Hi, Guys! Hmm! Interesting…I don’t know where the 19%
figure comes from, but the basic cost to yourselves is
what people over here are charged! I do not think that
any country in the EU can transfer Value Added Tax
from one country to the other
Build quality always comes at a cost- the M3X has been
built around no-compromise parts, high quality
fibre-glass boards and an extremely rugged steel and
aluminum rack-casing. Much of the design has gone into
the cosmetic appearance of the design, finger-room,
ergonomics etc.
To make the unit complient, by law, to European
Harmonised Standards, ie CE, most of the wiring has
been designed into the pcb, thus reducing emissions of
Radio Frequency etc.
This is an expensive process most manufacturers would
hope to avoid but must do to legally sell their
equipment…if there is no CE mark on the gear, it
hasn’t passed.
The unit has also been tested for safety issues to
make sure that no one dies using it! All M3X’s are
subject to intensive tests for stability etc. over the
two week period that Arp instruments used to do…
Regarding selling the unit as a kit, this downgrades
the equipment, and believe me, building one of these
will be a difficult task for anyone. Also, I guess,
I’m proud of my design and I don’t really want anyone
to sell a badly built M3X on the second hand
marketplace. Would you ask SAAB, Rolls-Royce or VW for
a car kit? I can’t see Bob Moog doing the same either.
I have tried to make the price of the M3X as fair as
possible, considering the build quality and what you
are getting, including the built in Kenton MIDI…but I
understand that some people will always want cheap!
You cannot make this type of thing cheap!
I cannot speak for other manufacturers, but I do know
that the M3X is rugged, reliable, legal!, and built to
a high standard!
Thanks for reading this! Regards to all, Ken.
