stingrayPete1977 Posted November 22, 2021 Share Posted November 22, 2021 Popped into a nice music shop in the centre of York, good selection of guitars both electric and acoustic and a selection of bass guitars but not a single five string in a fairly big shop, I asked at the counter whilst paying for the item I bought if five string bass had reached this far north yet only to be told they had one in once but they are too niche, that one didn't sell and got sent back, same goes for fretless. Ok then, odd. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EssentialTension Posted November 22, 2021 Share Posted November 22, 2021 How many left-handers did they stock? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boodang Posted November 22, 2021 Share Posted November 22, 2021 5 string niche... interesting! And vaguely preposterous. Had a similar thing with fretless, but to be honest it's not unusual. Went in to a shop a few years ago and asked about the Squier VM fretless jazz only to be told not in stock as fretless doesn't sell and would be hanging on the wall for years. As a fretless player that's vaguely depressing and quite preposterous! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingrayPete1977 Posted November 22, 2021 Author Share Posted November 22, 2021 31 minutes ago, EssentialTension said: How many left-handers did they stock? Probably none. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maude Posted November 22, 2021 Share Posted November 22, 2021 The last time I went to my local shop I said I wanted to try some flats on my Precision. The owner said, "Why, they'll sound like sh!t". That was years ago and I've not bothered going back. For shops like this, saying that the internet is killing them, is like saying the fly in your strychnine will make you ill. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maude Posted November 22, 2021 Share Posted November 22, 2021 44 minutes ago, EssentialTension said: How many left-handers did they stock? Sees five string, left handed fretless... ... mind explodes. 😄 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EssentialTension Posted November 22, 2021 Share Posted November 22, 2021 5 minutes ago, Maude said: Sees five string, left handed fretless... ... mind explodes. 😄 No, you never saw it there is no such thing. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Downunderwonder Posted November 22, 2021 Share Posted November 22, 2021 1 hour ago, Boodang said: preposterous Methinks this means not what you think it means. It's entirely logical not to stock something that they only sell one every five years. Unless you mean they must be telling lies about 5 string sales? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boodang Posted November 22, 2021 Share Posted November 22, 2021 34 minutes ago, Downunderwonder said: Methinks this means not what you think it means. It's entirely logical not to stock something that they only sell one every five years. Unless you mean they must be telling lies about 5 string sales? Just seems a bit weird that a 5 string wouldn't sell... maybe it doesn't sell because they don't stock it! I can't believe in this day and age a five is not a popular choice, unless of course you're out of touch with your buying public. As for fretless, just disappointing. As a fretless player it's always a bone if contention that there's never a good selection, both in a shop and from manufacturers. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boodang Posted November 23, 2021 Share Posted November 23, 2021 (edited) 55 minutes ago, Downunderwonder said: Methinks this means not what you think it means. It's entirely logical not to stock something that they only sell one every five years. Unless you mean they must be telling lies about 5 string sales? Also, I could be wrong and just being prejudice, but the first thing that springs to mind is an old shop selling violins and pianos going 'oh, these new fangled electric things will never take on, and who is Hendrix anyway, sounds like a washing machine to me'! Edited November 23, 2021 by Boodang 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemmywinks Posted November 23, 2021 Share Posted November 23, 2021 Last time I was in York we went in RWB Music which had a Stingray 5 in, one of only a handful of basses in a tiny store so they have made it that far! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingrayPete1977 Posted November 23, 2021 Author Share Posted November 23, 2021 8 hours ago, Downunderwonder said: Methinks this means not what you think it means. It's entirely logical not to stock something that they only sell one every five years. Unless you mean they must be telling lies about 5 string sales? They've based that whole business model on one bass they had in stock, maybe it was just a rubbish bass?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted November 23, 2021 Share Posted November 23, 2021 TBH anything that isn't a 4 string, long scale bass with either Fender or Squier on the headstock is a niche instrument. 9 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hellzero Posted November 23, 2021 Share Posted November 23, 2021 This is the good point for me with stores or even the Internet as I play six strings basses, which are mainly fretless... So absolutely nothing to catch my eye. That said, it's also the job of the store to sell things instead of sitting and moaning. If they were demonstrating and explaining the pros and cons of say fivers and fretlesses, they would certainly sell some. But most of these shops are run by people still thinking like 50 years ago. And it's exactly the same everywhere where things are sold. The worst sellers are those pretending it's their job : they are unable to know what would suit you as they don't give a sh*t about what you're interesting in and never ask you a single question, but keep enumerating specifications that are absolutely useless for you as it's not what you need and they keep insisting for hours without listening to you, the most important person of the moment, the potential buyer ! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted November 23, 2021 Share Posted November 23, 2021 Those five string basses, just new fangled fancy malarkey, never catch on 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norris Posted November 23, 2021 Share Posted November 23, 2021 In a lot of music stores BASSES are niche. Full-stop 9 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EssentialTension Posted November 23, 2021 Share Posted November 23, 2021 45 minutes ago, Lozz196 said: Those five string basses, just new fangled fancy malarkey, never catch on I had one once but it never caught on and I sold it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted November 23, 2021 Share Posted November 23, 2021 Sorry 5+ stringers and fretless folk - you are niche in the grand scheme of things. Come to think of it, you're a niche within a niche - think bass guitars vs. skinny stringers. I bet if you asked any mainstream manufacturer for a breakdown of their bass output it will be heavily skewed towards fretted, 4 string basses. Not that they'd divulge such info to the unwashed masses like us, but I'm willing to bet all the same. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Munurmunuh Posted November 23, 2021 Share Posted November 23, 2021 The staff are lovely in there, not deserving of having their attempts to engage with you truthfully given a kicking online. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drTStingray Posted November 23, 2021 Share Posted November 23, 2021 3 hours ago, BigRedX said: TBH anything that isn't a 4 string, long scale bass with either Fender or Squier on the headstock is a niche instrument. You are of course quite wrong - a bass guitar of ANY TYPE is a niche instrument in most music shops these days, from what I’ve seen. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted November 23, 2021 Share Posted November 23, 2021 3 hours ago, BigRedX said: TBH anything that isn't a 4 string, long scale bass with either Fender or Squier on the headstock is a niche instrument. 2 hours ago, Norris said: In a lot of music stores BASSES are niche. Full-stop 2 hours ago, neepheid said: Sorry 5+ stringers and fretless folk - you are niche in the grand scheme of things. Come to think of it, you're a niche within a niche - think bass guitars vs. skinny stringers. I bet if you asked any mainstream manufacturer for a breakdown of their bass output it will be heavily skewed towards fretted, 4 string basses. Not that they'd divulge such info to the unwashed masses like us, but I'm willing to bet all the same. 1 minute ago, drTStingray said: You are of course quite wrong - a bass guitar of ANY TYPE is a niche instrument in most music shops these days, from what I’ve seen. Oh well, if you've said it now it must be true Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted November 23, 2021 Share Posted November 23, 2021 I'm happy to be playing a niche instrument. Didn't seem very niche at last night's jam though. Out of 4 bass jammers there was a total of 0 4 stringers. So including me that's 5 5 string bass players in one small corner of London. Nice. I don't see local music shops catering for anyone other than school kids or absolute beginners. If the sales aren't there then they won't stock it. That's just business. There are plenty of retail alternatives for the discerning 5 string bass player. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drTStingray Posted November 23, 2021 Share Posted November 23, 2021 (edited) 2 hours ago, drTStingray said: You are of course quite wrong - a bass guitar of ANY TYPE is a niche instrument in most music shops these days, from what I’ve seen. I fear I may have done a couple of shops a disservice - the likes of Andertons stock quite a lot of basses - however many music shops stock vastly more guitars than basses - and probably sell far more of them to be fair. 20 yrs ago it was a quite different picture - perhaps the allure of being a bass player has reduced. Edited November 23, 2021 by drTStingray Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted November 23, 2021 Share Posted November 23, 2021 7 minutes ago, drTStingray said: . . . . Andertons stock quite a lot of basses . . . . Not as many as GAK (well the last time I was there). Andertons could do better. The Camden and Epsom Guitar Guitar stores had a reasonable selection when I was last there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
franzbassist Posted November 23, 2021 Share Posted November 23, 2021 I play mainly 5 string fretless 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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