Layout Table~~~~12603~12603~~

Q. Why didn’t I get an answer to my email?~A. I have been accused of being fanatical about answering all emails. If you didn’t get an answer its probably because you had Re, as a subject line, no subject line, something that was caught by my spam filter or our ISP was down. Every few months our ISP crashes for a few hours and doesn’t send out a malfunction notice, I have no way of recovering lost emails.~~~12603~12567~~

Q: How much do I have to pay for a good mandolin?~A: All our mandolins are set-up and playable, even the cheapest have reasonable tone but you get what you pay for, for more money you will get better tone and build quality. After the £1000/professional quality threshold the differences tend do become more about personal preferences. There is info about the different types of mandolin on the Mandolin Family Explained pages on this website. With bluegrass mandolins you will get a better A style for the same money than F style due to the cost of the scroll.

Basically there are three categories price-wise:

Budget; factory made, we set them all properly (many shops don't), Rover and Kentucky £70 to about £300.

Mid range; made in a smaller factory, with more attention to detail, sound and better woods. Bovier, Eastman and Kentucky, £365 to £900.

Hand made; Professional quality, made by one luthier or in a small workshop. From £1000.~~~12603~12609~~

Q: Why do you sometimes answer an email enquiry by suggesting the sender phones?~A: It is very difficult to have a conversation by email, there are many things we need to ask you, playing style, playing experience, tone preferences, budget , etc., etc., In a few minutes on the phone we can cover more ground than in many emails (I am also very slow on the keyboard). We are always happy to phone you if you email a phone number.~~~12603~12569~~

Q: What do your prices include?~A: All prices include Value Added Tax (VAT a sales tax). All duties and other charges have been paid on imports. We can ship outside the European Union and deduct the VAT. Visitors from outside the EU have to pay the tax but take a form to customs when they leave the UK which is then returned to us and we refund the VAT. Shipments within the EU are all taxes paid, no more to pay.~~~12603~12571~~

Q: Do you take used guitars and mandolins in part exchange/trade?~A: Yes, we will take most acoustic guitars and mandolins.~~~12603~12573~~

Q: How do you value them?~A: For older instruments phone or email with details. For common modern instruments the formula is very simple. If your instrument is in as new condition we will sell at 80% of its lowest current new price. You get 75% of that value (we pay the VAT). Adjust downwards for any issues. Phone or email for more info.~~~12603~12575~~

Q: Do you sell on consignment/commission?~A: Yes, selling price is up to you, commission 25% (we pay the VAT).~~~12603~12577~~

Q: Are all your instruments set-up?~A: Yes we check and set-up every instrument. This can also be done to your requirements (action, etc.) on the premises.~~~12603~12581~~

Q: Do you do repairs?~A: Yes, we do minor repairs on the premises, our professional repairman will do almost anything..~~~12603~12583~~

Q: Do you sell overseas? What are the shipping rates and tax implications?~A. Our international shipping rates are on the left hand drop down menu at the top of the FAQs page.

Our website is not sophisticated enough to calculate international shipping and tax rates to different countries. You can still place the order on-line. We will email the full costs, minus taxes, plus shipping costs and not make a charge until they are agreed.

There are no tax issues for the European union. Outside the EU;

Sales Tax, people resident outside the European Union do not have to pay Value Added Tax (VAT, a sales tax) this is added at 17.5% which means you can deduct 15% from our price that is shown including VAT, (from some countries the rate on the order if you press the buy button will be shown without VAT but will show UK delivery rates, if the amount shown on the order is less that on the main page this is the case). We will charge you the price without VAT, e.g. if an instrument is £1000 you will pay £850. For used instruments there is a lower VAT rate, the deduction is 3.7%.

We are not able to be aware of import taxes in all countries, you will need to check with your own authorities if you are not sure.~~~12603~13357~~

Q: Is all your stock on the website?~A: All instruments are on the website except guitars under £750 but it is only updated about every month so some items on the site might be sold and at any given time we will have some new stock that hasn’t been added yet. Go to “sign up for stock updates” or newsletter to get an email when there is a new download. Latest downloads are listed under What’s New(s)? We also have accessories, strings, pics, guitar cases etc, that are not on the website.~~~12603~12585~~

Q: How accurate are your sound descriptions?~A: Sound is very difficult to describe. I attempt to give an idea of how a particular instrument sounds but it is no substitute for hearing it yourself.~~~12603~12579~~

Q. How do your prices compare with buying in the USA or on the web?~A. New; If you import, by the time you have paid all the costs (VAT, duty, shipping, customs handling and a commission on the exchange rate etc.,) there will be little or no difference in price, it could work out a few £s more or less.

Smuggling or under-declaration of value is not advised, penalties are confiscation and a fine. The Customs folks can use the internet and are wise to new instruments in old cases etc.! Under-declaration of value also means that you can't insure. If you make a claim the insurer will investigate true value and value declared to customs. If they don't reconcile they will deem it to be an illegal import and refuse payment, they have also been known to report to customs.

ALSO if you buy in the USA (actually or on the web) in the event of a warranty claim you will have to pay shipping both ways, we cannot honour warranties for instruments not bought from us. If you buy from TAMCO and have a warranty problem we take care of ALL costs.

A. Used; My prices will be a bit more for vintage instruments (mostly nineteen teens Gibson mandolins) than buying on ebay or similar. But I keep a selection of instruments that you can try and exchange if not happy. A full set-up and any necessary repairs are done on each one (we do quite a bit of work on most vintage Gibsons) and any issues are described. We also have an expert repairman for anything that may arise in the future, but we haven't had a problem with a vintage instrument yet. If its lasted 80 years+ then it will probably out-last you..

Beware; ebay in particular is rife with fraud now. Identities are often stolen and feedback can no longer be relied on, buyers or sellers won't give negative feedback for fear of getting the same in return. I was stung myself three times a couple of years ago after using it over a 100 times before then. I often see frauds that I report, sometimes they get removed, sometimes not.~~~12603~12587~~

Q. Are all the pictures on your website of the actual instrument?~A. No, not always, if an instrument comes in and it looks very similar to the last one I don’t change the photos. If you want a picture of the actual instrument just ask and I will take some and email them.~~~12603~12589~~

Q. Do you stock left-handed guitars and mandolins?~A. Guitars. We keep a few less expensive lefty guitars in stock. Many can be ordered as lefty’s. All the small and individual makers will make left handed guitars, some charge extra, most don’t, phone or email for details.

A. Mandolins A style. We can convert any A style mandolin to left-handed. This costs £65. Most of this cost is a £45 ebony lefty bridge, we can’t get rosewood left-handed bridges. We also either fill and re-file or replace the nut.

A. Mandolins F style. We keep Eastman F style, f hole, 515, 615 and 815 in stock, f style oval hole 514, 614 and 814 to order, no extra charge. Other less expensive f styles are not available left-handed. All the small and individual makers will make left handed mandolins, some charge extra, most don’t, phone or email for details.~~~12603~12591~~

Q. Will you hold instruments?~A. Yes but only with a 20% deposit. People often ask why we won't hold for a few days without a deposit. This is because in the past we have lost sales because we have declined to sell an instrument that is on hold, then the holder doesn't buy it. When this happens we lose a sale. Deposits are also not refundable, there is no point in taking the deposit in the first place if it can be refunded, it would be the same as holding without a deposit. Most of our instruments cannot simply be reordered from a distributor and delivered in few days, therefore if we lose a sale it is a sale lost, the person we refuse the sale to will have bought something else in the mean time or not be willing to wait for the next one to arrive.~~~12603~12593~~

Q. You seem to rave about every instrument on your website???~A. Good point, two reasons. First, I am an enthusiast, that's what made me start TAMCO, it wasn't for the enormous financial rewards!! Second, if I don't think it sounds great and is good value for money I don't stock it!!!~~~12603~12595~~

Q: When is a good time to visit?~A. We are open 10.30 to 6.00 Mon to Sat, including bank holidays (exc Xmas and NY). People often ask if Saturday is a bad day, there is no telling, very often it’s the quietest day of the week. If you particularly want to see John he works Tues – Sat (excepting his holidays). I (Trevor) don’t keep any regular hours in the shop - due to lack of office space - but am usually near-by, if you would like me to be there for your visit just let me know by email or phone.~~~12603~12597~~

Q: Can you get American guitars in Brazilian rosewood.~A. Due the administration and paperwork involved in meeting the CITES regulations (see http://www.ukcites.gov.uk/default.asp) we no longer import instruments in Brazilian rosewood. We have recently had several guitars in Madagascan rosewood, we agree with Dana Bourgeois that it is at least the equal of Brazilian, both in its tonal qualities and looks.~~~12603~12599~~

Q. What is your ‘best’ price?~A. Our best price is what you see. We don’t mark up in order to be able to give a discount. We are a small (two full timers one part-timer) shop offering top quality instruments and service. We are not ‘box shifters’ (comes in a box, leaves in the same box without it having been opened). All our instruments are fully checked and set up. Occasionally if we have had an instrument in stock for a long time or are discontinuing that model or line a small discount might be available.~~~12603~12610~~