Standard Price Comparison Items

[vernplum]

What would you guys consider good items to form a standard 'shopping basket' of guitar-related gear to be able to do like-with-like comparisons betweens stores both in and out of the country?

The reason I ask is that I travel a lot and always try to visit guitar stores wherever i go. Recently i was in Japan - a Boss DS1 costs around $92 SGD (after some bargaining) though i could get that item around $75 here.

I am trying to think of a bunch of standard items that would allow us to do comparisons that are widely available (so nominations of your favourite gear that happens to be the ZVEX Micro Amp head or something similarly obscure are not useful). This list will help a lot of people ultimately when travellers return with some kind of index.

I'd nominate these as a jumping off point. Let's try to end up with 10 that we can agree are the most 'standard' items that will show a store/country's relative expense index.

Boss DS1
Fender USA Standard Stratocaster
Some kind of widely available Ibanez guitar
Crybaby Wah
Some kind of mid-range Marshall Amp
Gibson Les Paul Standard
Some kind of Fender Amp?

 

[Raley]

yea i'd like to know the price of a gibson les paul too!

how about maintenance stuff like polish, strings, etc.

i nominate:

fast fret
ernie ball strings
multi efx pedals like gt8

 

[stars]

excellent idea.

hmmz ive got a suggestion , maybe we can do a microsoft excel price list showing which retailer on the horitzonal columm , particular good on the left hand side column ? or a picture based one if anyone is willing to work on it ?

 

[stars]

i nominate fender standard jazz bass

 

[vernplum]

yea i'd like to know the price of a gibson les paul too!

how about maintenance stuff like polish, strings, etc.

i nominate:

fast fret
ernie ball strings
multi efx pedals like gt8

For low cost items like this, the difference is likely to be negligible.

Multi-fx are a good idea. Is a GT8 a popular one?

 

[stillwater]

Vern, dun 4get to add pickups too...
say Dimarzio Super Distortion, Duncan JB

 

[vernplum]

Vern, dun 4get to add pickups too...
say Dimarzio Super Distortion, Duncan JB

Which is the most popular?

 

[mikemann]

Price comparison I feel is a very relative issue.

I mean it's all and well to be streetwise and resourceful. But how many a time when you need something badly and the only retailer who have stock is the most expensive seller, I think much too often.

Imagine you pass by davis or sweelee all the time, and a DS1 sells for the same as export price $75-80 (after haggling, just an example), but you think "I don't need that now". Then a couple of months later, you have a upcoming gig tomorrow and they are all out of stock. Then you notice 'mikemann studio' (heehee for example lah) have one piece sitting pretty on the counter, with a price tag $120, after haggling you get $110 final offer. You exit the shop, pace about for a while, then gingerly plonk $110 onto mike's hand for the DS1....heehee (my dream come true).

So at the end of the day, it does not really matter how much who sells what. But when you need to get something done, you get it done. What they call supply and demand. If it's the last piece produced on the face of the earth and 100,000 people are vying for it, the DS1 could very well go for $100,000. Heehee......

 

[popeye]

Price comparison I feel is a very relative issue.


So at the end of the day, it does not really matter how much who sells what. But when you need to get something done, you get it done.

couldn't agree more with this. But then, our fellow softies' idea also not bad lah.

There's a bunch of people who buy stuff for fun, not because of necessities. Buying out of want, lust or GAS (you name it). And this price list could be useful Just in case they are travelling somewhere and happen to be near guitar store :lol:

 

[vernplum]

Price comparison I feel is a very relative issue.

Uh, yeah. It is.

 

[vernplum]

This is just for fun, no need to think too deeply about it.

Personally, I find it interesting to know how expensive gear is relative to Singapore prices. On top of this, many Softies travel abroad and if so, it's interesting to know, for example, that in Thailand, gear is maybe a little cheaper, so they may want to put off their purchase till then.

 

[Vaiyen]

I don't think that people would be loath to travel a bit more to get prices at 10 or 20 bucks less. S'pore is so small after all.

 

[mikemann]

If you are talking about legwork, I fully agree. Yeah, that's very human indeed.