geilerbass

[quote name='cheddatom' post='270374' date='Aug 26 2008, 04:01 PM']I think regarding bands that p*ss-off early - it's not always that simple. We used to do loads of gigs quite a way away from our home. If a headline band was rally good, or really nice then we might stay and watch, but more often than not we would leave early so that we could actually get up for work the next day.[/quote] I agree with this. I don't expect bands to stick around for me - considering some of the 'eclectic' bills I've played on, I wouldn't for a second assume that any of the other bands are into my music - so I often don't stick around for other bands, unless they look like my cup of tea and I'm not faced with an epic journey home. I appreciate that it's courtesy, but I'd much rather have a true gauge of who's into our music. I don't think other bands, politely staying behind, despite their ambivalence to the music, gives an indication of this and while I appreciate the support, it doesn't bother me in the slightest if they don't stick around.

[quote name='andy67' post='268611' date='Aug 23 2008, 09:26 PM']After reading this thread: I am arranging a trip to London (I've never been) intending to visit as many music shops as possible. I have been told wonderful stories from friends who have done the 'tour of duty' buy something?? hmm bass maybe, dont know - something will pop up! but after reading this thread...BC has lost any chance of me visiting and purchasing. The sheer arrogance of that reply/post from bassman give a transparent view of this shop and 200,000 customers?? Aye maybe since day one however, how many are happy? satisfied? would go back? recommend to another? Such a pity....[/quote] Good for you! And anyway, 5 minutes in the Gallery and you'll wonder why you ever bothered with any other bass shops at all. This is the right way to go - potential customers talking with their feet. And with regards to going down to the Bass Cellar to discuss any issues I may have - no. They've already lost my custom. I've found better places to shop and until those places start to become like the Bass Cellar, I'm sticking with them. And I'll continue to be vocal with my distaste for the place because I don't want to see others suffer the rudeness and contempt that has been their modus operandi for as long as I can remember.

Awesome SRs - I assume they are early/mid 90's Japanese models? Is that fretless a 1205? Great to see some older Soundgears on Basschat - there don't seem to be too many kicking around.

And that was within the last few weeks. I've seen several threads on Talkbass, which is a very busy forum, asking for recommendations for bass shops in London and on every one, people are vehemently railing against the Bass Cellar, advising people to take their money elsewhere. I think there was a even a thread focused exclusively on how bad the Bass Cellar's customer service is.

Great post, Ped. I think you've summed-up perfectly what it is that's so great about good customer service in this area of retail.

[quote name='lowhand_mike' post='267711' date='Aug 22 2008, 11:07 AM']not seen these before but as they are quite old now thats not suprising, but this lot seem to think they are pretty special [url="http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews/Electric+Bass/product/Ibanez/TR500+Expressionist/10/1"]http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews...ressionist/10/1[/url][/quote] Here you go: - [url="http://www.ibanezregister.com/Gallery/basses/tr/gal-tr500.htm"]TR500[/url]

[quote name='lowhand_mike' post='267125' date='Aug 21 2008, 03:21 PM']unsuprised to see there is no reply from them as yet.[/quote] Somehow, I don't think there is going to be.

[quote name='simondee' post='267128' date='Aug 21 2008, 03:23 PM']I bought my first Warwick from the cellar in '98 when I was 17. Paid in cash. Treated like sh1t by the nasty little bald short dude (who, it turns out, is dead according to an earlier post).[/quote] I heard from someone who worked at the PA centre (also owned by the same group) that the bald guy literally dropped dead in the shop one day.

Is the extent of your collection, or do you have more 'wicks lurking around the house? I only ask because from reading some of your other posts on the subject of Warwicks, I got the impression that you were literally swimming in them.

[quote name='warwickhunt' post='267063' date='Aug 21 2008, 01:59 PM']Time for an update. Same wall but just over a year later [/quote] That's just awesome - a sickeningly fine collection you have there sir. I'm assuming the Stage II is an old one?

[quote name='stylonpilson' post='266470' date='Aug 20 2008, 05:19 PM']Disagree strongly. An employee who is forced to adhere to this maxim is a very unhappy, demotivated employee. Shop assistants are not your slaves. They are people with whom you do business. Respect is a two-way street. S.P.[/quote] There is some truth in this. If you go into a shop and behave like a total dick, don't expect to be treated with courtesy and decency. Expect to be turfed out on your ear.

On my Trace I usually have an 'M' shape, with the settings thus: - 30Hz -3db 40Hz 0db 60Hz +6db 100Hz +6db 180Hz +3db 340Hz 0db 660Hz -4db 1.3kHz 0db 2.6kHz +4db 5kHz +6db 10kHz +2db 15kHz -5db That usually cuts through, while retaining a nice tight bottom end. If it's got the dual band compressor on it, I recommend putting the Low Compression at 12 o'clock and then the High Compression at 9 o'clock. And there you've got the Geilerbass sound

I went there about 7 years ago to do the 1 year diploma, when it was still fused with the Guitar Institute. It was a really fun experience and I would probably do it again, but there were some negatives. The facilities were crap and there seemed to be some ropey organisation in the office. Considering the facilities that the ACM was offering at the time, it was quite shocking how archaeic the Institue/Drumtech's facilites were. It was also very expensive - though you possibly have funding? There were some really good teachers at the time (John Currie, Terry Gregory for example) but I'm not sure if they're still there as a lot of them left with the Guitar Institute when it moved to Kilburn. I think Andy McKinley (or whatever his second name is) is still there and he was a very nice chap and new his stuff. It should definitely be a great experience, at least for the opportunity to play with loads of other musicians and hopefully the current owners have bothered to pump some money into sprucing the place up!

[quote name='AndyMartin' post='265620' date='Aug 19 2008, 04:12 PM']Reading through this thread, it all seems horribly familiar My first experience of the Bass Cellar would have been sometime in the 1990s. This was pre internet so I guess I would have heard of them through printed advertising, probably Bassist Magazine. I phoned them on several times probably over a period of a couple of years enquiring whether they had something in stock. The response on every occasion ranged from indifferent lack of interest to outright rudeness and I vowed never to set foot in the place. I reckon I've spent probably £15,000 to £20,000 on bass gear over that period so it's a hell of a lot of business to lose. I would have thought that with the Bass Centre only doing mail order there would be an opportunity to raise the profile of the Bass Cellar into something like the bass mecca that The Bass Centre used to be in the 1990s, the only other well known shop in London now being The Gallery. With all the bad PR they get from such a large part of their potential customer bass it seems like a missed opportunity to me.[/quote] You wonder why they even bother answering the phone when that's how they feel about it. Baffling. Though I don't think it's necessarily a large part of their potential customer bass. It must draw in lots of tourists, based on it's location. And no doubt there're plenty of heavy-pocketed, casual players, with money to throw around, who choose to throw it in the direction of over-priced bass equipment. That's the only conclusion I can draw on the subject of how they're still in business.

Good work Happy Jack! I'm genuninely interested to hear their viewpoint (if they bother feeding back), since this is not really a case of customer disatisfaction as many of us who've had bad experience are not customers - we've been put off becoming customers by rude and condescending staff.

[quote name='benwhiteuk' post='265516' date='Aug 19 2008, 02:07 PM']This thread is interesting, but very one sided. I’d never be one to stick up for the Bass Cellar, but I’m agreeing with the “right of reply” that a few others have suggested. Has anyone dropped them an email and asked them to have a look at this thread? Maybe they’ll change tact if they find out their name is being dragged through the dirt on the UK’s largest bass guitar forum? …doubtful, but it’s a possibility. After all, this forum is only ever expanding…[/quote] I completely agree. It would be great if there was a way of feeding back to management and letting them know that their lack of customer service has turned off a cross-section of their potential market in this country. But if their front of house staff are any indication of their company's general attitude towards the consumer, then it will be totally pointless. Maybe if we were all more forward with our opinions when visiting there, they may start to get the message. But then again, they've already put me off that it would take a lot to get me to want to spend money there again.

[quote name='lowhand_mike' post='265277' date='Aug 19 2008, 10:20 AM']i remember reading that about the bass cellar, ant think of a time when all the staff has been like that, simone maybe but the rest forget about it. need to pop down to demark street today at some point so i might just drop in there with this web address and post and tell them to have a good read. might be enlightening for them. most of the people who buy from there are either endorsed so dont really have to pay for it, or work in town with wads of cash that know no better, or young kids who have saved hard then get ripped off by them cos they have heard of the legend of denmark street, i know thats how i looked at it the first couple of times i went there.(thats a long time agao though when there were more shops.)[/quote] It would be interesting to see what they say, but I doubt they'd give a damn. I can only assume that in the Bass Cellar Sales Assistant/Manager job descriptions, one of the key requirements is: "Must exhibit great arrogance and surliness, be willing to forego any semblance of customer service and approachability and be condescending and patronising to customers at all opportunities." It takes a certain kind of individual to work there and sadly, there seems to be no shortage of such assholes.

[quote name='Mike' post='265204' date='Aug 19 2008, 08:37 AM'][b] Want a bass? Short on Cash? [i]THEN DON'T WASTE OUR TIME.[/i][/b] Those disgusting cretins![/quote] Wow. Just wow. That's a new one to me. But it pretty much sums it all up.

[quote name='lowhand_mike' post='264982' date='Aug 18 2008, 09:56 PM']the SR 500 has the bartolini MK1 pickups and pre amp, its active though i'm not sure if its just the pre thats active(it's a 9v system). looking at the frequency curves the K5 has very limited mid adjustment where as the Sr500 has alot of adjustment and the bart pre and pups have a greater amount of boost and cut available to you. If you want to get near to the SR type of mids leave the mid frequency pot at center and boost from there. i'm guessing the K5 is voiced that way and as such limits you to a certain amount of tones. to be honest you would be better trading in the K5 for an SR505 if you want more flexibility, as the proportions are pretty much the same as should be the neck profiles main difference being the pickups and pre amp and woods. the new sr's have at last got a decent battery box on them rather than the slightly annoying screw plate. but they have a jatoba/bubinga neck now rather than the wenge/bubinga neck on previous models (wenge is now an endangered species). the K5 has the Maple/Walnut neck which is going to give you a brighter sound anyway.[/quote] There's still some Wenge/Bubinga-necked 505 models kicking around - I tried one in the Gallery only a couple of months ago and the Bass Cellar had one (though I wouldn't shop there unless there's no other choice). I didn't realise that they'd changed to Jatoba, though it's obviously a good thing. The K5 that Barry's got is the older model (I believe), with the Wenge/Bubinga neck, so if he can get an older SR505, it might be the right thing for him. I think the pickups probably make a difference, as the ones on the K5 are the older Ibanez-own ones, whereas the new SRs use the Bartolini-branded ones. From what I recall, the SR505 is pretty close to the older K5, though with a slightly more rounded neck-profile and, obviously no sweepable mid. Again, if it's really only the playability that's the bind with the K5, then the SR505 could well be the bass for you.

[quote name='The Funk' post='264481' date='Aug 18 2008, 12:43 PM']That was Simone who left a while ago. She was great.[/quote] In all fairness, she was very pleasant - friendly and knowledgeable. To the point where I actually reconsidered my stance on the place and almost considered buying a bass. Sad that she's gone and has been replaced by another bunch of ignorant muppets.

[quote name='barry44' post='264331' date='Aug 18 2008, 08:19 AM']i had the k5 in the studio yesterday and made some progress on the sound. i think the amp may have something to do with the sound but i am not 100% sure. i unpadded the -15db and got closer to the sound i wanted but i still could not get the A, D & G cutting through the mix even with the treble boosted. i played it through the sansamp, via the effects return of the amp, and got a little better but still the same problem with the higher notes, my bandmates said it sounded muddy, i don't disagree. i swapped over to my SRX700 and on the same settings it pwned the mix!!! i could hear everything across all the strings, perfection. i have a new set of elixirs coming for the K5, so next sunday looks to be last chance saloon. i am gutted that i cannot get on with this as it really is such a dream to play and i feel that the problems are with me not the bass!!![/quote] Sorry to hear you're still struggling with the sound. Shame as I know how nice those older K5s play. As mentioned before, the SRX will have more bite and a slight growl as a result of the MM style pickups. If you can try and emulate this, maybe by adding a bit more drive from the Sansamp, you might get closer? At the end of the day, the SRX and K5 will sound different, so it may just be that the SRX has a sound more suited to the mix of your band. I've had the same problem with my SR1016, that I use in a couple of metal bands. I've found that compression can go a long way to balancing things out.

[quote name='s_u_y_*' post='264293' date='Aug 18 2008, 01:20 AM']I always stroll into those types of place like I'm minted, telling them I have a budget of how many hundred or thousands of pounds. That is the only way to get good service. Sometimes I buy the item, sometimes I won't. If you indicate them that you have money to spend (even if you don't), they will be more likely to give you the time of day.[/quote] That's my approach - they bullshit me, so I bullshit them. Though even said, I recall going to the Bass Cellar a few years back, with a £1000+ budget to spend on a new bass (which I made them aware of) and [i]still[/i] got the surly and ambivalent attitude. I just don't get it - but then again, they never get any money off me, so that's fine. Though my favourite experience there was when I was shopping around for a 5 string a few years back. I went in the Bass Centre and tried the new Ibanez K5, which was awesome, though they guy in there said to shop around a bit more and try out as many basses as I could before committing - good advice. The next day I went in the Bass Cellar and tried out another K5, as I'd been so impressed with the one in the Bass Centre. The guy threw me a great line about how that K5 was the "only one in the country" and if I could "get one anywhere else" he'd "like to know where". I didn't bother cashing in the satisfaction of telling him I'd just tried one in the Bass Centre (where it was cheaper).

Yes, very informative - interesting history lesson there. I'm a fan of Japanese-made products generally, though I've often heard musicians praising Japanese-made instruments, when compared to Western-made equivalents. The guitarist in one of my bands swears by MIJ Fenders for delivering a far higher cost/performance ratio than US Fenders. And I once had a trombone teacher who insisted I buy a Yamaha trombone, based on how far ahead the Japanese production process was compared to all the European manufacturers.

[quote name='noisedude' post='263904' date='Aug 17 2008, 12:20 PM']Like Aria and many of the other Japanese brands, Ibanez made their name making high-quality, low-price copies of American guitars in the 70s. When the sales started rising high enough to affect the big boys, they took them to court to stop it happening. This is why you hear people refer to 'lawsuit' era guitars, which can refer to different times and guitars for different makers. Obviously you can tell which guitars those Blazers were 'inspired by'. Funny thing is that these companies made their best and most popular instruments (Ibanez Artist, Yamaha SG2000, any Westone or Aria with a thru neck ) after they had been stopped making straight copies .... with the ongoing exception of Tokai, of course.[/quote] Yeah, I read all about the lawsuit busines on the Ibanez Wikipedia page. One thing I wasn't sure about is if the copies were any good - sounds as though they are! So now I see the appeal. Though I think I'll stick with my Soundgears for the time being...

So what's the deal with older Ibanez basses that look like other manufactuers' instruments? Like the Blazers etc? Do they sound/play like Fenders? Same materials? I'm only familiar with the Soundgear range, of which I'm a huge fan, but there appears to be this whole other world of pre-90s classic looking instruments.