The bass cellar - denmark street

[noisedude]

[quote name='lowhand_mike' post='264466' date='Aug 18 2008, 12:26 PM']they are always trying to flog the crap strings in the bass cellar, though go knows why, i went in for some new strings and thought i'd try them and see what they recommended, though i already knew what i wanted. they tried flogging me some sh*te £15 rotos or something, the pack looked like they had been in there for years.
weird as they had the expensive DR's and elixirs etc, maybe they look at you (i don't have to dress smart for work) and judge you on that, he cant afford the good ones, sell i'm the crap ones.
didn't buy the elixirs i wanted in the end, got em else where.
but yeah they are just plain f***in lazy, especially the twat with the curtains[/quote]
Bloomin good margins on Rotosounds if you buy them in the right quantities .... much better than on D'addys and Ernies.

[TDM]

The worse experience(s) I've ever had with a guitar shop is Wizard Guitars in Sheffield, the worst guitar shop I've ever been to, and it's not even on Denmark Street!

#1 So I was calling up guitar shops In my area to see if they sold the Ibanez S series guitars. I call up Wizard Guitars
After a lengthy conversation about how they can order stuff in, I ask for a price, he says this:
" [b]we don't gives quotes to people who have looked at prices on the internet[/b]. because they just want to try our guitars and order them for £50 cheaper off the internet because they are not set up."
I can understand his frustration, as they are a small shop, but I don't think being rude to your potential customers is a great start.

#2 And the one I visited a while back wouldn't let me try out a pedal for more than 5 mins. I assumed that he was just busy at that particular time. So I asked politely if/when it would be possible to try it out for longer, maybe when they were less busy. And the guy just said "were always busy". Though I doubt that's true seeing as I was the only person in the shop at that time. So I tried out the pedal, told him I didn't like it(since he said it only takes 5 mins to decided if you like a pedal or not) and then he suddenly changes his tone and starts trying to advertise all the other pedals in the shop to me.

#3 The guy wouldn't let me try out their overpriced 70s Thunderbird, because I said I was only considering it and not set on buying it. So I go to some other shops and play various Guitars, basses and amps worth over twice as much as the T-bird without a problem.

#4 They make ridiculous amounts off accessories, a pack of D'addario guitar strings for £7.50!??! The owner also tried to explain to me how a set of chrome pickup covers are worth £60

Strangely enough, one of the best experiences I've had with a guitar shop is Sound Control. They don't mind what you want to try, and I've had pretty lengthy conversations with them about gear. They're not all particularly knowledgeable, but I usually know the specs of stuff I want to buy.

Edited August 18, 2008 by thedonutman

[sixshooter]

Now for something completly different!

Went into langley guitar centre last week for the first time! what great service. The owner made me a cup of coffee and I tried out a number of guitars and basses including some interesting 70's fenders!

This shop has been going for a long time and I had never been there before even though I work about 5 miles away!

It may be just down to the fact that I am on the older side and had me suit on, but there was no pressure to buy, and I will be going back there even if they are slightly more expensive than the good old interweb!

It was service just like it used to be when I were a lad......

[url="http://www.langleyguitarcentre.co.uk"]Langley Guitar Centre[/url]

[noisedude]

[quote name='sixshooter' post='264695' date='Aug 18 2008, 04:27 PM']Now for something completly different!

Went into langley guitar centre last week for the first time! what great service. The owner made me a cup of coffee and I tried out a number of guitars and basses including some interesting 70's fenders!

This shop has been going for a long time and I had never been there before even though I work about 5 miles away!

It may be just down to the fact that I am on the older side and had me suit on, but there was no pressure to buy, and I will be going back there even if they are slightly more expensive than the good old interweb!

It was service just like it used to be when I were a lad......

[url="http://www.langleyguitarcentre.co.uk"]Langley Guitar Centre[/url][/quote]
So did you buy anything interesting?

[sixshooter]

Not yet, I already have a black 79 P bass, although on the dark side I did like a 70's lightweight Strat that I may go back for.

[noisedude]

[quote name='sixshooter' post='264707' date='Aug 18 2008, 04:40 PM']Not yet, I already have a black 79 P bass, although on the dark side I did like a 70's lightweight Strat that I may go back for. [/quote]
Any 70s Strat that doesn't weigh as much as a car could be worth a look. If the neck is on straight and there aren't too many mods and refins you could make a really tidy investment ........ or buy an instrument with some serious mojo!

[JimBobTTD]

[quote name='sixshooter' post='264695' date='Aug 18 2008, 05:27 PM']Now for something completly different!

Went into langley guitar centre last week for the first time! what great service. The owner made me a cup of coffee and I tried out a number of guitars and basses including some interesting 70's fenders!

This shop has been going for a long time and I had never been there before even though I work about 5 miles away!

It may be just down to the fact that I am on the older side and had me suit on, but there was no pressure to buy, and I will be going back there even if they are slightly more expensive than the good old interweb!

It was service just like it used to be when I were a lad......

[url="http://www.langleyguitarcentre.co.uk"]Langley Guitar Centre[/url][/quote]

Oh, that place is excellent. They had a Marshall 9001 guitar preamp and an effect unit (together) in there which I was after. It was just before Christmas 2006 and I was visiting my parents. I made the trip out there to get the preamp and they treated me like royalty, even though I was a bit scruffy and unshaven. They threw in the 4u Stagg rack case thingie the units were in, and when I asked if they could sort it out VAT free (I have an EU company), they said that it seemed like a little too much like hard work for them and instead knocked a tenner off the price, which I was not negotiating. Pure class!!! I was offered a beverage too, but turned it down for urination/long journey reasons.

I won't forget the journey back carrying a 4u case with two units in (one very heavy) either...the walk to the station seemed a lot longer on the way back!

[The Funk]

[quote name='geilerbass' post='264490' date='Aug 18 2008, 12:54 PM']In all fairness, she was very pleasant - friendly and knowledgeable. To the point where I actually reconsidered my stance on the place and almost considered buying a bass. Sad that she's gone and has been replaced by another bunch of ignorant muppets.[/quote]

She was. Sometimes you'd be lucky and she was the only person there. She'd even bollock some of the other staff there for not getting back to me with information when they said they would.

[Toasted]

[quote name='noisedude' post='264527' date='Aug 18 2008, 01:22 PM']I won't, but I would very strongly advice that you check EVERY tiny detail before buying anything 'vintage' or 'rare' from one of their shops. And that includes amplifiers.[/quote]

+1.

Also, I think Rich who works there and used to work in the Bass Centre Manchester is a c***.

Edited August 18, 2008 by Toasted

[Alastair]

I hate musics shops like that, McCormacks in Glasgow is pretty bad for it, all of the staff are moody as hell and dont offer any help what so ever. Their stock is rubbish and over priced too - and a lot of it is damaged!! I saw a beautiful 50s reissue Strat in Daphne Blue hanging on the wall there, went to have a closer look only to find it had a massive dent in horn. I dont think there was even a discount on it. Same goes for a few mexi jazz basses they had there.

Bleh.

[sixshooter]

[quote name='Old Horse Murphy' post='264725' date='Aug 18 2008, 04:53 PM']So you found your way there after all Steve? A great little shop if a bit awkward to find!![/quote]


Yes, shame they did not have an 8ohm Epifani 2 x 10 cab there otherwise I would have bought it to complete my new line up.

[charic]

Next time they ask just say you will buy it...

Then change your mind because you played a better one down the road

[doctor_of_the_bass]

Simone was very good - did me a good deal on a Status some years ago and was more than polite. Not dealt with the other guys...! Wunjo are good - nice range of s/h stuff and nice with it.

+1 Wizard Guitars had a shop near Electro in Doncaster (I think it might have closed down - f*cking hope so) - what a bunch of tossers! Many years ago, I asked one of the greaseball ponytailed brothers if he ever took in any interesting stuff in part ex (to me anyway!) such as Wals, JayDees etc. He said `I would'nt even consider it - waste of time'. Fine! At the time, they had around 4 basses in stock! I should have known better!

Best places imho - The Gallery, Electro, The Bass Merchant - really good service and stuff. There was a great shop down in Kent (near Whitstable) around 10 years ago, called BassWorld - loads of stuff. I think they are now part of the American Guitar store in Tonbridge?

[TDM]

[quote name='doctor_of_the_bass' post='265059' date='Aug 18 2008, 11:08 PM']+1 Wizard Guitars had a shop near Electro in Doncaster (I think it might have closed down - f*cking hope so) - what a bunch of tossers! Many years ago, I asked one of the greaseball ponytailed brothers if he ever took in any interesting stuff in part ex (to me anyway!) such as Wals, JayDees etc. He said `I would'nt even consider it - waste of time'. Fine! At the time, they had around 4 basses in stock! I should have known better![/quote]

The Welsh guy is at the Sheffield store now. He seems to dislike various brands, such as Peavey and Ashdown and refuse to stock them, or even talk about them. Supposedly he doesn't like the owners, but I think it's probably the distributors that don't like him!

[doctor_of_the_bass]

... just to add, we had a situation in the music store I used to help out in when I'd just left school (STIX Music in Peterborough). For a period of a month or so, we had this really young French lad come into the shop to play on this lovely Gibson Les Paul. He was quite scruffy but always polite and we used to ask him just to take his denim jacket off to prevent marking the rear of the guitar - he was cool with that and was a very good jazz/blues player. A week later he came in, pulled out a wad of £20s and bought it (£800). Danke Schon!!!

Moral of the story - appearances can be deceptive!! Shops such as the Bass Cellar should tell their staff that each and every person that walks in is a potential buyer, not necessarily on that day...but many months or whatever in the future. Next time I'm in there I will check out their attitude by taking a wad of paper (not real cash but a flash of the thick wallet will suffice!) in with me....! Bad service = no sale!

[SJA]

[quote name='sixshooter' post='264695' date='Aug 18 2008, 04:27 PM']Went into langley guitar centre last week for the first time! what great service. The owner made me a cup of coffee and I tried out a number of guitars and basses including some interesting 70's fenders!
[url="http://www.langleyguitarcentre.co.uk"]Langley Guitar Centre[/url][/quote]

that brings back memories- I used to rehearse with a covers band there back in 1994 -
the rehearsal studio was like a shed in someone's garden, and the roof would leak dripping rainwater onto the floor by the bass amp. hopefully it's improved a lot since then.

[noisedude]

[quote name='doctor_of_the_bass' post='265070' date='Aug 18 2008, 11:19 PM']... just to add, we had a situation in the music store I used to help out in when I'd just left school (STIX Music in Peterborough). For a period of a month or so, we had this really young French lad come into the shop to play on this lovely Gibson Les Paul. He was quite scruffy but always polite and we used to ask him just to take his denim jacket off to prevent marking the rear of the guitar - he was cool with that and was a very good jazz/blues player. A week later he came in, pulled out a wad of £20s and bought it (£800). Danke Schon!!!

Moral of the story - appearances can be deceptive!! Shops such as the Bass Cellar should tell their staff that each and every person that walks in is a potential buyer, not necessarily on that day...but many months or whatever in the future. Next time I'm in there I will check out their attitude by taking a wad of paper (not real cash but a flash of the thick wallet will suffice!) in with me....! Bad service = no sale![/quote]
A scruffy hippy guy I knew through another forum used to come into our shop. He doesn't have a phone, a car or a computer and wears old tatty clothes. He was always trying out a couple of nice Strats ('76 and a really nice Dan Smith from about '82) we had because he was a teacher (cash, under radar etc) or something. Anyway one day he came in and handed over the best part of £3k in cash for the pair and I now see him around town pedalling to lessons with one or other of them on his back.

Nice guy actually, a little eccentric but who of us isn't?

[bnt]

I kinda wish there was some "right of reply" after all this. Does anyone here know someone in the Bass Cellar management? If they learned just how bad their shop's reputation has become, they might want to do something about it...

[lowhand_mike]

annoying thing is that if you go across the road to the other shop (can't remember the name right now) they are much more approachable and friendly yet they are part of the same company (music ground i think) which is where i tend to head instead of the bass cellar.

[LukeFRC]

[quote name='doctor_of_the_bass' post='265070' date='Aug 18 2008, 11:19 PM']... just to add, we had a situation in the music store I used to help out in when I'd just left school (STIX Music in Peterborough). For a period of a month or so, we had this really young French lad come into the shop to play on this lovely Gibson Les Paul. He was quite scruffy but always polite and we used to ask him just to take his denim jacket off to prevent marking the rear of the guitar - he was cool with that and was a very good jazz/blues player. A week later he came in, pulled out a wad of £20s and bought it (£800). Danke Schon!!![/quote]

was he french or german?

[budget bassist]

[quote name='lowhand_mike' post='265112' date='Aug 19 2008, 12:08 AM']annoying thing is that if you go across the road to the other shop (can't remember the name right now) they are much more approachable and friendly yet they are part of the same company (music ground i think) which is where i tend to head instead of the bass cellar.[/quote]
Yeah after i'd been in the bass cellar i went into another shop accross the road, looked very retro, there was a p bass that had apparently been owned by sid vicious behind the counter along with a guy wearing a hawaiian shirt with greased back hair, can't remember what the shop was called though. That was a cool place, went in there, tried out a precision, had a short jam with a guy playing guitar, the guy working there asked what i thought and i told him i didn't like it much, wrong pickup placement and i couldn't get used to it and all that and he was very nice about it all and was like yeah come back in and try stuff out whenever you like mate, really nice bloke and a pretty cool shop. That's what they should ALL be like.

Edited August 18, 2008 by budget bassist

[dub_junkie]

[quote name='SJA' post='265076' date='Aug 18 2008, 11:24 PM']that brings back memories- I used to rehearse with a covers band there back in 1994 -
the rehearsal studio was like a shed in someone's garden, and the roof would leak dripping rainwater onto the floor by the bass amp. hopefully it's improved a lot since then.[/quote]


me too,when I lived in Iver,just up the road from Langley,the band I was in, used to rehearse in the shed out the back garden from the shop.That would be '90-'92. I recall the shop staff being really friendly too - I bought a Hohner Jack bass and an Aria fretless 5 off them during that time and I dont remember what their openening hours were but I recall somebody coming down to re-open the shop so I could collect the 5 on the way home after doing a couple of hours overtime at the airport so that would have been around 7.30pm.

and I miss living in Iver .... it was a lovely place to live

[Rich]

[quote name='Toasted' post='264714' date='Aug 18 2008, 04:46 PM']+1.

Also, I think Rich who works there and used to work in the Bass Centre Manchester is a c***.[/quote]
Not me, I hasten to add. Although no doubt some people probably do think of me that way...

[NeonMig]

[quote name='budget bassist' post='265133' date='Aug 19 2008, 02:41 AM']Yeah after i'd been in the bass cellar i went into another shop accross the road, looked very retro, there was a p bass that had apparently been owned by sid vicious behind the counter along with a guy wearing a hawaiian shirt with greased back hair, can't remember what the shop was called though. That was a cool place, went in there, tried out a precision, had a short jam with a guy playing guitar, the guy working there asked what i thought and i told him i didn't like it much, wrong pickup placement and i couldn't get used to it and all that and he was very nice about it all and was like yeah come back in and try stuff out whenever you like mate, really nice bloke and a pretty cool shop. That's what they should ALL be like.[/quote]

Portuguese/Spanish guy, long hair? I think I know who you're talking about. I went in there with a friend of mine (who is a brilliant metal shredder) and he tried out a Fender strat. The dude comes along, picks up a tele a previous customer was mucking about with, and they have a metal/blues showdown that was sort of Crossroads-ish, and a great laugh. Then we had a cool chat about guitars and amps, and my mate bought a new cable and some picks purely because he felt bad about going into a store and having the staff be friendly and him not buying anything! Good customer service [i]does[/i] bring returns!

I agree about the 'right of reply' thing. I'd really like to see what the Bass Cellar management have to say about their rep. The discussions here have been (mostly) civilised, and I think if they did know what their rep is like, and the fact that they're definately losing buisiness to places like The Gallery, they'd like to answer and who knows... maybe even do something about it.

[Mike]

I've stuck my oar in a few times over the Bass Cellar, but for the record, here are my experiences.

First time I went in, I was about 18/19 and wanted to try a Warwick Buzzard. The old bald geezer (now dead) said "Okay - if you buy it". I was a little stunned, and he said someone might be coming to buy it later, so if I bought it now, I could try it. Obviously this was out of the question. However, that grumpy idiot was over-ruled by a nice eastern european guy who seemed a decent chap, who waved him away and said "of course, have a play", which I did.

The next time I was in Simone was very helpful, no problems.

The last time, I had about £850 or so to spend. I asked if I could try the Gary Willis Ibanez 5. She sort of looked at me sadly, shook her head, and said "That? Oh, that's £800." as if there wasn't a chance I could buy it. I advised her I'd just forked out over a grand for a new Thumb and left.

The Bass Cellar are, in my opinion, everything what's wrong, vile and odious about music shops. As someone said, if the place were on fire, I wouldn't drop my trousers! So to speak.

Incidentally, I know a lot of people here are aware of this, but new members may not be. On the counter, there is an A4 sign, stood up in portrait. On this sign, it says:
[b]
Want a bass?

Short on Cash?


[i]THEN DON'T WASTE OUR TIME.[/i][/b]


Those disgusting cretins!