Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I usually end up losing money on the music business ... sometimes I break even ... sometimes I make a profit ... good thing it is not how I make a living ...

I have leaned a lot from Mr Hall's post, and a lot of it makes sense now; but still, when the bottom line is $4,179 for a C64 that you can buy in America for $1,900 from an authorized dealer, something just doesn't seem right.

Mr. Hall's post does make a lot of sense, I agree. Besides the ridiculous European price issue, in the USA, the serious authorized dealers have a few basses in stock to choose from so, usually, you don't have to settle for one display model that was brought in and played by many "potential customers" curious to try it out. Although, I didn't really go hunting for guitar stores on my last trip to Europe but this is the impression I got from the little I saw.

Agreed Dave4004 and Mr Hall, the markups are higher here in the UK, but I still don't see how a $120 pickup costs $500 here. Thats not just import taxes, shipping or overheads. $120 + 5% import tax, plus 17.5% VAT plus nominal $5 shipping (in a crate with 100 other items) comes to $153.05. Add on the "35%" markup and that makes $206. I'm not adding sales VAT because they would claim it back at the end of the tax year. I'd happily pay $200-$250 for the item in question and give them a fair profit margin, I have no issue with the importer making a FAIR profit, but Rosettis markup is hideous. Rosetti also import Gibson, Epiphone and BCRich into the UK, so it's not like they are exactly struggling is it. I don't think I'm speaking out of turn, perhaps more of the UK Rick players could comment here?

I don't know about UK pricing on individual items like pickups, who sets the list price, or all the factors involved. My point was that it's much more than just doing a simple exchange rate conversion. That said, I can't blame anyone for seeking a lower price.

P Davies, my U.K. price sheet shows something different than yours, our guitar pickups from Rosetti ranging from about US$160 to US$214 at current rates:

http://web.archive.org/web/20030419225349/http://www.rosetti.co.uk/spares/rickenbacker/spares.htm

You've either been misquoted, that's per pair, or someone somewhere doesn't know how to convert currency. This price sheet is from last summer but there should be little difference if any.

This is a quick trivial question for Mr. Hall. Why was the 4001S, like Macca's and Squire"s called the model 1999 in the UK in the 60's?

Also when was distribution switched from Rose-Morris to Rosetti?

Just wondering.
Thanks.

Rosetti have taken down the current list, so I cant quote exact prices, but the last time I was quoted for a v63 bridge pickup assembly (just after Xmas), it was around 220 UK Pounds plus VAT (260) just for the bridge pickup. The pair was 340 plus VAT (Toasters were about 120 pounds plus VAT at the time) I'll call them after Easter for an exact quote.

Hey if you can get a V63 bridge p'up (horseshoe) DO IT.

They're not available here in the colonies!

Or REAL hard to find.

My mate "Motor" (good to see you posting BTW), I nearly dropped dead when I saw your price quote. I've kept meaning to ring Rosetti over the past couple of weeks re pickup availability/costs (for what to you will be fairly obvious reasons), but haven't yet got round to it. I'll be extremely interested to see how this pans out. If that price quote is correct that has to be the most expensive "named" passive pickup in existence.(ps maybe somebody at Rosetti read your post and then took the list down, lol!)

The last selling price in the US for the v63 bridge pickup assembly was US$185 (which is moot since that part hasn't been available for several years now). The neck toaster is still available at US$100.

If they actually have a v63 treble pickup assembly, they are one of few in the world that can supply it at any price.

Rosetti, just as we do here, sell spares to consumers only as a courtesy but at full RRP, so as not to compete directly with our dealers who are free to offer substantially lower prices.

I'm also mystified as the custom with the music industry in the U.K. is to quote RRP including VAT given there's no regional variation like there is in the U.S.A. and Canada.

We publish a U.S. Suggested List price for every item and sell wholesale based upon fixed discounts from that. All music stores and distributors set their own prices and we make no attempt to affect them (in fact, at least in the U.S. we're not even allowed to.)

Rose Morris came up with their own designations for the instruments, such as 1999, for what reason I have no idea now. I'd have to look it up but memory serves me that they represented RIC only up to 1968. Following them was Wing Music, Top Gear, our own company RIC (U.K.), and then Rosetti beginning in 1990 or so.

OK, just got off the phone to Rosetti. I have confirmed the horseshoe price WAS over 200 pounds, but they reduced it recently (wonder why?), and thats why their price sheet is currently offline. Their list is now a slightly more comfortable 151.90 + VAT, (178.48, equals $325) but they have none in stock, and say Rickenbacker have emailed them to say they have now "discontinued" the part. Maybe Rosetti temporarily bumped the prices up due to stock levels or something and I phoned at the wrong time, but I am certainly not imagining this.

Cheers for taking the trouble to reply John. Doesn't make the prices any easier to live with though. Anybody want to swap a fully functioning kidney for a nice shiney new MG 4001c64 or v63??
Just kidding.
Totally agree with your remarks regards suggested selling prices vs. RRP/VAT though. Its absolute nonsence really!

I spoke to Rosetti yesterday too. They just told me the horseshoe wasn't available, period. No price at all. The person I spoke to didn't understand why they weren't available. Got toasters though, so any new 4003 I buy in the future will actually look right (sorry, don't like the look of high gains in the neck position, and no-one in the UK appears to sell 4003 basses with the toasters already fitted like they do in the US. Probably no call for it - except me of course!)

Shaun, maybe your life would be easier if you just moved west.