GAK gone bust...

[fretmeister]

Bax website is now not taking orders and apparently their physical stores in the EU are closed! 

[BassApprentice]

https://www.omroepzeeland.nl/nieuws/17348909/bax-music-vraagt-uitstel-van-betaling-aan-ontslagen-broer-wil-bedrijf-terugkopen

 

Need to translate from Dutch obviously....

 

Real shame if they both go in the space of a week, but there might be a whole load of stock going through auctions in the near future.

 

[Stub Mandrel]

On 27/03/2025 at 10:13, fretmeister said:

 

If GAK have £30M turnover but will sell for £20M then there's a shit load of debt somewhere.

 

Andertons don't need to take that on.

 

Don't confuse turnover with value.

[Cato]

50 minutes ago, fretmeister said:

Bax website is now not taking orders and apparently their physical stores in the EU are closed! 

 

Wouldn't be a huge shock if true 

 

Just annecdotally from recent posts on BC from disgruntled customers something hasn't seemed right with Bax for a while.

 

Their recent Trustpilot reviews make interesting reading too, it's all either glowing 5 star or angry 1 star reviews

[nige1968]

Had an email the other day from Hobgoblin looking for small-scale investments from their customer base.

[rmorris]

On 26/03/2025 at 20:37, Mudpup said:

Suppliers can be a mercenary bunch. If it's a choice between A - kissing all your money goodbye or B - kissing all your money goodbye and maybe make a bit of profit back by continuing to supply some will take the second option. Especially with a company capable of doing some turnover with them. 

 

 

Yes. But it's not always so straightforward. Where stock has been obtained on credit terms (usual practice) then ownership may contractually remain with the supplier until payment is made. I know there may be examples of stock being shifted out of the jurisdiction to avoid seizure of goods. But this may well put officers of a company in legal peril.

The store looks to be full of stock atm - I walked past about an hour ago - so to move that stuff now would be blatant. Of course there is also "warehouse stock" where the situation is less clear.

Apart from that it would be usual for suppliers to arrange Credit Insurance before supplying goods. The inability to do so was a major factor in the downfall of eg Woolworths (UK) and IIRC Debenhams. At the end you would go to the store and there would be sparse non-franchise stock.

[Bevan7]

Another Brighton local here. Really sad for the staff but GAK was never a great experience in my opinion. 

 

Also another shout out for Badlands, that’s a great store!

[Terry M.]

1 hour ago, Bevan7 said:

Another Brighton local here. Really sad for the staff but GAK was never a great experience in my opinion. 

 

Also another shout out for Badlands, that’s a great store!

What do you make of Mudpie Music run by Alfie? I pop in on my Brighton trips. It's worth the price of admission just to hear him put the world to rights 😊

Edited Sunday at 17:05 by Terry M.

[Bevan7]

Just now, Terry M. said:

What do you make of Mudpie Music run by Alfie? I pop in on my Brighton trips. It's worth just the price of admission just to hear him put the world to rights 😊

Oh I love Mudpie, it’s bit closer to me, I try and buy all my strings in there. And obviously have a good chat about the state of the world 😀

[rmorris]

13 hours ago, Terry M. said:

What do you make of Mudpie Music run by Alfie? I pop in on my Brighton trips. It's worth the price of admission just to hear him put the world to rights 😊

 

Interesting shop and some interesting stock. Different game to GAK obvs. Although does carry Revelation on the new side and they are always worth a look. But prices seem on the high side and very much so on some vintage but "cheap" guitars - eg Kay etc. The fun about such guitars is the "funky and cheap" aspect. They aren't good quality physically. Once you start asking £200+ then that fun dissipates.

Brighton Guitars around the corner in Sydney Street is also worth a look. Some interesting stick esp on SOR.

[Terry M.]

5 minutes ago, rmorris said:

 

Brighton Guitars around the corner in Sydney Street is also worth a look. Some interesting stick esp on SOR.

Yes they also feature on my walkabouts too.

[Graham]

I'm in Brighton at the  moment so thought I'd take a look

 

Shop is shuttered up, though interestingly, the sign on the door says they're closed for maintenance 🤷‍♂️

[Steve Browning]

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/apr/02/brighton-pier-owner-to-delist-from-london-stock-market-and-go-private

 

Get out your little violins.

[Marky L]

On 29/03/2025 at 16:30, BassApprentice said:

https://www.omroepzeeland.nl/nieuws/17348909/bax-music-vraagt-uitstel-van-betaling-aan-ontslagen-broer-wil-bedrijf-terugkopen

 

Need to translate from Dutch obviously....

 

Real shame if they both go in the space of a week, but there might be a whole load of stock going through auctions in the near future.

 

 

Using Google translate.. so expect some wonkiness -

Bax Music has requested a deferment of payment today, Jochanan Bax confirms following reports from the PZC. The company is in financial trouble due to a combination of a decline in turnover and millions in debt to the tax authorities.

 

Things have gone wrong since corona," says co-founder and shareholder Jochanan Bax. "Professionals stopped taking action then. We then received corona support, but it still had to be repaid, of course." Then there was a fire in 2023. "As a result, there was little focus on commerce," says Bax. Discussion then arose about the future of the company. A number of shareholders wanted to sell it. “I wanted to grow,” says Bax.

Dismissal The disagreement escalated earlier this year. Jochanan Bax was fired by the other shareholders - his brother Nathanaël, father-in-law Hans van Deursen and investor Rabo Participaties.

 

An interim management was subsequently appointed. He tried to help the company out of its financial dire straits. But the debts turned out to have risen too high, writes the PZC. There is talk of excessive investments and failure to pay tax debts.

 

Receiver An administrator has now been appointed who, together with the management, is investigating options for a restart. Jochanan Bax says that he will certainly announce himself as the buyer of the remaining shares. Nathanaël Bax could not be reached for a response this afternoon.

Bax Music Bax Music is one of the largest online music stores in Europe. It was founded in 2003 by brothers Nathanaël and Jochanan Bax with a store in Goes. The company has stores in Goes, Apeldoorn, Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Antwerp and Bruges.

[Pinball]

I used both, assuming this is correct!

 

[fretmeister]

 

[Terry M.]

Not watched the video but I got bit shaky when I just visited Thomann's website 🫣

[Pinball]

I read about GAK but bax as well?

[Hellzero]

Bax Music is officially bankrupt: https://nltimes.nl/2025/04/01/online-retailer-bax-music-files-bankruptcy

[Hellzero]

Double post due to threads merging.

Edited 1 hour ago by Hellzero

[uk_lefty]

41 minutes ago, Hellzero said:

Bax Music is officially bankrupt: https://nltimes.nl/2025/04/01/online-retailer-bax-music-files-bankruptcy

Damn. I know some people have had issues with them but I never did, sad times. Even online retailers dying out now, soon there will be only Amazon left.

[AndyTravis]

I hope the UK distributors now see that the little shops should have fender and Gibson as well as their other stuff…

 

instead of chasing “mega bucks” chains.

 

anyhow - Thomann…think that juggernaut will carry on a bit longer.

[Iheartreverb]

24 minutes ago, AndyTravis said:

I hope the UK distributors now see that the little shops should have fender and Gibson as well as their other stuff…

 

instead of chasing “mega bucks” chains.

 

anyhow - Thomann…think that juggernaut will carry on a bit longer.

This couldn’t be more wrong.

Fender and Gibson both sell direct to retailers rather than going through a third party distributor in the middle, some other brands do.

 

While it might be good for you for your local shop to offer top brands, the brand importantly have to concern themselves with how someone like that will represent their brand, there’s dealership requirements in place for a reason.

As an example, Two dusty Mexican P Basses in the corner doesn’t represent the Fender well. A bigger store with good examples at every part of the hierarchy and a wealth of colour options does. It also is a much better customer experience, you’re split for choice and more likely to buy into the brand.
 

I don’t think you’re going to agree and I’m trying to not be ones sided but the above is sorely under considered when people are favouring small, local stores.