markdavid Posted January 10, 2009 Posted January 10, 2009 What is it with trying to find a decent music shop? OK , here's the score , at the end of the month I will be buying a new bass , my short list is as follows 1. Fender Standard Precision 2. Fender Standard Jazz 3. Epiphone Thunderbird 4. Squier CV Jazz 5. Epiphone EB3 So basically you see im quite retro in my tastes. Anyway enough rambling I check out the music stores in my area , do they have any of the above , of course not , the first shop I enter has racks and racks of cheap westfield p bass copies and affinity squiers that look like they are going to fall apart at any moment and just to cut out any middle ground , they throw in a couple of high end warwicks. The next shop is a similar story , racks and racks of the cheapest of the cheap starter basses and not much else. Anyhow the bottom line is , im probably gonna end up having to pay a visit to the infamous denmark street stores (which are a proper pain in the ass to get to) Anyone else feel my pain? Quote
stingrayfan Posted January 10, 2009 Posted January 10, 2009 (edited) Try the bigger stores in city centres - like [url="http://www.pmtonline.co.uk/"]PMT[/url] or [url="http://www.reverb-store.co.uk/"]Reverb[/url]. There are still good local stores around like [url="http://www.andertons.co.uk"]Andertons[/url] in Guildford. Edited January 10, 2009 by stingrayfan Quote
bass_ferret Posted January 10, 2009 Posted January 10, 2009 I guess it depends where you are. My local music shops offer a good selection. But then I do live quite near GAK ! Quote
Mr. Foxen Posted January 10, 2009 Posted January 10, 2009 Cheapies are where the money is, parents wandering in off the street to buy a kid his first bass because they haven't got the first clue etc. Once you are hanging on the internet in places like this, the chances of buying in shops is pretty slim, and they have to cater for the market. Quote
misrule Posted January 10, 2009 Posted January 10, 2009 [quote name='bass_ferret' post='376134' date='Jan 10 2009, 01:54 PM']I guess it depends where you are. My local music shops offer a good selection. But then I do live quite near GAK ![/quote] Yup, take a day trip to Brighton. GAK's great. Cheers Mark Quote
bubinga5 Posted January 10, 2009 Posted January 10, 2009 (edited) MD..there is a great shop in Kent that not many people know..its called The American Guitar Centre, and strangely enough..BassWorld... They stock Epiphone, Fender, Squire, and even makes such as Lakland, Overwater, Alembic, Yamaha..And they are cheap.. They will prob have, or could get what you want.. Google it... Hope this helps.. Edited January 10, 2009 by bubinga5 Quote
markdavid Posted January 10, 2009 Author Posted January 10, 2009 [quote name='misrule' post='376139' date='Jan 10 2009, 01:57 PM']Yup, take a day trip to Brighton. GAK's great. Cheers Mark[/quote] I live quite a distance from brighton (croydon area) , is there enough at GAK that it would be worth my taking a day trip Quote
markdavid Posted January 10, 2009 Author Posted January 10, 2009 [quote name='bubinga5' post='376149' date='Jan 10 2009, 02:05 PM']MD..there is a great shop in Kent that not many people know..its called The American Guitar Centre, and strangely enough..BassWorld... They stock Epiphone, Fender, Squire, and even makes such as Lakland, Overwater, Alembic, Yamaha..And they are cheap.. They will prob have, or could get what you want.. Google it... Hope this helps.. [/quote] Thanks for the suggestion , I am currently googling it Quote
neepheid Posted January 10, 2009 Posted January 10, 2009 The bass selection in both my local music shops is rather on the small side - not to mention the overpriced side Quote
ezbass Posted January 10, 2009 Posted January 10, 2009 [quote name='markdavid' post='376151' date='Jan 10 2009, 02:05 PM']I live quite a distance from brighton (croydon area) , is there enough at GAK that it would be worth my taking a day trip[/quote] Ah ha, your original post refers no doubt to the misnomer that is Rockbottom and Martin Phelps (they do have a rather nice Squier Vintage Vibe J Bass at the moment). Yes we are poorly served in the Croydon area, but as previous posters have said Andertons and GAK aren't so far away, in fact you could be in Brighton as quick as being in Denmark Street by train. Don't forget The Bass Gallery in Camden. Quote
misrule Posted January 10, 2009 Posted January 10, 2009 [quote name='markdavid' post='376151' date='Jan 10 2009, 02:05 PM']I live quite a distance from brighton (croydon area) , is there enough at GAK that it would be worth my taking a day trip[/quote] I live near Horsham -- so I'm not too near, either. GAK has a couple of large rooms full of basses and amps, not a huge number but more than Anderton's. There's usually a whole rack of Fenders (ten or 20), a few Warwicks, the odd MusicMan, Thunderbird or Rick. There's also a huge guitar selection, if you're into that stuff. If you're serious about buying, I'd look at their website to get an idea of prices before you go. Then haggle, using the web price as a starting point. They claim they won't match online prices, but they do. And phone first to make sure the bass room is open. They sometimes close it due to staff shortages. Cheers Mark Quote
markdavid Posted January 10, 2009 Author Posted January 10, 2009 [quote name='ezbass' post='376170' date='Jan 10 2009, 02:28 PM']Ah ha, your original post refers no doubt to the misnomer that is Rockbottom and Martin Phelps (they do have a rather nice Squier Vintage Vibe J Bass at the moment). Yes we are poorly served in the Croydon area, but as previous posters have said Andertons and GAK aren't so far away, in fact you could be in Brighton as quick as being in Denmark Street by train. Don't forget The Bass Gallery in Camden.[/quote] Yes , the most ironic thing about Rockbottom is the name (they once tried to charge me 40 quid for a set of chromes and 50 quid for a soft case) Thanks for the heads up with the Vintage vibe , I did not see that last time I visited , I will have to go back and have another look Quote
Dmanlamius Posted January 10, 2009 Posted January 10, 2009 Mark, we have a shop near where I live that has contacts all round the world. They have been established for years, and can get anything. Also, they get things at stupidly cheap prices somehow. They deliver as well. Do you want me to get their number so you can guve them a ring, or are you set? Quote
chris_b Posted January 10, 2009 Posted January 10, 2009 [quote name='markdavid' post='376125' date='Jan 10 2009, 01:47 PM']....What is it with trying to find a decent music shop? OK , here's the score , at the end of the month I will be buying a new bass....[/quote] I would wait for a month or two and keep an eye on the Basschat For Sale forum where Fenders frequently appear. Quote
Jono Bolton Posted January 10, 2009 Posted January 10, 2009 I went bass shopping last weekend, and the main problem I had was with service. One store took ages before actually getting round to letting try a few things, none of which hadn't been within a mile of an Allen key, and in another the sales guy's respone to 'Can I please try that Highway 1 Precision?' was 'Yeah, uh, sure. Do want an American one or a Mexican one?' I left shortly after he plugged me into a 25W Laney combo. Top marks to the guy from Reverb (formerly Sound Control) for letting try the bass I wanted, as well as offering to let me try out a few others and giving a few sound recommendations, letting me use an Ashdown ABM 210 combo similar to the rig I currently use, and offering to do me a deal on the P I had initially gone in to try. Sadly, they only had it in red and said that they wouldn't get a black one in for a while, so the guy pointed me in the direction of an online store where I would save £80 on his price! Probably not the best idea if you're running a business but I genuinely felt guilty for not buying something from such a great sales guy. Quote
markdavid Posted January 10, 2009 Author Posted January 10, 2009 [quote name='Dmanlamius' post='376208' date='Jan 10 2009, 03:28 PM']Mark, we have a shop near where I live that has contacts all round the world. They have been established for years, and can get anything. Also, they get things at stupidly cheap prices somehow. They deliver as well. Do you want me to get their number so you can guve them a ring, or are you set?[/quote] Please , I would appreciate that very much Quote
bumnote Posted January 10, 2009 Posted January 10, 2009 [quote name='Jono Bolton' post='376236' date='Jan 10 2009, 04:09 PM']I! Probably not the best idea if you're running a business but I genuinely felt guilty for not buying something from such a great sales guy.[/quote] Ah but hes smart and provided good service. He has assesed he cant sell you what you want cos hes hasnt got it. He has told you where you can, but he has also left you with a good impression of of his shop, and his service. Where is going to be high up your list next time you go bass shopping? Quote
OldGit Posted January 10, 2009 Posted January 10, 2009 [quote name='Dmanlamius' post='376208' date='Jan 10 2009, 03:28 PM']Mark, we have a shop near where I live that has contacts all round the world. They have been established for years, and can get anything. Also, they get things at [size=3][b]stupidly cheap prices somehow[/b][/size]. They deliver as well. Do you want me to get their number so you can guve them a ring, or are you set?[/quote] Think we all want the number of that shop Quote
OldGit Posted January 10, 2009 Posted January 10, 2009 [quote name='bubinga5' post='376149' date='Jan 10 2009, 02:05 PM']MD..there is a great shop in Kent that not many people know..its called The American Guitar Centre, and strangely enough..BassWorld... They stock Epiphone, Fender, Squire, and even makes such as Lakland, Overwater, Alembic, Yamaha..And they are cheap.. They will prob have, or could get what you want.. Google it... Hope this helps.. [/quote] Nice selection of Fenders and a "Summer Sale" too! [url="http://www.americanguitarsuk.com/bassshop/fenderB.php"]http://www.americanguitarsuk.com/bassshop/fenderB.php[/url] Quite like the URL "American Guitar Suk" .. I didn't think they were that bad Quote
budget bassist Posted January 12, 2009 Posted January 12, 2009 (edited) Hi mate, where are you based? I was in Reverb in leicester the other day and they had an epi EB3, a couple of fender precisions and jazzes and what's more, i got good service from them! I basically said, can i try that musicman bongo over there and the guy said to me "sure, take whatever you want off the wall and plug it in!" and just left me to it, i can't remember the last time anyone said that to me. Maybe not as personal as the gallery, but i'd much prefer that to "are you going to buy it now? If the answer is no, then no". They had some very nice basses in there too. I had a bit of a bad experience online with them recently as you know, but that was quite cool. Edited January 12, 2009 by budget bassist Quote
Stag Posted January 12, 2009 Posted January 12, 2009 [quote name='bumnote' post='376251' date='Jan 10 2009, 04:44 PM']Ah but hes smart and provided good service. He has assesed he cant sell you what you want cos hes hasnt got it. He has told you where you can, but he has also left you with a good impression of of his shop, and his service. Where is going to be high up your list next time you go bass shopping?[/quote] +1 to that. I always remember my sales experiences when it involves things that cost a lot of money. The guys at my local PMT have been great to me over the years, so I go there rather than anywhere else for sundries, and give them first go at trying to beat an internet price or such for anything expensive. Quote
markytbass Posted January 13, 2009 Posted January 13, 2009 My local shops have a fairly good range of basses but the prices put me off. Quote
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