Pete Academy

A woman and her daughter came into the shop a couple of days ago to buy an acoustic guitar. To cut a long story short, I knocked down the price of the guitar from £380 to £250 to match her budget (we had a special deal from the supplier), knocked £10 off a case, and threw in strap, lead and picks for free. She asked if I would put new strings on, as the guitar had been played by the general public. I did this for her. I got an email today saying she wasn't happy with the sound, as it was now 'clangy' and didn't sound like it did with the original strings. She also said she had found out that the original strings were D'Addario and demanded I re-fit those strings instead of the Rotosound I used. I politely informed her that any new strings would probably sound 'clangy' compared to the previous ones fitted, and that as I had already given her a massive discount and thrown in freebies, I could not give her another set of free strings. I'm waiting to hear from her. She probably won't be happy. Some days you just can't win.

[quote name='budget bassist' post='794788' date='Apr 3 2010, 01:26 AM']I think as long as you're polite in a lot of places, they don't mind you trying things out. A local shop in notts that i go into reasonably often to try stuff out is always more than happy to let me try things, but i try not to take the piss with it. I generally only buy small things from them, strings etc, but i know if i asked, they would more than likely let me try their top end stuff, but i don't bother because i know i won't buy it. I brought a friend in a while ago though, he asked to try a little blackstar valve amp, he asked to try it with a gibson les paul (he owns one), in a lot of shops, that might have been met with raised eyebrows and a "can't you use this epiphone instead?". But no, they let him use it, no questions asked. He tried the amp, and came back half an hour later and parted with £400 for the amp. It's a two way street, and customer service goes a long way. By contrast, me and the same guy went into another local music shop about a year earlier (music room in victoria centre, yes i believe in naming and shaming) and asked to try a roland micro cube (yep, a £75 amp) and was asked by the sales assistant "are you going to buy it?" before he got one for him to try. Of course, he said yes, he tried the amp and then walked out and bought the amp from a different shop with less snooty sales staff. I always treat the staff in shops with respect and always ask before trying an instrument and take off my belt/jacket etc when trying something out, and i'll try and make some light banter with the staff about gear, and i like to be treated with respect too. If i get asked "are you going to buy it?" before trying something, you can be damn sure i'm not going to now, to me it just seems rude, especially if it's a fairly cheap bit of kit. Besides, how do i know if i'm going to buy something before i've tried it? I try to be loyal to local shops too, there's one i always take all my repairs to, as i've always been treated well in there and had speedy service, as has everyone else i know that's been there. I wish i could say the same for some other local shops.[/quote] Good post.

Bass Gear Mag? Didn't know that one. Cheers, Stingray.

[quote name='Les' post='794046' date='Apr 2 2010, 09:42 AM']Cheers Pete. Never seen that before, quite good, ta. Les[/quote] I think it's great...and it's free!

[quote name='bubinga5' post='793805' date='Apr 1 2010, 10:30 PM']it will never die Pete More groove and funk waffling.. from the vaults..ok i havent got a vault..but there goodun's these This is one of my all time favorite jazz funk tunes from these master's...the bass bass playing is spot on.. Mezzoforte..'Drive' [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zf9i1vcfGYg"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zf9i1vcfGYg[/url] Perri Sister's...Anita Baker's backing singers...the Album 'The Flight' is very hard to get now...first saw them when i won tickets on Robbie Vincents big beat show, to see Anita....i was 19 i think....when i saw that concert i knew i would always love Soul and Gospel music... bass playing is fantastic, the band are just awsome,especially the organ player... and the harmonies...!..fills me with joy when i listen to this record.. [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgZWqzxRbKc"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgZWqzxRbKc[/url] Galliano with Omar...mind blowing this..super sexy groove [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zx0mc5fa15k"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zx0mc5fa15k[/url] a few from Incognito...behold Crampton's playing .. Crampton on a semi bass solo [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEehuviMmOE"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEehuviMmOE[/url] Castles in the Air [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTZe46tX_0E"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTZe46tX_0E[/url] DonBlackman..this is frickin awsome... [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuiXGaJhW9Y"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuiXGaJhW9Y[/url] Billy Paul..'Bring the Family Back... [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9KjrlYlSYg"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9KjrlYlSYg[/url] a couple LIVE, from the wonderful Boz Scaggs..this is so the sort of soul groove i like..so much space for bass..oh and it makes me want a P bass [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kn1sEssGMLk"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kn1sEssGMLk[/url] [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yj4JCPXQjk8"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yj4JCPXQjk8[/url] Gene Harris..i love this funky version of Stevies classic 'AS' [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b20pX_9F8vI"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b20pX_9F8vI[/url] Bobby Lyle...oh the groove of this will blow you away!!! [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBe_OlWVp-k"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBe_OlWVp-k[/url] Rance Allen Group..Peace of Mind [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-31TesF8UU"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-31TesF8UU[/url] i learn so much new music from this thread, i hope you may have gained some funk groov pleasure from these.. [/quote] Some great choices again, Mr B. That's 'Sunjon' Johnson on the Don Blackman track - unmistakeable sound and style. Loved the Boz Scaggs tarcks. I used to do 'Jojo' in a previous band, and 'Lowdown' is one of my all-time favourites...definitely top five.

[quote name='JackLondon' post='793752' date='Apr 1 2010, 09:32 PM'] Does it for me every time![/quote] Love this!

Here you go, folks... [url="http://bassmusicianmagazine.com/category/latest-bass-musician-magazine-posts/"]http://bassmusicianmagazine.com/category/l...magazine-posts/[/url]

What IS your wood, then?

Bubinga, you are a funk/groove ninja! I'll check your posts tomorrow. Keep this thread going!

Proper wood? If so, what finish?

I'm chuffed with my 79. Been playing on it again today...marcuscandjacotastic.

Seems OK to me, but what are those controls?

[quote name='Bilbo' post='793042' date='Apr 1 2010, 10:26 AM']Years ago, in Fleet in Hampshire, I tried out an Epiphone Joe Pass. I was in the market for a hollow body jazz guitar and, whilst I loved the sound of an ES175, I thought to myself, I'm not good enough a player to justify that amount of outlay. So, I tried the Epihone and thought, yeah, that's cool. I'll get the money together to buy it. Whilst doing so, I got to try the real thing; a Gibson ES175. The difference, even to a lightwieght guitar player like me, was staggering and I had to have one. The local shops were asking £2,200. I got mine from GAK in Brighton for £1, 499. Buying gear is a complicated process and if I am shelling out between £1k and £3k (or more) on an instrument, I want to look at a few, and try some out. Odds are that I am NOT going to buy most of those I try but, if the deal is good and the instrument I WANT is available, I will buy. It is not MY role to support my local music shop! If that was the case, I would have to spend my life playing cheap nasty pointy guitars covered in flames. Its a myth - its their role to sell me stuff not my place to buy it, whatever it is. If they don't have what I want at a good price, I reserve the right to go elsewhere. Like most professionals, my 'tools' are not available in the high street. The problem is that there is no effective infrastructure for musical instruments over and above the beginner level (and even that is poorly catered for if you want to play anything other than trumpet, violin, viola or guitar. You want to play sax? - the local shops will have a choice of 2). If you need something unusual, you have to travel. OK, so we all go to Denmark Street. But if what we want is not there, where do we go next? Yes, we can spend days and weeks, even months travelling around the UK spending hundreds of pounds on FARES trying to find the instrument we want. Eventually, we commit to something, parting with the biggest sum of money most of us ever pay for anything other than a car or house, before realising that there was something else available that was better; if only we had known!! We then kick ourselves and live with the resulting GAS until we can get the money together to get the new bass/amp of our dreams. I understand the frustration music shops feel at the stream of people NOT buying their wares but, get real, why would anyone just go to their local provincial music shop and spend thousands on something without looking outside of their postcode area? Music fares are the best place to go to try gear. Everything under one roof [/quote] Fair point. But I think you are being a bit pointy-guitar-covered-in-flames-ist.

Almost everyone in Hanley wears a suit. Shell suit, that is...

[quote name='AndyTravis' post='792921' date='Apr 1 2010, 08:46 AM']kid of four or five runs into a wall of taylor acoustics *CRASH/BANG/WALLOP* we asked the parents to 'keep a closer eye on the little'uns' in all good nature. "what does it matter, they're all insured?" 'yes ma'am, and by the same token, i'll be round later to burn your house down, after all; it is insured, isn't it?'. The saturday kids get a bit silly, and i'm not to arsed about their protestations when we bin them out. It's still a bloody brilliant job. We joke at work 'i'd be able to do my job if it wasn't for the customers...' And remember, if we end up bitter about things, we'll all end up like Music Ground. My missus used to be a manager at Selfridges, now there's a tosspot magnet.[/quote] Who, the missus?

The annual Nantwich Jazz and Blues Festival starts tomorrow and runs through to Bank Holiday Monday. Tons of live music going on throughout, all day, every day. Nearly Dan play a double-bill with Rumours Of Fleetwood Mac on Monday evening at Nantwich Civic Hahh. www.nantwichjazz.com

I'm going to be totally honest here. Kids seems to be more disrespectful than ever when it comes to music shops. They come into our shop on Saturdays in hordes. One particular day, there were about 20 gathered in the hi-tech area, playing on the electronic drumkits at the same time, sitting three to an electronic piano and keyboard and pounding out different tunes, and banging on the percussion instruments. I tried telling them to behave, but was totally ignored. It was pure mayhem. We had no choice but to switch off the whole shop's power. They left in a mass exodus, moaning out loud about how crap we were. We have been forced to put 'please ask before trying' signs on virtually every guitar. A ding on a Les Paul means a loss of at least £150. We have had countless drum pedals broken through misuse. I know people will disagree with this, but it's the sad truth. I have no problem with people trying instruments, as I know youngsters are the customers of the future. But please ask first.

My love is funk and soul. I stood in with my mate's R&B band (Dr Feelgood-style) and absolutely loved it.

[quote name='Sarah5string' post='790015' date='Mar 29 2010, 09:56 PM']I am planning too once I've got some kiddy/work free time.. my girls would destroy the shop [/quote] I'll get the kettle on...and start building a creche.

You and Bill Wyman. Never did his career any harm.

Flat forward. FF.

We bass players need all the help we can get.