Tunesmith

Thanks for the timings info. Would that be three months from date of entry on an over-50s non-immigrant O visa? Or three months after signing a rental/property agreement in Thailand? Also, shipping can sometimes take more than 90 days. So does this import time period refer to a window for a shipment collection date from the country of origin? Or do you really need to ensure it arrives 3 months after setting foot in Thailand with an O visa? One last thing, please excuse my newbie ignorance but what is "T money"... or is that a payment of sorts that is perhaps best left undefined? 🤔

Thanks for sharing your real world experiences – great taste in guitars too. I asked a friend who runs an instrument sales and repair shop in Holland for his take on humidity damage and what he said chimes with your experience in Arizona: The average humidity in Holland is 77% because most of Holland is below sea level, with water everywhere. The difference, of course, is temperature but we have no problems with humidity here. Guitars don't mind high humidity. The killer is if it's too dry – then they crack. The first thing to fail if the guitar dries out is the binding, it will separate. The binding being plastic doesn't move but the wood shrinks. So it seems that if high temperatures can be minimised, guitars that are reasonably well looked after should survive unscathed. I've drifted off-topic a bit, as my post was about customs duty costs for instruments. Still, I am grateful for the advice on here, which has spanned from "should be fine " to "fuggedaboutit". Indeed, customs duties aside, how well this equipment will fare after an extended period in the tropics does focus the mind on whether the game is worth the candle.

Update: I received my O visa approval after 13 working days. The ministry email arrived around 11pm BST.

I don't think I own a guitar that was made in Europe. Perhaps it's time I started trying out a few Hofners. 🤔 But seriously, this is very informative, thank you. No doubt what you have explained in few lines took up 50 pages in the FTA memorandum. 🙃

This is a very pertinent point @Celsius – one hopes for the best but could be in for the worst. Do you advise against this from your own experience of humidity damage or are you conveying the most likely outcome? My stringed instruments are all in cases (not gig bags) and I had in mind to add decent-sized desiccant packs. Maybe I'd get away with it, or perhaps I'd just be delaying the inevitable. The experience of @jimmybcool seems encouraging but maybe condos do a better job of environmental control. It wasn't exactly planned, but I do have a brand new electric guitar in Hua Hin. Back in January, I visited BeatSpot for the first time and bought a budget model that kept me entertained during my stay. I left it properly packed away in its box at a mate's place, not far from the shop. Maybe it's too early to tell, but I will definitely be eyeing its condition on my return. Anyway, I came on this forum to get advice and so I'm definitely taking note. As much as it pains me now, "cull baby cull" may save me a lot of pain later. I'll have to let this sink in for a while, but I can already see my next post topic: Seeking grief counselling in Hua Hin. 😉

OK, I don't use the amps much at all but they are part of my collection. Nice to have, but not essential. I do mostly recording and a lot of that with headphones. I'm more into composition than thumping out tunes to upset anyone. I'm also a writer, so I'm pretty quiet a lot of the time. Probably family TV, gaming neighbour kids and local wildlife will make more noise than I ever will. I have a property agent and have personally visited about 25 places with her during my lengthy visits to Hua Hin. A 2-bed townhouse seems a likely pick.

When I phoned Seven Seas they were very opaque on tariffs. Maybe it's a movable feast or the agents have been instructed not to give details so they are not quoted if you get landed with a hefty bill from customs when your stuff arrives in port.

I think I read somewhere that if you kept the insurance valuations for used items below 20,000THB (450GBP, 610USD) that they didn't attract attention. That might be ancient history now though.

It was made for the UK market, so it's very happy with 220-240VAC @ 50Hz.

This all makes perfect sense. However, I have a custom made dual rack-cum-workstation with 96-way patch bay – the gear is all hardwired. The rack can also be unscrewed to a flat-pack of sorts. Would be shame to let all that studio wiring goodness go to waste. From the wisdom on here, I feel it's fast becoming a bit of an albatross now, alas.

Yes, that is a concern. Thanks for the link. Does that mean someone with dual citizenship, say UK and Ireland, could get an O visa on the Irish passport and then get the FTA benefits or would they have to live in Ireland? Asking for a friend 😉

I was following advice of an acquaintance. She used Seven Seas, shipping from the UK to BKK. Then used a local firm to get it to the door. Much cheaper she said. I thought I'd do the same.

Thanks. That's good to know. I don't use the amps much, but I'd miss my 1960s Vox AC10... sacrifices, sacrifices. 🧐

My partner is in the UK, trying to sell her place, so I'm trailblazing. I don't have any marital Thai connection, not planning on one either. I just want to escape eye-watering costs of Net Zero and to be able to drive at more than 20mph.

Thankfully, the gear was for the UK market, so should be compatible in Thailand. Buying new is tempting, but heartbreaking too. I might spend all my savings on therapy afterwards. 😢