Serious price drops...

[Basvarken]

For the European market...

https://www.musicstore.de/en_OE/EUR/gibson-bass-deal

[westen44]

This must have just happened then.  Or maybe I was in the wrong music stores.  I was in Amsterdam just a few weeks ago and the prices were the same as always.  In fact, I thought they were pretty high.  I was just in a few stores, though, that I chanced across.  It's not like I have an extensive knowledge of Amsterdam stores; I don't.  I did see a vintage Hofner in one that I wasn't expecting to see, though.

[Basvarken]

This must have just happened then. 

Yep.

[westen44]

Yep.

Some of those look like really good deals.  I bet this won't be in effect in the U.S.

[the mojo hobo]

Some of those look like really good deals.  I bet this won't be in effect in the U.S.

Of course not. Those basses are all out of production and mostly sold out in the U.S.

[westen44]

Of course not. Those basses are all out of production and mostly sold out in the U.S.

Thanks for the info, but I'm probably following things a little better than may be apparent. 

[Dave W]

These are all 2013 and 2014 models. They're about sold out in the US b/c the prices were dropped on them here in the fall of 2014 or earlier.

Still, it's a serious price drop for European buyers, and there's nothing wrong with buying NOS.

[westen44]

Well, maybe some good will come from this.  I sent it to a friend who surprised me by being way more interested in this than I was expecting.  I hope it works out.  You just never know. 

[Basvarken]

These are all 2013 and 2014 models. They're about sold out in the US b/c the prices were dropped on them here in the fall of 2014 or earlier.

Still, it's a serious price drop for European buyers, and there's nothing wrong with buying NOS.

Well, the Thunderbird 2015 is certainly not from 2013 or 2014.
The difference between regular price is 1000 euro...

[Dave W]

Well, the Thunderbird 2015 is certainly not from 2013 or 2014.
The difference between regular price is 1000 euro...

Oops, missed that one.

None of the big online sellers here have any Gibson USA 2015s left except for a scratch and dent SG Standard at Sweetwater and another at American Musical/zzounds. There are a few 2015 ES-Les Pauls left but those are Gibson Memphis.

[the mojo hobo]

And there are 2013 and 2014 EB basses out there.

[Denis]

And Gibson's USA website only lists one 2016 model bass available; a Memphis ES Les Paul for $3499...

[westen44]

As of now, SameDayMusic has one new 2014 Thunderbird available (also one used one.)  On first glance, it looks like Woodwind & Brasswind have Gibsons all over the place. But it looks like what they really have are a few blemished/used 2014/2015 SG Standards. 

[Chris P.]

This must have just happened then.  Or maybe I was in the wrong music stores.  I was in Amsterdam just a few weeks ago and the prices were the same as always.  In fact, I thought they were pretty high.  I was just in a few stores, though, that I chanced across.  It's not like I have an extensive knowledge of Amsterdam stores; I don't.  I did see a vintage Hofner in one that I wasn't expecting to see, though.

I work right behind that shop with the Höfner. Amsterdam has some nice shops, some you have to know where they are..

[westen44]

I work right behind that shop with the Höfner. Amsterdam has some nice shops, some you have to know where they are..

My friend has just bought a used short scale bass.  It is some kind of off brand, but it actually sounds pretty good.  I asked the owner if he had short scale strings because she has had such a hard time finding any.  He said he didn't have any.  Then he told her in Dutch that that was the first time in ten years anyone had asked for short scale strings.  I guess he thought that was quite an odd request.  I didn't try to play that Hofner.  I had just been in another store and they seemed really particular about people playing basses or guitars in the store.  Lately, I've become more interested in Hofners, though. I think that's mostly because I found a new Hofner Igntion that was $100 off the regular price.  It arrived while I was still in Holland.  I am surprised that a bass so cheap sounds so good.  Also, with a neck/shoulder problem it's so easy to play it's so incredibly light--a true hollow body. 

If I had known you were in the shop right behind that, it would have been great to stop by and visit.  The people I was with were Dutch but not from Amsterdam.  They kept asking me where I wanted to go and I didn't know enough about Amsterdam to make many suggestions.  I'm more familiar with Friesland, Groningen, and Brabant.  As for finding shops in Amsterdam, we were lucky to find anything since we didn't know much about where we were going and kept having to refer to a map.