It's nearly time to buy!

[BumbleWasp]

Well, a few weeks ago I posted that I was looking at a new Breedlove quartz OF, and would potentially be ordering it within the next few weeks. At this moment, I wouldn't be able to buy that, but as luck would have it, I've stumbled across a used Breedlove Quarts OF 'Burst for $750 with a slight finish flaw at the end of the fingerboard.
For me, this is too good to be true. I plan to order it with Coated D'Arrio phosphor bronze strings installed, and shipped in a new case.

Being the newb that I am, I hate to have to ask whether or not tax is shown on the sales price of the instrument online?
That's to say, if it says it's $750, will I be able to buy it with $750? or will it be 750+tax?
I've never bought anything online because I've never had a reason to, and whether or not tax is included could make or break me :)) I've been working my butt off at McDonalds for two months to get this bad boy and impatience is a curse of mine!

To sum up questions, does list price include tax online?
and are Coated D'Arrio strings good to get as a beginner?

Thanks,
KC

[Jim Garber]

List price does not include tax but most online retailers only charge tax if they ship in the same state that their business is registered in. What you will also be charged for is the shipping. However, many online retailers will give you free shipping if you buy something over a certain amount. They will usually mention this all over their site.

You should be able to call the store to speak to a human before ordering to make sure you are getting what you want at the price you want it.

I assume you are talking about D'Addario EXP-74 strings? Those are perfectly fine for a beginner tho you might want to go for a light gauge if you never played a fretted instrument before.

[BumbleWasp]

Thanks for the insight, Jim.
I live in Ontario, Canada, so I assume I won't have to worry about tax.
The mandolin I'm looking at appears to ship for free worldwide.

I would like to call the store but I'm afraid the long distance bill would kill me!
On the other hand, I haven't gotten an e-mail back from them in a while.

And lastly, yes, I do mean the D'Addario EXP-74. Just my dyslexia kicking in : )
I think I'll be getting them, then.
I played guitar for a few years so my callouses should suit them well.

[Ed Goist]

Thanks for the insight, Jim.
...snip...
And lastly, yes, I do mean the D'Addario EXP-74. Just my dyslexia kicking in : )
I think I'll be getting them, then.
I played guitar for a few years so my callouses should suit them well.

FYI - The D'Addario EXP-74 strings are the strings that Breedlove fits from the factory, and recommends, for their mandolins. I have D'Addario J74 strings (the phosphor-bronze version of this D'Addario string) on my Breedlove Quartz OO, and they sound and play very well. You should have no problem at all with the EXP-74s, as long as the mandolin has been set-up well for good action and intonation.

FWIW, I find the neck on my Quartz to be very guitar-like (a good thing!). It's radius, width, and low profile very much remind me of the feel of my Martin 000-15 guitar. Since you are already a guitarist, I'll bet you'll feel right at home with the Breedlove right out of the gate!

Enjoy your new mandolin!

[The Mandolin Store]

Kohl - we've been responding to your emails. Check your spam folder to see if it's catching our emails. We're happy to work with you to take a deposit and hold the instrument for a couple weeks
Thanks,
Dennis

[BumbleWasp]

Thanks Eddie, I'm looking more and more forward to it!

And to Dennis, it turns out i've been having technical issues for a little while, but I've got everything under control now and have sent a reply e-mail. Thank you!

[bagpipe]

Thanks for the insight, Jim.
I live in Ontario, Canada, so I assume I won't have to worry about tax.
The mandolin I'm looking at appears to ship for free worldwide.

What? I also live in Ontario and believe me, you will have to worry about taxes etc. Most people on this forum live in the U.S. and they don't have to worry about taxes. You have to figure in taxes (federal and provincial), duty, and brokerage fees. Prepare yourself@!

[BumbleWasp]

Well that's unfortunate..

How much should I be expecting to face on a $1000 mandolin, if you know?

[taterbugman]

Dang. Better learn to play something other than MGMT with a mando like that...... :whistling: