Stingray5

[quote name='NancyJohnson' post='355265' date='Dec 15 2008, 06:44 PM']I started going up there 1977/78. Cheap day return from Egham to Waterloo - early 80s was all about the Virgin Megastore, Forbidden Planet, a swift visit to as many guitar shops as my then girlfriend/now wife would tolerate, then over to the Hard Rock Cafe for a late lunch/beers, then home before the rush started. I remember a lot of the places you've mentioned. I do remember a dealer that was in the building on Charing Cross Road that became Turnkey (there's an alleyway by the side of it)...for some reason I seem to remember it as being FD&H Music (may be wrong). They were a big Ibanez dealer - I bought my sunburst Ibanez Roadster bass there and my then guitarist bought his Ibanez Paul Stanley Iceman. I remember when they were closing down they had a few Gibsons going at very low prices - I remember a pink Gibson Flying V for £225.00. Have avoided the area for some years - wasn't there a shop called Rhodes Music? P[/quote] Yeeeh - Rhodes Music. That's the other store I was trying to think of. They were in Denmark Street. And FD&H - that was Francis, Day & Hunter. Though they were actually publishers as I recall. [Off topic, sorry] I loved 'Forbidden Planet' too. I remember going in there one time after 'Star Wars' first came out and they had some of the original props on show. There was also a similar store in Carnaby Street called 'Dark They Were And Golden Eyed'. What an awesome name for a shop. Beats Marks 'n' bleeding Spencer!!

I thought of posting this following the discussion about 'Denmark Street' and a certain bass retailer a short time back, then promptly forgot. Now seeing Happy Jack's post with the old Selmer catalogues and talking about Bell's Music and Pan's Music, I couldn't resist. I'm wondering how many BCers used to frequent the various music stores around Shaftesbury Avenue, Charing Cross Road and Denmark Street, etc. For myself, I used to get the bus or tube and go 'up West' to check out as many music and guitar stores as I could in one day. Shaftesbury Avenue had the two-floor [i]Rose-Morris[/i] 'superstore'; [i]Guitar Village[/i] was opposite; down the street was [i]Take Five[/i] plus the dynamic duo of [i]Music City[/i] and [i]Sound City[/i] - not to mention their little brother [i]Drum City[/i] on Charing Cross Road where [i]Maccari's[/i] also still are today. Right around the corner on New Compton Street there was the small [i]Orange[/i] shop. Denmark Street had [i]Andy's[/i], of course, plus [i]Roka's[/i] and later on [i]Rod Argent's Keyboards[/i] and [i]Hank's[/i]. (Can't remember a couple or so others here!?). The original [i]Fender Soundhouse[/i] (another two-storey superstore) opened on Tottenham Court Road (where I bought a lovely Epiphone 12-string acoustic) who then down-sized with a move to Soho Square becoming the [i]Soho Soundhouse[/i] and tied-in with [i]Turnkey[/i] on Charing Cross Road. Lastly, you had/have [i]Ivor Mairant's Music[/i] just off Oxford Street. So, anyone else know the above-mentioned stores - or maybe fill in the gaps of those I missed? One other thing was who else might have had any work done by an excellent Chinese (I think?) guitar repairer and luthier named [i]Sam Li[/i]. Around 1973, I had a Gibson EB2-D bass in sunburst which I took to Sam for a complete re-finish -- in blonde with black binding!! Looked great and was a superb job but why I did it, I don't know. I sold it just a few short months later.

[quote name='chris_b' post='354840' date='Dec 15 2008, 10:26 AM']Bells was still there until about 5 years ago. It's a discount golf store now! I heard that Eric Clapton brought his first guitar from there.[/quote] Wow, I thought they'd gone years ago. Back around the early 70's my brother and I used to wait in anticipation for the Bell's van to pull up with whatever it was we'd sent off for. One order I remember was a 4x12 Sound City cab; all brand new and still covered in plastic as the delivery guy hauled it up to the front door. Only problem was who was gonna get to blast through it first!

Ah, memories of thumbing through the old Selmer catalogue. My mate at the time (c.1966/7) bought an Egmond semi; can't remember the price but it was almost certainly in guineas. Now how about the old 'Bell's Music (Surbiton)' catalogue, anyone?

[quote name='Buzz' post='350602' date='Dec 10 2008, 12:36 PM']May I present, The Backstroke Of The West: [/quote] So where can I get me a 'ratio prosperous drive'???

[quote name='Happy Jack' post='349830' date='Dec 9 2008, 04:00 PM']I think that's a pretty fair advert, Col. He's made it very clear that the bass is NOT in all-original condition, he has specified certain areas where there are definitely replacement parts and others where he can't remember. Unexpected holes and marks hidden beneath scratchplate and bridge? Well I wouldn't have known about them either ... I play the damned things, I don't dismantle them! And he's had it a long time, too. I have basses I've only owned for a year or two where I struggle to remember exactly what work was needed at the time. Give him a +ve and enjoy the sound of a really lovely bass. For £1000 I don't think you'll suffer too much. [/quote] +1 Nice bass by the look (and sound!) of it.

'Fragile' is a brilliant album, along with 'The Yes Album' and 'Close To The Edge'. All huge influences for me at the time and still played regularly.

[quote name='beerdragon' post='347918' date='Dec 7 2008, 03:29 PM']I think it might be the cover from Emerson lake and Palmer. but i could be wrong. [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emerson,_Lake_%26_Palmer_(album)"]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emerson,_Lake..._Palmer_(album)[/url][/quote] Spot on, beerdragon! It's the first ELP album.

Hey, thanks for that. I used to have the vinyl of 'Five Seasons' years ago. Nice to have it back again.

Yeh, a Hayman 4040. I had one of these in the early '70s and it was a very nice bass as I recall. Bought brand new for £155 (I think I still have the receipt somewhere!!) That's me with the Hayman at the East London Festival (c.1973/4). My bass rig behind me was an HH IC100 head and a HiWatt 2x15 bass bin (a big old bugger! ). Incidentally, can anyone recognise the bit of backdrop in the left of the picture and what (Prog rock) album cover it comes from?

[quote name='stevie' post='346229' date='Dec 5 2008, 10:44 AM']"... My dentist and my wife say I have to sell it ..."[/quote] Think I'd sack my wife and let my teeth fall out!!

A recent thread: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=30296&hl=calendar"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=...amp;hl=calendar[/url]

Yeh, that's a nice early example. Easy to see why Fender soon changed the logo's around on later models!

I recently needed to replace the cable for my wireless unit battery pack. Thomann were the only ones who had it and I received the order within a week. Comms are very good too.

Lovely stuff, indeed! 'Specially that Sei fretless six-stringer...

I'd prefer the sp to have been designed to finish nearer the neck so they could have then separated the pups a little more. The front headstock pic looks a bit compressed/stretched(?). The neck looks pretty regular in the other shots.

[quote name='OutToPlayJazz' post='343414' date='Dec 2 2008, 07:51 PM']Your Kramer 450b makes me want to don a curly wig & do an Alan Lancaster impression! Cool bass [/quote] Whatever you want, OTPJ

Or maybe go for something multicoloured instead. Starburst maybe. Or Smarties - I hear they've brought back the blue ones too! Still, as has been mentioned, it's your bass. Go with your gut! (er...not on the bass though! )

[quote name='LWTAIT' post='343208' date='Dec 2 2008, 04:54 PM']that silver precision is very cool. as is that ned callan cody bass. oh, and those tokai breezysounds are excellent guitars, my guitar teacher has one in gold and it really is excellent.[/quote] Actually, the colour doesn't show too well in the pic but the Chandler P bass was in fact more of a blue finish; can't remember the name but sort of an 'ice-blue'? The Tokai is one of the instruments I do regret parting with. Hell, I'd like 'em all back really!

[quote name='spinynorman' post='343030' date='Dec 2 2008, 02:06 PM']This is the first political discussion I've seen on a bass site that didn't turn nasty before the end of page 1. Give yourselves a huge credit crunch bail-out bonus.[/quote] On [i]any[/i] site, come to that!

I was looking through a bunch of old photos and came across a few reminders of some previously-owned basses -- and a few guitars, sorry! -- which I thought I'd post here. These were owned from between the early 70's through to about the early 90's. Of those shown, the only one I still have is the Chappel classical guitar (bought 1980). Rickenbacker 4001 (bought brand new with case in 1974 for £325 from Music City in Shaftesbury Avenue, London). Sadly missed, I'd love to have this puppy back again!! Original Ned Callan 'Cody' bass (before Shaftesbury added their name to the headstock). Bought mid-70's then converted to fretless a few years later and added DiMarzio pup and coil-tap. Kramer 450B owned from early to mid-80's. l-r: Yamaha RBX 200F fretless bass; Casio DG-20; Columbus Tele copy (cheapie with high action used for slide); Chappel C-101 classical guitar; Ibanez Roadstar; Westone Thunder IIA bass (also greatly missed though I do still have her fretless sister!). l-r: Kramer 450B bass; Chappel C-101 classical guitar; Chandler P-J custom bass; Tokai 'Breezysound' (brilliant!) Telecaster copy. [b]"If I had all the money I'd spent on bass guitars - I'd spend it on bass guitars!"[/b]

[quote name='benzies123' post='338939' date='Nov 27 2008, 09:34 PM']My first rig [/quote] I see you have one of the Hudson 5-stringers. What's that like? They seem pretty decent, especially for the price. (I note in your sig, you say it's like a Curbow). Nice rig, by the way.

Nice! Could you do the same in green?

[quote name='The Burpster' post='338623' date='Nov 27 2008, 04:40 PM']You need to unplug a bit more........ [/quote] That's fer sure!