up. A book that I was interested in, $25 in the US, selling here for R650! Being retired is nice because you have a lot of time to kak people out. I asked them if this book had it's own seat on the plane, amongst other things. Anyway I know the owner so I'm going to cramp his style shortly as well.

singemonkey

Fingerpicker wrote I was in a music shop in Cresta last week, browsing through their music books. HUGE mark up. A book that I was interested in, $25 in the US, selling here for R650! Being retired is nice because you have a lot of time to kak people out. I asked them if this book had it's own seat on the plane, amongst other things. Anyway I know the owner so I'm going to cramp his style shortly as well.

It's all BS as far as I'm concerned. I've bought my last book retail in SA. Mostly I now buy from www.loot.co.za . They need to imagine that readers (and musicians for that matter) are quite likely to be internet savvy enough to avoid their insanely inflated prices.

matta

singemonkey wrote It's all BS as far as I'm concerned. I've bought my last book retail in SA. Mostly I now buy from www.loot.co.za . They need to imagine that readers (and musicians for that matter) are quite likely to be internet savvy enough to avoid their insanely inflated prices.

You forget WE are not there market... Marshall Music CPT turns over +- R500,000 to a Million a month, it is NOT on guys like us, it is Dr. and Lawyers who are weekend warriors that want the best, so dropping R100,000 on a PRS and Custom Amp is no problem, also why should they dick around looking for books when a book MAY be had for $30 online, but there time is worth more than that to hunt it down when they can just throw in a R650.00 book into there purchase, it is peanuts.

Matt

singemonkey

I really don't get that. It's like, "Hey look, I'm so rich I don't even mind being suckered into paying twice the price."

matta

Clearly, you are not 'rich', at least financially 8) I'm in no way in that league at all, but better off than many in SA, I still look for good prices, but sometimes I just pay the extra cash because my time is more valuable than the potential savings... If I have to spend even an hour searching for something on-line and dealing with the admin, it is robbing me of my time that I could be either earning money from, or spending it with my family.

I just landscaped and hardscaped my front garden, I was hands on in that I drew the plans, chose the plants etc, but I'm NOT going to do the work, my time is too valuable to me.

Singemonkey, I have no idea how old you are, or where you are in life, but life changes when you get married, start a family, buy a home(s) and have a mortage/cars to pay off etc, it is then you REALLY learn the value of time/money.

Cheers

Matt

singemonkey wrote I really don't get that. It's like, "Hey look, I'm so rich I don't even mind being suckered into paying twice the price."

Bob-Dubery

singemonkey wrote I really don't get that. It's like, "Hey look, I'm so rich I don't even mind being suckered into paying twice the price."

It's not even that - or not solely that.

You should come to TJs some time. All the amateurs, the guys who have paid the bond off and got the kids out of the house and now have spare cash (but no more talent) arrive with their limited-edition Martins and their Morgans. The poor old working musos, you know, the guys who can actually PLAY, arrive with their Takamines and 3rd-hand Yamahas.

It's bizarre.

robmac

If one were to go to the US on holiday is it possible to buy a guitar there and bring it back as luggage?

what would be the difficulties/ costs involved with this?

IceCreamMan

X-rated Bob wrote
singemonkey wrote I really don't get that. It's like, "Hey look, I'm so rich I don't even mind being suckered into paying twice the price."
It's not even that - or not solely that.

You should come to TJs some time. All the amateurs, the guys who have paid the bond off and got the kids out of the house and now have spare cash (but no more talent) arrive with their limited-edition Martins and their Morgans. The poor old working musos, you know, the guys who can actually PLAY, arrive with their Takamines and 3rd-hand Yamahas.

It's bizarre.

Instead of ridiculing those guys you should appreciate em as they the ones keeping the stores ticking over and in business.

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