Denmark Street.

[Sibob]

+1 for Brian at Wunjo, top guy!!

My friend bought a 1965 Gibson acoustic from him, nothing at all was to much hassle!

Si

[BigBeefChief]

What does Brian from Wunjo look like?

[Sibob]

A tiny bit like you?

About 5'10", shaved head, balding, short beard, scottish!

Si

[BigBeefChief]

Sounds hot.

Is he well hung?

[lowhand_mike]

+1 for bass cellar being sh*te! simone was ace and fortunately when i was trying basses and settled on the ibby she was working there, the shop across the road had bass amps that i wanted to try and she happily took the ibby from the cellar over to the other shop (cant remember name) they were obviously connected but those guys in there now would never do something like that, nobs. Strangely enough the guys in the 'other' shop were actually ok if a little uninterested but at least they let you try stuff with out making you feel a nuisance.
i work about 5 mins away from there but very rarely go there cos of the sh*tty attitude.
i remeber going to denmark street years ago (well before i worked in london) and it was actually a nice place to visit, this was when the bass cellar was in the cellar where the drum place was.

[geilerbass]

[quote name='lowhand_mike' post='189520' date='May 1 2008, 10:23 AM']+1 for bass cellar being sh*te! simone was ace and fortunately when i was trying basses and settled on the ibby she was working there, the shop across the road had bass amps that i wanted to try and she happily took the ibby from the cellar over to the other shop (cant remember name) they were obviously connected but those guys in there now would never do something like that, nobs. Strangely enough the guys in the 'other' shop were actually ok if a little uninterested but at least they let you try stuff with out making you feel a nuisance.
i work about 5 mins away from there but very rarely go there cos of the sh*tty attitude.
i remeber going to denmark street years ago (well before i worked in london) and it was actually a nice place to visit, this was when the bass cellar was in the cellar where the drum place was.[/quote]

+1 to all this. Simone (I assume it's the same person I'm thinking of) was actually very friendly and helpful - a complete contrast to the old guy who used to work there (and who, I heard, suddenly dropped dead in the shop one day) so it's a shame she's no longer working there. Similarly, I recall them being far more helpful, waaaay back when it actually was a cellar.

[bnt]

[quote name='geilerbass' post='189600' date='May 1 2008, 11:37 AM']+1 to all this. Simone (I assume it's the same person I'm thinking of) was actually very friendly and helpful[/quote]
Ah - that clears up some of the mystery for me. I've only been there a couple of times this decade, and barely recognised the shop you're all describing. Last time I was allowed to browse and try out a Peavey Cirrus without any annoyances.

[BigBeefChief]

Next time I'm the area, I'm going to go in there and ask them if they realise what the perception of them is. I'm going to be polite, but I'll put them on the spot and ask them why they're so unfriendly.

I will report back.

Edited May 1, 2008 by BigBeefChief

[Rich]

[quote name='BigBeefChief' post='189621' date='May 1 2008, 11:59 AM']Next time I'm the area, I'm going to go in there and ask them if they realise what the perception of them is. I'm going to be polite, but I'll put them on the spot and ask them why they're son unfriendly.

I will report back.[/quote]
Heh, yeah do it! I'd love to know what they say.
[size=1]Just don't mention the forum by name, OK? [/size]

[BigBeefChief]

I'd like to think its doinfg them a favour? Maybe they don't realise that other shops treat people differently?

[Rich]

If they take it on board and actually do something about it, then it [i]will[/i] be doing them a favour, and they should bloody thank you for it.
Unfortunately, I reckon they're more likely to react in a "So what? Fck 'em" way...

[Happy Jack]

Please PLEASE [size=6]PLEASE[/size] tell me when you're about to do it ... I've just got to be there when it happens!

Hey - I'll even introduce you to Brian at Wunjo's while I'm at it.

[geilerbass]

[quote name='BigBeefChief' post='189621' date='May 1 2008, 11:59 AM']Next time I'm the area, I'm going to go in there and ask them if they realise what the perception of them is. I'm going to be polite, but I'll put them on the spot and ask them why they're so unfriendly.

I will report back.[/quote]

Oh I'd LOVE to hear how they respond to that. Good work dude!

[Tee]

Yeah, Wunjo are friendly. They are desperate to say hello to you when you walk in.

I too remember Denmark St when it felt like a nicer to visit. In 1991, i bought a sunburst GTX Les Paul (it was actually a brilliant guitar, wish i kept it) from Rose Morris. They had much more stock then, on the ground floor too.

[Tee]

[quote name='BigBeefChief' post='189621' date='May 1 2008, 11:59 AM']Next time I'm the area, I'm going to go in there and ask them if they realise what the perception of them is. I'm going to be polite, but I'll put them on the spot and ask them why they're so unfriendly.

I will report back.[/quote]


I imagine they won't care.

[Sibob]

I also wanna be there when tBBC asks the question!! :-D, am only just outside london with constant jaunts in.

Maybe we should mount an 'intervention', all of us just turn up....."you know how you're perceived??"

haha

Si

[ashgeezer]

i take it denmark street is not a favourite with a lot of people on here but to be honest i cant be arsed with shops that are only interested in taking your money and not interested in your needs.
I bought my first bass last year from a local shop and the fella was brilliant,he let me try as many basses as i wanted through as many amps as i could and offered loads of advice,needless to say i"ve bought stuff from his shop since.
The same goes for the shop where i bought my mex precision a few weeks ago, the staff were brilliant (and she was quite tasty as well) i actually did a 60 mile round trip to get to this shop because they were that good (Reidys music in blackburn) and they were cheap as well.
If your after a decent guitar or bass then dont think twice about travelling to the area because its worth it, regardless of distance.

[Doc B]

Unfortunately I only ever managed to make it into Rose Morris on Denmark St. I tried a nice Yamaha BEX500 and a stunning MM Sterling.

The whole trip was worth it to see the look on the sales assistant's face when I asked how much Martin Acoustic guitar strings were and I burst out laughing as I told him I could get them less than half that price at the shop round the corner from my flat.

[Rich]

[quote name='ashgeezer' post='190095' date='May 1 2008, 10:28 PM']i take it denmark street is not a favourite with a lot of people on here but to be honest i cant be arsed with shops that are only interested in taking your money and not interested in your needs.
I bought my first bass last year from a local shop and the fella was brilliant,he let me try as many basses as i wanted through as many amps as i could and offered loads of advice,needless to say i"ve bought stuff from his shop since.
The same goes for the shop where i bought my mex precision a few weeks ago, the staff were brilliant (and she was quite tasty as well) i actually did a 60 mile round trip to get to this shop because they were that good (Reidys music in blackburn) and they were cheap as well.
If your after a decent guitar or bass then dont think twice about travelling to the area because its worth it, regardless of distance. [/quote]
That's what was so great about the Bass Centre (RIP) back in the Wapping glory days of the late 80s... you'd wander in there and a guy would approach you and the first thing he'd say after 'hello' was "Is there anything you'd like to try?". That's [i]try[/i], not buy. It was always kid/sweetshop time in there. I remember going in there once and telling him what I wanted from a bass... he sat me down at a Trace amp, pointed me at the free coffee m/c, and then brought me [i]fifteen [/i]different basses to try, gave me all the time I wanted, and never once prodded me for a decision or showed any sign of impatience... ahhh man, those were the days...

[Happy Jack]

So did you buy one, then?

[allighatt0r]

Wow thanks everyone for all the replying. i do like the idea of telling them straight, but i don't think they would take it from a lanky eighteen year old.

I've always wondered what it would be like to own my own music shop. I would love to work in one at least. Some kids wanna be Astronauts, some want to be bin men (read: environment workers ) but i want to be a music shop assistant!

I have a dream!

[Kiwi]

[quote name='Rich' post='190423' date='May 2 2008, 12:32 PM']That's what was so great about the Bass Centre (RIP) back in the Wapping glory days of the late 80s... you'd wander in there and a guy would approach you and the first thing he'd say after 'hello' was "Is there anything you'd like to try?". That's [i]try[/i], not buy. It was always kid/sweetshop time in there. I remember going in there once and telling him what I wanted from a bass... he sat me down at a Trace amp, pointed me at the free coffee m/c, and then brought me [i]fifteen [/i]different basses to try, gave me all the time I wanted, and never once prodded me for a decision or showed any sign of impatience... ahhh man, those were the days... [/quote]
That was the time when they had no competition as well.

[jerseytrev]

[quote name='Crazykiwi' post='190755' date='May 2 2008, 06:01 PM']That was the time when they had no competition as well.[/quote]
thought it was just me when i went to the bass cellar asked about a s/h 4001 rick he hardly took his eyes out of his paper muttering something about the price so i walked .
the bass centre i have found friendly and helpful .

[The Burpster]

Very sad underwhelming place. Ignorant staff.

Far to many nice basses in one place to be staffed my uniterested unintersting people.

Been once wont be going back!

[bassaussie]

[quote name='Rich' post='190423' date='May 2 2008, 12:32 PM']That's what was so great about the Bass Centre (RIP) back in the Wapping glory days of the late 80s... you'd wander in there and a guy would approach you and the first thing he'd say after 'hello' was "Is there anything you'd like to try?". That's [i]try[/i], not buy. It was always kid/sweetshop time in there. I remember going in there once and telling him what I wanted from a bass... he sat me down at a Trace amp, pointed me at the free coffee m/c, and then brought me [i]fifteen [/i]different basses to try, gave me all the time I wanted, and never once prodded me for a decision or showed any sign of impatience... ahhh man, those were the days... [/quote]

Yeah, the original Bass Centre was awesome. When I first got to London, I was desperate to go and check it out, as I'd always read all these great things about it, and I wasn't disappointed. Even though it was a complete pain in the butt to get to, it was always worth the trek.

One of the coolest experiences I had in there, as far as customer service goes, was a time when I decided to try out a Jack Bruce Thumb Bass. I'd recently bought a Streamer Stage I, and just wanted to try some other Warwicks out as a comparison. I was playing the bass, and it was nice, but the strings were a bit old, so it wasn't going to display it's full potential. The guy serving me asked if he could have a quick play, which he did. He then looks at me, hands me another bass, and says something along the lines of "just bang on this for a few minutes". He nicks over to the counter, restrings the bass, gives it a quick set up, and brings it back, and the bass was playing absolutely superbly. He didn't give a damn whether I intended to buy it or not, he simply wanted the bass to play as well as it possibly could.

As for the Bass Cellar, they're *ssholes. I had two basses on consignment with them. They sold one fairly quickly, and paid up fairly quickly (say, 6 to 8 weeks, which I wasn't too worried about). The other bass took about 6 months to sell, but it took them over a year from the selling date to actually pay me, and that was only because I was ready to call the police. The d*ckhead manager kept blaming the shop owner, saying that he was never available for signing cheques, or some crap like that. Having said that, I did get to play an amazing custom colour '66 Jazz in there that was absolutely amazing - I think I must've got the salesman on a good day, as he was more than happy to let me try it out.

As for the rest, yeah,Wunjo's is probably the pick of the bunch, although they're still very expensive. I doubt I'd ever spend money in Denmark Street.