Rickenbackers in Germany vs. USA

elbarto55 · Post by **elbarto55** » Sun Sep 14, 2003 8:57 am

Okay... the following (it's a confusing subject, i know):

I wanna buy a Ric 360 Midnightblue but in Germany they are too expensive (for my taste). So I thought about buying my guitar in the states because I'll be on vacation there soon. How much is such a 360 MID in the USA? And are there a lot of shops selling Rics (and do they have them in stock)? Or do I have to order it first? Because here in Germany I have to travel half a day just to play one in a shop...

dave4004 · Post by **dave4004** » Sun Sep 14, 2003 9:21 am

Jens, it will be difficult to find one in stock in Midnight Blue, most dealers only carry them in JG, MG and FG. There are dealers who stock 360s but thanks to demand and limited supply it's unusual to find many of them.

Price (for a stock 6-string) is typically US$1000-$1100. Musicians Friend is a large mail order only company, they have it in stock in Midnight Blue, if you could arrange to have it shipped to a US address while you're here.

PM Blues in Rhode Island show a couple of Midnight Blue 360s in stock with the Vintage Pickup option, these will probably be $100 more.

Ordering will probably take you 4 to 6 months.

What areas will you be visiting here?

rick_lover · Post by **rick_lover** » Sun Sep 14, 2003 10:33 am

Hi, I'm from Germany ,too. (Funny, if two Germans talk English to each other

Where are you from, perhaps I can help you finding a Rick.
You know you'll have to pay taxes, when buying from america?
I bought a used 620/12 last year and I had to pay about 125 EUR taxes from an ammount of $500.

elbarto55 · Post by **elbarto55** » Sun Sep 14, 2003 4:02 pm

I thought about the taxes and well acutally it's just an idea and not a plan to buy it in the states. At which rate do I have to pay taxes?
BTW: What's the difference in sound between a 340 and a 360??

360dave660 · Post by **360dave660** » Sun Sep 14, 2003 9:48 pm

Ed ROman in Las Vegas should have a midnight blue version. Tax depends on state much much less than VATs in Europe (< 10%), but it is not included in the listed price.

You could also try ricsrus in the UK and not pay any additional VAT as it is all part of the EU.

I have bought used rics in the US and paid a bundle in French VAT and shipping (add 500 €) to the bill. Since, I used Ricsrus and the price for the guitar was market and my additional costs were limited to about 100€ because it was only the UK-France overnight postage. For the non straight forward JG,MG, FG 330/360 6&12 options for Europe (blueboy withstanding), the ricsrus UK route has been the best for us European based ric enthousiasts (IMHO)if you're not already traveling over there.
340 has the pointed edged thin-line shape with only dot markers on the neck. Also it has three p/ups. A 360 has "finer appointments", ie, triangle inlays on the fret board and binding on the neck and back of the body with only two p/ups.
I'll be in Germany tomorrow and wednesday morning (Hannover & Frankfurt). Where are you from ?

Viel Glück und Tschuss

elbarto55 · Post by **elbarto55** » Mon Sep 15, 2003 12:10 am

I'm living in a small town in the east of Germany (Saxony)