In London...

[can_v]

Hey guys,

I'm going to London between 3rd - 17th of April. I've never been there before. I wanna take a look at instrument shops there both new and used. I found some of interesting ones on the internet but most of them are so far away and even though she lives there now, I don't think my girlfriend wanna take 3 hours of train rides to music shop with me . Any recommend?

And I also wanna check out the places where they play good live music as well, not too heavy though, since I'm going with my girlfriend . If anyone can suggest a place where they play nice fusion - jazz, I would be very appreciated.

Thanks in advance

[Bruce Lindfield]

London is very big and very expensive!

Unfortunately the best music shops have gone bust due to internet retailing...

10 - 15 years ago I would have know exactly where you should go - but now I would just say that Denmark Street is good for "window shopping" - but don't buy anything there as the shops are over-priced and the staff not that good....

As to live music - there is a huge number of places - hundreds and hundreds of venues that play every night. Fusion is a term that died out here in the 80s - but there are lots of Jazz clubs - again though they are very expensive and two tickets to some places might cost you more than your plane ticket from the US!!

You could try this :

http://jazzinlondon.net/JIL/JILfrontpage.htm

[Bruce Lindfield]

PS - I suggest this is the wrong forum for this query ...?

[Lakai]

http://www.myspace.com/thebasscellar

http://www.thebassgallery.com/

[Eamesy]

+1 on the bass gallery - really cool little shop and home of sei basses, IIRC, and you'll probably be visiting Camden anyway!

Denmark Street, aka Tin Pan Alley, is nice to look around - some very cool vintage and used guitar shops and a lot of history but as people have already said, it's expensive as hell and apart from the vintage stuff noting you can't buy online cheaper.

Don't really know what shops you've found if it's gonna take you three hours to get there though, haha!?

[can_v]

Originally Posted by Bruce Lindfield

London is very big and very expensive!

Unfortunately the best music shops have gone bust due to internet retailing...

10 - 15 years ago I would have know exactly where you should go - but now I would just say that Denmark Street is good for "window shopping" - but don't buy anything there as the shops are over-priced and the staff not that good....

As to live music - there is a huge number of places - hundreds and hundreds of venues that play every night. Fusion is a term that died out here in the 80s - but there are lots of Jazz clubs - again though they are very expensive and two tickets to some places might cost you more than your plane ticket from the US!!

You could try this :

http://jazzinlondon.net/JIL/JILfrontpage.htm

Thanks for the tips!

I've checked with some of my friends there, they said the same thing. Everything is expensive. One even said that the cheapest way to buy stuffs is through the internet, which makes me kinda sad actually.

Hmm... Fusion is a long dead term now? Sorry. I guess i'm spending too much time with older people. I'm only 28 but I'm playing with late 30s and 40-ish guys. And they still use that term.

[can_v]

I'm sorry, I do post this in the wrong forum. I haven't checked.

[Bruce Lindfield]

I just meant that if you looked in listings for "Fusion" - then you probably won't find anything - but there's lots of Jazz!

[ricca]

Lots of music shops are in Denmark street and Tottenham Court road, central London.
Tube station T.C.Road.

[Bruce Lindfield]

Yes - but they are not that good and way over-priced !

[sei24bass]

Originally Posted by Eamesy

+1 on the bass gallery - really cool little shop and home of sei basses, IIRC, and you'll probably be visiting Camden anyway!

Denmark Street, aka Tin Pan Alley, is nice to look around - some very cool vintage and used guitar shops and a lot of history but as people have already said, it's expensive as hell and apart from the vintage stuff noting you can't buy online cheaper.

Don't really know what shops you've found if it's gonna take you three hours to get there though, haha!?

+1. I've lived in London 15+ years and The Bass Gallery in Camden (North London) is the only place to go for bass guitars...well worth the visit (if nothing else to check out SEI basses which they make on-site in the basement, http://www.seibass.com).

[Bruce Lindfield]

Camden is nice for a lot of things - but it is not near the usual tourist hangouts and "must-sees" - like London Eye, Houses of Parliament etc.

[can_v]

I checked the bass gallery, I will go check that place for sure.

Thanks for all of your suggestions.

[dave_bass5]

Originally Posted by can_v

I checked the bass gallery, I will go check that place for sure.

Thanks for all of your suggestions.

The Gallery always looks like its shut so make sure you press the buzzer on the door.
They never take the steel blinds up, and no wonder with what they have inside.

[shadowtippy]

Be sure to learn the language before you go. It is somewhat different that "American."

[cnltb]

Originally Posted by can_v

Hey guys,

I'm going to London between 3rd - 17th of April. I've never been there before. I wanna take a look at instrument shops there both new and used. I found some of interesting ones on the internet but most of them are so far away and even though she lives there now, I don't think my girlfriend wanna take 3 hours of train rides to music shop with me . Any recommend?

And I also wanna check out the places where they play good live music as well, not too heavy though, since I'm going with my girlfriend . If anyone can suggest a place where they play nice fusion - jazz, I would be very appreciated.

Thanks in advance

There's The Gallery in camden.
The best bass specific shop I know.
It is also extremely near one of the real tourist spotts-Camden Town with Camden market.
Then there is Denmark street ,off charing cross road.
It's famous for it's instrument shops .
I'm not gonna say anything about them being "good "or else, but since they are soo central I'd check them out.
For live music there's ronnie scotts and pizza express dean street and charlie wrights in hoxton and the royal festival hall, the barbican, the jazz cafe and many, many more.

Just a start...

[dave_bass5]

Originally Posted by shadowtippy

Be sure to learn the language before you go. It is somewhat different that "American."

Depending where you go its somewhat different to English as well lol.

[cnltb]

Originally Posted by dave_bass5

Depending where you go its somewhat different to English as well lol.

Good one!