PMT Manchester

[Rayman]

I don’t know if it’s been covered before, apologies if it has…

 

I just called into PMT in Manchester for the first time in maybe a year, just to have a browse…. and the “bass dept” is literally half the size of what it was. A few of the usual suspects, Fender mainly, not much selection at all.

 

Is PMT struggling? Closing? Dunno I’m out of the loop.

[Frank Blank]

The Southend branch closed in late Nov. last year...

 

 

...apparently it was to do with the lease or something? Maybe they are concentrating more on their online business?

[BigRedX]

As I said in another PMT thread (probably the one that Frank Blank has linked to), I went to the Nottingham branch last year to look at synths and MIDI controller keyboards. As the synth section was completely closed off I had a general look around while I was waiting for someone to come and let me in. The guitar and bass sections had a fraction of stock on display compared with the last time I'd been in (just before the first lockdown) and generally looked very run down (as did the whole store). After hanging around for 15 minutes with no-one forthcoming to accompany me around the close synth section, I left and subsequently bought a controller keyboard off Amazon.

[Lozz196]

Fortunately for those local enough the Northampton branch still has the same area/amount of stock as ever.

[Delberthot]

1 hour ago, Rayman said:

I don’t know if it’s been covered before, apologies if it has…

 

I just called into PMT in Manchester for the first time in maybe a year, just to have a browse…. and the “bass dept” is literally half the size of what it was. A few of the usual suspects, Fender mainly, not much selection at all.

 

Is PMT struggling? Closing? Dunno I’m out of the loop.

I think you answered your own question when you mentioned the last time you had been there.

 

I dont even recall the last year I went into a music shop.

 

With less footfall, there's going to be less buying so it probably doesn't make any financial sense to have a large area for instuments essentially gathering dust

[acidbass]

Very disappointed in PMT as a whole lately. They wanted to charge £22.99 to send a pair of Waza Air Bass headphones to NI (which is of course part of the UK) by Parcelforce. I send instruments to the mainland all the time and there is no price differential at all. A package weighing maybe 1kg for 22.99 when I paid them 17.99 for shipping on an active PA speaker (circa 30kgs) simply does not make sense. Off to ze Germans I go!

[tauzero]

PMT Birmingham have moved from their old premises just outside the Birmingham Middleway to where I think the Triumph dealership used to be, just inside the Birmingham Middleway, which means they've moved from outside the clean air zone to inside it - £8 for my car to go there (at least Mrs Zero's is free).

[Machines]

10 minutes ago, tauzero said:

PMT Birmingham have moved from their old premises just outside the Birmingham Middleway to where I think the Triumph dealership used to be, just inside the Birmingham Middleway, which means they've moved from outside the clean air zone to inside it - £8 for my car to go there (at least Mrs Zero's is free).

 

I'll save you the £8. It's a shadow of the former store. Stock is boring, expensive and uninspiring for a bassist.

 

Fender/Squier/Jackson

Ibanez

Yamaha

Sandberg

Musicman/Sterling

 

That's it.

[asingardenof]

On 15/02/2023 at 12:33, Delberthot said:

I think you answered your own question when you mentioned the last time you had been there.

 

I dont even recall the last year I went into a music shop.

 

With less footfall, there's going to be less buying so it probably doesn't make any financial sense to have a large area for instuments essentially gathering dust

Yeah, the last music shop I spent any time in was Dawsons in Leeds, sadly now closed as of December last year. I think that means all of the dedicated music shops around here I've been into at one time or another (not that many) have now closed. Electro Music in Doncaster closed after going downhill in its later years, and the shop where I bought my beloved P-bass, Scheerer's of Leeds, is now a Costa having closed in 2013 after trading for c.140 years. When I get a chance I'll have to go into the Rock Factory in Castleford, even if I just come away with a set of strings or some picks.

[SteveXFR]

The Bristol branch moved recently to a location with no parking. The basses are now in the same room as the guitars. When I wanted to try a couple US P basses, they gave me a barely audible amp right next to some old bloke playing a guitar through a much louder amp. I turned up the bass amp so I could just about hear it and the salesman immediately told me to turn it back down. As I got up to leave salesman asked if I liked the instrument, I told him I didn't know since I couldn't bloody hear it 

[Waddo Soqable]

19 minutes ago, SteveXFR said:

The Bristol branch moved recently to a location with no parking. The basses are now in the same room as the guitars. When I wanted to try a couple US P basses, they gave me a barely audible amp right next to some old bloke playing a guitar through a much louder amp. I turned up the bass amp so I could just about hear it and the salesman immediately told me to turn it back down. As I got up to leave salesman asked if I liked the instrument, I told him I didn't know since I couldn't bloody hear it 

Makes you wonder if they actually want to sell anything... 

[Eldon Tyrell]

... and what's worst is that PMT Manchester is not even in the city of Manchester but in the city of Salford. 

They even incorrectly list it on their website:

"Store Address

Red Rose Retail Centre, Regent Rd, Manchester, M5 3GR"

Nope, it is SALFORD, which is one of the ten metropolitan boroughs that Greater Manchester is comprised of.

So they should either correctly call it PMT Salford or PMT Greater Manchester.

[bassbiscuits]

18 hours ago, Machines said:

 

Stock is boring, expensive and uninspiring for a bassist.

 

Fender/Squier/Jackson

Ibanez

Yamaha

Sandberg

Musicman/Sterling

 

That's it.

That sounds pretty a decent selection to me, as a regular player not into expensive boutique kit (ie I can’t afford it!) 

[SteveXFR]

3 hours ago, Waddo Soqable said:

Makes you wonder if they actually want to sell anything... 

 

You can't have the precious things of the shop.

 

[tauzero]

23 hours ago, Machines said:

 

I'll save you the £8. It's a shadow of the former store. Stock is boring, expensive and uninspiring for a bassist.

 

Fender/Squier/Jackson

Ibanez

Yamaha

Sandberg

Musicman/Sterling

 

That's it.

 

Well, I could get to try an Ibanez headless fretless.

[Chaddy]

On 15/02/2023 at 11:07, Rayman said:

I don’t know if it’s been covered before, apologies if it has…

 

I just called into PMT in Manchester for the first time in maybe a year, just to have a browse…. and the “bass dept” is literally half the size of what it was. A few of the usual suspects, Fender mainly, not much selection at all.

 

Is PMT struggling? Closing? Dunno I’m out of the loop.

Stock mate . These companies have to BID for Stock from the seller and some have sponsorship. So GuitarGuitar etc usually get first pickings and then the rest come down the chain. 

TBH the proof was in the shops that had B-Stock stuff or what seemed like 2nd hand as new... I spent a while with a large wedge burning in my pocket to buy something and exhausted everything locally.
( Source : Mate who works at Windows RG Newcastle ) 

Fender also laid off alot of workers. 

I had to travel to York to try some kit out at Gear for Music and then I bought from GAK due to it coming with a free gig bag  so I'm not really helping. 
It's hard to really try anything up north. Musicman's are like hens teeth and the 2nd hand market is terrible atm. 

[Rayman]

Shame. PMT (in Manchester) used to have a reasonable selection of basses, not amazing, but decent. Now, it looks like a closing down sale. Still plenty of 6 stringers, but the bass area has shrunk dramatically. Maybe basses are too niche? 

[thebrig]

On 15/02/2023 at 23:49, Machines said:

 

I'll save you the £8. It's a shadow of the former store. Stock is boring, expensive and uninspiring for a bassist.

 

Fender/Squier/Jackson

Ibanez

Yamaha

Sandberg

Musicman/Sterling

 

That's it.

Totally agree!

 

I went to the Birmingham store around six months ago, I spent about ten minutes at the bass section, which as you say, is boring, expensive, and uninspiring, none of the staff could be bothered to ask if I needed any help, even though I was the only customer in the whole store at the time.

 

I went there with money in my pocket to spend, but came away very disappointed.

[Muzz]

I pop in there maybe once a week on my way past to our works' data centres, mostly because my pal works there, and also if I've got anything I need Geetar Tech Steve to work on for me, but as previously noted, in the last few months all the noteworthy basses (and amps) have gone; there used to me MMs, Rickenbackers, Sandbergs and quite a few more...now there's just a few Squiers and lower end Fenders, plus the under-£300 usual suspects. They've stopped stocking QSC PA stuff, too (I was thinking of taking my Stomp down and giving a 12.2 a run out...). 

[sammybee]

On 15/02/2023 at 11:56, Lozz196 said:

Fortunately for those local enough the Northampton branch still has the same area/amount of stock as ever.

I'm not so sure about that.. I was in there last weekend and it was looking a bit sparse. The basses they stock seem to be the same ones that were there 6 months ago (ie. crap ones no one wants to buy)

 

I bought a GHS fast fret & got charged a few quid more than PMT are selling them for on their website.

 

It will be a shame when (not if) they shut down the physical stores