What is the B Channel?
Our answer to rampant vintage gear price inflation.
Too many unserviced (or barely serviced), average condition pieces touted at – and waaaay over – top market prices.
The Soundgas B Channel features the same great gear as usual – checked, tested, assessed and shipped by us – but we’ve not performed our usual deep servicing routines and offer no extended warranty (beyond your usual rights).
Covid-19 Update
Ordering/Shipping Update June 1st 2020
We remain open for sales, shipping and servicing, thanks to our countryside location, and are able to continue supporting our customers worldwide.
We value your custom now more than ever, thank you.
We continue to follow official guidelines to protect staff and customers and will continue to do so to mitigate the spread of Coronavirus.
Our dedicated team are working hard to maintain our service but we are operating at reduced staffing levels so some messages may not be answered as quickly as we’d like.
While most shipments are being delivered swiftly, some services could be impacted. As a result, estimated delivery times may be extended but we will of course keep you updated on any changes.
We appreciate your understanding and will endeavour to minimise any delays in our service.
Our thoughts are with our friends and customers around the world: wishing you well from us all at Soundgas.
How can I pay with Klarna at Soundgas?
Who is Klarna?
Klarna is a Swedish payment service provider that takes end-to-end responsibility for your payment. Klarna is the provider of smooth payments to more than 200,000 online stores. Over 85 million consumers worldwide have trusted Klarna to securely handle their payments.
Hit “Read more” below to find out detailed information on the two payment methods available.
Pay later in 3 interest-free instalments:
Pay later in 3 interest-free instalments will allow you to spread the cost of your purchase over 3 equal payments. The payment for each instalment will automatically be collected from the debit or credit card you entered at checkout. Your first instalment will be collected when your order is confirmed by Soundgas and instalments 2 and 3 are scheduled 30 and 60 days later, respectively. You can always monitor your payments’ schedule in the Klarna app.
Pay later in 30 days:
Once your order is confirmed, you’ll receive an email with payment instructions within two days from Klarna. You’ll then have 30 days to try on your ord er and only pay when you’re happy. Complete the payment online, at your convenience, with no extra cost. You can pay via credit or debit card in Klarna.app or by logging into www.klarna.com/uk
Our Guarantee & Warranty
- We guarantee that all items sold will arrive as described.
- Buying vintage gear from us should be as risk-free.
- We strive to deliver an exceptional service worldwide.
- Your complete satisfaction is paramount: if a problem arises, we will rectify it swiftly.
- Sale, clearance and “spares/repair” items will not have additional warranty.
Shipping
We ship worldwide and are very experienced at packing and shipping valuable and sensitive gear. Binson Echorecs, large valve amps, vintage synths, rare racks, and even a CS-80 or two – you name it, we’ve sent it and it has arrived in one piece and ready to play.
The shipping prices for our gear vary considerably depending on the type of gear, value and destination. To see shipping costs put the item you are interested in the cart and then either use the shipping estimator or go into the check out process. Or just contact us and we’ll tell you what you need to know.
Shipping discount on multiple items
We keep it simple: if you buy more than one item you only pay the shipping on the item that has the highest shipping cost.
This is the same no matter how many items you buy together (so the more you buy together, the bigger your shipping discount). If you check all the items out all together this will be calculated automatically at checkout. However, if you make an order and then wish to add to it before it ships please get in touch and we will refund the shipping on the item(s) that are cheaper to ship.
Note that this also allows you to purchase add on items such as transformers and other accessories, and also t-shirts and other merch, without paying any extra shipping on them.
Please also be aware that we have have not entered automatic shipping for every country. The countries we ship to most often will have shipping rates and we are in the process of adding more shipping fees to the check out process. But if you are looking at an item that doesn’t have the carriage information you need then please use the contact page or call on +44 1773 856475.
Which carriers do we use?
We usually use Royal Mail, UPS and DPD/Interlink – it depends on the item and destination as to which is the most economical. If you have a preference then we should be able to accommodate it (but we may need to pass on any additional costs).
Soundgas Auctions
UPDATE 12/07/23: AUCTIONS HAS NOW MOVED TO ITS OWN DEDICATED SITE.
Private Auctions
We have the facility to run private auctions. To find out more about how they work head to our Auction Info pages.
If you have items you want to us to sell on commission or brokerage using this method please get in touch.
Import Tax & VAT Questions?
Many items we sell (but not all) will have 20% VAT added for sales in the UK.
We ship to the EU, USA and most parts of the world at the price without VAT .
EU buyers will be charged VAT on import, which you can reclaim if you’re VAT registered in EU. Brexit has not been a good idea, but at least things have settled into a new rhythm and shipments are getting processed reasonably quickly.
If you are buying from outside the UK we recommend finding information from your local import charges and taxes.
Note that we cannot under any circumstances ship things with a reduced value shown on the paperwork.
Questions about voltage & converters…
Some of the gear we sell needs a voltage converter of one sort or another – you will see details in the listing about what is required and what we do or don’t include with each item. Other gear we can switch or convert internally, either as part of the service (included in the sale price), or sometimes as an add-on. If you have any questions about your purchase get in touch.
And we do sell voltage converters for running both Japanese and US gear in the UK and in Europe. You can see the units we stock here, however you will notice that they are out of stock – this is because they are only available to our customers. Unfortunately we cannot sell them to anyone else, simply because we are too busy and don’t have time to deal with the queries and admin they generate.
And you if you are buying from us to use gear in the USA we have info on what you need for that as well…
Want to know more about voltage converters and the gear we sell?
Selling Us Your Gear
We want your gear! Maybe…
There’s lots information via the link below, but the most important points are:
- We specialise in “classic, vintage and exotic electronic instruments and recording equipment” – so… is your stuff that?
- We need photos, information AND…
- In most cases we need a price (saves so much time!)
What’s my gear worth?
aka: Can you value my gear for me?
In some cases we can provide a valuation of your gear – for insurance purposes, or if you are looking to dispose of it. There is a charge for this service which will depend on the number and nature of the items. Please get in touch via our contact form if you want to know more about this service.
However, please don’t get in touch if you are looking for a free valuation so you can sell some stuff. We’re pretty busy and could do without another email about slightly battered Copicat…
If you want us to look at buying your gear then please read our Gear Wanted pages for info on what we need from you.
We’d also generally advise against using the prices you see on our site as a guide for what you might get. Our gear is serviced to the highest standard by very experienced techs, and is then subjected to thorough testing by us. That’s a lot of years’ experience behind our assertion that the item is working as it should, to the best of its potential, and also that it will continue to be reliable. And we back that up with a warranty – because, whatever you may read on the internet, no service is able to guarantee 100% reliability with vintage gear – and amazing after-sales care, including (within certain limits) the right of the buyer to send the thing back if they just don’t like it.
Commission Sales
Let us take the hassle out of selling your vintage (and less-vintage) gear, leaving you free to concentrate on what you do best.
We can deal with all aspects of selling on your behalf – from collection through to final payment – taking care of cleaning, servicing (by prior arrangement only – see note below), payment, packing and shipping along the way.
With many years in business we achieve good prices worldwide via our multiple sales channels (personal contact, the Soundgas list and site, social media and stores on other sites).
Payments are held in escrow in a separate client account for buyer and seller protection, and we can tailor our service to your exact requirements; whether you want absolute discretion or maximum publicity, Soundgas can deliver.
Packing Vintage Gear
Whether you are sending us something as a return, for service, or for us to sell for you on consignment, please take the time to read this and pack your gear properly.
If you have any questions or concerns it is always better to delay and speak to us before you ship. Heart-breaking photos of smashed rare gear sent to us in a tatty bit of bubble wrap and a plastic envelope are available on request…
Returns & Refunds
Sometime things go wrong. And sometimes the piece of gear just isn’t right for you.
Head to our full Returns & Refunds page where you should find all the information you need under those circumstances. But if anything about a possible fault or return is not clear please get in touch and we will help.
Also see our Guarantee & Warranty policies.
Can you service my gear?
We get asked a lot if we can service/fix/restore people’s synths, echoes and other vintage gear. See below for some extra info about Roland/Korg tape echoes, Binsons, and synths/drum machines. Right now the answer – for gear that has NOT been bought from us – is sorry, no. Subscribe to our mailing list and you’ll be the first to know when we’re ready to take on further work.’
The simple fact is we have a large backlog of gear to work through before we can take on significant amounts of extra servicing. Priority is given to working on customers’ gear we’ve sold: (we provide a warranty, plus lifetime service support on most items).
However, there is a small amount of light at the end of the tunnel for some types of equipment. We aim to release a limited number of Roland echo service slots soon (via our mailing list); more info about Binsons and synths below.
Working with Us
WE NEED TECHS!
If you have experience working the kind of equipment and instruments you see on our website then we may well have work for you, either on a freelance basis, or if you are local to us then possibly as an employee. Please get in touch!
Privacy Policy
Yay! GDPR! Remember that?
Seriously though – we take privacy very seriously. We protect your data and never share it or sell it. Read our Privacy Policy in full.
Terms & Conditions
…we have them – the terms under which you use our site and service. They are pretty (OK, very) dull. But if you are really keen you can find the full page here.
