Bygone music/bass shops you were fond of?

[kiat]

I just answered here the 3 bass question (first, most practical, most "you") thread and it got me thinking about where I saw and bought my first bass.

 

It was Macaris on Charing Cross Road in London in about 1980. I lived in a flat but was starving, no job, no money and had to sell my beautiful tenor sax* I'd previously spent half a year saving for, effectively making it difficult to fulfil my dreams of becoming a full-time musician.

 

The owner of Macaris apologised that he could only offer me £300 for it, as he could see I was upset, so he said he'd let me have a bass, amp and lead for £100, at cost he said. A Westone Thunder 1A black and a Traynor Bloc80b (which miraculously has followed me over 20 home moves later).

 

 

Although an unhappy time, it did start me on the road to being a bass player, which I think, by sheer luck, suits my character better.

 

I went back later (in the early 80s still) to get my first and only pedal, a new Boss Chorus. 

 

On a recent trip to London I looked out for Macaris and was sad to see the shop gone, replaced with a horrendous building devoid of character. Denmark Street has held out, but the old rehearsal rooms seem to have gone. But a quick browse online today and it turns out Macaris improbably moved to Haywards Heath, which means I'll give them a visit one if these days.

 

* Conn Connqueror 30M "Naked Lady"

 

What shop do you have fond memories of?

[Terry M.]

GAK and PMT 🥲

[neepheid]

Bruce Millers in Aberdeen - where I bought my first bass.  Closed 2011.

 

[SuperSeagull]

3 hours ago, kiat said:

I just answered here the 3 bass question (first, most practical, most "you") thread and it got me thinking about where I saw and bought my first bass.

 

It was Macaris on Charing Cross Road in London in about 1980. I lived in a flat but was starving, no job, no money and had to sell my beautiful tenor sax* I'd previously spent half a year saving for, effectively making it difficult to fulfil my dreams of becoming a full-time musician.

 

The owner of Macaris apologised that he could only offer me £300 for it, as he could see I was upset, so he said he'd let me have a bass, amp and lead for £100, at cost he said. A Westone Thunder 1A black and a Traynor Bloc80b (which miraculously has followed me over 20 home moves later).

 

 

Although an unhappy time, it did start me on the road to being a bass player, which I think, by sheer luck, suits my character better.

 

I went back later (in the early 80s still) to get my first and only pedal, a new Boss Chorus. 

 

On a recent trip to London I looked out for Macaris and was sad to see the shop gone, replaced with a horrendous building devoid of character. Denmark Street has held out, but the old rehearsal rooms seem to have gone. But a quick browse online today and it turns out Macaris improbably moved to Haywards Heath, which means I'll give them a visit one if these days.

 

* Conn Connqueror 30M "Naked Lady"

 

What shop do you have fond memories of?

The HH shop is a very poor substitute for the Macaris you and I recall. I brought one of their own brand Craftsman J bass copies in the mid 70s and later took my youngest son there for a Lag acoustic guitar in the late 90s. And my old boss worked there in the 60s selling coloursound pedals. A wonderful place. 

[Mykesbass]

@kiat Anthony from Macari's now owns the music shop in Haywards Heath, very close to the station. 

[BlueMoon]

Hodges & Johnson in Southend.

 

[Cato]

Musical Exchanges in Birmingjam was the first guitar shop I ever went into as a teenager in the 80s

 

Might be rose tinted memories, but no guitar shop I've been in to since has come close to the sheer eclectisism and variety of new and used stock that Musical Exchanges had in those days.

 

For a while me and my mates would go there just to hang out & try stuff we couldn't afford just about every weekend & the staff seemed more than happy for us to do so.

 

It was a genuine Aladdins cave.

Edited 6 minutes ago by Cato