Mouthpieces Sick of UK Prices

[Silver Smurfer]

This morning, my dog chewed my recently acquired mouthpiece and prompted me to check out the cost of a replacement. When I had picked my jaw off the keyboard, I decided to compare prices in the US. What I discovered was that even without our crippling 20% UK tax, the US prices are a lot cheaper.

Yanagisawa T992 Saxophone - US price converted to GBP - £2,945 (£3,534 with 20% added). UK price £3,720 inc VAT.

Otto Link Vintage HR Mouthpiece - US price - £85.02 (£102 with 20%). UK price £149 inc VAT.

 

[Jules]

did you check with Morgan Fry about fixing your current piece?

 

[Silver Smurfer]

did you check with Morgan Fry about fixing your current piece?

Yes - £95. More than the cost of a brand new one in the US.

 

[Morgan Fry]

It's not the VAT that gets you, it's the business rates, corporation tax rates, employees, utilities, etc.... Overheads are higher, so prices are higher.

In any case, after shipping costs and import duties buying from the States on this scale is usually about break even vs. buying here -- an "£89" Otto Link from WWBW in the States costs £151 by the time it gets to you.

 

[jonf]

It's not the VAT that gets you, it's the business rates, corporation tax rates, employees, utilities, etc.... Overheads are higher, so prices are higher.

We have a completely different tax regime, which means that most retail prices are higher here than in the US. On the other hand, we have a National Health Service, comprehensive welfare state, high qulaity education free at the point of delivery, etc etc.

 

[thomsax]

Alright we have higer taxes in Europe, but still the prices are high! My last (or latest, you never know when it comes to mouthpieces!?!) Dukoff X chamber I bought at WWBW for c $125.00 (c 1000.00 s e k). Then I paid taxes and import duties, total 30%. And another hundreds for freight. So the mouthpice cost me c 1500.00. I asked the Swedish Dukoff distributor if they had the X model. They didn't import that model. But I could buy a new D chamber for c 2500.00 s e k (listprice)!

Thomas

 

[jazzdoh]

A lot depends on the exchange rates as well,not that long ago it was 2 dollars to the pound which made it even more a bargain to buy from the states.
Other factors especially horns is that you have to risk the shipping and hope it does not get damaged in transit.
A friend of mine bought a 10m from the states,which got damaged on route,by the time he paid to put it right he was no better off than buying here,although it is less of a problem with mouthpieces.

Brian

 

[milandro]

As noted the two economic systems are not comparable there are too many differences and they negatively impact on the price in Europe.

Speaking as a person living in mainland Europe (as opposed to the insular part of it! ) running a small company here can be even more expensive than in the UK (while running a large corporation isn’t .......that’s why bands such as U2 and Rolling Stones as companies are based in the Netherlands).

If I do any shopping on line I buy in the UK because shipping and customs (and handling , I hate handling charges!) won’t be there. If one buys a secondhand item like a vintage saxophone though, buying in the U.S. is still so much cheaper than anywhere in Europe. I still prefer buying locally and I’ve done that most of the times in the Netherlands or in Italy where I used to reside (I was born there) for long periods of time due to having a company there than I no longer have.

When it comes to new instruments I think there are a few shops here in the Netherlands which have prices that are competitive even with many American shops. One in particular Matthews in Edam is always open to negotiations and you should certainly try to ask if they can match the American price, normally they don’t charge too much or at all for shipping and you won’t have any customs aggravations.

 

[jonf]

I've bought stuff from Matthews as well, and have found their prices to be very good, and they're good to deal with. And, of course, their English is excellent!

 

[MandyH]

And, of course, their English is excellent!

this is true of almost any Dutch person.
It took me ages to get them to speak back to me in Dutch. As soon as they detected a hint of "not-Dutch" in my spoken word, they'd set off in English!
Leading to a bizarre conversation in a shop once, where I persisted in Dutch and they persisted in English ))

 

[muzza]

Be careful of the shipping costs. Domestic US shipping is often include in price or very reasonable. However international shipping can be expensive.

 

[milandro]

I've bought stuff from Matthews as well, and have found their prices to be very good, and they're good to deal with. And, of course, their English is excellent!

David and Patricia Crane are Americans, their children grew up in the Netherlands, Eelco (Eddy) is Dutch.

 

[jazzdoh]

I have just had an excellent experience dealing with Saxofoonwinkel of Holland and no customs charges

 

[milandro]

yes despite what many think this is one of the advantages in being in the EU

 

[jonf]

this is true of almost any Dutch person.
It took me ages to get them to speak back to me in Dutch. As soon as they detected a hint of "not-Dutch" in my spoken word, they'd set off in English!
Leading to a bizarre conversation in a shop once, where I persisted in Dutch and they persisted in English ))

I have a Dutch colleague, who of course converses with us all in English. He has some research collaborations with Utrecht University, and often has Dutch academics over for visits. When they talk about science stuff they speak in Dutch, but it sounds most bizarre as they tend to use English terms for arcane scientific terms - a string of Dutch terms, then in English, 'regression analysis', 'COPD cohort' and so on. Sounds very odd.

 

[Silver Smurfer]

Taking Milandro's advise, I contacted Eddie of Matthews and I have to agree that their prices and postage are very competitive. Certainly worth considering for my future purchases, especially when the pound does better against the euro. Also a very prompt email response.:welldone

 

[aldevis]

I have a Dutch colleague, who of course converses with us all in English. He has some research collaborations with Utrecht University, and often has Dutch academics over for visits. When they talk about science stuff they speak in Dutch, but it sounds most bizarre as they tend to use English terms for arcane scientific terms - a string of Dutch terms, then in English, 'regression analysis', 'COPD cohort' and so on. Sounds very odd.

Actually some concepts are better expressed in a language than in another.
"Weltanschauung" is probably my favourite. It sounds like a Markneukirken made saxophone.

Shouldn't we revert to latin?

 

[jonf]

Shouldn't we revert to latin?

Nope. We didn't start of with Latin, so we can't revert to it. It's only real use is to provide arcane terms known only by insiders in their fields. Defenders of the use of Latin in law, medicine and science claim it allows precise definitions of specific terms, and terms of art. What they never satisfactorily explain is why Latin is any better able to define something than English, one of the broadest and most expressive of languages. It makes my blood boil to see expressions like 'mutatis mutandis' used when what is meant is 'making some changes'. Hogwash, used with no other purpose than confusing the public.

(Rant mode off. I went to a Northern comprehensive school in the 1970s and 1980s - could you guess? Latin didn't appear on the curriculum. I learned how to use a lathe, but not how to speak Latin. I think lathes are more useful than Latin).

 

[aldevis]

Nope. We didn't start of with Latin, so we can't revert to it. It's only real use is to provide arcane terms known only by insiders in their fields. Defenders of the use of Latin in law, medicine and science claim it allows precise definitions of specific terms, and terms of art. What they never satisfactorily explain is why Latin is any better able to define something than English, one of the broadest and most expressive of languages. It makes my blood boil to see expressions like 'mutatis mutandis' used when what is meant is 'making some changes'. Hogwash, used with no other purpose than confusing the public.

(Rant mode off. I went to a Northern comprehensive school in the 1970s and 1980s - could you guess? Latin didn't appear on the curriculum. I learned how to use a lathe, but not how to speak Latin. I think lathes are more useful than Latin).

I love this forum....

"Mutatis mutandis" and "quid pro quo" are mistranslated in English.
Lathes are more useful than Latin if you have to shorten a clarinet barrel.
Latin is more useful than a lathe if you have to set up an international scientific community based on religion, unaccessible by the layman (latheman).

Someday I will switch on my rant booster and start screaming about the barbarian usage of English musical terms.

 

[Tenor Viol]

Nope. We didn't start of with Latin, so we can't revert to it. It's only real use is to provide arcane terms known only by insiders in their fields. Defenders of the use of Latin in law, medicine and science claim it allows precise definitions of specific terms, and terms of art. What they never satisfactorily explain is why Latin is any better able to define something than English, one of the broadest and most expressive of languages. It makes my blood boil to see expressions like 'mutatis mutandis' used when what is meant is 'making some changes'. Hogwash, used with no other purpose than confusing the public.

(Rant mode off. I went to a Northern comprehensive school in the 1970s and 1980s - could you guess? Latin didn't appear on the curriculum. I learned how to use a lathe, but not how to speak Latin. I think lathes are more useful than Latin).

I haven't got time just now (need to head off to work) but don't agree I went to a northern grammar school in the 1970s and guess what - I did learn Latin....

It's the root behind many European languages and behind the etymology of many of the words in our language (I agree not all).

It's also a "neutral" language without national overtones.

It was also the "lingua franca" (common tongue) for communication between countries and technical subjects until fairly recently which is why it is was used to describe scientific terms.

If more people learnt languages (in general) there would be a significant improvement in the standard of written and spoken English (and I'm not referring to artificial constructs such as "split infinitives" which is a Victorian fable). A major issue, in my opinion, is the lack of undertsanding of how language is constructed or works. By way of example, ask someone what the subject or object of a verb is, or the past participle of the verb "to do" (clue: it's not what your typical football manager or pundit thinks it is :shocked.

Sorry got to dash