this one’s been coming for a while and I’m only not excited because I must remain calm and pay bills 
9 Likes
It’s based on a few factors, including the sender’s servers. 20 characters of “it’s not you, it’s them”.
2 Likes
vhall
8547
Not so sure that Whimsical Raps moving to direct sales only is such a great change for their users overseas. Ordering from small US-based businesses has become more difficult and expensive over the last few years, even before customs fees are taken into account. Shipping costs for tracked parcels have skyrocketed.
A lot of small businesses also have difficulty with shipping to the UK after Brexit- not their fault, but I’ve had to wait almost two years to buy from some retailers as they sort the paperwork out. Some of them simply won’t ship to the UK anymore either. Hopefully WR are able to make it work.
29 Likes
This is totally true. Also add on the fact that import duty is 20%. I bought a module for 450 EUR recently and had to pay £100 on import taxes.
2 Likes
XiXora
8549
VAT is 20%, we pay this for most things but it is hidden so we know what the final cost is upfront.
Import duty is separate. I’d rather you not be surprised with that one.
I don’t know how much exactly it is for musical instruments but it isn’t 0 last time I had something shipped. It’s paid including shipping costs.
Chase Bliss recently went to direct sales but also keep a EU warehouse. Keeps shipping down at least.
2 Likes
Whimsical Raps has increasingly resembled Cwejman in “business terms” over the years. It’s abundantly clearly they’re not interested in scaling and growth. They’re keeping it cottage. Presumably, they have a strategy for how they’ll handle international shipping, but I expect it will be the path of greatest simplicity (for them).
13 Likes
Even though I also feel the instinct to be a little frustrated that some things are less available to me than to other people, I also like the idea that maybe rack composition could vary a bit more because of geography than say plugin folder content. It has a certain je-ne-sais-quoi…
It is obviously an illusion, but still, I am sure I am absolutely not aware of Eurorack brands from South Korea as I am of the ones from France (living here).
Imagine if looking at a rack you could intuit from where it is from, and maybe be surprised by the actual answer ? Ain’t that funny and romantic in this day and age ?
30 Likes
Great observation.
Even more so for North Korea…
Now that would be something else!
3 Likes
fyoosh
8553
I appreciate that Trent wrote something - Direct Sales – WHIMSICAL RAPS - explaining the move to direct sales and the outcomes they’re trying to achieve by making the changes.
I don’t live in the US so it personally adds some more friction to purchasing as a customer but I think that’s absolutely fine. The retailer method with fast sellouts and long durations of no stock wasn’t really working.
More important to me is if the change helps Whimsical Raps to make more modules/instruments and then provide a better customer service experience to those users. It’s great to see a small business like this, still here after all these years and beginning to make new projects too. If these changes keep this going, allow Trent and the very small team to keep creating, then I’m all for it.
8 Likes
One day I thought how I’d love some Euro / synth manufacturer to do it like Panart ended up doing with the Hang drum at some phase in the distant past - when you know they exist in the first place, send a letter to them telling why you’d want one, they’ll possibly eventually build you one if you think their instruments are for you and you’re for them, mail you back and invite you to travel to their HQ to check it out, pick it up and have some lessons, and then leave as a happy owner with the new instrument. No online stores, no mail order, no regular batches available for those who are fastest at pressing F5.
Yes, it has very obvious and nasty exclusivity / elitism type angle as well. Plus it’s not ecologically very nice if you need to take a flight to pick up an instrument “locally manufactured” elsewhere that could as well be sent as freight or actually made locally near you. Plus eg. the said company’s conditions on repair and retuning etc. support ended up being pretty weird and uncomfortable because they wanted to avoid people selling a desirable unobtanium instrument for crazy profit so they made Contractual Obligations. And so on and so on. So it’s not a very practical thought, really.
But still, as a thought, discarding any practicalities, it’s kind of a funny and romantic idea as you say, to just have something very “geographically specifc” in this day and age of globalism. And perhaps on more practical and realistic side it’s indeed someone who manufactures something on a smaller scale for the local market and doesn’t bother distributing internationally that much.
(I remember hearing about a small modular mfg in South Korea, but can’t remember which one it was…)
6 Likes
pretty sure holocene electronics is based in south korea—their non-linear memory machine is very very cool ~
5 Likes
OHEXOH
8556
Thank you for sharing this, it would have completely passed me by. Ordered 
1 Like
Ah yeah, that was it! It’s indeed South Korean
Here are a couple of walkthroughs for the new Endorphon.es pedals. I don’t work there or anything, but I did receive them a bit early in order to make the vids. Is this ok with new commercial guidelines?Smash that like button, or whatever? Am I saying that correctly?
25 Likes
Jensu
8560
I really wish they had made the Golden Master with pots for all 3 modes. But it looks and sounds awesone!
2 Likes
Any noise issues with the Golden Master?
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No- not on the unit that I have. This is actually a great point; I bought the 1U model back in the day and returned because it was so noisy!
4 Likes
Good to know, the feature set is surely enticing, and yeh I return a couple of their modules due to noise issues
Endorphin.es modules work and sound great, but they are a bit picky about power. The GM could be a BOUM alternative for me, so I’m very excited to hear that it has a low noise floor. I really like their products, the music they make in their promotional material, and I love that their influence is 50% techno and 50% Buchla. Happy to hear the pedals are working out for you!
4 Likes
