Going to London......buying a bass

[cameltoe]

OK so I'm gonna be hitting Denmark Street for the first time in May, and if all goes to plan I'll be looking to either buy a bass outright, or trade my Mexican P in for something else.

I'd like it if you guys can recommend me some good places to go? I'm pretty sure I want another Precision, and will have somewhere around the £600 mark to spend.

I've had a look at the Classic series '50's Precision which I like the look of, but obviously if I can see and try as many in the flesh as possible then I can make a proper decision on what feels best for me. Doesn't have to be a new Precision- just the one that feels best to me and is in my price range.

So a good range of new and used basses with an emphasis on Precision's would be good.

Also, they have to let me try a few out. I need to be able to feel what's comfortable as I've not been playing all that long, plus I'm not going to buy a bass I can't try out first.

I really, really don't want to go all the way to London to be patronised. I get that enough in Craig's music down here!

I heard the Bass Cellar sucks.... I'll probably go in there though, just to see for myself how bad it is!

Anywhere you guys can point me towards?

[cetera]

Sadly, nowhere in Denmark St. I'd recommend the Gallery in Camden & that's about it for London....

[chris_b]

[quote name='cetera' post='783456' date='Mar 23 2010, 02:12 PM']....Sadly, nowhere in Denmark St. I'd recommend the Gallery in Camden & that's about it for London....[/quote]
+1

Where's "down here"? You might be better off in the BC For Sale section.

[Toasted]

Don't trade your MIM P in. Sell it here for a much better price.

[lozbass]

+1 on the Gallery in Camden - a great selection of gear (much of it well within the price range you've suggested) and really expert, non-patronising assistance. You might want to think about holding a bit of your budget back for new strings and a set-up (this can make a huge difference to any bass). If you go to the Gallery, Martin might be prepared to do some tweaking/set-up work on the spot (if he's around and not massively busy).

[lozbass]

Yep again - as other suggest, it may be well worthwhile having a look around the For Sale section on this site - generally good and honest peaple and some realistic pricing. You can't always try before you buy of course (depending on location)

[The Funk]

[quote name='Toasted' post='783465' date='Mar 23 2010, 02:17 PM']Don't trade your MIM P in. Sell it here for a much better price.[/quote]

That's what they told me in one of the shops on Denmark Street a few years ago when I wanted to trade in a bass.

[Toasted]

I wish someone had told me that when I traded my first bass for a whammy pedal ( !! ).

[xilddx]

[quote name='cetera' post='783456' date='Mar 23 2010, 02:12 PM']Sadly, nowhere in Denmark St. I'd recommend the Gallery in Camden & that's about it for London.... [/quote]
Another +1

And you will get your bus fare home for your bass in any shop if you PX or sell to them.

As Toasted said, sell it on here, have a little patience then go to the Bass Gallery in Camden for good deals, masses of choice and great service.

Edited March 23, 2010 by silddx

[Happy Jack]

With all the massive love for The Gallery which routinely surfaces on Basschat (vaguely reminiscent of another ... no, let's not go there) it's worth bearing in mind that most people recognise that you [i][b][size=3]pay [/size][/b][/i]for service.

The Bass Gallery offers [i][b][size=3]a lot[/size][/b][/i] of service.

[Noisyjon]

another +1 from me on the sell-it-yourself-and-then-go-to-The Gallery front!

[MacDaddy]

[quote name='cameltoe' post='783452' date='Mar 23 2010, 02:08 PM']OK so I'm gonna be hitting Denmark Street for the first time in May...[/quote]

What used to be Andy's Music is now Music Ground. Andrew Preston former owner of Andy's still works there. I took him to court when he [s]stole [/s]sold my amp on sale or return, and didn't give me the money. I didn't get anything because he eventually declared bancruptcy. I still have the debtors list from the official receiver, it contains lots of punters like me, who had items [s]stolen [/s]sold and never got their money.

Have a look around by all means, but possibly one to avoid doing business with.

[The Funk]

[quote name='MacDaddy' post='783505' date='Mar 23 2010, 02:45 PM']What used to be Andy's Music is now Music Ground. Andrew Preston former owner of Andy's still works there. I took him to court when he [s]stole [/s]sold my amp on sale or return, and didn't give me the money. I didn't get anything because he eventually declared bancruptcy. I still have the debtors list from the official receiver, it contains lots of punters like me, who had items [s]stolen [/s]sold and never got their money.

Have a look around by all means, but possibly one to avoid doing business with.[/quote]

After hearing about your experiences a few years ago I've been quietly spreading the word amongst friends and colleagues.

[RhysP]

I honestly wouldn't bother with Denmark St. if I were you; it seriously sucks donkeys these days.

Also, as others have said, you'd be MUCH better off selling your bass than part exchanging it.

[Alastair]

Denmark St is the biggest collection of rip off merchants in the UK, don't bother

[Raggy]

I always enjoy having a look in Vintage and Rare though

[Alastair]

It is good for a browse, this is true.

[Clarky72]

You're better off using your travel money to Denmark Street on a few pints instead.

Like everyone else has already said, do not bother with them... There's nowhere decent left on the street, The Gallery is great, but sell your MIM P here first then go to the Gallery, or even have a day out on the coast and check out GAK in Brighton, they usually have a pretty good selection in stock.

[spacecowboy]

[quote name='cetera' post='783456' date='Mar 23 2010, 02:12 PM']Sadly, nowhere in Denmark St. I'd recommend the Gallery in Camden & that's about it for London.... [/quote]

+1

[Sibob]

[quote]With all the massive love for The Gallery which routinely surfaces on Basschat (vaguely reminiscent of another ... no, let's not go there) it's worth bearing in mind that most people recognise that you pay for service.

The Bass Gallery offers a lot of service.[/quote]
Love that Jack!!!

You know what though, Wunjo have always been nice and helpful with me, and willing to work with prices!
BUT
They don't very much (sometimes ANY) new bass stuff, most of it tends to be second hand and/or vintage

But in the context of London, another +1 for the Gallery

Si

[Grand Wazoo]

As a London based man myself (even though I am a bloody foreigner ) I am going to give you the facts: I've lived here from '85 so I have a my fair share of cabby knowledge of where to go for the right gear.

First of all, I have to share the feelings of all those who posted above. The answer is sadly: Nowhere on Denmark St.

The problem first and foremost is that you DON'T get a lot of choice, never mind the service and the good deals that the store assistants might give you, believe me you can haggle and really get a decent price but... there is just not enough livestock worth hagglig about! You get some stores who are trying to push vintage gear at an unacceptable and unaccessible price, there is this boutique shop in there, I can't remember the name, nice sofa, fireplace and leather furniture in there, you walk in you see a lovely 70's Jazz and the price tag says Bargain £9999!! Bargain? Bollox me think.

Then you get places like Bass Cellar and Macari's who are just pushing wishy-washy Korean copies, together with the odd names Fender and Gibson, and Jackson's (far east ones) all at prices that are well above what you can buy on line from GAK, Nevada and others.

London is a very expensive place to live, shop and even pay for a bus fare, but that's because our stores are afflicted by a very high cost for the rent for their premises, licenses etc, all these overheads are items which an internet outlet is not subject to. Hence internet killed the shop star!

Back in the late 90' to beginning 00's the London's flagship store for anything Bass, was in fact the Bass Center in Wapping High St. behind Tower Bridge. They were the avant-guard of the London bass scene however their business was killed by the internet too, and since then the Bass Center closed to the public and don't have a showroom anymore, only selling online, yes you get good deals there too but, as the original poster said he'd rather try before buying and this is why the few stores that can afford to have a high street outlet unfortunately are not in Central London.

The Gallery in Camdem is the closest to central London, and still one of the best at the moment. However the Gallery is still a small shop and crammed with stuff, just not enough space for you to try something in peace and quiet.

If you really want to have the uiltimate bass experience I would, from personal experience, recommend you to stretch out a bit more to the South East and go to Essex to visit Colechester where you will find another very nice [b]and most of all LARGE store [/b]with tons of gear in the Bass Merchant where Darren works, Darren is a member in this forum and will give you a discount just for being a member of Basschat. His store is really ample and is situated in a quiet industrial estate with [b]plenty of parking space[/b], whereas parking in Central London is near impossible.

He stocks a variety of nice basses, MusicMan, Fender, Lakland, and other, has loads of excellent amps, Mark Bass, Aguilar, Genz-Benz and other, so you will be definately spoilt for choice.

Hope to have been of help.

[gary mac]

Yes, another thumbs up for The Bass Merchant.

[MacDaddy]

[quote name='bass5' post='783577' date='Mar 23 2010, 03:41 PM']London is a very expensive place to live, shop and even pay for a bus fare, but that's because our stores are afflicted by [b][color="#FF0000"]a very high cost for the rent for their premises[/color][/b], licenses etc, all these overheads are items which an internet outlet is not subject to. Hence internet killed the shop star![/quote]

this to me, seems to be the problem that is overlooked. The internet is blamed but the high rents are accepted? Why aren't the landlords who charge these high rents blamed for creating/maintaining a situation where the businesses that pay them can't afford to be competitive?

The subtext of every argument that we should buy from stores that can't compete with internet prices, is that we should line the pockets of greedy landlords.

In Camden there are campaigns against the chains moving in and undercutting the independent businesses who can't afford to compete because of the high rents. No-one seems to be campaigning against the high rents.

[cameltoe]

[quote name='bass5' post='783577' date='Mar 23 2010, 03:41 PM']The Gallery in Camdem is the closest to central London, and still one of the best at the moment. However the Gallery is still a small shop and crammed with stuff, just not enough space for you to try something in peace and quiet.

If you really want to have the uiltimate bass experience I would, from personal experience, recommend you to stretch out a bit more to the South East and go to Essex to visit Colechester where you will find another very nice [b]and most of all LARGE store [/b]with tons of gear in the Bass Merchant where Darren works, Darren is a member in this forum and will give you a discount just for being a member of Basschat. His store is really ample and is situated in a quiet industrial estate with [b]plenty of parking space[/b], whereas parking in Central London is near impossible.

He stocks a variety of nice basses, MusicMan, Fender, Lakland, and other, has loads of excellent amps, Mark Bass, Aguilar, Genz-Benz and other, so you will be definately spoilt for choice.

Hope to have been of help.[/quote]

I'm unfortunately not going to be able to make it outside of London- I've got 2 days off from work and we're going to be staying one night in Camberley, with one night/one day in London.

BUT- I'm not going to Denmark street after all these recommendations for The Gallery. It would have been preferable for me to find a load of stuff in just the one shop anyway, as the Mrs would soon get annoyed by being dragged from shop to shop.

I'll hit the Gallery, and see what they have. If I find a bass I like that's a NEW model, you guys are right, I'll have to bear in mind that I can probably get one 'online' for alot less, and will probably walk away if the mark-up is too high, but 'down here' in Cornwall I don't have the oppurtunity to try anything other than Mexican's and Squiers, unless I want a bass ordered in specially. Hopefully going to London will give me the chance to try a few of the guitars that have been catching my eye lately and have a better idea of what I want.

There's also the slim chance they might have something like a second hand Jap Precision that I fall in love with, in which case I'll be buying on the spot!

Oh, and looks like the best idea for me is to sell the Mexican privately then!

Keep an eye on the classifieds!

[OutToPlayJazz]

Another big thumbs up for Alex at the Gallery. He'll look after you no problems. Happy shopping!