Express combos - welcome to rip-off Britain once again...

[John Vasco]

MasterTrax,

If you read my original post again, I rant at the UK wholesalers and retailers, who hike the price up unbelieveably once the goods reach the UK shores. Not at Mesa.

 

[phyrexia]

I laughed out loud when you said the amp cost $200. There's almost that much money in speaker and wood in the godamn thing.

The 'x5' mark up on the unit cost price is an industry standard, has been for god knows how long. Don't be fooled by big companies spewing forth all kinds of excuses as to why their product costs so much. They move stuff out of their door at a certain price, and then there is sh!t loads of add-ons by others. And the add-ons by others (such as Government taxes, wholesalers and retailers) cover their costs and profits also. Before laughing out loud, think again (and I'm not having a go at you here). It's how everyone in the chain stays in business.

Fortunately I am in a position to know the cost of the amp. And you're way off.

 

[AtomicMassUnit]

Yeah, you're way off on the dealer cost price. Trust me, I am a dealer. The markup on Mesa amps is nowhere near as much as other music gear. Typically, dealer cost is half of retail price. On Mesa, its about 25% less than the street price. The shops don't make near as much on them as other gear. On a 1000 dollar marshall amp we might make 400 bucks, where a mesa would be 200. It's a bummer because I thought, wow I'll get a Mesa CHEAP for working here... nope. Sorry the prices are more overseas, I don't know what to tell you there, but don't think for a minute that these things cost the same to make as a hot rod deluxe...

 

[jazzwannabe]

That problem for you Brits who want U.S.-made gear is as old as rock 'n' roll. Peter Noone told me that back in the early 60s, young British musicians who wanted Fender and Gibson had to be from the royal family to afford it. Thank God for Vox.

It was hard to get American pop records, too.