Being a bassist and living in the Philippines is hard. No one pays much attention to bass guitars locally as compared to guitars or to some extent the drums. When you enter every music shop, there will always be a significant difference between the number of choices available. Luckily, there are some shops that pay appropriate attention to us.
Yupangco is one of them. They carry a multitude of mid to high end bass guitars that will satisfy my crave for a new bass. I recently e-mailed them to inquirer the price of the new 2008 Fender American Deluxe. This is exactly how I e-mailed them:
Hi. I’d like to inquire if you carry the new Fender Deluxe Jazz Basses (2008 model) for retail.
They did reply 3 days after, but the problem is it wasn’t what I specifically asked. The important parts are quoted directly from their reply:
Model Description Regular Price Fretless Jazzbass US Standard Fretless Jazzbass P52,950.00 Package Jazzbas Jazzbass Package w/ 15w amp P18,750.00
Well, I tried to be as specific as possible but still some people don’t understand. The Standard is very different from the Deluxe. I no longer want to resend an inquiry due to their high prices. They’re asking for 52,950 Philippine Pesos (approximately US $1261 using $1 = P42) which can be bought for 48,300 Philippine Pesos abroad. Yeah sure, shipping is an issue but that’s a different issue. I asked for the Deluxe damn it. Even though it was just an inquiry, it was incorrect with what I asked.
EVERYMUSIC is a store, that imports all sort of goods regardless of being music instruments or not, which I discovered online. They do have a brick and mortar business at Cubao but I am hesitant to visit their show room since I’m afraid of creating another episode of a misadventure when I go exploring to some destination I’ve never been to before. Again, I e-mailed them using the power and convenience of the internet and their reply came in less than 24 hours:
Good day sir,
Geddy Lee Jazz Bass ; p49470
Thank you.
That’s a lot for the bass. After conversation, the cheapest available Geddy Lee Jazz bass is avalable for Good day sir, 35,700 Philippine Pesos. If you want tax on some US shores, it amounts to 39,270 which is distant from their asking price. Of course, I am aware that there are other complications to the price boost such as single shipping and local tax but that’s still a lot.
After deliberating, the best decision I have then is to buy it abroad in some music store or online and have it shipped at home.
But the main concern here is the lifespan of Stella (my Washburn XB120 Bantam Series). I fear that she might not last until I get to actual buy a new bass guitar. Those reasons are enough to be explained on a separate entry.
Filed under: Bass Guitar, Equipment | Tagged: Fender, Fender Jazz Bass, Geddy Lee Jazz Bass, importing, Jazz Bass, music shops, Stella, Washburn XB 120 Bantam Series
Don’t feel bad, man. Nobody pays much attention to the bass in the U.S. either. Until it’s not there, that is.
Good luck!
Yeah it’s ironic. When the bass is missing a a band, everyone notices quickly enough because it feels so lonely.
i visited everymusic and you can find a lot of dame bass guitars there. Up for their showroom also is the fender precision bass made in mexico which is 4 string. Although they’re not that accomodating you can still try out the dame bass guitars. Try something beyond Fender and you’ll be surprised. Good bassist are rare here in the philippines also to the fault of the players. If we practice enough with our soloing i bet people would be more enthusiastic with our music. Rock On!