Stub Mandrel Posted October 14, 2019 Share Posted October 14, 2019 I used to go to the Bass Centre in Birmingham. Got this case there: And this fine long-sleeve T. My little girl is at University now! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mep Posted October 14, 2019 Share Posted October 14, 2019 Many years ago in the mid 90's I went to the Bass Centre as they had a sale on. I brought a lovely 2nd hand Aria Pro 2 SB600 for £150. I needed a gig bag to take it home so got a Bass Centre one of course. What a great day out. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timhiggins Posted October 15, 2019 Share Posted October 15, 2019 I went to the Bass Centre way back in my distant yoof , Wapping back then seemed to be mostly falling down and dust balls blew up the high street... i'd never seen so many lovely bass's and i was keen on getting something that would make me sound like my favourite reggae players. A helpful ozzie sounding fella with a very 80's barnet came to assist me ,and in true music shop fashion preceded to slap a warwick half to death for what seemed an age before finally letting me have a look, by this time i'd had enough and had decided if that was how it sounded i wanted no part of it and headed for the station. To be fair he could of been a great player but back then i only had ears for big fat dub lines and i weren't hearing none of that. 😀 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred Leicester Posted October 15, 2019 Share Posted October 15, 2019 I remember going there many, many years ago with my drummer mate for a musical day out in London. I didn’t buy anything as basically I couldn’t afford anything, but I remember being in awe of the sheer volume of bass porn on offer there! Always meant to go back when I was older and more financially secure (ie credit cards to rack up tons of musical debt with 😂) but alas it has already closed its doors. Shame. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soledad Posted October 16, 2019 Share Posted October 16, 2019 11 hours ago, timhiggins said: Wapping back then seemed to be mostly falling down and dust balls blew up the high street... That was part of the magic - Wapping back then was like what I imagine Chernobyl is like now, like everyone had up and left. Then suddenly you walk into The Bass Centre and a parallel universe. There was a rehearsal studio across the road in a riverside warehouse. Down some stairs into a very musty basement - I think that basement was below the water table. Used it a couple of times. They had an Acoustic 360/361 - that was just epic. That was mid 80s I think, when The Bass Centre seemed to be wall-to-wall Trace. Fine by me as I was and still am a Trace fan, but that Acoustic rig was legendary for very good reasons. I digress, The Bass Centre remains the very best shop on the planet ever in my lifetime. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobbayne Posted October 16, 2019 Share Posted October 16, 2019 I went there once in about 1985 as a skint student. Just to have a look around really. I bought a packet of strings which I could barely afford just to have something to take home. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
police squad Posted October 16, 2019 Share Posted October 16, 2019 Good to see Martin from the bass centre contributing to this thread. I went there in 1991. I had been to Fat Ricks to look at a Hamer Thunderbird that had been owned (wrecked) by the Quireboys. It was £450. It was all I had. The bass was rubbish so I went off to Wapping. Tried loads of basses and found a s/h Status 4000 in a sort of burnt orange at £595. I explained to Martin I only had £450 and the only thing in the shop I liked was the status. He let me have it for £450. I was stoked. Thanks Martin 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stingray5 Posted October 16, 2019 Share Posted October 16, 2019 'Course, being down in Wapping (i.e., and not in that there London), I could almost always find a place to park nearby. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stub Mandrel Posted October 16, 2019 Share Posted October 16, 2019 3 hours ago, police squad said: Status 4000 in a sort of burnt orange Not... brown? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russ Posted October 16, 2019 Share Posted October 16, 2019 3 hours ago, Stingray5 said: 'Course, being down in Wapping (i.e., and not in that there London), I could almost always find a place to park nearby. You could always tell when the 'stars' were in town though based on the cars parked outside. I used to go over there on the Tube, and one day I remember seeing a big gold Rolls parked outside. Turned out the Rolls belonged to John Entwistle, and he was in there trying some stuff out. I was a bit starstruck and left him to it! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soledad Posted October 17, 2019 Share Posted October 17, 2019 11 hours ago, Russ said: Turned out the Rolls belonged to John Entwistle, and he was in there trying some stuff out There was always 'someone' in there. Made me feel like I belonged to a family, an exclusive family of bass players. OK - fairly well down the pecking order, but I belonged to something and it was good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heathy Posted October 17, 2019 Share Posted October 17, 2019 The Bass Centre was a fantastic place. I went to see a Billy Sheehan clinic there in the early 90's, and the amazing @neilmurraybass was stood behind me in the queue! Pics below (Awww, look at his little face!): 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
police squad Posted October 17, 2019 Share Posted October 17, 2019 17 hours ago, Stub Mandrel said: Not... brown? no, a sort of burnt orangey reddy colour Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stub Mandrel Posted October 17, 2019 Share Posted October 17, 2019 While waiting for our room at Pirate last night in the Corridor of Doom I noticed my case has not one but two Bass Centre stickers on it, if you count Elites. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soledad Posted October 17, 2019 Share Posted October 17, 2019 2 hours ago, Heathy said: the amazing @neilmurraybass was stood behind me in the queue! Crikes - I used to work alongside Neil's brother Andy at CBS in the '80s. I recall he went on to Stiff Records and fronted (?) the 'near-legendary' Stiff All-Stars, maybe at the time my late friend Hugh Attwool was on drums. Well, I did say The Bass Centre was like a family 👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soledad Posted October 25, 2019 Share Posted October 25, 2019 (edited) Nice archive thing - Hooky's Shergold 6, credited as played at the SF Filmore November '16. Check the stickers 👍 (sorry pic's appeared twice, can't seem to delete one!) Edited October 26, 2019 by Soledad pic disappeared Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrumpymike Posted October 25, 2019 Share Posted October 25, 2019 Another Wapping 'lurker' checking in here! Bought various bits and pieces including a wonderful Jaydee T-bird custom for £400 (I haggled the price down from £450). The BC guys didn't know anything about it so I rang the man himself to see what he could tell me. "Ah yes, I remember it! One of a matched pair I made for Dave Mason when he joined Delaney and Bonnie." Sold it later to a guy in New York for more than double what I paid for it! 😊 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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