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Bass Direct

mattbass6

By mattbass6,
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peteb Grand Master

peteb

Posted
Posted (edited)
15 hours ago, Doddy said:

I've bought a few things from Bass Direct over the years, starting from before the shop opened, and there has never been a problem.

I popped in to the shop a few weeks back, for the first time in a few years, and Mark couldn't have been more welcoming. I didn't have any intentions of buying anything that day but he let me try anything I wanted, and we hung out and talked for a good hour.  I've got a lot of time for Mark, and think he's a great guy.

 

Yes, I have a lot of time for Mark and have had many interesting chats with him over the years on everything from gear to politics to travel to mountain biking. He has always gone out of his way to help and once advised me to get a cab from somewhere else as he thought it was a better fit for what I was after compared to what he had in stock at the time! Not many shops will do something like that. 

 

15 hours ago, Osiris said:

Having had a number of dealings with Mark over the years, in person, over the phone and by email, I can't see him being too concerned about anything that has been said in this thread, he's very forthright and also has a very strong I know best attitude. That's just my opinion of him and I'm happy to be corrected on it. If you agree with him then all is well, if not...

 

 

The thing is he never got the 'customer is always right' memo and he certainly is forthright and has an opinion. I find that quite refreshing, as I hated going to old music shops where they would try and convince you that whatever old tat they had in stock was just what you needed, when it obviously wasn't. I once had a guy try to convince me that a Skyline was better than an US Lakland, which is plain nonsense if you've ever played one. I have a pretty good idea of what I want, but I'm happy for someone who knows what they are talking about to give me advice and a different view.

 

Bass Direct isn't the place for a beginner who wants an Ashdown and a MIM Fender, but that's the point of it. It was meant to be a specialist shop and an alternative to the big box shifters... 

 

 

Edited by peteb
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Lozz196 Grand Master

Lozz196

Posted
Posted
6 hours ago, Chris2112 said:

I had heard that some prospective customers had turned up at Bass Direct trying to buy a P bass and Mark tried to convince them to buy something else, something better, or something that he was more interested in.

 

Seems like a good bloke, on that account. 

Heretic, burn him!!!!!!!!

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dmccombe7 Grand Master

dmccombe7

Posted
Posted

I drove down to Bass Direct circa 200 miles each way looking for a decent 5 stringer. I had some in mind like Spector and a few others.

The ones i tried i wasn't over the moon with and they just didn't have the feel i was looking for. Mark suggested trying a Dingwal so he gave me the Combustion and the NG2 and i was sold on the NG2. It was the best feel and the neck was excellent. I had never thought of fan fret basses before but he assured me i'd get used to it very quickly and he was right. Price wise it came in under the Spector i was looking at. He sold me a cheaper bass than i was originally looking at. He wasn't pushy but after i had decided on the Dingwall he was happy to share his thoughts on the various basses i tried and was surprised i didn't like the Spector neck as they are regarded as one of the better ones but he waited until i had made my decision.

I'm a fan of Bass Direct, i've never had any issues at all but i'm aware others have had some problems.

Maybe i was aware of Mark having strong opinions and was expecting that when i went there but that never happened.

Dave

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peteb Grand Master

peteb

Posted
Posted
1 minute ago, dmccombe7 said:

Maybe i was aware of Mark having strong opinions and was expecting that when i went there but that never happened.

 

 

I think that you get the benefit of Mark's 'strong opinions' if you are happy to debate with him, or if you say something that he thinks is stupid! 

 

7 hours ago, Chris2112 said:

I had heard that some prospective customers had turned up at Bass Direct trying to buy a P bass and Mark tried to convince them to buy something else, something better, or something that he was more interested in.

 

 

He seems to have a bit of a 'road to Damascus' moment in recent times and now seems to think that you can find very good Fenders, but many are poorly made. Something that many of us will agree with. 

 

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Muzz Veteran

Muzz

Posted
Posted

I've said this before, but I see BD a bit like the wand shop in Harry Potter; I've been in a couple of times to try gear, and I've picked what I wanted to try, Mark set me up and went in the back. He came out a while later (he'd obviously had one ear on me) and said 'Try this' - it was something I hadn't considered, and if I hadn't been open to suggestions I might have said 'But I want one of these', but he was right.

 

I don't agree with all his opinions, but I respect them.

 

I've also sold basses via him on commission, and it's been a painless experience.

 

Having said that, the last time I was in he wasn't around, there were a couple of other people in and I was comprehensively ignored by the younger staff (despite having said Hi) for about twenty minutes, so I left.

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gjones Veteran

gjones

Posted
Posted

I bought a couple of basses from BD. The only personal interaction I had with Mark was when I'd missed the courier and he called me to give me their address so I could pick up my bass. He seemed fine over the phone.

 

His specialised shop is a great facility for bass players and, however grumpy he may seem at times, we'll miss it when it's gone.

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Beedster Grand Master

Beedster

Posted
Posted

When I was a kid in the late 70's my music teacher told me I needed to buy my own violin if i wanted to progress, I had passed Grade V and was aiming higher. She told me which shop to go to, and a list of instruments I should look at and play. But she gave ma a warning, you must be polite and respectful to the owner to get the best out of him, in short to ensure that he sold me the best instrument for me. Plenty of other music shops in the 70's sold violins, I could have gone anywhere, but she knew that all going he would take the time, give me honest advice and make sure I had the best instrument.

 

Sure enough he was a cantankerous old boy who made me and my dad feel extraordinarily unwelcome and inferior. When my dad told him our budget he shook his head and audibly tutted. But we spent about two hours in there and I came away with a decent instrument at a decent price, and my teacher was very happy with it.

 

I went into the shop about two years later to buy some strings, he remembered my name and said that he'd heard (from my teacher) that my playing was going well. Funny that it's that 20 seconds of positive that stands out in my memory.

 

And the idea that people who really know their stuff can also be really opinionated, rude, and disorganised kinda stuck with me from that point on. And I'd still rather deal with them than most polite people who don't know their stuff and will gladly sell you any old crap to get you out of the door and keep the bank balance in the black 👍

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mcnach Grand Master

mcnach

Posted
Posted
16 hours ago, OliverBlackman said:

It has been mentioned there are other assistants and I have been served there by others in the past. 
 

However, some criticism is coming across as mob mentality against an individual. It’s happened on here plenty in the past though so not sure why I’m surprised. 

 

 

You may be confusing mob mentality with the fact that there's a few not-so-satisfied customers. If not, I'm really confused about the point you're trying to make. I haven't seen any personally insulting posts, only posts describing situations people have experienced. Some positive, some negative. Are we supposed to refrain from negatives? 

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mcnach Grand Master

mcnach

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, gjones said:

IHis specialised shop is a great facility for bass players and, however grumpy he may seem at times, we'll miss it when it's gone.

 

That's a good point.

 

The day we only have the Thomann, DV247, GAK and even the likes of Andertons who in my opinion are a bit higher than the others... it'll be a sad day.

 

But I still cannot bring myself to give my money to someone who acts like they're doing you a favour by selling you something. That's just me.

 

There is a shop in Edinburgh, Varsity Music I think it's called. The owner is (was? it's been a while) another one who missed his customer service classes. I was there back in 2003-4 wanting to try a very cool semi Yamaha guitar, f-foles, P90s... I loved the guitar, I hated the experience but I still walked out with the guitar. I distinctly remember a couple of times stopping myself thinking "I should just go"... but I really liked the guitar and even if it was cheaper online, THIS one was fantastic. 

I always felt a bit 'dirty' afterwards having given him my money and not telling him what he deserved to be told.

I may have been traumatised by that experience ;) :D

 

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mattbass6 Mentor

mattbass6

Posted
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Posted
8 minutes ago, hiram.k.hackenbacker said:

Yeah, but if you do, someone will start another one about 6 months later on the same subject, they’ll get merged, they will be a complaint etc etc 😂

You really should do standup. Funny guy. 
 

PS No one complained, just stated that it was a shame they were merged, especially based on one person’s suggestion. If I remember correctly, this place is here for everyone to comment without being ridiculed for that opinion?

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hiram.k.hackenbacker Grand Master

hiram.k.hackenbacker

Posted
Posted
2 minutes ago, mattbass6 said:

You really should do standup. Funny guy. 
 

PS No one complained, just stated that it was a shame they were merged, especially based on one person’s suggestion. If I remember correctly, this place is here for everyone to comment without being ridiculed for that opinion?

I wasn’t ridiculing anyone. It was humour - probably not worthy of stand-up though 🤷‍♂️.

I really can’t see the benefit of two separate threads given it’s on exactly the same subject. The 100’s of posters in that previous thread will now had notifications of further comments where they may have missed the new thread. I honestly thought it was beneficial for everyone. The Mods seemed to agree.

Apologies if my suggestion caused any upset.

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