| Author | Message | ||
| thebass
Member Username: thebass Post Number: 63 Registered: 3-2003 |
Hi Mica, there's a discussion in progress on a german bass news group which assumes that the brand name "Alembic" is protected in Germany to be only used from an Alembic distributor near Munich. Is this true ? Werner | ||
| adriaan
Junior Username: adriaan Post Number: 44 Registered: 6-2002 |
They own the internet domain www.alembic.de, which takes you staight to their site. I seem to remember that Alembic used to own the bass.com domain, and then sold that to the Bass brewery. | ||
| senmen
Member Username: senmen Post Number: 81 Registered: 7-2003 |
Hi Adriaan, yes it is Station Music, the german distributor of Alembic. I think that they own the rights on the name in Germany as other dealers are not allowed to name the name. In ads of other dealers you mainly see "A.....c" printed i.e. Oliver | ||
| adriaan
Junior Username: adriaan Post Number: 45 Registered: 6-2002 |
If you're selling a product, surely there is no way anyone can forbid you to state the true brand name. And I'm sure there are rules about advertising that require you to clearly state the product that you're selling. Or is it that Station Music is the only store in Germany where you can officially buy a new Alembic? Dealers who print "A.....c" are probably just trying to let us impress ourselves with our secret knowledge of magical instruments (Geheimtip is a word that comes to mind). Hey, I just want to play my Alembic. | ||
| senmen
Member Username: senmen Post Number: 83 Registered: 7-2003 |
Adriaan, yes I think they are the one and only official selling point/distributor in Germany. But anyway, I also havenīt bought my two Spyders in Germany because they had been much more expensive than the way I bought them. And we donīt speak about EUR 50. So this money I can invest in another instrument.... Oliver | ||
| adriaan
Junior Username: adriaan Post Number: 46 Registered: 6-2002 |
<DUPLICATE MESSAGE DELETED> (Message edited by adriaan on October 07, 2003) | ||
| adriaan
Junior Username: adriaan Post Number: 47 Registered: 6-2002 |
I bought my Epic in 94 for 2700 guilders, and now they sell for more euros. Knowing that the same amount in euros would already be about 2.2 times as expensive, plus inflation - I don't think I can afford another one. | ||
| rogertvr
Intermediate Member Username: rogertvr Post Number: 113 Registered: 1-2003 |
Of course the question to Oliver is...where did you buy them from then Oliver? We demand to be told! :-) Cheers, Roger | ||
| valvil
Moderator Username: valvil Post Number: 193 Registered: 7-2002 |
Oliver bought his basses from Bass Central, you can still see pictures of them on the website. Valentino | ||
| senmen
Member Username: senmen Post Number: 84 Registered: 7-2003 |
Hi Val, hi guys, yep, I bought mine at Bass Central. What can I say: great guys and a great service! Oliver | ||
| rogertvr
Intermediate Member Username: rogertvr Post Number: 114 Registered: 1-2003 |
Forgive my ignorance - where are Bass Central? | ||
| valvil
Moderator Username: valvil Post Number: 195 Registered: 7-2002 |
Bass Central is in Winter Park in Florida. Great site to see many Alembics (most of 'em sold however, these guys rock) http://basscentral.com/ Valentino | ||
| rogertvr
Intermediate Member Username: rogertvr Post Number: 115 Registered: 1-2003 |
Oliver, what happens when you import into Europe? Doesn't the German system insist you pay import duty and sales tax? Rog | ||
| senmen
Member Username: senmen Post Number: 85 Registered: 7-2003 |
Hi Rog, of course I have to pay for the freight, the duty (3,7% of selling price and freight) plus 16% taxes (based on selling price + freight + duty). But even with this the prices are much more interesting than here. Oliver | ||
| palembic
Senior Member Username: palembic Post Number: 646 Registered: 9-2002 |
If I may add something to that. In Germany the VAT is 16 % for musical instruments. Let me give you a quick break-down of us poor EU's buying an Alembic. Salesprice: 5000$ Transport & Insurance: (estimate) 100$ Import tax: 10% = 500$ VAT (21% Belgium) = 1155$ Total = 6755$ Now there WAS (not that much anymore alas) 1 tiny light in this dark tunnel that the EU-currency was 20% higher in value than a US-dollar. SO you got to pay 1,20 dollar for 1 Euro. That means that what you bought in the US was AUTOMATICALLY 20% sheaper. Alas -as I said- I don't think that that is the case anymore. I don't follow it closely. Paul the bad one There ARE stores in EU who try to manage (with discounts and so) to get a guitar here simply at VAT difference, or lsightly lower, but that's the best you can get | ||
| mattheus
Member Username: mattheus Post Number: 56 Registered: 5-2003 |
Whenever you buy an instrument in a foreign country you should not pay for their taxes. Otherwise you pay taxes twice! Taxes paid in your 'home-country' are deductable. (Perhaps that is tiny bit more light in the tunnel...) Mattheus | ||
| palembic
Senior Member Username: palembic Post Number: 647 Registered: 9-2002 |
Yeah Mattheus, I forgot that. If I'm well informed the Alembicians deduct the Californian salestax off their sales price going abroad (Well it's how Roscoe works I got that info from them which is not a Californian company but from North Carolina). Although when the guitar is imported in EU their is an IMPORT-tax and THAN the VAT on top of that. | ||
| adriaan
Junior Username: adriaan Post Number: 48 Registered: 6-2002 |
The exchange rate for us in Holland was excellent in 1994: something like 1.50 Guilders to a US Dollar, instead of 2.00 Guilders like it used to be in the 1980s (like Clinton said to Bush Sr.: It's the economy, stupid). Ignoring inflation, 1.50 Guilders translates to 0.68 Euros, while these days the exchange rate is something like 0.90 Euro to a US Dollar. So wait another ten years until the exchange rate drops again, lowering those self-import prices by 20%. I won't predict if we'll have another Clinton in the White House by then, though. | ||
| senmen
Member Username: senmen Post Number: 86 Registered: 7-2003 |
But guys, believe me, it still makes sense..... 1500 Euro saved on one bass is much money, or? Oliver | ||
| valvil
Moderator Username: valvil Post Number: 198 Registered: 7-2002 |
Actually these days the Euro is as strong as ever. Today's exchange rate lists the Euro as being worth over 1.17$ US; or to look at it the other way 1$US = .84 Euro. Valentino | ||
| palembic
Senior Member Username: palembic Post Number: 650 Registered: 9-2002 |
Watch out California ...we're coming! Actually: you got a EU governor already!!! Well you got out muscles already ...now our money LOL Paul the bad one | ||
| harald_rost
Junior Username: harald_rost Post Number: 27 Registered: 6-2002 |
I bought my used 1976 Sereis 1 from a bassplayer from USA. I never would get a used Series bass here in Germany for that price I paid. But it's a shame IMHO that one can buy an new Alembic cheaper from a dealer in USA, including all the shipping costs, taxes and custom fees, than from the German distributor. What the hell is the German distributor for? Their prices are out of real. Does anybody know if their prices are negotiable? Oliver: Did you try? Harald |
