Buying an amp from the US

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designerseye88designerseye88 Frets: 987
HI, 

I'm potentially going to purchase an amp from the US. I'm a bit of amateur when it comes to the actual basics of amps so wondered what i would need to be able to use it over here in the UK. 
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Comments

  • If it's 110v you just need a good quality step down Transformer.   I have a few 60''s fender amps that i use all the time, with a step down transformer.       Or if it's 110v you cab swap the power transformer for a 240v one.  But that's your choice.
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  • fretmeisterfretmeister Frets: 23968
    And you'll need to assume you'll be paying import duty of about 4%, and VAT at 20% on the item AND on the shipping cost.
    And the handling fee.

    So whatever the price is, make sure you allow for another 25% or so when deciding whether it's worth the hassle.


    Be aware that some makes don't like to make it easy to get spare parts from the grey import market.
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  • phil_bphil_b Frets: 2010
    personally I would not buy a large item from the US if there is a problem and you need to send it back you can loose a lot of money in shipping costs. As fretmaster pointed out add 25% to the total for taxes and charges. It is rarely worth buying from the US unless you really can buy it from anywhere else and even then expect to pay a premium


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  • HattigolHattigol Frets: 8176
    What's the amp? And is there seriously not an equivalent that you can buy in this country?

    Delivery costs will be mental and personally, I would expect it to be broken upon arrival.
    "Anybody can play. The note is only 20%. The attitude of the motherf*cker who plays it is  80%" - Miles Davis
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  • RaymondLinRaymondLin Frets: 11814
    I wouldn't personally.  The power would be a problem, especially if you want to sell it on, then there is the cost on top.  Expect 25-30% for tax and duty when it lands.

    Also, if gets damaged in transit, it's a pain in the neck.
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71963
    Unless it's something you can't get at all in the UK, don't. There are a lot of potential pitfalls as well as costs, and it isn't worth it just to save a bit on the UK price - although Mesa are really trying to stretch that logic...

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • I saved a lot of money buying my VH4 from a guy in Europe. But I wouldn't bother with an amp from the USA personally.

    Bye!

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  • ColsCols Frets: 6953
    More importantly, if the amp’s coming from the States it may not actually conform to UK safety standards.
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71963
    Cols said:
    More importantly, if the amp’s coming from the States it may not actually conform to UK safety standards.
    If it's from any large and/or reputable builder it will, but I have indeed seen some US-made pieces of equipment which don't, and although perhaps not 'dangerous', I wouldn't describe as completely safe either.

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • Looks like i might knock this one on the head then. I'll wait for something from the UK to pop up. thanks guys, You've probably saved me a lot of hassle. 
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  • ColsCols Frets: 6953
    ICBM said:
    Cols said:
    More importantly, if the amp’s coming from the States it may not actually conform to UK safety standards.
    If it's from any large and/or reputable builder it will, but I have indeed seen some US-made pieces of equipment which don't, and although perhaps not 'dangerous', I wouldn't describe as completely safe either.
    I would have to wonder why a manufacturer would go to to the time, effort and expense of CE marking an amp specification never intended to be sold in Europe.
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  • abw1989abw1989 Frets: 635
    This recently happened to me accidentally. I bought an EVH 5150 EL34 off eBay advertised as 'as new in box, never used'. It was a good price, but not excessively cheap as to ring alarm bells at the time. What arrived was a brand new in box 120V EVH 5150 EL34 with a USA kettle lead. Granted the advert didn't state it was a 240V/230V model, but you would have expected them to mention a USA spec....

    I contemplated getting the transformer swapped over but in the end decided to just explain to the seller what the issue was and return it. He happily obliged and sent a refund, and proceeded to relist the item with the caveat "has a USA lead so needs an adaptor".

    I can only think that seller tried the same as you were planning and imported a US spec amp as it was cheaper and didn't realise about the voltage difference; then decided to shift it on eBay rather than send it back to the US.
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