The London Bass Guitar Show 2014

[Gunsfreddy2003]

I wasn't there Mick, I spent all day playing at a Wedding Fayre!!!

[quote name='TheGreek' timestamp='1393795859' post='2384483']
Me and my germs have been back a few hours but for some reason I can't upload my photos to photobucket so we'll have to really on everybody else's for now....was it me or did it seem like numbers were down on last year??

Really enjoyed the day, meeting up with lots of BCers who I already knew - hello again to Bluejay, Lozz, Kiwi, Happy Jack et al - unfortunately missed meeting up with Gunsfreddy who I've done a couple of deals with and also with Scooby who was the original owner of my Ritter. I'm sure that we'll meet up with in the future fellas...also briefly saw SiBob modelling a (superb) Silver Surfer bag which I need to steal from him when he puts it down near me.

Had a quick chat with our own Doctor of the Bass, Nick Smith, who was one of those being paid to demonstrate some basses with fabulous pick ups (sorry the name eludes me) but being berated here for his slapping. I managed to miss the "slap battle" between him and whoever was on the Anaconda stall.

Most of the exhibitors were very friendly, Alan from ACG and Bernie Goodfellow competing for title of "Nicest fella in the World" - sorry guys, it was a dead heat for me. I own one of each and both nearly had me reaching for credit cards...I somehow managed to resist their beautiful creations.

Really enjoyed the seminar by TM Stevens - the man certainly knows how to entertain and if ever decides to give up playing bass he's got a future in motivational speaking. Not sure how I would have felt if I'd been one of the two lads he called on stage to perform on Drums and Bass together but both rose to the occasion and equipped themselves admirably. An experience neither will forget I'm sure. Must also be true for the other young fella who TM had playing a single note just ahead and behind the groove.

TBH I was a bit disappointed in John Taylor's seminar - would have preferred more playing than what felt like an exercise in selling his book.

Highlights of the day for me were chatting to Yolanda Charles and Scott Devine, both really down to earth and willing to chat. Even had a compliment from Scott about my beard which he is threatening to imitate.
[/quote]

[CamdenRob]

Bit disapointed if truth be told... Was alright, better than sitting in front of the telly all afternoon but left me a bit cold really. I was imagining it to be much bigger than it was with more basses from each exhibitor. Liked the look of the Eve basses, never seen those before and whoever bought that buckeye 4 string on the ACG stand is a lucky man.

Tried out the Roscoe sixer on the Bass Direct stand, very nearly bought it. Sounded fantastic and was the lightest bass I've ever played. Didn't go for it in the end as I would have liked to give it a workout at decent volume before spending that kind of cash on a bass... Having said that, the bloke on the stalls "affable, customer focused" personality kept me and Mrs C entertained for a good twenty minutes or so...

Enyoyed Mo Fosters jam thing, that was quite fun.... Not sure I'll be attending next year unless it's a much bigger affair. Couldn't get anywhere near Yolanda Charles for the hoards of middle aged men taking photos, she sounded really good though.... better than the girl on the musicman stall playing the same riff for hours on end...

All in all... Not great.

Edited March 3, 2014 by CamdenRob

[skelf]

My thanks to everyone that dropped by the stand. We had a really good show spoke to loads of people which is the reason for being there. I had no really problem with the volume I have been at shows where it has been far worse. Our next door neighbours where the guys from Rikkers Basses they where excellent company and a real pleasure to be next to.
The majority of people that tried basses opted for the headphones so I think myself and John might move to only headphones next year. My thanks to Colin Cunningham from Cocos Bassment and MC Ruiz for playing some demos on the stand very much appreicated and for also being great company. Usual thanks to John East for putting up with me. Also thanks to MSL for the loan of a Mark Bass cab.
I know efforts were made to make sure the Birmingham event was not on the same weekend but fell through, hopefully next year they will not fall on the same weekend.

[molan]

[quote name='jazzyvee' timestamp='1393807856' post='2384631']


Oh and before you ask, no I didn't buy the Fodera
[/quote]

I did though

Edited March 3, 2014 by molan

[Born 2B Mild]

Can I suggest someone from Basschat posts up a poll to see what previous and recent show attendees thought of year's event?

There were about ten repeat exhibitors absent this time. If that pattern continues, there won't be a bass show to go to.

It was commercially successful for Bass Gear, as well as being a blast. So we're happy.

The exhibitors who stayed at home may be encouraged to come back, if folk thought it had improved.

[Kiwi]

I'm still in awe of the fact you guys sold every Fodera on your wall. That was crazy.

[Silvia Bluejay]

Seems to be a vicious circle: as the cost of having a stand at the show rockets, only certain manufacturers and distributors find it economically viable to exhibit, be it because they can sell enough units to justfy the outlay, or because - like us - they treat the show as an excellent PR environment, and so worth the effort in terms of gained brand awareness. The fewer manufacturers exhibit, the more punters will complain about the lack of variety and not attend next time. And so it goes on.
I don't know if there is a solution to this. I only know that, unless someone finds a different, winning formula, I'd rather support the LBGS as it is than lose it altogether.

Edited March 3, 2014 by bluejay

[CamdenRob]

The thing is... If it's going to carry on with the same formula as this year I'm not sure it's worth saving...

Edited March 3, 2014 by CamdenRob

[Silvia Bluejay]

Any event that allows people to check out gear you wouldn't find even at large specialised bass stores, and mingle/network with like-minded companies, buyers and sellers is worth saving.

Edited March 3, 2014 by bluejay

[Scooby]

[quote name='bluejay' timestamp='1393845450' post='2384856']
Any event that allows people to check out gear you wouldn't find even at large specialised bass stores, and mingle/network with like-minded companies, buyers and sellers is worth saving.
[/quote]

I agree in some respects that having several 'brands' under on roof is a great idea but, and it is a huge 'but', it was virtually impossible to try out any bass simply because of the stupid noise levels. I did try out one bass where the luthier kept turning up the volume on the amp as it was obvious I was having difficulty hearing the bass. After a minute I gave up as it was pointless.
The show has great potential for small luthiers such as Eve, ACG, Rikkers etc where trying out their basses before purchase is almost impossible but the main show stalwarts of Promenade Music, Bass Gear and Bass Direct have showrooms where it is far better to go and try out their basses in a sane environment. I can't see that having a show consisting of small, niche bass brands is worth it. Most of the larger brands are already well known for what they produce and sound like - and although it may have been done in good humour - the Eden/Hartke sound-off was pathetic. With basses and bass amps/cabs it is their tone, nuance, subtlety and flexibility that you want to hear not how loud they can go!
I agree that any show is a good place to network but most of the networking I saw took place outside of the main area over a coffee. I think the London Bass Show needs some serious rethinking. If ten previously regular exhibitors decided not to turn up this year it makes a significant statement and one that the organisers must take on board.

Edited March 3, 2014 by Scooby

[Silvia Bluejay]

Yes to all you say. My point was that, in the absence of something more attuned to our needs, this LBGS is better than no LBGS.

[skelf]

Were the exhibitors that were not there up in Birmingham instead.

[CamdenRob]

[quote name='Scooby' timestamp='1393846254' post='2384868']
...but the main show stalwarts of Promenade Music, Bass Gear and Bass Direct have showrooms where it is far better to go and try out their basses in a sane environment.
[/quote]

I was going to try out the Vanderkley 112s as I'm debating getting a pair. However I could barely speak to the guy on the stand let alone hear anything through the rig. The gallery have a pair comming in a months time, I'll go down there and try them out in a controlled environment with my own bass and amp head....

Edited March 3, 2014 by CamdenRob

[Russ]

The big problem for me was the layout - clustering Anaconda, GB, ACG, Rikkers and SimS/Enfield in one little corner was a big mistake that led to irritating volume wars between all concerned. If they'd spread them about a bit more there wouldn't have been so much of a problem. I had a much nicer time playing the Eves on the other side of the room since it was less over-subscribed (their 6-string fretless was something to behold, as was the custom they made for Dave Marks).

I still want one of those 5-string ACG Krells though - Alan, I'll be in touch.

[Silvia Bluejay]

[quote name='skelf' timestamp='1393846587' post='2384874']
Were the exhibitors that were not there up in Birmingham instead.
[/quote]

Rotosound were in Brum and not at the LBGS this year, and I suspect others who sell to guitarists as well as bassists may have done the same.

[Scooby]

[quote name='bluejay' timestamp='1393846456' post='2384872']
Yes to all you say. My point was that, in the absence of something more attuned to our needs, this LBGS is better than no LBGS.
[/quote]

Agreed, I would hate to see a show disappear. However, I really do think the organisers need to do some serious thinking to make the show a success. Everyone I spoke to, and certainly there are lots of comments here as in previous years, that the noise levels were stupid. I'll repeat what I said in an earlier post, insist that exhibitors use headphones for folk wanting to try out their gear. Quite a simple improvement but a huge one.

[Silvia Bluejay]

[quote name='Scooby' timestamp='1393846926' post='2384882']
Agreed, I would hate to see a show disappear. However, I really do think the organisers need to do some serious thinking to make the show a success. Everyone I spoke to, and certainly there are lots of comments here as in previous years, that the noise levels were stupid. I'll repeat what I said in an earlier post, insist that exhibitors use headphones for folk wanting to try out their gear. Quite a simple improvement but a huge one.
[/quote]

I'll see if I can find a way to contact the organisers - perhaps a word with Joel McIver, who I spoke to at the show and who's in my FB friends list? - and let them know what a large section of their target audience is thinking.

[Russ]

I was having a discussion with Bernie Goodfellow about the noise thing. We were lamenting the lack of common-or-garden groove playing in favour of gratuitous slapfests at these kind of shows, and Bernie, being a bit of a veteran of these kinds of shows, told me that not only does the groovy stuff not really get heard above everything else, but also many of the more casual visitors don't really want to hear the simple stuff, they want to hear the slapfest! Despite being desperately unfashionable, I guess people still like to hear it when done well.

I do like a good bit of slap myself, but why does everyone who purports to play slap only play in Em7?

[CamdenRob]

[quote name='Russ' timestamp='1393847366' post='2384888']
I was having a discussion with Bernie Goodfellow about the noise thing. We were lamenting the lack of common-or-garden groove playing in favour of gratuitous slapfests at these kind of shows, and Bernie, being a bit of a veteran of these kinds of shows, told me that not only does the groovy stuff not really get heard above everything else, but also many of the more casual visitors don't really want to hear the simple stuff, they want to hear the slapfest! Despite being desperately unfashionable, I guess people still like to hear it when done well.

I do like a good bit of slap myself, but why does everyone who purports to play slap only play in Em7?
[/quote]

There was a fair bit of slap coming from his stall... to be fair it sounded huge through that EBS rig he had on the go.

Also, Mo Foster should have stuck to the finger style stuff which sounded great and not tried that slap tune which sounded pants...

[molan]

The noise levels were a bit strange this year. For much of the day on Saturday they were kept really manageable, certainly down in our corner of the show anyway.

We had a fairly simple policy of not ever turning up loud and asking people to be respectful of others. Maybe more importantly we asked players to be respectful of some of the instruments we had on display because they were owned by customers and for display or gentle playing only. Anyone that slapped like an idiot was imply turned right down on the amp and asked to stop playing because he might mark the bass.

I totally accept that some people feel they can only get a feel for a bass if they slap the living daylights out of it but we weren't able to accept that given the venue constraints and the instruments we chose to display this year.

I wasn't aware of any problems from any of our customers and, on Saturday certainly, we had a lot of nice players actually playing nice chordal and harmony driven stuff. The volume near us only really started to rise on Sunday.

The biggest culprits in our corner were Eden. They had some demo players on Sunday who just played the same dull slap riffs over & over again at ever increasing volumes. At one point they were nastily out of tune too, we wanted to loan them our little digital tuner. . .

Then two guys on the Hartke stand (not anyone we knew) decided to have a huge volume slap-fest duel with them. It actually could have been fun had they not decided to continually turn their amps up higher & higher. Eventually someone complained and they were told to stop by the organisers.

In the main this was awfully policed though. At one point we had one guy playing some quite nice stuff, not very loud, just after the horn had sounded to cut volume. We instantly turned him off and gave him headphones. Approx 5 seconds later the Eden stand plugged in and played at a roaring volume and the organiser just walked away and left them to it!

I must say that the single loudest thing I heard all day was from Bernie's stand. I was chatting to someone on the Sims stand when a GB player slapped an open E and popped something higher and it nearly took my head off. Literally hurt my ears badly and made me wince. I sense a bit of 'competitive' noise going on & left immediately

In terms of stand layout it's not really much to do with the organisers. Each attendee gets to choose their own position. We, very purposefully, went for a corner that seems to be a decent distance from anyone other than, our good friend, Andy Baxter who we know to be a sensible guy. We hadn't allowed for Eden but at least they were Ok for most of Saturday & a chunk of Sunday.

The big trick for anyone who seriously wants to try anything out is to wait until there's a big act on the performance stage - the main hall empties right out and the 'noise merchants' tend not to bother playing much because there's no crowd to show off to

[skelf]

I still want one of those 5-string ACG Krells though - Alan, I'll be in touch.

Any time you want to talk Krell it is good for me.


The organisers don't allocate the spaces. You are basically given first refusal on the stand you had the previous year which took fairly early on and I am sure Martin did the same. With hindsight having five builders all in the same place maybe was not the best way but I did not know GB would be there until I arrived so it is hard to plan out in advance to avoid the collection all in one place. You book your stand and have no control over who will be around you.


There was a bit of a volume war in our corner but 90% of the people that tried anything on my stand used the headphones so I don't think we contributed to much in that respect. I still did not find the volume to bad I suspect I am getting immune to it. As far as slap goes if you slap a bass well on a stand people stop and listen if you play groove type stuff as the two players I had on the saturday did you get very little attention. So if you want audience you slap so it is encouraged by the people there so I am not sure why everyone seems to hate it but are happy to form a crowd when it is done.


Myself John East and Haydn Williams might be doing a small gallery show later in the year down in London with a view to having a much more controlled environment in which to try out instruments.

Edited March 3, 2014 by skelf

[MoJoKe]

Well I had a blast with the guys on the MSL stand, and it was really great to meet so many BC'ers!

I don't work for MSL or MarkBass (and certainly don't speak for them), but [i][b]am [/b][/i]a loyal MB fan and the MSL team which is why I like to do the show. As a punter like the rest of us I regularly find that music shops rarely stock the whole range of gear from every manufacturer, so having it all in one place is great. However, the pro[size=4]blem with trying to demonstrate amps is that the "one inevitable question" from most visitors is "How loud [i]can [/i]it go?", and this means a constant escalation of the noise levels, against which trying to help people hear the quality and nuance of the tone becomes utterly impossible and an un-winnable spiral of din (however, if everyone had knocked out the lower mids from their frequencies then this would have helped). Well, [i]that combined with[/i] the over loud slapfest.[/size]

[size=4]If people could leave the show feeling that they have actually seen what they would like to buy, then surely that's got to be a good thing?[/size]

[size=4]Regarding the size of the show, yes, quite a few companies had to make a decision between the guitar show and LBGS... I agree it ought to be made affordable enough to cater for smaller companies who sell accessories and non-boutique gear. Perhaps this is something the organisers might reflect on for next year. I used to have several boutique instruments but had to sell them all, so now just own what I need to get the job done. If anyone had had a 5 string Squier Vintage modified Jazz or Jaguar Bass, I [i]would [/i]have bought it, but they didn't.[/size]

I sadly didn't get to see many workshops or performances but did meet many of the artists. I will definitely be back next year

Nice to meet Ped and Kiwi for the first time too! Can't wait to see the pics Bluejay!

[MoJoKe]

[quote name='Scooby' timestamp='1393846926' post='2384882']
....that the noise levels were stupid. I'll repeat what I said in an earlier post, insist that exhibitors use headphones for folk wanting to try out their gear. Quite a simple improvement but a huge one.
[/quote]

a. Great idea if you're not demonstrating amps but guitars, though,
b. not so fine if actually what you [i]really [/i]want to do is show the wider bass community how fast and brilliant you really are at slapping your arse off!

As I said just now, if the amp stands had rolled off the lower mids, to reduce the lower frequency rumble then all the levels could have come down. I think we behaved ourselves generally on the MB stand, though the amazing new MultiAmp was making some mighty fine but rather loud synth noises occasionally!

Edited March 3, 2014 by MoJoKe

[HartkeUK]

[quote name='Kiwi' timestamp='1393789471' post='2384401']
Yes it got noisy, the Eden and Hartke guys had a volume battle at one point (when I wasn't around) and management got involved. [/quote]

[quote name='NickD' timestamp='1393795039' post='2384472']
I saw that, but had to leave before it ended to catch JT, and to be fair it was a highlight for me. maybe it gained a bit of volume after I left, but I didn't see it as much as a volume battle as a 'bass off', and for the duration I was around it was fun, it was light hearted, and more than anything it was musical. Given the general soundscape of inept slapping, it was refreshing to hear some funky riff trading.
[/quote]

Not sure where the "management got involved" came from cause they certainly never mentioned anything to me or the other guys as far as I know. Amazing thing was one of the guys playing on our stand wasn't a bassist, he plays guitar. He just wanted to "play around a bit". Sickeningly talented individual.

In fairness there were two guys playing different rigs simultaneously but believe me loud isn't anything we aim for at the shows. I did speak to the organisers and ask them to police the quiet periods properly because three days at a show like this when it is loud is very tiring.

Hope the show keeps getting proper support from the bassists out there. The drum show will be doubling in size this year because of the commitment shown by the community and I would love to see the same thing happen with the LBGS.

Edited March 3, 2014 by HartkeUK

[EBS_freak]

I just can't be a55ed with shows anymore.

Looks like I didn't miss much... and I don't feel the need to blitz people on facebook with me with various name players, which seems to be this year's trend.

Yup, I'm a grumpy b4stard this year.