Question For Guitar Players

[Surfing Spleen]

Trying to decide whether to bother bringing 110v guitar amps to Bangkok. Do some of you use 110v guitar amps? Are 220v amps available and preferred? Can good tube amps by Marshall/Orange/Vox be found in Bangkok and if so, are the prices reasonable?

Thanks!

[pluto_manibo]

220 volts here but you can buy a converter. They have a dealership for Vox at Music Concept Central World 3rd floor....Lucky Musical Instruments is the Marshall dealership but you can find them in a lot of stores...second hand as well but pricey. Marshalls are expensive here....for a jcm2000 half stack epect to pay 90,000 baht or around $2,800....older jcm 800 less...about 70,000 baht.....

[sabaijai]

Using converters is a pain and almost inevitably if you're out on a gig, eventually someone onstage plugs your 120V amp straight into the wall and fries a circuit.

However many major-brand amps - Fender and Marshall for example - are built with multi-tap power transformers. This means the trannies are wired for both 120 and 240. Any amp tech or electrician can rewire for 240 in a few minutes for a couple of hundred baht. You have to change the fuse as well - usually the correct values for both voltages are written on the back of the amp somewhere. If it's a single-tap transformer, you have the option of replacing it with a 240V trannie or a multi-tap. Some trannies can be purchased here, others you may have to order overseas. Don't forget to change the fuse for these too.

If you're coming from the States, expect name-brand gear to cost about 15-30% higher than street price over there. The newer models may be slow to reach Thailand, eg Fender''s new PRRI for example. And some models aren't imported here at all. None of Peavey's tube/valve amps can be bought here, for example, althought Peavey's SS line is available. Vox, Marshall, Laney and Fender are all pretty well represented here..

[cudaproject]

Trying to decide whether to bother bringing 110v guitar amps to Bangkok. Do some of you use 110v guitar amps? Are 220v amps available and preferred? Can good tube amps by Marshall/Orange/Vox be found in Bangkok and if so, are the prices reasonable?

Thanks!

Music Concept, World Trade Center, 3rd Floor .. I priced a few amps up there last month.

Vox Valvetronix AD 50 VTXL is 17,500

Vox Valvetronix AD 100 VTXL is 25,000

Also, I believe the Vox AC30 is about 35,000

Fender Frontman 212r is 16,000

Not sure about more info as I'm a bit new to buying amps, but that what I wrote down on a piece of paper when I was in the shop...

[cudaproject]

Trying to decide whether to bother bringing 110v guitar amps to Bangkok. Do some of you use 110v guitar amps? Are 220v amps available and preferred? Can good tube amps by Marshall/Orange/Vox be found in Bangkok and if so, are the prices reasonable?

Thanks!

Music Concept, World Trade Center, 3rd Floor .. I priced a few amps up there last month.

Vox Valvetronix AD 50 VTXL is 17,500

Vox Valvetronix AD 100 VTXL is 25,000

Also, I believe the Vox AC30 is about 35,000

Fender Frontman 212r is 16,000

Not sure about more info as I'm a bit new to buying amps, but that what I wrote down on a piece of paper when I was in the shop...

You might want to send them off an email, they were very helpful to me.. As the OP mentioned earlier they are an authorized dealer for VOX etc.

Music Concept,

Central World, 3rd Floor

[email protected]

02 255 6448

[Surfing Spleen]

Thanks for the info, guys. It sounds like my best options are to buy something in the States that can be easily converted or just suck up the difference and buy something in BKK that I don't have to worry about. I definitely had visions of fried amps on stage. I was leaning towards, "Orange" but if I end up buying something in BKK it seems VOX is very well represented. I assume the Vox models mentioned are UK made & not from their Korean line.

[Surfing Spleen]

Pluto, do you ride bikes? I'm bringing a '97 Lowrider.

[Carib]

Before " bringing" a bike or amplifiers .. please take a look at some topics concerning import duties which can be sky high !!

[pluto_manibo]

Yeah I ride bikes. I had a Heritage softail '97 and I am looking at a street bob '06 at the moment. Please DO NOT try to bring a bike into Thailand, you will greatly regret it! The customs are very difficult to deal with and the import tax very high, unless you are well connected. You are better off selling yours and looking at your options here...bear in mind that the newer bikes are 30-50% more expensive and the older ones do not lose too much value over the years.

You can have a good selection of amps in Thailand....Mesas' are harder to find and very expensive(even for gear that has been toured and rented out, beat up, puked on etc...). Your other option is to pop down to singapore and check out the great musci stores they have there and take one back with you and hope for the best.

[sabaijai]

Before " bringing" a bike or amplifiers .. please take a look at some topics concerning import duties which can be sky high !!

You're allowed to bring an amp in duty-free as part of your personal possessions. It's treated like any other piece of electronic gear or musical instrument.

[Surfing Spleen]

Great info, thanks guys!