Best and Worst Bass Shops

[jamesbass116]

In my opinion...

Worst:
Bass Center - Advertising Hartke Amps even though according to a rep from Hartke UK, they have no stocking deals with them.. that might have changed now though...

Best:
Bass Merchant in Essex - Swift, friendly and professional service.

[TDM]

Best: Electro Music in Doncaster, GuitarGuitar in Newcastle.

Worst: Wizard Guitars, Sheffield - I have nothing good to say at all about these guys.

[Linus27]

The worst shop for me has to be Music Ground in Doncaster. Totally ripped me off. I had some inheritance money so wanted to buy a couple of basses. Decided on a 77 MIA Fender Precision but could not decide on a Ricky or a Telecaster bass. The guy there, probably the manager said hey, don't worry, we do a 30 day return so if not happy, bring it back and we will refund you. Cool I thought. So bought the Ricky and took it home back to Surrey with the Precision. After a week, decided the Ricky was not for me so phoned up and they said yeah bring it back no worries. So drove all the way up from Surrey to Doncaster to be told that they don't do returns or refunds but we can exchange for something else. I was furious and ended up letting rip but he just said it was my fault. Plus I should had phoned before leaving which I informed him I did which he then denied ever having a phone call. Ended up swapping it for a Fender Telecaster bass but I was furious. Maybe a little niave on my part but they still lied to me and treated me like sh*t. I swear if I ever drive past that shop, it will be very hard to not throw a brick through the window.

I don't really have a best as I have either bought so little or had mixed results. However, one shop that I used to use a long time back was Nova Guitar Centre in Guildford which was run by Tony and his wife. The shop was a total mess but, back in the 80's it was superb. Amazing customer service and nobody has set my basses up as good as Tony. Great prices also and you could go in and chat for hours. However, I think things started to go downhill in the late 90's and Tony turned heavily to religion and preaching and the service dropped off. He also lost a lot of his suppliers and just got a load of unknown chinese guitars in. What is odd is after the tsunami, I popped into his shop and he started prophesying to me. He predicted that within a year a natural disaster would strike America. It would be so obvious that it was a natural disaster that there could be no question about it being terrorism. He said that mother nature is currently cleanisng the earth and tsunami is one of her doings where she has washed away a lot of the bad things, prostitution, drugs etc in that region and America is going to be next. Well, eight months later, the floods hit New Orleans. Ok, I don't want to discuss his phrophecy but I've not been back to the shop since. Be worried about what he would say to me

[karlthebassist]

Worst I've ever been in? One in Lincoln, just over the little foot bridge on the A15. I'm going to say best is my local Live Music, simply because the staff are cool and I've had about 8 guitars from there and 3 amps all at awesome prices. But I do like all them shops near Soho in London. Can't remember the street name. Is it Denmark street? There's an acoustic guitar shop there that I nearly had a pants accident in

[alanbass1]

[quote name='thedonutman' post='590753' date='Sep 5 2009, 02:54 PM']GAK can be very slow. If you want to buy from them I suggest you call them up first and make sure they have a bass physically in stock.[/quote]

+1 on this. I ordered a cab which they stated was in stock. I called to chase the order after a week and was told that the one in stock was their demo model and they were waiting for the new shipment which was due "any day now". Unfortunately, any day now was a long time coming so after two weeks I cancelled my order and went elsewhere.

[mgibson]

For me PTM in Norwich are great. OK stock but nice customer service!
Also GuitarGuitar in Newcastle were great, i was up there on holiday, made it clear I wasn't likley to buy and the still helped me as well asany of the others in the shop.
Cookes in Norwich is nice but over priced.

Is that place in the sleepy Norfolk villlage, Norfolk Guitar and Bass Centre 'cause i was thinking about hiking up there tommorow and if it is, I won't bother...

[40hz]

Best - Soundslive. Excellent service, pricing, communication, good stock levels. Ordered a Sterling Ray34 in natural, was out of stock but they got new stock in very quickly and i had it delivered within 5 days of the order.

Worst - GAK Online. Slow as hell and poor communication (do they actually stock anything?). I waited 4 weeks for a Fender Geddy Lee to be delivered, they really should list what they ACTUALLY have in stock on the site!!!. Also waited 4 weeks for my warwick wca 410 pro cab and when arrived it was the 8ohm version ( i'd ordered 4 ohm) so i waited even longer for the correct one to arrive.

[dave_bass5]

Best for me has to be Thomanns. Never been to the shop/warehouse but ive alwways had very good service form them and wouldn't hesitate to use them again. once the exchange rates gets a bit better.

Worst, im not going to say as i think this will create at least 10 pages of people disagreeing with me. While its a great place to visit ive not really had great experiences with them.

[Musicman20]

I think I have had bad luck with Electro. Back 15 years back or so, I bought a lot of gear from there. They knew I did, and I continued to. This was before the internet prices kicked in and everyone shopped online most the time. I often found the items looked a little uncared for...which was a shame. Had the worst Fender experience with them EVER....BUT I will add as I pushed on they allowed me to exchange it for a Stingray which was new in (in my sig). I wasnt happy that they didnt offer to pick it up and realise it was quite bad for them to send it out in the condition it was in. Thank god the 08/09/10 Fenders improved, (not saying that all the ones before were bad, but you know what I mean).

Over the past few years bought a fair few other bits totally over £1k, then I gave up. Why? I went in to have a test on Markbass, to see if I liked the sound. I think they assumed I was about 17 and skint, but I actually had £900 and was 26 with a well paid job. They said:

'Are you actually going to buy one or not? We are shutting in 20mins I dont want to mess about'.

I said 'I wont be buying unless I like it, hence I need to test it for 5 mins'.

I tested it, liked it, then left. Rude and patronising springs to mind, especially after Ive spent around £3.5k with them over the years. I very much doubt I will spend serious money with them now. Customer service is easy, Ive done it before in some past jobs. I also find their recent 'best' prices to be a lot more than most shops are selling for.

I also agree with Linus; Music Ground (Doncaster) seem odd. Tried to sell me a beat up Fender Deville guitar amp for a massively inflated price...despite the fact the price of them new wasnt much more. I explained I wanted excellent condition but they tried to get me to buy. I didnt.





Few months later I went to the Bass Merchant chaps and had a proper test/cup of tea/natter in a fun and relaxed environment and bought a load of gear from them and continue to.

Edited February 17, 2010 by Musicman20

[dave_bass5]

I would also like to add to my post above that as far as "real" shops go i used to love the Bass Centre, both in Wapping and Liverpool st. I live near it so it was always my first port of call up until about a year before it shut.

I know its a hated place and i had some not great experiences in there but i also had some of the best.
There was a guy called Dan who couldn't do enough for me when i was looking for a 5 string about 5 years ago. He let me try everything in the shop and would offer to set them up to how i wanted them, even offered to put new strings on a Sandberg just so i could get a better feel for it.
I told him my budget and he showed me everything he had. He even got a bass out from the back to let me have a ply on, even though he said it was way out fo my price range and he wasnt trying to sell it to me but that i might enjoy playing it.

As usual they let me down a few times over late deliveries but each time they lent me a amp until mine came in. The second time this happened they let me take a LMII for a week while i waited for my SA450 to arrive.

There were also staff there that wasnt as helpful but overall, before its decline, it was a great shop to go to. I had quite a few chats with Chris from the workshop and he was always happy to talk and give advice.

[patch006]

Mansons in Exeter is a great shop, not soley Bass sales but do stock a decent selection of gear.

On price they didn't quite match the cheapest price I found for my 5 string jazz man but came pretty close so went with them because of there sevice was very good. Talk to Adrian if he's there, he is a very acomplished bass player and author of bass books. He certainly know his stuff.

[BassJase]

[quote name='patch006' post='748797' date='Feb 17 2010, 06:56 PM']Mansons in Exeter is a great shop, not soley Bass sales but do stock a decent selection of gear.

On price they didn't quite match the cheapest price I found for my 5 string jazz man but came pretty close so went with them because of there sevice was very good. Talk to Adrian if he's there, he is a very acomplished bass player and author of bass books. He certainly know his stuff.[/quote]

Ralph at Mansons is the man, lovely guy and all round top bloke.

[Murph_Orpheus]

What's the bass gallery like for ordering stuff online? Are they quick to get items in stock?

[dave_bass5]

[quote name='Murph_Orpheus' post='750474' date='Feb 19 2010, 05:58 AM']What's the bass gallery like for ordering stuff online? Are they quick to get items in stock?[/quote]

The only time i have ordered something in from the Gallery it arrived on the date they said it would.
I would put that partly down to good suppliers but whatever, no complaints about ordering from them.

I would call them though rather than just use the website, or at least call them to discuss it first.

[Wolverinebass]

After some recent experience, I'm now going to say that the Bass Cellar is the worst bass shop ever.

For the last few weeks I've been looking out for a gigbag that will fit my 8 string explorer. I've been compensating by using my bag for my buzzard, however this is far from an ideal fit. I go on the web and look at Ritter's stuff and notice that they have a bag which will fit. I was in the bass cellar a few days before and remember them saying they sold Ritter stuff. Now for the fun.

The same guy (and another bloke) tell me that Ritter have went bust (within the last week) and that the conversation I refer to above - NEVER HAPPENED. Nice. Call your customer a liar why don't you. This is different to "I don't remember" before anyone suggests I'm over-reacting. It was a "I/We never said that" conversation.

It then gets better. Idiot No. 2 suggests that Warwick do a bag which would fit an Explorer. I decide to play along. I know they mean the one for the buzzard. For those of you who know, this bag can be obtained from Thomann for £65. I decide to wait and see how much they want to fleece me for it. The bloke checks through a big book for a few seconds - no doubt entitled "How to rip off your customers - Vol 5" and then turns to me and says that this bag - (a GIGBAG!!) is going to set me back (WAIT FOR THIS!!) £138. Yes, you read that correctly. ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY EIGHT POUNDS. For something I can get for half that elsewhere.

I then thought about this after walking out confused as to whether I should be laughing heartily or extremely angry. However, I then contacted Headstock distribution who told me that Ritter had not in fact went bust (as if I believed that pile of crap to start with) and suggested a much saner place to shop. As it turned out they had what I wanted so all was well.

I will never, ever, for any reason whatsoever, regardless of emergency or anything shop with those utter tubes in the Bass Cellar ever again.

If only they could follow the Bass Centre into "internet only" oblivion.

[hitchy64]

I want to put in a good word for the guys at PMT in Birmingham.
They were great when I went to them to buy a cab and head. I had a few problems with the cab and they sorted it out straight away, and they ring you back when they say they will

[Protium]

Best: Soundslive and Stringbusters

[karlfer]

[quote name='4000' post='743622' date='Feb 13 2010, 12:18 AM']The Gallery by a mile. Gary at Promenade Music is really helpful too, though they don't have the goodies that the Gallery do.[/quote]


Big +1.
Gary is a top bloke. Excellent stock levels considering the geology.
I will be back to see him and Promenade in Sept for a new rig, and I love my new Daryl Jones almost as much as Newcastle.

[karlfer]

[quote name='karlfer' post='752371' date='Feb 20 2010, 11:46 PM']Big +1.
Gary is a top bloke. Excellent stock levels considering the geology.
I will be back to see him and Promenade in Sept for a new rig, and I love my new Daryl Jones almost as much as Newcastle.[/quote]



Er, that would be the geography, as in North of Watford ( sorry, been in studio all day, single brain cell now RIP.)

[JMT3781]

Hey... I went to london especially to check out denmark street.. bass cellar was one of the worst shops i've ever been in..
In their defence, although ritter didn't go out of business, one of the big distribution companies lost the contract, which made the stuff quite hard to get hold of for a few places.. At least thats what they told us in the shop i work in, no excuse for how you were treated though








[quote name='Wolverinebass' post='750641' date='Feb 19 2010, 10:46 AM']After some recent experience, I'm now going to say that the Bass Cellar is the worst bass shop ever.

For the last few weeks I've been looking out for a gigbag that will fit my 8 string explorer. I've been compensating by using my bag for my buzzard, however this is far from an ideal fit. I go on the web and look at Ritter's stuff and notice that they have a bag which will fit. I was in the bass cellar a few days before and remember them saying they sold Ritter stuff. Now for the fun.

The same guy (and another bloke) tell me that Ritter have went bust (within the last week) and that the conversation I refer to above - NEVER HAPPENED. Nice. Call your customer a liar why don't you. This is different to "I don't remember" before anyone suggests I'm over-reacting. It was a "I/We never said that" conversation.

It then gets better. Idiot No. 2 suggests that Warwick do a bag which would fit an Explorer. I decide to play along. I know they mean the one for the buzzard. For those of you who know, this bag can be obtained from Thomann for £65. I decide to wait and see how much they want to fleece me for it. The bloke checks through a big book for a few seconds - no doubt entitled "How to rip off your customers - Vol 5" and then turns to me and says that this bag - (a GIGBAG!!) is going to set me back (WAIT FOR THIS!!) £138. Yes, you read that correctly. ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY EIGHT POUNDS. For something I can get for half that elsewhere.

I then thought about this after walking out confused as to whether I should be laughing heartily or extremely angry. However, I then contacted Headstock distribution who told me that Ritter had not in fact went bust (as if I believed that pile of crap to start with) and suggested a much saner place to shop. As it turned out they had what I wanted so all was well.

I will never, ever, for any reason whatsoever, regardless of emergency or anything shop with those utter tubes in the Bass Cellar ever again.

If only they could follow the Bass Centre into "internet only" oblivion.[/quote]

[bassmansky]

[quote name='mgibson' post='745150' date='Feb 14 2010, 07:26 PM']For me PTM in Norwich are great. OK stock but nice customer service!
Also GuitarGuitar in Newcastle were great, i was up there on holiday, made it clear I wasn't likley to buy and the still helped me as well asany of the others in the shop.
Cookes in Norwich is nice but over priced.

Is that place in the sleepy Norfolk villlage, Norfolk Guitar and Bass Centre 'cause i was thinking about hiking up there tommorow and if it is, I won't bother...[/quote]
when were you last in pmt?i went in a month ago and they had shoved all the bass gear up one corner!Depends who you deal with in there imo.i asked one guy to get a specific cab in for me to try,after two months and four phone calls i gave up and bought one online much cheaper!Agree about cookes.Been going for years and years and has always been overpriced but they are still in buisness.

[Pete Academy]

There are certain retailing issues I wholeheartedly agree with on this thread. Having to endure bad service seems to be number one on most people's list. The show-off salesperson is certainly another major annoyance. If someone can already play, I will show them what the controls do on the bass/amp, which usually only entails playing one note. If someone cannot play and wants to hear what a certain bass sounds like, I will demonstrate different styles to show the instrument's versatility. But even then, I try to keep it fairly simple.

However, when it comes to pricing, that can be a difficult one. To maintain overheads and staff, a store will need to run at a certain margin, depending on its size and the amount of staff. Without doing this, it just cannot survive. During economic climate of the past year, prices of used gear have plummeted. I can't believe some of the bargains I see on this forum and also on Ebay and Gumtree. This sets a benchmark that shops are unable to compete with.

I personally have lost a few Markbass sales because a certain 'retailer' near us has sold the gear for a very small profit in order to get the sale, and in his own words 'put a drink in his back pocket'. He's not even a bona fide shop, but a PA hire company. It's just about shifting boxes and making a quick buck.

Sometimes you have to just give up.

Edited February 21, 2010 by Pete Academy

[dave_bass5]

[quote name='Pete Academy' post='752891' date='Feb 21 2010, 03:46 PM']I personally have lost a few Markbass sales because a certain 'retailer' near us has sold the gear for a very small profit in order to get the sale, and in his own words 'put a drink in his back pocket'. He's not even a bona fide shop, but a PA hire company. It's just about shifting boxes and making a quick buck.

Sometimes you have to just give up.[/quote]

When you want to sell something how do you go about pricing it?
The way i see it it can be priced based on the original purchase price or based on the current price.
Ive only sold a handful of gear its all been priced probably less than i would have liked to get back.

Im just asking and not questioning you.

[ThomBassmonkey]

With price sometimes the smaller shops can give better prices, it depends how greedy they are.

I work in a small shop that just deals £100-400 (mainly Tokais, Hamers, Kustom, cheap Crafters etc) instruments but we can get in more expensive stuff (like Vox and Musicmans for example). So because we're used to making only a smallish profit (comparatively) on instruments because they're cheap anyway, we'd be able to sell more expensive instruments with the same markup (so as a percentage it'd be way less).

e.g.* We buy in a fender copy for £100 then sell it for £150 (if the RRP's £160), so £50 profit. If someone wanted a more expensive instrument that cost £800 to buy in with a RRP of £1200, we could quite probably do it way cheaper because we don't have the bigger overheads of a large shop, so we'd only maybe make £100 profit instead of the £400 suggested, but it'd work for us because it's more than we'd make on cheap instruments.

Because it's only a small shop, whether we sell an expensive instrument or a cheap one doesn't matter to us. Better way of doing it IMO because everyone's a winner. We've made a sale that would make us more profit than a cheapo instrument and the customer has gotten a better price than anywhere else.

Of course for big places that actually carry expensive stock, it's a large investment to buy a lot of expensive instruments, so it's in their interest to make back the money ASAP.

*Just hypothetical numbers.

Edited February 21, 2010 by ThomBassmonkey

[Pete Academy]

[quote name='dave_bass5' post='752911' date='Feb 21 2010, 04:04 PM']When you want to sell something how do you go about pricing it?
The way i see it it can be priced based on the original purchase price or based on the current price.
Ive only sold a handful of gear its all been priced probably less than i would have liked to get back.

Im just asking and not questioning you.[/quote]

Sorry, should have made it more clear. I work for a retail store and I was talking about being seriously undercut by another retailer.