tredders Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 Hi all I feel the need to spend a day mooching round guitar shops, but haven't a clue what's on offer any more. In the old days, Musical Exchanges in Birmingham used to be a fantastic place to spend a day, full of loads of second hand kit, as well as brand new stuff. The Bass Centre was also just around the corner. However, I know they've both closed down (and changed hands several times), so I don't have a clue where to look these days. I've looked on t'internet, and can't find much in the way of help, so I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions? Incidentally, I live about 45 mins from Birmingham, so it's probably not too much more of an effort to head to London on the train, and maybe look there, so any recommendations of good shops to check out in London would also be appreciated. I've never done the Denmark Street thing, so maybe that's an option? I'm not looking for anything in particular (although maybe a Jetglo Rickky if I see one!), but I'd like to find somewhere with a decent selection of 2nd hand stuff. Thanks for any suggestions.... Mark. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doctor_of_the_bass Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 [quote name='tredders' post='515969' date='Jun 17 2009, 12:25 AM']Hi all I feel the need to spend a day mooching round guitar shops, but haven't a clue what's on offer any more. In the old days, Musical Exchanges in Birmingham used to be a fantastic place to spend a day, full of loads of second hand kit, as well as brand new stuff. The Bass Centre was also just around the corner. However, I know they've both closed down (and changed hands several times), so I don't have a clue where to look these days. I've looked on t'internet, and can't find much in the way of help, so I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions? Incidentally, I live about 45 mins from Birmingham, so it's probably not too much more of an effort to head to London on the train, and maybe look there, so any recommendations of good shops to check out in London would also be appreciated. I've never done the Denmark Street thing, so maybe that's an option? I'm not looking for anything in particular (although maybe a Jetglo Rickky if I see one!), but I'd like to find somewhere with a decent selection of 2nd hand stuff. Thanks for any suggestions.... Mark.[/quote] Hi Mark! As you may realise from my avatar/sig - I am one of the top moochers out here!!!!! PMT in Birmingham have a nice bass dept and have a couple of great guys there, Dave Sherriff and Dave Clarke - its worth a visit just to see the shop as its one of the biggest in the UK. To be honest, the golden days of seeing fantastic stocks of good secondhand gear in shops are long gone, the internet has taken over that side of the market. Perhaps one day there will be a revival but for now, the Basschat For Sale section may be the only place to go! There are other shops to check out though, most notably The Bass Merchant in Colchester, Bass Direct in Warwick (right on your doorstep!!) and not forgetting the Gallery in Camden! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6stringbassist Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ....................music shops in Birmingham, waste of time. Jump on train at Warwick and catch the train to London and go to the Gallery, don't bother with Denmark street. A day return to London Marylebone is only £18 on a Saturday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buzz Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 Er, Brum. PMT is one of the best, and you've got Reverb who took over the Sound Control building (oddly enough, very near Kerrang Radio). There's also an amplifer shop in the Kerrang Radio/Reverb area, last time I went in they were stocking a very good selection of decent gear, Orange featured heavily and they had an AD200 sitting on two Orange cabs smack in the middle of the shop There's one more but I can't remember the name, it's not as easy to get to as PMT/Sound Control though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skankdelvar Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 (edited) Fairdeal's not bad in Brum. PMT got slightly on my tits when I went there (don't ask why), but there is a phenomenal amount of gear - much of which is new Fenders and Gibsons on a wall!. On balance, I'd say there's a higher percentage of used gear on Denmark St - Wunjo's, Musicground, V&R, Angel Music. And probably a higher concentration of gear overall within a much smaller area - everything within 5 mins - even Macaris on Charing Cross Rd. Probably a bit more expensive all round, but then you're just mooching, not buying. And closer to everything else - tube station (TCR), Oxford St, cheap food, "book" shops etc. Bass Gallery's fantastic for basses, but not much else up their end of Camden. Edited June 17, 2009 by skankdelvar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tredders Posted June 17, 2009 Author Share Posted June 17, 2009 Thanks for all the replies. I think I might plan a visit to PMT (great name, whoever thought that would be a good idea? ) and Reverb over the next couple of weeks. However, sounds like it'll have to be Denmark Street to satisfy the mooching requirements, especially as it's only £18 on the train on a Saturday. Oh, and doctor_of_the_bass - 63 basses? 63 BASSES? That's not an interest, that's a disease Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doctor_of_the_bass Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 [quote name='tredders' post='516105' date='Jun 17 2009, 08:50 AM']Thanks for all the replies. I think I might plan a visit to PMT (great name, whoever thought that would be a good idea? ) and Reverb over the next couple of weeks. However, sounds like it'll have to be Denmark Street to satisfy the mooching requirements, especially as it's only £18 on the train on a Saturday. Oh, and doctor_of_the_bass - 63 basses? 63 BASSES? That's not an interest, that's a disease [/quote] Correct! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brummie Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 I used to love Musical exchange, I could spend a day there, it always felt like they had a couple of hundred basses there but it was probably less. If you're driving down the M40 it wouldn't be a bad idea to pull off on the B452 at Ealing and pop into Peter Cooks Guitar world, they only have about 15 basses on display but have loads on theie stock list - they just fetch it for you from the warehouse, nice people and open to haggling. I always find Denmark st is a bit of a let down. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bernmeister Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 Lol !! Its not 63 its now 65 !!!!! another 2 have hatched Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brummie Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 [quote name='Bernmeister' post='516252' date='Jun 17 2009, 11:12 AM']Lol !! Its not 63 its now 65 !!!!! another 2 have hatched [/quote] You need to keep them apart to stop this happening or take the batteries out to stop them being '[i]active[/i]' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simon1964 Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 +1 For PMT in Brum. Amazing range of stock and very helpful. Reverb in Brum was pretty poor for bass stock last time I went there. Fairdeal Music is worth a visit though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tredders Posted June 17, 2009 Author Share Posted June 17, 2009 [quote name='brummie' post='516251' date='Jun 17 2009, 11:10 AM']I used to love Musical exchange, I could spend a day there, it always felt like they had a couple of hundred basses there but it was probably less. If you're driving down the M40 it wouldn't be a bad idea to pull off on the B452 at Ealing and pop into Peter Cooks Guitar world, they only have about 15 basses on display but have loads on theie stock list - they just fetch it for you from the warehouse, nice people and open to haggling. I always find Denmark st is a bit of a let down. Good luck[/quote] I spent many a Saturday in Musical Exchanges... I got my first bass from there (Westone Thunder 1, in 1984), my Jetglo 4001 (which stupidly I sold at the age of 17 to fund a holiday with my mates and have regretted ever since), my 70's Precision (sold here), and my first double bass. And you're absolutely right, it did seem like there were hundreds of basses you could just grab, sit down and have a play with. Happy days... Thanks for the heads-up re:Peter Cooks - just had a look on their website and that looks like the kind of place I'm looking for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skankdelvar Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 [quote name='tredders' post='516291' date='Jun 17 2009, 11:46 AM']Thanks for the heads-up re:Peter Cooks - just had a look on their website and that looks like the kind of place I'm looking for.[/quote] Note that there's b*gger-all on the wall in the shop. Mostly out the back or next door - boxed up. They're usually happy to get stuff out if you're interested - depends how busy they are. Note: everything isn't always 100% set-up, but good enough to try out. Great value if you're buying and don't mind the occasional b-stock or ex-display. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EBS_freak Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 [quote name='simon1964' post='516268' date='Jun 17 2009, 11:27 AM']+1 For PMT in Brum. Amazing range of stock and very helpful.[/quote] ...but limited amount of brands. Always good for an overexited Dave S experience though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musicman20 Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 (edited) PMT Leeds ruined my vision of PMT chain being good. Certain members of staff treated me like an idiot when I ordered a brand new Jazz. Guess what they tried to sell me? A demo one....scratched. Asked for a brand new one and told them it was in bad condition. They said come back in two weeks. Same bass....slightly polished. I hate liars. Ive never been back and I got my money refunded. I cant see them being like that everywhere though. Fender UK did get an email to make sure they knew they were trying to fob me off. PMT in Brum is massive..I went in once on tour. Good stock. I much prefer to travel and goto a bass specialist. Edited June 17, 2009 by Musicman20 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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