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SH73

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been to a music instruments shop and not tried out anything?

I went to Camden guitar guitar last night. Spend there about 20 minutes browsing and not even tried a single bass or guitar.

I then walked to the Bass Gallery. The shop door was closed but had a notice to press the buzzer. I'd feel uncomfortable being there on my own browsing let alone trying out stuff. So I left.

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4 minutes ago, Reggaebass said:

Many times , simply because they didn’t have anything I wanted to buy 🙂

This is  the same experience I have. At the moment I am completely happy with my gear and to be honest the only times I go in there is to get strings really, to look at what kind of gear is around these days or to assist a mate with a purchase decision. A second pair of ears.

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I find this mostly happens for me when the shop only sells new stuff. PMT's recent 'no price tags' idea puts me off even more. I'm usually more tempted in shops where they have a fair selection of used/vintage things, like when I recently visited Old Hat Guitars in Horncastle. Tried a few instruments out there, in a friendly and relaxed retail environment. Didn't buy anything that day, but will definitely return soon to see what else they have in.

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I rarely go to a guitar shop, but when I do, I spend the evening before the visit rehearsing exactly what I'm gunna do.

It may not seem like it, but every last thing is choreographed, from the tuning up - to the harmonics - to the seamlessly dropping into a bassline from (what would appear to be), an aimless noodle... even the moments of eye contact and conversation are planned and rehearsed to perfection... it's like a Superbowl half-time show.

Sometimes it goes well, sometimes there's a problem, sometimes I don't try a guitar so nothing happens.

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4 hours ago, casapete said:

I'm usually more tempted in shops where they have a fair selection of used/vintage things, like when I recently visited Old Hat Guitars in Horncastle. 

How recently? I was worried that they’d closed down but it seems I was wrong.....which is fantastic. It’s a great shop and I’m well overdue another visit.

Back on topic, I often go into shops and don’t try anything. Unless I was genuinely interested in buying an item, I wouldn’t try it.

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50 minutes ago, Skinnyman said:

How recently? I was worried that they’d closed down but it seems I was wrong.....which is fantastic. It’s a great shop and I’m well overdue another visit.

Back on topic, I often go into shops and don’t try anything. Unless I was genuinely interested in buying an item, I wouldn’t try it.

Went about a month ago, and all seemed well. Got talking with Norman and he showed us his amazing collection of vintage stuff upstairs, along with some great anecdotes about where & how they were obtained etc. An absolutely lovely bloke, but unfortunately people and businesses like this are becoming all too scarce now. I’ll definitely be back to buy something soon.

Incidentally ( as you’re not far away), have you heard that the antiques place at Hemswell (just off the A15 at Caenby Corner) now has a room with guitars ? Some strange vintage European jazz acoustics when I was there, along with some other stuff. Few basses but you never know...🙂

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13 hours ago, SH73 said:

been to a music instruments shop and not tried out anything?

As a lefty, sadly this one is too easy to answer: almost every single time. If there's a lefty bass in stock at all, it's likely a black Ibanez Soundgear, some Richwood or a Squier VM Jazz Bass if you're really lucky. Here in the Netherlands we have a few bass-specific music stores that are a welcome exception (especially Bass Connection in Hilversum has some tasty stuff once in a while). 

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1 hour ago, hiram.k.hackenbacker said:

My outlaws used to live in Horncastle for decades. I had no idea there was a guitar shop there! 🙄

It’s been there a long time, but you maybe wouldn’t have noticed it amongst all the other antiques shops as the frontage is a bit like one of them. (This is maybe deliberate to keep it as a ‘destination’ for people in the know to go to rather than attract unwanted tourists looking for cheap tat! ) The shop is just a part of what Norman does - he sources a lot of things for films and theatre productions as well as other stuff. A really knowledgeable chap with an amazing collection of significant amps ,instruments and memorabilia. 

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9 hours ago, Ricky 4000 said:

I rarely go to a guitar shop, but when I do, I spend the evening before the visit rehearsing exactly what I'm gunna do.

It may not seem like it, but every last thing is choreographed, from the tuning up - to the harmonics - to the seamlessly dropping into a bassline from (what would appear to be), an aimless noodle... even the moments of eye contact and conversation are planned and rehearsed to perfection... it's like a Superbowl half-time show.

Sometimes it goes well, sometimes there's a problem, sometimes I don't try a guitar so nothing happens.

I would call this a gig

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I too was put off by the Fort Knox security intimidating door buzzer at the Bass Gallery.

I went there once and found the staff a bit touchy.

All the music shops in my area have all closed down so I cant browse them anymore.

Everything I have bought in the last ten years has been online after heavily researching what I was interested in.

The downside being I cant try them out. But Basschat has loads of folks who have had with unbiased opinions.

I bought a Markbass 121 after reading the reviews on here a few years back.

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10 hours ago, casapete said:

Went about a month ago, and all seemed well. Got talking with Norman and he showed us his amazing collection of vintage stuff upstairs, along with some great anecdotes about where & how they were obtained etc. An absolutely lovely bloke, but unfortunately people and businesses like this are becoming all too scarce now. I’ll definitely be back to buy something soon.

Incidentally ( as you’re not far away), have you heard that the antiques place at Hemswell (just off the A15 at Caenby Corner) now has a room with guitars ? Some strange vintage European jazz acoustics when I was there, along with some other stuff. Few basses but you never know...🙂

Great news - and thanks for the heads up about the spot at Hemswell.

If the rain ever stops we might have a little run out 😀

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5 minutes ago, Skinnyman said:

Great news - and thanks for the heads up about the spot at Hemswell.

If the rain ever stops we might have a little run out 😀

Forgot to add that Norman, for a small donation to a Cancer charity, will give you a guided tour of the upstairs collection in the shop. Well worth your time and money I think.

Mrs CP lured me to Hemswell with the promise of a few guitars. She browsed the antiques while I checked them out. Not a massive selection, but some oddball stuff there (Indian f hole acoustic - 'Hobmer' for example!) as well as some Mex fenders and Epiphones. Café downstairs wasn't bad either, good coffee and millionaires shortbread!!

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I'm in Leicester, our guitar shops (apart from one sparsely stocked one) have all shut down so it's somewhat rare that I get to try anything in a shop. 

I'm always pretty nervous when trying out gear in shops, it always feels like an audition and I can never really spend enough time with a piece of gear before the shop assistants' gaze gets the better of me. 

A lot of the time I just browse now without trying anything. 

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18 minutes ago, Jonse said:

I'm in Leicester, our guitar shops (apart from one sparsely stocked one) have all shut down so it's somewhat rare that I get to try anything in a shop. 

I'm always pretty nervous when trying out gear in shops, it always feels like an audition and I can never really spend enough time with a piece of gear before the shop assistants' gaze gets the better of me. 

A lot of the time I just browse now without trying anything. 

Music Junkie's gone? That's a shame - although I'm not surprised as it was tucked out of the way and always seemed pretty quiet.

I used to be the same and worry about trying stuff out. I could never decide which i hated more; the silent shop where I'm the only person making a noise, or the busy shop with two people playing different parts of Stairway To Heaven, one metal head playing a Marshall stack at full volume, a fourteen year old playing EVH licks faster than EVH himself and a middle aged bloke (me) thumping out Seven Nation Army over and over and over.....

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6 minutes ago, Skinnyman said:

Music Junkie's gone? That's a shame - although I'm not surprised as it was tucked out of the way and always seemed pretty quiet.

I used to be the same and worry about trying stuff out. I could never decide which i hated more; the silent shop where I'm the only person making a noise, or the busy shop with two people playing different parts of Stairway To Heaven, one metal head playing a Marshall stack at full volume, a fourteen year old playing EVH licks faster than EVH himself and a middle aged bloke (me) thumping out Seven Nation Army over and over and over.....

They went earlier this year some time. Consensus is that they were doing okay but the parent company folded and therefore so did they. 

Took a mate in there to try out some beginner acoustics and he ended up pranging the £150 Epiphone against a £3500 Taylor. Fortunately it was tuning peg against strings over the soundhole so no damage was done but I about had a heartattack. The shop assistants didn't seem too bothered, whether they noticed or not... 

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5 hours ago, nige1968 said:

I would call this a gig

Damn straight. My greatest visit was in a 2nd hand shop in Barton St, Gloucester. In the 1990s.

I was trying out a Fender 'Bassman' 135 valve amp (cab was a 2x15).

Three costume changes in total, and for the finale I was in nothing but a leather basque, thigh length boots and a headset, playing Smoke On The Water.

I bought the amp, but obviously I was banned from the shop after that - but OMG it was so worth it.

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Just now, Ricky 4000 said:

Damn straight. My greatest visit was in a 2nd hand shop in Barton St, Gloucester. In the 1990s.

I was trying out a Fender 'Bassman' 135 valve amp (cab was a 2x15).

Three costume changes in total, and for the finale I was in nothing but a leather basque, thigh length boots and a headset, playing Smoke On The Water.

Obviously I was banned from the shop after that - buy OMG it was so worth it.

You know the rules. Pictures or it didn't happen....

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5 hours ago, Hobbayne said:

I too was put off by the Fort Knox security intimidating door buzzer at the Bass Gallery.

Because the workshop is downstairs there's often no staff in the shop, so they understandably don't want punters wandering in and out. I've found them friendly and helpful whenever I've been in.

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