MiltyG565

[quote name='Moos3h' timestamp='1421237292' post='2658705']
Back in your box Wayne - that's twisting his words

It's a fair point that 'mainstream' music shops often stick to Gibson and Fedner plus a selection of pointy sh*t that the majority of buyers would at least recognise. BG, BD etc. do brands that I've never heard of with my status as 'enthusiastic amateur' - it's a different market but I know if I wanted to check out a whole range of instruments regardless of what was on the headstock, I'd look to one of those shops.
[/quote]

Depends how large your local shop is. Fender and Gibson both have minimum orders, which means that a small shop won't be able to buy in to stocking those brands.

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1421230151' post='2658585']
As long as the online stores stay in business we can have an infinite selection of instruments delivered within a few days at the best price so from a selfish point of view what will we lose if the shops close?
[/quote]

Some people like local shops, and supporting local businesses. A shop often has more to offer local musicians than purely sales of instruments and accessories.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1421229528' post='2658574']
So my guess would be that the shop is putting all it's efforts into the stuff that does sell, and they are probably too busy with that to bother about the stuff that doesn't.

These days shops have to play it safe in order to stay in business. TBH the majority of bass players (i.e. those not on Baschat) don't want interesting. They want something like a P or a J bass preferably one that says Fender on the Headstock.
[/quote]

Bingo!

Basses move slowly whether they're presented the best way possible, or dusty with old strings.

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1421178312' post='2658158']
...a lad on a bike far too big for him.
[/quote]

I take your point, Douglas. But if what's wanted is bass buying purely online, why start a thread to moan about local shops not doing a good enough job? Local shops know all the selling happens online, and that's why they put no effort into selling some things.

If you don't want to buy basses from your local music shop, don't be disappointed when they have nothing to offer you. That's all I'm saying.

[quote name='Moos3h' timestamp='1421176700' post='2658120']
This. ^

I take your point about declining markets but we owe shops nothing at all. If you like the item/price/service then do it but it the stock is in poor state then that leaves price and service. Why would you as a shop owner not try even just a little...speculate to accumulate and all that?
[/quote]

The speculation already happened when they ordered them in to the shop. Anything above that is just money out of the profit. As Truckstop said, the basses were already well priced, obviously to encourage sales.

The shop also owes us nothing. Yet we expect so much.

Let me put it another way - This business owner has invested hundreds, possibly thousands of pounds of their own money into these instruments, and stocked them for a very small amount of potential customers. They sit, and gather dust, and the first person to try them out in weeks immediately goes online and complains about the quality of their presentation. Then everyone has a good old moan about how crap the bass selection is at their local shop.

Moaning doesn't change this. If you're happy for your local shop to just not stock basses, that's fine, don't buy basses from them. If you want them to stock basses, show them that there's a market, because currently, this thread could just be lifted as a template and posted as a new thread for most members.

It's all well and good saying that a set of strings is low-cost, but when you have to change the strings on 12 basses 2 or 3 times before they sell, especially when you've already reduced the price of them to incentivise selling, it's a completely worthless venture, looking at it from a business perspective.

[quote name='Moos3h' timestamp='1421175566' post='2658095']
I disagree. It IS the responsibility of the shop to adequately present their wares....

Trade price on a set of cheap rounds won't be much but will give the impression of the stock being good and looked after. Also, tune the bastid it takes no time at all and ensures a positive first impression.

Sorry but if you don't try, I no buy.
[/quote]

If we don't buy, the shop doesn't try. 2-way street. We can't complain about shops not trying after declining bass sales. That's why I'm trying to say that we all need to pull in the same direction. Want basses in shops? Buy basses in shops. They are businesses, and they will stock things that sell, and not stock things that don't sell. After these basses have been sitting so long, once they're sold, do you think they'll be replaced with more bass stock?

[quote name='Thunderbird' timestamp='1421174314' post='2658068']
This is the case with the 3 closet shops to me unloved stock coupled with bad attitudes and I think this is why a lot of people now shop on line now as well as much cheaper prices
[/quote]

This generally isn't the reason why people shop online. It might be part of it, but convenience appears to be the biggest factor.

As I've said on the forum before - We need to show our local music shops some love. The very reason these instruments are unloved is because they're slow moving stock, because everyone is buying their bass online. We need to all pull in the same direction - Do we want basses in our shops, or do we want to buy online?

Threads like this one come up fairly regularly, and it seems that we turn our backs to the real problem behind the problem. The bass stock isn't poor because the managers don't care, it's because they don't sell. If they don't sell, they won't stock it. If we don't buy it, it disappears entirely from our shops. And the usual response is "I'd buy from them if they had a decent selection", but again, that's missing the point that we don't give them any good reason to offer us a good selection.

If you like the basses, ask them to be set up. Play the old strings - You'll get a general feel for the bass. If you like it, buy it. If not, nobody's any worse off.

[quote name='Donnyboy' timestamp='1420548761' post='2650467']
Nice one Steve - sounds like a grand idea. Bristol , huh.... ?
[/quote]

Donny, if you buy a compass, there's an S on it. Wait until the needle points to the S then start walking in that direction. Eventually - Bristol.

[size=3]An excerpt from Milty's British Mainland Travel Guides. Available at WHS, Aldi, and Lidl from early 2015.[/size]

Awesome idea! Is this a final hurrah, or is the relay expected to continue afterwards?

[quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1419552627' post='2640927']

yeah, some people just have no taste and have to destroy a beautiful lacquered finished neck

My last 75RI Jazz underwent that [s]attack[/s] treatment, and it's a real shame.
[/quote]

Gloss is boss!

[quote name='wishface' timestamp='1419509004' post='2640491']
on varnish?
[/quote]

Yeah, he's just given you instructions on how to take the varnish off the neck and give it a more natural feel.

[quote name='Coilte' timestamp='1419506758' post='2640475']
A varnished neck should only require a slightly moistened clean cotton cloth.
[/quote]

Yup. Very easy to clean. If there's dirt stuck on there, use some cleaner. Some people like to use lighter fluid, but don't spray it onto the fretboard, as it can seep in between the frets and into the timber, leaving your guitar smelling all paraffin-y, and flammable.

D'Addario do some cleaners. They do one called Hydrate, which is good for unvarnished fretboards, or they do a general water-based cleaner (which they say should only be used on varnished surfaces) which would work well on your fretboard. It's only about £6 a bottle, and it'll likely last you 6 months or more, depending on how often you clean your guitar

They also do waxes and polishes for guitar, and they are sweeeeeet! I detailed my acoustic before playing at my Sister's wedding in the summer, and it looked so good.

Merry Christmas

Unless your local shop is a specialist shop, it's very unlikely to have any great selection of bass stock, whether instruments or accessories.

If you want your local music shop to stock more bass related things, you need to have bassists going there on a regular basis, willing to buy. Show them that you are there, and you are willing to support their business, but they have to give you what you want in return.

I really don't know how much people moan about the selection of bass strings we have in the shop, but as far as I know, bassist make up an incredibly small portion of our customers. What I'm trying to say is that I don't know how many bassists have come in looking for strings, because loads of them won't have told me what they're after, and just left when we didn't have it. I do my best, being a bassist, to offer other bassists a decent selection, but it's very very difficult when we don't know what they want, and they don't tell us. I can moan and bitch all year long to my boss about what we offer bassists, but if the bass sales aren't there, he won't give in. No shop owner would.

I suppose what I'm saying is if you want your local to give you better choice, show them that you're willing to support them, and tell them what you want. If small shops managed even a couple of bass string sales a week, they'd be more relaxed about expanding the range.

Just my tuppenny.

[quote name='geoham' timestamp='1419437443' post='2639983']
So, Mrs Geoham was getting the last few bits for Christmas yesterday and called to see if I needed anything, rather than her just guessing at gifts. I suggested a set of D'addario Chromes strings. She went to a music shop in central Glasgow (who have at least two more branches). The bloke told her that said strings are extremely rare - and tried to palm her off with a set of roundwounds! Thankfully, she politely declined!

I'd really like to be able to support my local 'bricks and mortar' shop, but 70% oF the time or more I end up shopping online because I can't get what I need locally. On top of that, finding a sales assistant who actually knows about bass gear is challenge! Given the lack of a dedicated bass shop in Central Scotland, it looks like the internet is the way forward for me. What kind of experiences have others had?
[/quote]

Rare? No more rare than any other D'Addario string. That is to say that you (music shop owner) stick it on your order with D'Addario, and it arrives in a day or 2 with all your other strings. As Molan says, they're a very good supplier, and usually you can get anything (rare or not) from them in 24 hours. I've never had a problem ordering any string off them before.

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1418911328' post='2634742']
This will never do, a bass chat thread that is completely resolved without an argument?
[/quote]

What's it to you? Geroutta mah pub!

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1418585291' post='2631473']
Interesting comment, I feel the same way about sh*t-holes ( you guys have those in the UK too? ).
[/quote]

sh*t-holes can be great. They're more likely to have a one-man-and-a-guitar kind of entertainment, but it can still good fun. The bar is still crap, but the music makes up for it.

I've been to real dives before, and they won't even get live music. They won't even turn on the radio sometimes! It's really depressing. And the landlords run crying about how they don't get enough trade at the weekends.

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1418510339' post='2630868']
Thanks Time Stamp
[/quote]

Oh, you're welcome

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1418485732' post='2630606']
Your using business logic 101.Managers/Owners of clubs and bars have their own logic that does not always follow common sense.

Blue
[/quote]

The thought that springs to my mind is "Why wouldn't a landlord follow up a good band?". I then think whether it's to put the ball into the band's court. If they chased the band, they'd lose their leverage. They'd be saying "I want you to play at my pub". What they more than likely want is for a band to say "We want to play at your pub", and the landlord can bargain down the price on the basis of "How much do you want to play here? How desperate are you?". And the landlord probably has a ton of bands knocking down his door looking for work.

[quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1418478244' post='2630506']
That's why on some bands you need a "heavily built" person. They could just mime if they don't play an instrument. Their gravitational pull can be use to modulate the wireless signal to compensate for these effects. You just need to know where to place them. That's how Meat Loaf started his career, and then he realised he could actually sing.
[/quote]

Damn!

I did think it was odd that my bandmates always had a recorded bass track for the songs we played.

[quote name='skankdelvar' timestamp='1418474020' post='2630472']
[size=3]And he's not getting any younger.[/size]
[/quote]

Well excuse you, but next year is my 20th birthday. The year after that is my 19th.

[quote name='jezzaboy' timestamp='1418420270' post='2630191']
Got to agree, it really gets on my wick so much that I would rather go and watch a pub band than a big stadium act. I also realise this isn`t ideal for a young daughter or son who are dying to see the act.

And another related point. The tickets seem to go on sale 6, 8, 10 months or so early, so all that money sits in someones account generating interest for them.
[/quote]

I'd imagine that quite a bit of the money is paid out to venues and hire equipment months in advance too.

What I notice is that a lot of tickets go on sale this time of year, to capitalise on the Christmas market.

[quote name='Mr Arkadin' timestamp='1418404412' post='2629992']
See link directly above your post
[/quote]

Ah! Nice one Cheers!

[quote name='Sammers' timestamp='1418369661' post='2629554']
This gets to me too, though the government is leaving up to the "industry" to govern itself
[/quote]

It should be clear enough by now to any government that markets don't govern themselves. Morals or ethics don't come into it in big business - If you see a way to make money, you're expected to grab it with both hands. Regulation is what keeps the markets from becoming morally or ethically questionable, and gives consumers some kind of protection. Need any more proof, refer to how the banks operated in the 2000s. Or the phone-tapping scandal. Or plenty of scandals and f***-ups.

TL;DR - Markets don't regulate themselves.

[quote name='tonybassplayer' timestamp='1418340921' post='2629448']
Tried to get tickets recently to take my middle daughter to see One Direction who she is totally absorbed with but like many others I was unsuccessful and it was "Sold Out"

Well excuse my French but that is total and absolute f*****g b****x as the net including ebay is awash with stupidly over priced tickets.

These companies have obviously had the chance to block purchase tickets and then sell them on at stupid money. It really p****s me of that there is not a centralised point that all tickets are sold direct to the general public ( also known as the fans who put them there )

I know my rant won't change things but it just annoys me that such a parasitical industry is allowed to profiteer on people. The original prices are stupid enough but these others are ludicrous.
[/quote]

There was a show a few years ago on this issue (one of the investigative journalism shows like Panorama or Dispatches), and it found out that certain companies were block-buying direct from the promoter, but also, they have teams of people sitting with books filled with credit cards, and they spend their time buying tickets.

These companies then sold the tickets on at a huge markup, but they were always advertised as being a private sale i.e. not commercial.

It also showed how the companies didn't always sell all the tickets they had bought, and the unsold tickets went in the bin if the staff didn't use them.

The thing is that it's kind of a crummy business idea, and it artificially inflates the price of gig tickets. But big followers of artists/bands are willing to pay through the nose for the tickets.