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Buying a guitar in Spain
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DoctorX2k2
Posts: 211
Joined: Jun. 14 2006
From: Quebec City, Canada
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RE: Buying a guitar in Spain (in reply to JBASHORUN)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: JBASHORUN Dude, that blanca you're making should be ready anytime now... that will hopefully be better than a cheap classical, que no? Jb Papers and exams are killing me... can't finish the guitar. Well, I don't share your optimism in term of playability... there are so many things I should have done differently. I glued the bridge last week-end... prefect measurements, but the damn thing has a gap on the bass side, I don't know what happened exactly... everything was well clamped. How can I take it off without messing with everything around it now? I also sanded through my lacquer finish on a few spots... again and dented my near perfect finish on top. Anyways, I'll recrown the frets and make the nut/saddle and find out, but I'm under the impression that my neck is too thick and so is my fingerboard. As for buying one in Spain, I'm just curious. If I'm to find a great quality/price guitar over there, I wont pass, simply because I wont often be in Spain in my life. I just wonder how much money stores like GSI get from selling imported guitars.
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Date Dec. 19 2006 2:41:47
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JBASHORUN
Posts: 1839
Joined: Jan. 23 2005
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RE: Buying a guitar in Spain (in reply to DoctorX2k2)
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quote:
I glued the bridge last week-end... prefect measurements, but the damn thing has a gap on the bass side, I don't know what happened exactly... everything was well clamped. How can I take it off without messing with everything around it now? Doc, perhaps the top of the soundboard warped before you got the bridge on, who knows. But if there's a gap, that might be a problem... I've heard stories of bridges "popping off" the first time people tune their guitar to pitch. Thats why the fit needs to be perfect. It IS possible to remove a glued bridge once it is already stuck down. The way I was taught is by applying heat to the bridge (by using a household clothes iron, for example), and then sliding a palette knife gently under the bridge to get it off. But if you've finished (ie. lacquered) the bridge already, you may not be able to use the hot iron. The spot where the bridge used to be may need cleaning up before fixing a new one. Its either that, or take your chances with the gap. Jb
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Date Dec. 19 2006 13:38:59
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DTFrontera
Posts: 7
Joined: Sep. 13 2005
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RE: Buying a guitar in Spain (in reply to DoctorX2k2)
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Like most have already said, you won't be saving much, if at all. For some makers, it's even more expensive to go direct (i.e. Conde Hermanos). And then factor in customs/duties/importing fees (customs alone is 8.7%, don't know about the rest), VAT (17.5%), possible local taxes, etc. While it's technically possible to recover some of the VAT, it's a red-tape nightmare that will take months and drive you insane. So, even if you manage to find a better price, don't forget the hidden costs and hassles. I'm personally glad dealers take care of that, especially when their prices are almost always the same as direct, if not better. Compare Conde(www.condehermanos.com) Ramirez, etc. - last I checked there's no dramatic price hike that people like to accuse the dealers of. Regarding how much money they're making? Like any business, they usually buy at wholesale prices, and then recover their costs/make profit by selling at normal retail prices. In other words, the dealers aren't making their money by inflating final prices, they make money by buying at wholesale prices. It's the basis of retail business. Finally, going to Spain to find a guitar is nowhere near as glamorous as it seems. I would only consider it again if I was going anyway (as you are, I realize). My $.02
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Date Dec. 19 2006 17:54:39
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