UK based?

[daveb]

Hi guys,
Uk user here posting for only around the second time as i'm not yet a Jackson owner.
I've been waiting seven months for my new guitar(lefty) and decided to cancel my order today.I'm not very happy now as i don't have a decent guitar to play but i was fed up of waiting.


I'm not sure if i should go into detail about so is anyone in the UK having trouble getting hold of the new models?


(probably a daft question from a newbie)


cheers,
d

[Tiddles]

Which model was it? I read here about guys waiting ages for a custom made Jackson, but I don’t think I’d ever do that.

For me there’s really no reason to wait months for any guitar - there are thousands of great guitars which can be bought right “off the shelf”.

Personal opinion, but I think guys spend far too much time and money fussing over exactly which guitar & fittings they have. Sure, if you have the money it’s fun to own a smart guitar & fun to experiment swapping pups etc. But for me the bottom line is that it’s all a distraction, because really I know I should be concentrating on my playing/practicing instead of imagining I can buy ability. 2cents & YMMV of course.

Ian.

[neilli]

Jackson and Charvel distribution in the UK is a total joke. FMIC just haven't got the handling of the J/C brand sorted out in this country....

[daveb]

Thanks for replying guys!!
Seven months is a fairly long time to wait,the guitar is nothing fancy,just a DK2L....(left-handed)
The shop i ordered from were really helpful but they were struggling to get hold of one.
The last reason for the guitar not turning up was something to do with new regulations requiring that the guitars contain no harmful substances,as a result,the SD pick-ups had to be re-designed.
So there's a ton of Jackson guitars with no pick-ups in them!!

I'm not making this up,that's the reason i was given!!!!!

[Speiro]

I'm in the UK and EBay has been the source for all my Jacksons so far. Where bouts in Uk are you?

[Tiddles]

Ah…”left handed”, well I should apologize, because I’ve never tried to buy a left handed model & I can believe that may pose problems which lead guys to order things & wait longer etc.

Agree, UK eBay has quite a few Jackson’s inc. left handers ... or alternatively US eBay has relatively low prices & current strength of £ vs. $ means good deals are possible.

Ian.

[Guyver1]

Im currently waiting on my custom shop 7 string King V, another 12 months should do it

<--- from Wales

[wilkinsi]

uk distribution seems to have gone down the toilet. i ordered my WRMG mid-05 from sound control and got it in just a week. in september, i ordered a dk2ff from them and it didn't arrive til december, by which time i was so hacked off, i let them keep it. i just ordered a jackson gigbag that took just a few days, but i went thru a much smaller independant retailer this time, music inn. both are nottingham based. not sure that has anything to do with it. not many uk shops seem to stock jacksons, even the imports.

[pagemalicious]

I've seen quite a few new ones in Denmark Street in london (including some USA models). Their prices are qute steep but at least they have them. All other shops just don't seem to order them in. Or just can't be fucked with the wait to get them.

That's one reason why Jackson/Charvel never really became as big as Ibanez and ESP. No decent distribution to other countries. Where as you can find Ibanez and ESP ANYWHERE.

[Zerberus]

As a side note, German Distro is just as bad, and it´s also often cheaper to buy a new guitar from the US and import it than it is to buy a second hand one over here ....

[neilli]

Yeah, for what it's worth, I can't remember the last guitar I bought from a store in europe. With the current exchange rate, it's far cheaper and you get far more choice when buying from the US. Of course, the cost of shipping alone is likely to make importing from the states impractical on an 'import' guitar....

[Zerberus]

Yeah, for what it's worth, I can't remember the last guitar I bought from a store in europe. With the current exchange rate, it's far cheaper and you get far more choice when buying from the US. Of course, the cost of shipping alone is likely to make importing from the states impractical on an 'import' guitar....

Good point, buying a MIJ Jackson this way results in paying customs fees to 2 countries, negating any percieved benefit.

But then again, the Imports are much more "sanely" priced over here anyway... Still a bit more expensive than in the USA, but nowhere near the "double US List price" rule of thumb that I´ve become accustomed to on the USAs

[Tiddles]

Shipping costs from US vary enormously, depending which method seller uses. I always get these two around the wrong way lol, so US guys can correct me if that’s the case, but – I think actual cost of USPS is only about $75 to UK (ie packed guitar, without case), or at any rate that’s what I paid last year for post on a 1970’s US Tele (it was the actual postage cost, ie stated on post lable),… whereas UPS can be about $250 or more! The difference is important because that postage gets taxed twice, ie Import Duty is charged at about 4% and then the postage cost plus Duty is charged Vat at 17.5% … that’s right, the “Duty” itself is taxed with Vat! At some stage I think that will be contested in the UK courts, because I don’t think the Gov’t can continue to get away with charging Tax on it’s own Taxes lol!

Anyway; entire cost of importing from US or Japan adds 23.5% to cost of item plus postage.

One thing though – I’ve imported quite a few Guitars into UK, and only been charged Tax on about half of them…the other 50% were all delivered without the Post Office or Customs bothering to charge me…in general I think they just don’t bother with half the imports (it’s quite random). On the other hand, if you get impatient and decide to collect the guitar from the Postal depot then you’re sure to be handed the Tax bill, so just as a tip I’d say be patient & wait for the guitar to be delivered to your door, that way it seems you have at least 25% chance of getting it without paying tax.

Sorry, that was a bit OTT for left-handed Jackson – yeah, I was in Denmark St. today and the shop next to Andy’s had a few new Jackson’s (hanging up next to the counter). As stated…those shops are overpriced…I only buy my picks & sheet music there lol!

Ian.

[neilli]

You've got away without having to pay tax? Bloody hell, I've had to pay full tax on every damn guitar that I've had shipped in, by whatever shipping method....

[slash]

It's been a while since I shipped a guitar to the UK so customs may have changed just like they have with carry-ons for passengers recently. The last one I shipped cost about $75-$80 to ship and of course it was in a case