Macari’s’ have left london.

[Al Krow]

1 hour ago, Nicko said:

Would anyone be nostalgic if Thomann closed? 

Calling @stewblack...😁

[Bassman Sam]

I remember going to Macari's back in the '70's. I asked to try out a Fender Precision. I was asked if I was buying and replied not today but in the near future. The salesman said no, you can only try if you're buying. Never went back.

[stewblack]

53 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

Calling @stewblack...😁

I already AM nostalgic for Thomann. If anyone else wants to start producing high quality gear, not from a sweatshop at give away prices, with unparalleled after sales service, I would be on them like a tramp on chips. 

[Al Krow]

5 minutes ago, stewblack said:

I already AM nostalgic for Thomann. If anyone else wants to start producing high quality gear, not from a sweatshop at give away prices, with unparalleled after sales service, I would be on them like a tramp on chips. 

Stew - where are HB basses made? I had assumed in a relatively cheap manufacturing territory such as China.

[Woodinblack]

9 minutes ago, stewblack said:

I already AM nostalgic for Thomann. If anyone else wants to start producing high quality gear, not from a sweatshop at give away prices, with unparalleled after sales service, I would be on them like a tramp on chips. 

Oh go away with your foreign imports. We are british, we didn't leave Europe so we could do good aftersales service!

[Al Krow]

Woody - there are plenty of UK manufacturers who provide great after sales service e.g. Chris at Smoothhound.

Thomann are excellent no question, but I've not had any issues with any of the UK online sellers I've used over the years (Andertons, GuitarGuitar, PMT, G4M etc). In fact, the only one I know where we have both had a poor experience was Bax. 

Long gone are the days when if you bought a British Leyland or a Jag you would be expecting the wheels to be coming off.

[Woodinblack]

9 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

Woody - there are plenty of UK manufacturers who provide great after sales service e.g. Chris at Smoothhound.

Thomann are excellent no question, but I've not had any issues with any of the UK online sellers I've used over the years (Andertons, GuitarGuitar, PMT, G4M etc). In fact, the only one I know where we have both had a poor experience was Bax. 

Agreed, Chris is good, and not had any trouble with Andertons, PMT, G4M (both of Andertons and G4M I have used their returns). Don't think I have ever bought from GuitarGuitar. 

Obviously there was some element of humour in my post. When I was growing up, a music shop was somewhere that you would go to be belittled or talked at like an inconvenience. Apart from Telecoms (later nevada) in portsmouth where I spent some time and a guitar shop in New Road* that was excellent, which considering how annoying I was, was not bad. 

When I first moved here, I went into the guitar shop and I am not sure they acknowledged my existance at all. The closed down after a few months, I wasn't sad. There is one here now that opened a few years ago which is a lot better, although too small to have much of use to me but I make a point of buying strings etc from the occasionally.

Things are better now, and the majority of places I have used have been good, although hard to tell as I am older and better off. 

9 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

Long gone are the days when if you bought a British Leyland or a Jag you would be expecting the wheels to be coming off.

No, I suspect you would still expect the wheels to be coming off now

* as an aside, the guy who ran the shop in New Road used to work in telecoms. I don't remember when that shop closed down but I used to go into it in my school leaving teens age, which we shall call the early 80s.

In 2011 I went to festival in Somerset. I went into this tent which had a load of spiritual stuff in it to have a nose (I was working there, and very bored), and some guy said 'Oh there is a face I recognise'. And it was him. He hadn't changed much, I would assume I had, I guess not that much then!

[NancyJohnson]

8 hours ago, Nicko said:

Personally I never liked Macaris - I always found the staff a little standoffish.

I'd concur with this.  God I remember what it was like in the area in the last 70s/early 80s.  Rhodes Music, Andy's, Rose Morris, FD&H plus a dozen or so other places I can't even recall the names of.  We hardly ever stepped foot in Macari's.

[dave_bass5]

15 minutes ago, NancyJohnson said:

I'd concur with this.  God I remember what it was like in the area in the last 70s/early 80s.  Rhodes Music, Andy's, Rose Morris, FD&H plus a dozen or so other places I can't even recall the names of.  We hardly ever stepped foot in Macari's.

What put me of Macari’s after I was up and running with music gear was all the brass instruments they had in their window. Wasn’t as cool as the shops with all the guitars and basses so I rarely bothered. 

[ezbass]

11 minutes ago, dave_bass5 said:

What put me of Macari’s after I was up and running with music gear was all the brass instruments they had in their window. Wasn’t as cool as the shops with all the guitars and basses so I rarely bothered. 

And the accordions. I think I’m right in saying that this was how they started out with Lou Macari.

[dave_bass5]

15 minutes ago, ezbass said:

And the accordions. I think I’m right in saying that this was how they started out with Lou Macari.

Yeah, I believe they did, and yes, i had forgotten about those things lol. 

[Nicko]

3 hours ago, Woodinblack said:

Agreed, Chris is good, and not had any trouble with Andertons,........

But Anderton's is a proper shop that's been there for years and decided that they had to go online to compete - and they've done it at a massive scale.  They don't show any signs of going online only.

[stewblack]

6 hours ago, Al Krow said:

Stew - where are HB basses made? I had assumed in a relatively cheap manufacturing territory such as China.

Vietnam. @kodiakblairgave us a run down on the employment practices and laws there and they put us to shame in many ways 

[martin8708]

I seem to recall Macaris had a " bass cellar " where all the bass guitars where downstairs in some dark dank part of the shop . When I lived in London in the 80's I visited Denmark street very regularly , all shop staff treated you with contempt unless you had the signature long hair / tattoos / denim / record company interest . It's a shame that another retailer is gone , but with poor customer service and poor value for money , is it really a surprise? 

[JottoSW1]

Certainly the original Bass Cellar folks could be remarkably condescending & snooty.

[Cosmo Valdemar]

49 minutes ago, JottoSW1 said:

Certainly the original Bass Cellar folks could be remarkably condescending & snooty.

Don't get me started on them... 😡

[ezbass]

52 minutes ago, JottoSW1 said:

Certainly the original Bass Cellar folks could be remarkably condescending & snooty.

Picks bass up, plays two notes, ‘assistant’ asks, “How’re you getting along with that?” 😤

[chris_b]

3 hours ago, JottoSW1 said:

Certainly the original Bass Cellar folks could be remarkably condescending & snooty.

I stood in the corner laughing while the sales guy was telling a couple that there were only 2 112 cabs made. Unsurprisingly, these were the 2 that the shop had in stock!!

Having said that, I bought my Mesa Boogie RR115 EV from the Bass Cellar. They had very little to do with it. I went in, told them I was going to play it and then said I'll have it. I got no crap from any of them because I didn't give them the opportunity.

[JottoSW1]

Wunjo has sort of reinstated a Bass Cellar. Does seem a bit of an afterthought. However I was happy to see a few reasonable lefties. Tried a Warwick Rockbass with low expectations but really liked it. Quickly bought the Speaker Cable I wanted and preserved my credit card. They seemed OK there, I guess covid means anyone in retail still in work needs to up their game.

[dave_bass5]

Anyone  remember Allbang and Strummit? I remember getting my first GK combo from them, and an Aligator head for keyboards. I really liked that shop. They some good gear high end in there, like ‘real’ Steinbergers. One and only time I played a headless guitar. 

[JottoSW1]

1 minute ago, dave_bass5 said:

Anyone  remember Allbang and Strummit? I remember getting my first GK combo from them, and an Aligator head for keyboards. I really liked that shop. They some good gear high end in there, like ‘real’ Steinbergers. One and only time I played a headless guitar. 

Used to go in and gaze longingly at Steinbergers and unattainable GK gear. Friend had GK gear and I was always mighty impressed, especially as I had a chronically unreliable Marshall 2x10 combo. No attitude in that shop as I recall. As I lived (still do) a 24 bus ride from Denmark St I was there a lot 80s early 90s.

[dave_bass5]

2 minutes ago, JottoSW1 said:

Used to go in and gaze longingly at Steinbergers and unattainable GK gear. Friend had GK gear and I was always mighty impressed, especially as I had a chronically unreliable Marshall 2x10 combo. No attitude in that shop as I recall. As I lived (still do) a 24 bus ride from Denmark St I was there a lot 80s early 90s.

Yeah, the GK wall was amazing back then. I had never seen GK gear before. I got the first 1x12 stereo combo (cant remember the name, made of metal but very small), pile of poo, but looked good lol. I think there were the only dealers of Alligator gear. I loved the green and black look, and the knobs that lit up.

[JottoSW1]

1 minute ago, dave_bass5 said:

Yeah, the GK wall was amazing back then. I had never seen GK gear before. I got the first 1x12 stereo combo (cant remember the name, made of metal but very small), pile of poo, but looked good lol. I think there were the only dealers of Alligator gear. I loved the green and black look, and the knobs that lit up.

Alligator were the outfit in Hornsey / Finsbury Park weren't they. Remember visiting a tiny workshop with a pal and being very impressed with their product. Saw one of the amps on a Facebook Group recently.

[ezbass]

53 minutes ago, dave_bass5 said:

Anyone  remember Allbang and Strummit? I remember getting my first GK combo from them, and an Aligator head for keyboards. I really liked that shop. They some good gear high end in there, like ‘real’ Steinbergers. One and only time I played a headless guitar. 

Loved that shop, really nice guys. I tried my first Wal there IIRC.

[dave_bass5]

1 hour ago, JottoSW1 said:

Alligator were the outfit in Hornsey / Finsbury Park weren't they. Remember visiting a tiny workshop with a pal and being very impressed with their product. Saw one of the amps on a Facebook Group recently.

 

I thought they were out in Middlesex. Definitely southeast England though. Actually i just remembered it was the bass combo i had. Damn, now i have to try and remember what the amp i was thinking about was. Bloody old age lol.