Guitar Shops

[wotnwhy]

"Which shop was that mate? Cranes? GM? Gamlins?"

can't recall the name now, but it was a tiny shop. size of a small room, barely enough space to shuffle round. the gentleman was an older, greying man. it was off the main streets. i'll ask my guitarist if he can remember the name

[DaveDDF]

Sounds like GM :F

Sounds like you were lucky! The newport branch is home to the rudest staff I have ever had the misfortune to deal with!

[tauzero]

[quote name='Davetbass' post='104091' date='Dec 13 2007, 09:25 PM']Was gassing for a natural finish maple spector and tracked down the only supplier in Edinburgh (sound control). Phoned the shop and was greeted by an enthusiastic young dude who told me to ask for him personally and he`d take me through all the basses they had. Good so far! When I got to the shop the next day he was really friendly and showed me all the stuff in my price range £800. Problem for me was...EVERY single bass was horrifically set up and sounded crap as a result! This didn`t inspire me to buy anything so I left empty handed and a bit deflated. Another shock was an £800 Spector doesn`t come with a hardcase![/quote]
Sound Control in Brum was similar - the Spectors were dreadfully set up. I know that Joe the tech who has the shop next door (I think it's all part of the Sound Control empire) is pretty busy but even if he was too busy to do the setup, anyone with the ability to use some pretty basic tools could have set up the basses a lot better than they were. Maybe I should offer to do their setups for them for a fiver a bass...

OTOH, it does say something to me about Spectors - that they can't even get a good approximation of a setup at the factory. One or two of them felt as if they were pretty good basses under the setup, but none of them gave me any sort of buzz.

[Chop]

You won't find any one friendlier or more knowledgeable than Stuart in "The Guitar Shop" in Friar Street Worcsetser. SUPPORT THIS GUY ! He's not long started this (small) place, and yes mostly guitars, but lots of good second hand stuff and is running it because "there has to be enough people fed up with EvilBay to make a decent second hand shop a goer...yes...?
NB I have no financial involvemnt in his business and he don't know I'm writing this. I just feel quite strongly that if you find a shop how they ought to be it ought to get bigged up so others can support it.

[Shockwave]

[quote name='wotnwhy' post='104287' date='Dec 14 2007, 01:13 PM']"Which shop was that mate? Cranes? GM? Gamlins?"

can't recall the name now, but it was a tiny shop. size of a small room, barely enough space to shuffle round. the gentleman was an older, greying man. it was off the main streets. i'll ask my guitarist if he can remember the name[/quote]

Sounds like GM to me.

I hate them in there, The three times i have been they had been very rude. There was one guy in there who seemed to have it in for English people. And when i asked for a guitar chord book he gave me a harmonica book, When i pointed this out he swore and got the correct book.

[Sean]

[quote name='Shockwave' post='104663' date='Dec 15 2007, 02:55 PM']Sounds like GM to me.[/quote]

One of the worst shops of any kind I have ever been in. Not been in since 2003 and I have no plans to go back.

[jay249]

[quote name='Shockwave' post='100484' date='Dec 6 2007, 08:06 PM']I never liked drum bank, Never liked the shop and the staff are pretencious dicks in my opinion.[/quote]

If you're on about the guitar shop, I disagree, I teach there upstairs and when I'm hanging about between students I'm always impressed with how helpful Ian and any other staff have been for all customers.

The stock's not amazing, fair enough, but there's a nice G and L Tribute and an ATK til recently, and a few Phil Jones's and Ashdowns

Could do a lot worse than that!

[tylerlangan]

I've recently been to a big guitar store where I'm currently staying (Cologne in Germany) and I really can't believe the place is even real...

They have the largest bass stock I've ever seen with my own eyes, including vintage/new/custom shop Fenders, lots Warwicks, Spectors, Musicmans, Ibanez and beautiful customs from all around Europe.

The shop also has a cafe in the middle of the guitars that encourages people to sit around and jam whilst eating and drinking.


My first visit there I was met by the head of the Bass department who asked me enthusiastically what I played and what I was into (in perfect English) then lead me into one of their three bass amp rooms and said the most perfect phrase I've ever heard in a music store

'If you wait here with a coffee, I'll bring you some things you'll like' EVEN after I'd explained I had no intention of buying, his response was simply 'ah but if you see something you like then maybe you'll find it somewhere else when you do want to buy'

He brought me loads of local built customs and even a MTD 5 string and let me play through a beautiful Glockenlang amp which sounded perfect, I thought I was in a dream, best time EVER.

[Ou7shined]

Sounds wicked.
Proof indeed that this shop assistant attitude is a very British malaise I wonder if it's like as they automatically assume that the customers are idiots (not helped buy managers passing on this attitude) that they get an over inflated opinion of what their job actually is - ASSISTING.
My dad has a number of shops and the staff that they take on are carefully selected (believe me, these prospective employees are discussed at home over the dinner table for weeks) and go through a trail period then assessed upon their ability to learn the job, appearance, punctuality and attitude. If they don't cut it they're out. They are also paid very well for shop assistants which is probably a major impetus.

[ped]

Although I think PMT in Oxford are very good on the whole, I was given a carrier bag to take home a bass in once.

[mcgraham]

Funny story with an additional thumbs down...

Was in London yesterday sorting some gear out, met a friend for lunch and we made a quick trip to Denmark street. Popped into the Bass Centre. As always, I wasn't asked if I wanted any help, it's your job as a customer to ask for that..apparently.

In the window I'd seen a Thumb 4 BO that looked to be of a shorter scale than previous ones I'd seen so I went in to have a look. He gave me quite a contemptuous 'uhh, no, it's not short scale, it's normal'. Actually handed it over to me, I had a look, noticed it had some wear, so I asked how much. He said it was a pricey 1500 but it was a limited edition so I could be persuaded somewhat that it was 'justified'. He felt he also had to correct me on my pronounciation of 'ovangkol', because we all use it everyday and it's spoken out loud soooo often I should OBVIOUSLY know how to pronounce it.

Final piece of contempt was in response to my comment that I felt it balanced better. 'It's the same shape as all the others, no different mate'.

I'm an easy going guy, I don't expect to be treated like royalty. But I can't stand it when people show such contempt for others (particularly customers that could/would make up the majority of their business), particularly from the outset of conversation.

There was some similarly harsh treatment to some teenagers wanting to have a look at a pedal. Somewhat fair reasoning behind his reaction as they clearly had no intention of buying. But he asked them outright if they were planning on buying today, they replied no, he said 'forget it then, saturdays are a nightmare'.... whilst it was only me and my mate other than those 2 teens in there.

Not intented to be a gripe, maybe he'd had a bad day, it's more a voicing of my personal aversion to people who treat others like they're idiots.

Mark

[s_u_y_*]

[quote name='mcgraham' post='104927' date='Dec 16 2007, 02:39 PM']He felt he also had to correct me on my pronounciation of 'ovangkol', because we all use it everyday and it's spoken out loud soooo often I should OBVIOUSLY know how to pronounce it.[/quote]

Just of curiosity, how do you pronounce it?

Is it [i]O[/i]-vang-kol or maybe o-[i]VANG[/i]-kol?

[ARGH]

[quote name='s_u_y_*' post='104929' date='Dec 16 2007, 02:45 PM']Just of curiosity, how do you pronounce it?

Is it [i]O[/i]-vang-kol or maybe o-[i]VANG[/i]-kol?[/quote]

O-vangkol,with a little empasis on the kol....

[David Nimrod]

[quote name='mcgraham' post='104927' date='Dec 16 2007, 02:39 PM']Not intented to be a gripe, maybe he'd had a bad day, it's more a voicing of my personal aversion to people who treat others like they're idiots.[/quote]


Perfect example of the (nonexistant) art of British customer service...

[ARGH]

[quote name='teen t-shirt' post='103629' date='Dec 12 2007, 11:35 PM']OMG!!

you'll never guess what i found this afternoon!

i found the perfect guitar shop in the world!

there was a substantial bass section! Amps and bass's ready to be taken down and played on!

friendly staff!

a bass expert in store to answer any questions! also he is a builder of basses and guitars!

one slight problem it's in Ripon in Yorkshire and all the bass's were made by Vintage which means it won't cost you an arm and a leg to purchase one. the most expensive was bout 200 quid.

and my god the sound that came out of them all that i tried and played with for a good hour and a half was amazing.

i was literally in heaven...

highly recommend you look for ripon city music shop if you're ever near the cathedral take a wander!

Phew! back to kerrang![/quote]

AHHH so you met Jim then... Tallish chunky bloke with spex and an Essex accent? Probably wearing a hoodie and combats.
Ripon city music are great,I just wish they were in a city,and had more stuff....But given as its a micro sized town,they are really really good educators as well.

+5 Billion on Mansons

ALWAYS GOOD,even when they are snowed under,they dont hassle you,they even apologise if they dont get to the phone quick enough or ring you back in time. Even if you dont get the 'Specialist' (Adrian in our case) the other guys will do whatever they can..and will,give you many options on a purchase if you give them a figure on what you are looking for. Tim is a good setup/repairer as well. And if you see Andy he ALWAYS asks if he can help.

They even recommended who and where to go to for repairs and spares in the north,when I moved up here.

London shops,just dont seem to come close.

[mcgraham]

[quote]Just of curiosity, how do you pronounce it?

Is it O-vang-kol or maybe o-VANG-kol?[/quote]

I said it o-van-kol, he pronounced it as ARGH said, with little emphasis on the kol, o-vankol. I also used to pronounce Warwick (as in the basses wrong... supposedly?) I always called Warwick (the place, the uni) War-wick, but it's pronounced Warrick, so i thought that applied to the basses. One of the guys years ago at my school snapped at me after the nth time of me calling it Warrick and said it was War-wick. I think I still them Warrick tho... Hmm...

[quote]Perfect example of the (nonexistant) art of British customer service...[/quote]

It's a stereotype but unfortunately it's a fairly accurate representation of the average national store rep. Hence why it's so good to support your local dude or dudette who puts that extra bit of effort in. Though, that mild irritance aside, I do believe that on an individual level we are each responsible for causing that (directly or indirectly) and that we can also make the difference (directly or indirectly). It's easy to be kind to those who are kind to you, there's true reward in every sense if you respond well and love those who don't respond that way to you.

Mark

[Damien1080]

If your in Kent area then Sound and Image *used to be sounds perfect* is ace AS LONG AS YOU ASK MANNY, seriously aswell as being a friend hes an ace guitar tech,salesman and player. Can get virtually anything in for you aswel if you ask, really nice staff overall but id really reccomend Manny for instrument stuff. He's my go-to guy and the reason i have a Pedulla now!

[ARGH]

Do you really see the Germans calling a Guitar VAR VICK!?

Everyone Ive met,heard..talked to,endorsee etc,calls it "Warrick"

[OldGit]

[quote name='wotnwhy' post='103687' date='Dec 13 2007, 02:37 AM']my local guitar shop is this little place about 15ft squared, only 3 or 4 basses and a couple of amps, only 1 person works there, the owner Sarah. and she's been the 5 days a week for the last dacade. always friendly, always up for a chit-chat and always more than happy to let schoolkids try and shred, which although something that annoys me a bit now, was a real good thing when i was a kid.
because of this i make sure that if there's anything i can get through that shop, i do so, even if it is a few quid more. and i think just about every other musicial in a 20 mile radius does the same.

also, i was up in Cardiff a few weeks ago with a couple of hours to kill. so me and a mate were wondering round the music shops, and although we weren't asking to play things or talking to the staff, there was a bit of a chill in the air for them. that is until we hit upon a little one tucked away in a corner.[/quote]

Which one was that ?
Cardiff Guitars in the bay is good. Gamlins and Cranes are Ok though someone did put on a loud music video whilst I was trying something one time. Even if I do play rubbish diddly tunes and Lloyd Webber waltzes, it's still impolite ... Plenty of basses in both.

[vmaxblues]

On a recent trip to Antwerp I made a diversion before getting on the train to go to Denmark Street, it looked very promising with all these great looking music shops, before I actually went in and met the lobotomy receiving dullards that could not be less bothered to help. I actually tried as a sport to engage them into selling me something, but this was obviously an alien principle to them. I mean, even on a commercial basis, who the funk employs these sales prevention officers, like, heres the business plan.

1) Expensive premises in London check
2) Exhorbitant rates bil check
3) Many thousands of pounds in stock check
4) Lots of expensive advertising check
5) A retard who wont sell anything check

What can go wrong.....


End of rant