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Soundcontrol in dire straits


ARGH
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Ok,I keep hearing this on the grapevine.

Soundcontrol are on the verge of folding because they havent paid their importers or something,and shops are to close.

Now is this a Leeds only thing (As they have 2 shops in the city,both in really dim places that are a sod to get to or find).

Any light? I personally think its not happening,but I do go into the stores and see sodall being sold or persons inside buying.......... soooo???

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[quote name='ARGH' post='38204' date='Jul 28 2007, 06:03 PM']Ok,I keep hearing this on the grapevine.

Soundcontrol are on the verge of folding because they havent paid their importers or something,and shops are to close.

Now is this a Leeds only thing (As they have 2 shops in the city,both in really dim places that are a sod to get to or find).

Any light? I personally think its not happening,but I do go into the stores and see sodall being sold or persons inside buying.......... soooo???[/quote]

Mate's a shop manager there - i'll see what I can find out...

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I go into London about once a month on business and always have a wander down Denmark Street and pop into Soundcontrol on Oxford Street - it's usually quite empty - perhaps because it's in the basement of the Virgin Megastore and doesn't have its own shop frontage.

So, hardly any customers in one of the most expensive £ per sq/ft areas in the country?

Hamster

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the sound control location in birmingham is terrible, you have to go the subway to get to it. I've been in there many times and never seen one customer but me and the people I was with... PMT location is just as bad, you have to walk through some real nasty places to get to it.

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[quote name='ARGH' post='38215' date='Jul 28 2007, 06:28 PM']Isnt soundcontrol what used to be 'Academy of sound'???[/quote]

Sound Control were originally a Scottish company and they as they expanded they bought the Academy Of Sound chain.

I use the Sound Control store in Edinburgh and the central Glasgow store and they are generally pretty busy. I do wonder if they have expanded too big, too fast?

Andy

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[quote name='guitarnbass' post='38216' date='Jul 28 2007, 06:30 PM']I reckon it's true though, crap prices, crap customer service, crap website, and now more and more people are buying their strings and other accessories online cause it's so much cheaper...[/quote]

I agree with this comment and the one before, I have only met one member of staff in about 4 sound controls who has been a nice, decent person and very knowledgable. I could have just been unlucky I suppose.

Then again, every music chain seems to hire the wrong people, maybe musicians shouldn't actually work in the shops as they tend on the whole to think they are better than the customers.

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the one in manchester city centre is rubbish, the instruments are poorly maintained, and when u try em u get a evil look, and to be fair i find that all the dealings ive had with that store have ended up with me walking away thinking, the staff were rude, unpolite and a general pain

the one in salford however is suppose to be great, havent been though, im truly put off by the mnchester store.

ad

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I remember when SC first opened the Salford store,the stock,the prices and the service was better than everywhere I saw brands I'd never seen before quite fantastic, The present store is quite dreadful with very poor service (Could write a book on this!) and an aweful Stock of basses. If they are in trouble I'm not surprised the people will vote with there feet, but the retail trade is a much different place to the early '90 with Thomann and Co cleaning up.

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Preston branch could not price match an Ampeg BA115 with Thomann - They are really feeling the pinch - Bought online through Dolphin Music - no problems at all with next day delivery etc.Gadge I know used to be the manager but has recently jumped ship.....!!!???

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[quote name='Mikey D' post='38231' date='Jul 28 2007, 07:03 PM']Then again, every music chain seems to hire the wrong people, maybe musicians shouldn't actually work in the shops as they tend on the whole to think they are better than the customers.[/quote]

HURRUMPH!! Couldn't (generally) agree more.
The store in Norwich is really well stocked, the guys working there seem nice and helpful, but its massively overpriced. (i recently looked at a 2nd hand Ibanez they had up for £450. The exact same model sold 2nd hand from another music store for £180. True.)

I do actually like the chain, i've been to probably about 8 over the years, but the snobbish "i'm a muso, bow down to my superior knowledge" attitude i've seen displayed by 90% of the staff is dreadful.
And if you're female and walk in there to buy something, its something else; "oh, you want a guitar do ya' love? What colour were you thinking of?"

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Wont be surprised. You cant really expect a high street chain to price-match an internet warehouse but people do. The end result will be that internet warehouse will be the only way you can buy gear, and with no high street to undercut theywill be able to push their prices up as well.

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I have known for at least the past year the huge finanicial problems they have. I know the Bristol SC's manager and a freind of his.

Basically yes your all correct, SC has expanded too quickly and failed to realise that unlike supermarkets who get loans to expand where 100% of the population needs food. Music shops are unfortunatly not the same less then 1% of the population are musicians, They took loan after loan and bought out a number of companys and they just cant pay back their debts.

We thought they would have gone tits up last summer but have somehow managed to hang in there. The Bristol one is usually quite busy And with relatively good salesman (The reason i say salesman is because they only hire based on how well you can sell a product, Not how much you know about it).

Expect a decent sale at somepoint.

Edited by Shockwave
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[quote name='Shockwave' post='38293' date='Jul 28 2007, 11:08 PM']I have known for at least the past year the huge finanicial problems they have. I know the Bristol SC's manager and a freind of his.

Basically yes your all correct, SC has expanded too quickly and failed to realise that unlike supermarkets who get loans to expand where 100% of the population needs food. Music shops are unfortunatly not the same less then 1% of the population are musicians, They took loan after loan and bought out a number of companys and they just cant pay back their debts.

We thought they would have gone tits up last summer but have somehow managed to hang in there. The Bristol one is usually quite busy And with relatively good salesman (The reason i say salesman is because they only hire based on how well you can sell a product, Not how much you know about it).

Expect a decent sale at somepoint.[/quote]

Thought so,that 5 string gold hardware'd Spectors mine

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The only soundcontrol Ive been to is the sound control in London in the basement of the virgin megastore, I have to say that the staff I spoke to have all been polite, and they actually price matched a usa fender jazz to one I had seen online

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I don't bother with Birmingham SC anymore - not an inspiring bass stock in the slightest. Also the dark cellar so you can't inspect an instrument properly, and terrible acoustics just make me not waste my time.

The Salford SC was great for instruments (Warwick, Spector), but you had more chance of knitting fog than finding someone to help you. I did however buy my Spector Q6 Pro for £330 from there, sold it for £300 a year later so I got a good deal.

I only really go to PMT - super range of gear and genuinely friendly staff. Plus loads of Sandbergs to GAS over..

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