bassmerchant

Due to a late gig cancellation Doug Wimbish will be appearing at the Bass Merchant from 3pm on Monday the 8th June . Highly respected Virtuoso bassist Doug Wimbish, a highly respected and sought-after master of his instrument, Doug records and performs with a diverse roster of talent. From his early days with Sugarhill Records, to his pioneering work in TackHead and Living Colour, Doug is best described as a musical virtuoso. In 1991, Doug’s long time friend and lead guitarist for Living Colour, Vernon Reid, was looking for a new bass player. It was actually drummer Will Calhoun that encouraged him to join. Doug joined Living Colour and went on to record two highly successful albums: Stain and Pride. In 1993, Living Colour was awarded a Grammy nomination for a song co-written by Doug, "Leave It Alone." After Living Colour split, Doug then teamed up with his band mate Will Calhoun and renowned jazz vocalist Vinx, to create the group Jungle Funk. Their sound has been described as "drum and bass infused poetic music." [attachment=26345:Doug_Wim...h_photo1.jpg] We will also have in store the Doug Wimbish Signature Spector - so come on down meet Doug and have a play on his bass !! All the best Darren The Bass Merchant T 01206 751173

Hi Guys We are clearing a bit of stock on ebay - so a few bargains for you - Mark Bass 102HF [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&item=220322793597"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=220322793597[/url] Warwick 611-4 Pro [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&item=220322795595"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=220322795595[/url] Warwick 411-8 Pro [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&item=220322800824"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=220322800824[/url] GK 410RBH-8 [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&item=220322809344"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=220322809344[/url] Warwick Xtreme 10.1 [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&item=220322812925"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=220322812925[/url] All the best Darren The Bass Merchant

Hi I am sorry you feel that way - as Nick has said the show was very fruitful for us and I would have thought as a bass player you would be interested in supporting a Bass specialist store .The stand was in fact bigger than the stand at LIMS by a factor of almost 2:1 - we are a small business so it is not possible at this stage to have half the exhibition hall but we already have much bigger plans for next year . If you had come and asked us about Zoot cabs I could have explained to you why they were not at the show. Almost everyone we spoke to enjoyed the show ? I am always open to positive suggestions and you were not the only one to mention the lack of space on the stand and we will be addressing this at future events with the help of some of the manufacturers . All the best Darren The Bass Merchant [quote name='ezbass' post='330780' date='Nov 17 2008, 04:44 PM']Small? It was tiny. Your stand at LIMS was twice the size at least and had the Zoot cabs which a friend of mine was interested in seeing at Music Live. Size is important at exhibitions (I know I've organised and ran them in the past) and if your stand is too small then some people will be put off just coming on for a browse either because it's too crowded or they feel overly conspicuous. As I've said earlier in this thread, I got the impression that most people had blown their budgets at LIMS so were either not exhibiting (Warwick) or had greatly reduced stands (Fender). Given that the cost of entrance had gone up to £17 and the show was smaller than previous years, the ringing in my ears was not tinnitus, but the death knell of Music Live.[/quote]

Hi Guys Have to say I am a bit dissapointed with the general comments about Music Live - we did our best to provide some cool gear for bass players ,did no one see our stand??? ,it was admittedly quite small but well packed !! Next year we are intending to have a much bigger stand with a range of interesting gear but I would be interested to know if any of you guys would want to see that ?,if not I guess I may have to re-think ,any comments appreciated . We had custom shop warwicks ,a load of Spectors and Laklands + loads of amp gear ,what else is there that you would like to see - PM me or stick a reply on here . Anyway , here is a pic of our own Dr of the Bass with TM on the bassmerchant stand on the day , [attachment=16062:Nick_and_TM.jpg] All the best Darren The Bass Merchant

Not the Only Spector dealers !! We have Spectors in stock and will have a few at Music Live Anyone interested give me a call on 01206 751173 All the best Darren The Bass Merchant [quote name='Machines' post='321822' date='Nov 4 2008, 02:35 PM']They were bought out mostly by Reverb (Arbiter I believe), who are now the UK stockists for Spector. [url="http://www.arbiter.co.uk/uk_dealers/uk_dealers_spectorbass.htm"]http://www.arbiter.co.uk/uk_dealers/uk_dea...spectorbass.htm[/url][/quote]

Hi There I tried out a few of these a couple of weeks ago and they really are very good ,distinct tonal differences between the different pick up options (and the LEDs are very cool !) .They are also very well built and playable. I will have a stand at music Live (7-9th November at the NEC) and will have 4 or 5 of these if you want to try one . All the best Darren The Bass Merchant

Hi There I didnt know about this product until today ,looks good though ! i have spoken to SWR and they will be available in the UK in about 6 weeks time with a retail price of £1099 If you want any more info PM me or give me a call at the shop on 01206 751173 All the best Darren The Bass Merchant [quote name='markytbass' post='295260' date='Sep 30 2008, 11:22 AM']Anyone know who stocks them, how much they are or where I can try one? I've done a search on the net but can't find anything apart from the SWR site.[/quote]

Hi all I have had these Aircell Straps in the shop for a while and have been using one for the last couple of months and even with my pretty heavy vampyre have had no pain at all ! Bit cheaper than a new bass (£24) Drop me a PM if you would like one All the best Darren The Bass Merchant [attachment=13975:DSCF1029.JPG]

Hi Just got my first shipment of them in - is an AG500 in a smaller box ! Very nice and a good range of tones and in typical Aguilar fashion built like the proverbial brick sh....... All the best Darren The Bass Merchant

Hey my friend Stick with it - Bass is the instrument of god !! Listen if you want a bit of support and a few tips come over to the shop - I feel inadequate on a daily basis cause we have some great players thru here (miles better than me !) dont worry about it we all feel it sometimes ! All the best Darren The Bass Merchant [quote name='Jesus' post='274887' date='Sep 1 2008, 08:04 PM']Yo guys, after being excited about bass for months, and finally getting my bass and being absolutely rubbish, and the whole thing being really disheartening i think i desperately need a proper lesson, or at least some face to face tuition, or just some face to face advice. I knew i was not so good, but a mate came over (a guitar player) and started playing the crap out of my bass for fun and that sent my confidence rock bottom, and ive been neglecting this place in the process, and i just feel really bad and low about everything bass related. I went to the Offset Festival in Romford, Essex over the weekend, and i've well and truly got the bass bug back, and the desire for a white Thunderbird but thats another story, anyways, is there anyone local to Colchester, or Essex as a whole who would fancy giveing me a few pointers or at least slowly showing me what they do? Im not a rich man but i will play this bass well if its the last thing i do!!! Rant over, thanks in advance, Jesus (slightly wrecked on red wine but staring at his bass that deserves better)[/quote]

[quote name='Mike' post='267806' date='Aug 22 2008, 01:06 PM']I recently purchased a bass from the Bass Merchant, in Colchester, Essex. Now in new hands, after being run by Mike Walsh of Iceni Zoot (with whom I had/have an excellent relationship, and bought several thousand pounds worth of Markbass Gear/Warwick Basses), it is a very friendly, open shop. As far as I understand it, Darren is the boss, and Chris is a very friendly chap who works there also. I was treated extremely well when I went to the new premises - a warm welcome, a free coffee and great service - not overbearing salesmen, but not disinterested workers - they seemed interested in what I was after, and let me play practically any bass in the shop. Very relaxing, very pleasant. I queried a price on a particular bass and Darren found there has been a small error and instantly changed it, to what appears to be a very competitive price - I couldn't find cheaper on the net. A query I sent through was handled by Darren over email even though he was in France, and Chris has rung me a few times and even texted off his personal phone to keep me up to date with something. I feel it's a shop where if I had a problem with gear, they'd sort me out. And I'd buy again - even if it were slightly more expensive, often it's worth the extra to know that if you have a problem, you'll get a genuine response, and not a "it's not our problem" attitude. EDIT: As I was typing this, I see the Bassmerchant has posted! I'm not affiliated, to clarify!![/quote] Hi Mike Thank you very much for that ,it is much appreciated. Hope you are enjoying the bass !!! All the best Darren

Hi Guys I have been reading this thread with interest and I know this could be seen as me advertising but I do feel I have a valid point !! Before I started my shop I was out on the road for a major instrument distributor so I called in to most of the music shops in the south of the Uk at one time or another and this attitude to potential customers is rife in the music industry and to be honest I dont get it at all .It seems a lot of retailers think it is acceptable to treat people in this way . I try to treat people as I would want to be treated ,this is not rocket science .If you have a good experience you will want to repeat it ,if not you wont . A completely un bass related incident but I bought a home cinema system from a high street shop and couldnt get it to work ,phoned their customer service dept ,waited for hours and got told to unplug it and plug it in again !! so in desperation called a local independant shop who stocked the same gear ,the guy spent 25 mins on the phone with me and finally located the problem ,one of the leads was incorrect ,he sold me a new one for a fiver ,problem solved and since then have bought any home electrical gear from him - The moral ,todays "timewasters" are tomorrows customers !! Anyway off the soapbox now and if these kind of comments are ever made about my shop I will close the doors and walk away ........................... All the Best Darren The Bass Merchant

Hi Guys After all that praise figured I had better say thanks !!! I am really pleased that I am managing to deliver what I had hoped for ,Good gear and no B**l !! Thanks again Darren The Bass Merchant PS can anyone tell me how I get set up as an affiliate ?? Would like to post special deals and new gear when I get them ?