A Norwich experience

[Count Bassy]

I've just had a weeks holiday in 'Wells Next The Sea' (well, it is when the tides in), and had a day in Norwich. Is it just me or is this place a haven for Muso's?

Where we parked we came across the East Anglian Drum Centre within 50 yards, and this was followed by a music shop of some kind about every 20 yards for the rest of the street, must have been about 10 shops in all, half of which had some bass content! Personally I've never seen such a cluster of music shops.


Anyway, managed to try out a second hand Vintage five string (having looked at their website, possibly a V1005SP)in Crack Converters. Actually very impressed with this (playing through a G&K Combo), but I thought they were charging too much for it given its condition (£360 IIRC)

Also in another shop tried a G&L MIA L2500 (£1200?), through a cheapish Ampeg combo. I really wanted to like this, but I found that for all its pickups and switches the range of tones available was a bit dissapointing. To be fair to it I did not have the manual so was flicking switches and turning knobs fairly randomly, so may have missed some great tones along the way. Also the action was set considerably higher than I, and I suspect 90% of people, would have wanted it. Why, when the staff in these shops have nothing to do a lot of the time, do they not sit down and set some of there instruments up a bit better?

In the same shop also tried a MM Sterling 5 string (£600), through the same combo. Again, really wanted to like it, but it failed to excite me tonally, and the action was again rather high (but not as high as the G&L).

Also saw, but didn't have time to try a couple of Yamahas, and several Corts, along with the usual crop of Fenders and Fender clones.


So, a very interesting day, but saw nothing that made me want to sell my Ibanez SR505.



PS: My wife was also happy as one of the shops was a real piano shop. Mmm - starting prices at around £7000 - puts our instruments' costs into perspective doesn't it! Thankfully she's already got one.

Edited November 2, 2010 by Count Bassy

[Dood]

[quote name='Count Bassy' post='1009210' date='Nov 2 2010, 01:10 AM']I've just had a weeks holiday in 'Wells Next The Sea' (well, it is when the tides in), and had a day in Norwich. Is it just me or is this place a haven for Muso's?

Where we parked we came across the East Anglian Drum Centre within 50 yards, and this was followed by a music shop of some kind about every 20 yards for the rest of the street, must have been about 10 shops in all, half of which had some bass content! Personally I've never seen such a cluster of music shops.


Anyway, managed to try out a second hand Vintage five string in Crack Converters (they have a dedicated music shop in Norwich as well as the standard one). Actually very impressed with this (playing through a G&K Combo), but I thought they were charging too much for it given its condition (£360 IIRC)

Also in another shop tried a G&L MIA L2500 (£1200?), through a cheapish Ampeg combo. I really wanted to like this, but I found that for all its pickups and switches the range of tones available was a bit dissapointing. To be fair to it I did not have the manual so was flicking switches and turning knobs fairly randomly, so may have missed some great tones along the way. Also the action was set considerably higher than I, and I suspect 90% of people, would have wanted it. Why, when the staff in these shops have nothing to do a lot of the time, do they not sit down and set some of there instruments up a bit better?

In the same shop also tried a MM Sterling 5 string (£600), through the same combo. Again, really wanted to like it, but it failed to excite me tonally, and the action was again rather high (but not as high as the G&L).

Also saw, but didn't have time to try a couple of Yamahas, and several Corts, along with the usual crop of Fenders and Fender clones.


So, a very interesting day, but saw nothing that made me want to sell my Ibanez SR505.



PS: My wife was also happy as one of the shops was a real piano shop. Mmm - starting prices at around £7000 - puts our instruments' costs into perspective doesn't it![/quote]


By the description, You walked up Benedict's Street - and yes indeed it is the street with the most amount of music and musical instruments on. I'm glad you parked nearby! - It's not the only place in Norwich with instrument shops either! 'More?' you say? - yes indeed - There's also a fairly large PMT store on the other side of the city too!

[Earbrass]

Yes, big +1 to Norwich as a shopping centre. Great music shops, great market, and good head-shops too, if that's your thing .


[quote name='Count Bassy' post='1009210' date='Nov 2 2010, 01:10 AM']PS: My wife was also happy as one of the shops was a real piano shop.[/quote]

I went in there a couple of years ago and they let me have a go on a Hohner Pokerwork melodeon. Lovely thing. I did eventually buy one a year or so later, though not from that shop as it happened.

Lots of good stuff in the Cash Converters specialist music shop,too, as you say.

[Bilbo]

I go there two or thre times a month with work and have missed all this!! Must try harder.........

[simon1964]

[quote name='Count Bassy' post='1009210' date='Nov 2 2010, 01:10 AM']I've just had a weeks holiday in 'Wells Next The Sea' (well, it is when the tides in), and had a day in Norwich. Is it just me or is this place a haven for Muso's?[/quote]

I grew up near Wells, and get back to Norwich pretty often. There are some great shops down there. Including some good independent ones, which make a nice change from the fairly predictable chains. It sounds like you visited Cookes - they have two or three shops on St Benedicts St including some good guitar and bass stuff in one shop, and orchestral instruments in another. And as Dood says, the PMT in Anglia Square is pretty large too.

[jonunders]

i live near to norwich, whilst i was looking to buy an amp i went to many of the music shops but i found they had a limited range, the norfolk guitar and bass centre in watton is good but in the end i found the best, for variety of amps to compare, and most helpful was bass merchant in colchester.