Bygone music/bass shops you were fond of?

[Geek99]

36 minutes ago, BlueMoon said:

Yes……..mainly piano and organs if I recall correctly. They had two shops; one in the precinct behind the Chancellor Hall and one in Moulsham Street. Very personal service…..but not cheap.

I bought my vintage est96a there in moulsham street c 2007

[Linus27]

I remember quite a few music shops in my area that I bought a lot of things from. My first proper bass came from a little music shope called Nova Guitar Centre on the outskirts of Guildford. The shop was an absolute mess and run by the owner, Tony and his wife Diane who were so lovely, honest and real characters. Both smoked about 40 fags a day but were bonkers and Tony was a genius at setting up basses. He was huge I to his Japanese instruments and sold a lot of Tokai, ESP and Ibanez. I bought my first Tokai Jazz bass from him in the mid 90's and then in 97, my ESP series Jazz which I still have today and is the best bass I've ever owned. Sadly, as Andertons popularity grew, Nova couldn't compete and eventually closed,  probably some time in the mid to late 2000's. My very last visit to the shop in 2004 was very unusual though. Tony had got into religion and prophecies. He said to me that in a few months, there is going to be a huge natural disaster. It will be gods way of cleansing the earth, removing a lot of bad and resetting things. It will be so big and obvious that it's a natural disaster that there will be no doubt that's it's not a terrorist attack. He then went on to say that after this has happened, God will turn his attention to the US as he's unhappy with the corruption and greed over there and again, there will be another natural disaster hitting the US and again, there will be no doubt that it's an act of nature and not a terrorist attack. Of course, I thought he was quackers but a few months later, the tsunami hit Indonesia on Boxing Day and then the following year, Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana and Mississippi.

 

Anyway, also local to me was Andertons and I bought one of my first basses from them, a Washburn Force ABT b20 in crackle red when they were in their original location. They are still local to me so I pop in quite often. Also local to me was Kingfisher Music in Fleet which I used to buy things fro  occasionally, usually for going on tour.

 

I'm also someone who used to visit the Bass Centre in Wapping and I absolutely loved going there. It was brilliant. When we signed in 1998, I had it in my contract that I would get £5k to buy new bass gear. I headed straight to the Bass Centre and bought my dream bass, a Teal Stingray with maple neck. I also picked up a Status Energy, a Hartke HA7000 and a Hartke 4x10 and 1x15 with the aluminium speakers. The Stingray was an absolute disaster and never suited me, the Status sounded terrible so I swapped it and the rig was so big and powerful, I only ever toured with the 4x10. However, the Hartke HA7000 is still the best bass amp I've ever owned and used.

 

Also local to me in Camberley, there used to be a music shop on the A30 in the 90's. It burnt down under suspicious circumstances and reopened in Sandhurst.

[Reggaebass]

1 hour ago, obbm said:

Monkey Business in Romford

Ah yeah I remember that too, would have been around the mid 80s I think, all the basses were on the back end of the shop, I also used a studio just round the corner but can’t remember the name of it 

[The fasting showman]

3 hours ago, ricksterphil said:

 

Me and my band used to travel up to Birmingham in the 70's to go round the music shops, of which there were many, I reckon 5 or 6. I remember Musical Exchanges and have been in there many times.

We bought a Traynor PA in one of the shops and our drummer's dad was paying. He knocked them down from £420 to £240. At the last haggle, we were leaving the shop without buying anything until the manager said, 'oh ok, I'll take your offer' An excellent and early lesson in the art of the deal, long before anyone had heard of Donald T Rump

I've probably done this before but it's good therapy for me, please indulge me...you mentioned 5 or 6 shops in Birmingham, I'll list the music shops in Brum circa '82 to '85 when I was in my mid teens. 

Musical Exchanges, broad St initially then Snow Hill from '83 I think.

George Clay on Broad St. Used to stock Polytone amps, wish I'd tried one.

Jones and Crossland on Smallbrook Queensway. Part of the Black Sabbath saga.

City music on Suffolk St Queensway. 

Woodroofes in Dale End, a second defunct shop on John Bright St.

Birmingham Bass place, became the Bass centre. Originally by the Alexander theatre then Livery St.

Yardleys on Colmore Row, mainly drums and brass. 

James Pass, smallbrook Queensway. Sheet music, pianos etc.

Kay Westworth, Cherry St by Rackhams. Double Eagle necks and bodies, Schaller bridges and tuners.

Cranes (?) Birmingham Centre at top of New Street station escalators. A few Sunn amps, new stock Betas etc.

Fairdeal music, Digbeth high St.

Green Lane music.

Muzos on Hurst St. Great shop, got a v4b ( worked in a garden centre  to fund it) aged 16 from there. Ex Woodroofes staff if I recall.

Chase Music near to Lewis's  Old square. Where I first saw Tokai fender copies

 

I bet I've forgotten something. Great time to loaf around aimlessly with your mates.

Modern life is rubbish.

Edited 2 hours ago by The fasting showman
Missed one!

[Mediocre Polymath]

22 hours ago, NHM said:

I think probably the shop I spent the most time in was in Canterbury, where I went to university. A place called – I think – castle street music, or something like that. It was a guitar shop on castle street, and businesses in Canterbury tend to go for pretty straightforward names.

 

It was called County Music - a lovely shop, good staff, a decent selection of gear for a small outlet, always happy to match online (GAK) prices. 

I don't think that was the same place. County Music was the one on the left as you were walking up towards the castle, right? – quite a wide, double fronted shop with keyboards and a separate room full of acoustics, yes? This one was on the right, on the junction with (checks Google maps) Rosemary Lane.

 

It might have only been there for a few years. It was there when I started undergrad in 2004, therefore it had always been there as far as I knew.

 

County Music was also great though. That was where I bought the Yamaha BB604 that was my main bass for several years (£180 second-hand!).

[ricksterphil]

6 minutes ago, The fasting showman said:

I've probably done this before but it's good therapy for me, please indulge me...you mentioned 5 or 6 shops in Birmingham, I'll list the music shops in Brum circa '82 to '85 when I was in my mid teens. 

Musical Exchanges, broad St initially then Snow Hill from '83 I think.

George Clay on Broad St. Used to stock Polytone amps, wish I'd tried one.

Jones and Crossland on Smallbrook Queensway. Part of the Black Sabbath saga.

City music on Suffolk St Queensway. 

Woodroofes in Dale End, a second defunct shop on John Bright St.

Birmingham Bass place, became the Bass centre. Originally by the Alexander theatre then Livery St.

Yardleys on Colmore Row, mainly drums and brass. 

James Pass, smallbrook Queensway. Sheet music, pianos etc.

Kay Westworth, Cherry St by Rackhams. Double Eagle necks and bodies, Schaller bridges and tuners.

Cranes (?) Birmingham Centre at top of New Street station escalators. A few Sunn amps, new stock Betas etc.

Fairdeal music, Digbeth high St.

Green Lane music.

Muzos on Hurst St. Great shop, got a v4b ( worked in a garden centre  to fund it) aged 16 from there. Ex Woodroofes staff if I recall.

Chase Music near to Lewis's  Old square. Where I first saw Tokai fender copies

 

I bet I've forgotten something. Great time to loaf around aimlessly with your mates.

Modern life is rubbish.

 

Thanks.....great knowledge. Reading those names has brought back some memories 

[Marc S]

I'm already missing PMT - I liked their shop in Cardiff. There were a couple of members of staff there, who I always enjoyed chatting to. Just a few doors away, was the long established Gamlins - which in recent years I didn't visit too often (they were much better back in the 80's)

 

I used to visit GAK in Brighton, whenever visiting my sister in the area. I'll really miss that on my future Brighton trips.

 

One shop that I have fond memories of, was a second-hand shop, selling all sorts of things from furniture, electrical goods and guitars, pedals & amps. The shop was called "Grimwades" of the Canton district of Cardiff. I bought some hi-fi components and records from there, and a bass guitar - a Shaftesbury Rick. I always looked forward to a trip there, because you never knew what you might find.

 

My Dad liked old radios & record players (gramophones) and he used to buy from them when he was a young man.

 

Photo borrowed from a Facebook group of old Cardiff shops & buildings.

 

[Stub Mandrel]

10 minutes ago, Marc S said:

I'm already missing PMT - I liked their shop in Cardiff. There were a couple of members of staff there, who I always enjoyed chatting to. Just a few doors away, was the long established Gamlins - which in recent years I didn't visit too often (they were much better back in the 80's)

 

I used to visit GAK in Brighton, whenever visiting my sister in the area. I'll really miss that on my future Brighton trips.

 

One shop that I have fond memories of, was a second-hand shop, selling all sorts of things from furniture, electrical goods and guitars, pedals & amps. The shop was called "Grimwades" of the Canton district of Cardiff. I bought some hi-fi components and records from there, and a bass guitar - a Shaftesbury Rick. I always looked forward to a trip there, because you never knew what you might find.

 

My Dad liked old radios & record players (gramophones) and he used to buy from them when he was a young man.

 

Photo borrowed from a Facebook group of old Cardiff shops & buildings.

 

 

Do you remember Nobles?

 

Safly closing at the moment