I’m considering upgrading to a new amp, such as the Boss Katana 100 MKII from my starter Fender Frontman 15. Unfortunately, here in Kuwait, we don’t have many options when it comes to music gear, and I’ll have to consider ordering online.
I’ve found two online retailers that have the option of shipping internationally to Kuwait:
Andertons (UK) and Thomann (Germany)
I wanted to know if anyone here has experience ordering with either of them from another country and how that experience was.
Hi Firas,
I have ordered a few times from Thomann Germany… and that went perfectly, especially because one time it didn’t go well and they solved it perfectly…I like to judge a company on how they solve their mistakes because mistakes are made soon or later.
Greetings…
That’s great feedback and well said, Rogier. It’s not if a problem happens, it’s how they deal with it when it does happen. Much appreciated.
Seems that Thomann have a a Kuwait service
so you should be able to buy with confidence.
I used them back in the UK and “many” times after our move to France at the end of 2011.
I have not only used the 30-day cash back off for returning goods (change of heart) but also their guarantee after an issue with the 6-way switch on my MiM Strat Roadhouse Deluxe.
Sent back to Germany, fixed and returned to France at no cost. No issues with Thomann.
That’s very reassuring to know Toby, thank you. The reason I picked these two retailers was the fact they did offer shipping to Kuwait via DHL (no others I’ve come across have, including Amazon). I also noticed on their site that Thomann also extends their 3-year warranty to international customers as well which is very rare and a great added level of reassurance.
Once I decide to pull the trigger on that Katana (after doing my research, checking reviews, and people’s feedback) and hopefully having a good shopping experience with them, I’ll be eyeing a Fender Strat Player Plus at some point in the future (to replace my starter Squier Affinity Strat). Will have to make it a milestone gift for myself at 3 months, 6 months, or a year of practicing 
(knowing me, it’ll probably be the shortest of those 
).
No problems upgrading to the Player but keep this as a reminder of how you started.
I still have my Affinity from 96 (been changed a bit) and still play it now and then !
Oh for sure! I’ve even got some crazy upgrades on the way for it. Will upgrade it, play it, and only if I’m not happy with the result will I get another Strat, but will keep it in either case. That Brown Sunburst Affinity was love at first sight and was the spark that kicked off this whole crazy adventure I’m on 
Here’s a sneak peak of the upcoming Project Supercharged Affinity (name is a work in progress ):
Pretty much replacing everything except for the body & neck Now if only the last shipment containing the pickups would arrive I can kickstart this baby 
@firasR Thomann and Andersons are great and people from western countries will say they have little to no issues but for your country it might be an entirely different story especially with expensive items like music gear.
I would suggest finding out about experiences of people from your country before placing an order.
I’ve seen a lot of good things said about Thomann around here in the Community. Personally, I’ve been ordering various accessories and maintenance tools from Kytary as it ships from a little closer than Thomann does. On their website, you can change the language and location by clicking on the flag icon in the top right corner.
i ordered to guitars at seperate times from thomann here in philippines. first one came with no issues. second one (a strat clone) came with a small ding from shipping (box looked like it had been opened most likely by philippines customs). they gave me the option of returning it or taking a 50% refund…… i took the 50% and buffed out the chip
have you checked out Salmeen Music Store in Salmiya? They used to have a big inventory or could order when I lived there like 10 years ago.
Thanks Jozsef. I noticed that, I chose UAE as that’s the closest to Kuwait but it only changes the currency. The shipping is still from Germany.
That’s great customer service and an even better deal 
That’s where I got my Epiphone Les Paul Modern from. Great store but very small with limited selection. Mostly smaller Marshall amps, they do have the Marshall Code 25 but I’m seeing a lot of mixed reviews about it. I asked them if they would do special orders but they don’t sadly.
Honestly I’m contemplating if I even need a modeling amp such as the Code 25 or even the highly rated Boss Katana MkII 50/100 as I have a Zoom G1X Four Multi-FX processor that I quite enjoy. I just want a better sounding amp compared to my starter pack Fender Frontman 15G in the $300 - $400 budget range.
With the limited selection available locally and the risk of international shipping and related costs, I’m honestly considering just getting a decent pair of small PreSonus monitor speakers to plug into my UA Volt 2 audio interface and see if that will be enough for the time being and upgrade to a better amp at a later stage. Decisions, decisions…
Here’s the limited collection of both guitars stores in Kuwait:
Salmeen Music
aDawliah Electronics
https://www.adawliahstore.com/musical-instruments/guitars/guitar-amplifiers
Hi Firas - I’ve used both Andertons (in-store and online) and Thomann (online only) with no issues. Andertons mainly though, they’re very good and helpful if you have any issues. I think both are very well established so if you do use either I’ll stick my neck out and say things would be fine!
I, like Mark @Notter have used both Andertons and Thomann but Anderton’s is mainly my go to for online orders these days, as for me the goods get here quicker than when I’ve ordered from Thomann.
