Softube Console 1 Channel Mk III and Fader Mk III price increases

[bselack]

Due to recent economic developments in the United States, the first of two 100-dollar price increases for our Console 1 Mixing System Mk III hardware will take effect on April 23rd. To ease the transition to the new prices, we’ve spread them over several months. We invite you to purchase Console 1 Channel Mk III and Fader Mk III at the current price now to save hundreds of dollars.

Current prices:
Console 1 Channel Mk III – $699
Console 1 Fader Mk III – $999

April 23, 2025, prices:
Console 1 Channel Mk III – $799
Console 1 Fader Mk III – $1099

September 1, 2025, prices:
Console 1 Channel Mk III – $899
Console 1 Fader Mk III – $1199

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[bapu]

The ElephantInTheRoom that shall not be mentioned?

My name is Ed. I Am still bapu though. My Studio

Virtual Bands: Citizen Regen, The Forum Monkeys,  Fizzy Pickle, The Coffee House Band

2

[peter]

On bapu said

The ElephantInTheRoom that shall not be mentioned?

As long as we don’t get into divisive political opinions; we’ll leave that for Facebook, X, Rumble, etc. We can certainly discuss the facts of tariffs as they impact the musical gear we buy (which is the case for Americans buying gear made or having components made in other countries, especially China), as the tariffs significantly impact the pricing and affordability of the gear we use, it is certainly something open for discussion here — as long as steer clear of political opinions and arguments about tariffs, opinions about political parties, or political figures.

To set the example of that discussion, just sharing the basic facts: Today, the US president announced that US tariffs on Chinese goods will again rise, increasing from the current 104% to 125%. Of course, that means that Softube may very likely need to increase its prices again, as I believe this announcement was made factoring in the 104% tariff rate as will every company that sells gear that is made wholly or with components from China. I wouldn’t fault these companies when the taxes are now going to exceed the cost of manufacturing those goods. They couldn’t sustain business operations without raising prices. These Softube price increases reflect that the company is willing to take a loss, and no doubt, is hoping the US’ tariffs are temporary. Long term, if the tariffs remain in place, I would expect a much greater price increase than this. Basically, Softube is accepting lower profit to create less market disruption, and they’re not sure how all of their competitors will respond to the US’ tariffs. There really is no precedent for tariffs this large in our lifetimes.

Sometimes, if a tariff is small (e.g., under 10%) and expected to be temporary, and the seller’s markup on the finished product is big enough, a seller can temporarily absorb the tariff. But a tariff of 100 percent or more is extremely high, not in the realm of normal and that can severely disrupt trade. Consider that 2.2% is the norm for tariffs and aligns with WTO rules; a tariff of 100% or more is extremely rare.

This will mean that, for Americans, the cost of hardware gear imported from China or containing a significant amount of components from China, will see prices on that gear rise significantly. Conversely, it means that citizens of China — and other countries that the US has tariffs on that have responded with tariffs, will see the price of US goods rise significantly. And there are very high US tariffs going into effect in every other nation in the world too, but none as high as China. The current US president has put 10% tariffs into effect now, with much higher tariffs going into effect in the next 90 days. That will have a dramatic impact on MIDI gear, keyboards, synths and all types of hardware musical accessories. Fortunately, the US tariffs CURRENTLY do not encompass software, they’re focused on physical goods, but, of course, that could easily change.

LinkedMusicians Founder. Your friend who keeps the beat.

Check out my music. 

2

[peter]

Also, as this post is about Hardware, it should be in the Physical Musical Instruments & Hardware subforum. I’ll move it there.

LinkedMusicians Founder. Your friend who keeps the beat.

Check out my music. 

[peter]

My professional background is marketing and business strategy, and includes launching and running a popular marketing strategy publication. Unfortunately, study after study finds that most of the public doesn’t know what marketing does, and mistakenly thinks it’s merely advertising and promotion (for many small businesses, that is pretty much what people in the position do, but that is not what marketing is). Marketing encompasses product development, distribution and market strategy, pricing, and promotion.  So, I thought, my experience could come in handy for, especially for the American members of this community at this time.

The US is presently imposing tariffs on goods from virtually every country in the world, except for Russia and Belarus. But its tariffs on China are literally the highest tariffs in US history, more than doubling the past highest tariff of 62% in the 1800s, what economists refer to as the “tariff of abominations.” This impacts MOST electronic music gear as well as some acoustic music gear.  Now, what makes navigating all of this very difficult for manufacturers, exporters, importers, savvy consumers is the instability of these tariff decisions by the US. To simplify things, if your product is a guitar tuner that cost $10 wholesale to make in China and it regularly sells for $15 US, it will soon cost $25 US to bring into the US. Of course, that means the US importer/seller is going to be forced to dramatically raise prices. Due to the instability of the US tariff policy, a seller may decide to eat some of the losses until things seem more stable. However, that can easily bankrupt them.

What does this mean to buyers? It means that, while none of us know what the US is going to do next with its very erratic tariff policies, if the announced 145% tariff rate on China is going to happen as promised, now is certainly the best time to buy, before retail prices factor in these new dramatic price increases. If these sellers don’t factor in tariffs this large, it will result in serious harm to their revenue.

LinkedMusicians Founder. Your friend who keeps the beat.

Check out my music. 

[Author]

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