Retail Therapy : Bass Players who work it.

[Stroppy Guts]

Hi, I'm a Bass Player who has played over 2500 gigs and has moved into retail sales in a music shop. I'm over 40 now and am not as happy gigging several times a week as I used to be. Don't get me wrong, I love my job and I love to give my customers the best deals and advise I can, but lately I'm finding that there are so many customers who no one can help because, well quite frankly, they're just retarded.

By this I mean they want gear that is,

a) extra cheap
b) stupidly loud
c) light and portable
d) vintage

Most often theses guys don't realise they want the impossible, and that quite often the reason why they can't pull a decent bass sound is that they simply can't play, or they insist on trying to pull (for instance) a Warwick sound from a Fender bass or visa versa.

The biggest cause for concern is those players allergic to any treble in their sound who can't understand why their amp cannot cut through the mix (Retarded!!).

Is any one else out there in Bass Player land in the same situation because if I vent my feelings on this matter to my girlfreind one more time I'm going to end up single.


Boomshanka,

Stroppy Guts.

[Captain Simian]

I also work in instrument sales and I do see the same things sometimes. Instead of getting really frustrated by it I just sit down and explain to them why certain things don't work or try to point them in the right direction. The only thing I have a problem with is when I don't give someone a good enough deal they say that they can go to such and such place and get a better deal (then go to such and such place and get it) or that they shopped there for years and spend a lot of money and that they should get a killer deal (usually they bought a pack of strings 3 years ago). I just don't like to be threatened and react badly to it. Overall though, I love my job and enjoy trying to help players find their sound.

[Stanley Design]

Yup, instrument retail is a huge passion of mine because it is the only thing in this world I can confidently say I know exactly what I am talking about. Making the deal is only half the fun for me, more important is teaching something to the customer to make their search easier. A lot of the time people will buy gear that doesn't suit them, but sometimes people just don't know any better and you can really light a fire under them.

Sure, there are people that will buy an amp and cab and say "it's so amazing, I've never had tone like this in my life, I could never live without this amp" yet every single time they play it they are fiddling with knobs trying to get a good tone, and blame it on anything except for the amp. "It's the venue" "It's the stage" etc. People are pretty ignorant and just buy what they THINK is good a lot. Those are the people you don't talk shop with and just plug them into the Ampeg stack because you already know there's no reasoning with them and they just want eye candy. There will be a kid 10 feet away eager to learn how to get a better tone.

If people say they want one piece that is...
cheap
vintage
loud
light

Just come right out and say, you wont get it. It doesn't exist or everyone would own one, but that you can help find something that works for them. What ones of those can they compromise with? Which one is the most important? Take the one that is most important and work from there. If they say I really want something cool and vintage, then look a little above their budget, weight restrictions and try and find them the most volume meeting that. If they say they only have a certain amount of money and need at least X-amount of wattage, look for something in that area that doesnt meet portable and vintage. Give them the options. You'll never make any musician completely happy, but if you can satisfy their needs, their wants are usually forgotten.