Calling all People from the UK

There have been several threads about this and there were two long ones recently explaining how to get to the decent shops in London - you should be able to find these.

Howver I would say that there are good shops - which I visit often - and cheap shops, which I avoid at all costs. These are two different catgories and never the twain shall meet!

 

I like Coda music in Luton. Lots of choice, for basses and amps. Stacks and stacks of huge amps, they have like the full range of Trace Elliot, among others. Prices are pretty good too. Website is www.coda-music.com The site doesn't have any pics though, just prices, but I recommend this place.

 

Euurgh! It's a guitar shop!! Wouldn't be seen dead in one - too "rock" for me!

 

Whats wrong with a guitar shop?

drtjumper I use Coda Luton a lot I bought a guitar (arrrrgh) from them last month.

 

Haha, they have a pretty big selection of basses though, ibanez, fender, gibson, etc. I like it, gonna spend a bit of money there. I bought my lovely Trace Elliot Commando 15 there on saturday. Brilliant. Now I just need money for a new bass

 

Mr Destructo

Use the search engine and use the words Gallery and bass centre for the full story

http://www.thebassgallery.com
http://www.basscentre.co.uk
and I have mail ordered a guitar pedal from http://www.soundsgreatmusic.com A mate bought a multi effects wah and mim Jazz from them and service is prompt and polite.

 

Well it's bad enough hearing what you're doing against all the would-be-slapmeisters in bass shops, let alone having distorted guitars at ear-piercing volume - do they issue complimentary ear-plugs?

Oh and I hate Trace Elliott gear with a vengeance!

 

Why don't you like Trace Elliot stuff? I really like the sound of my new amp.

 

Bruce I always carry my own earplugs just in case someone plays Smells Like Teen Spirit. The last time I went England were playing Greece-empty shop, sorted.

Dirtjumper-I wouldnt bother, just because Bruce hates Trace Elliot dont mean its bad, just that he doesnt like it.

 

I'm not tryin to start a fight or anything. I like Bruce, he helped me out with some research for my A-level project.

 

Peter Cook's Guitar World- good for clearance deals
Flying Pig Music Co. - got my Trace Elliot amp there
Soho Soundhouse/Turnkey

the Bass Centre and The Gallery are good for specialised gear and less well-known brands (and if you'd rather be subjected to hearing a bass slapathon as opposed to guitar show-offs) but their prices are pretty steep.

 

I do like the Bass Centre and Gallery, but I do agree that they are not cheap. But I would rather go to a shop that has good service,knowledgeable and friendly staff, than one with slightly cheaper prices but can't wait to get you out the door.

I must admit though, that I tried out Eden amps for a morning there and decided that was what I wanted, then actually bought the amp mail order from Overwater!!

But I wouldn't want a bass that I haven't tried extensively, so would never buy mail order and I usually find that the Bass Centre is the only place that has what I want, so there is no comparison anyway.

I bought an excellent Yamaha TRB6P there- with piezos in the bridge, ebony board etc - one of the originals for £1300 which wasn't cheap, but nowhere else had these or allowed me to compare side-by-side with Ken Smith, Sadowsky, Warwick, Spector, Status etc etc - so I was convinced I had a bargain.

Similarly when I bought my pre-Gibson Tobias Classic - I was able to compare with loads of other basses and decide that it was worth £1800 and there were several other people who wanted to buy it as well - but to me, the service I got from the Bass Centre was worth far more than a few quid off and the things I have bought weren't available anywhere else.

As to Trace Elliott gear - it just sounds too coloured to me - sort of a "Rock" sound, whereas I prefer something which just amplifies the sound of my bass as faithfully as possible. After extensive side-by-side tests I found that Eden and Euphonic Audio was best at this.

I did buy a TA combo once (long ago) in a hurry and I must say I was in a hurry to get rid of it - bought it in a guitar shop because it was cheap, but the sound was horrible to my ears. I eventually traded it in at a big loss!

 

Well, living north of the border, the main place I go is Sound Control in Glasgow. I think that I've bought all of my bass gear from there. They have some good deals, and are willing to match most of the prices I get from phoning places down south to get quotes - but if you don't do this or ask, they won't normally give you as much off. They don;t have a website, but they do have a mail order service. I wouldn't use the mail order for basses though, I had an experience years ago - that helped me learn!!!!!! I managed to get out of it OK though!!!

You've gotta try before you buy!!!! Especially on basses - each one is different. Amps, speaker cabs, effects are a safer buy, but it usually means your warranty is offered by a company miles away!!!

As for the Trace Elliot debate that seems to have developed - I like the stuff, I do play predominantly rock so maybe that's why. I think it's very much 'horses for courses'. I don't think people that don't like Trace are nuts - they just like something different!!!! I think that there's plenty room for all - lets face it it we were all the same life and TB would be a little boring!

 

http://www.machinehead.co.uk

and http://www.loot.com

 

I tried my Trace Elliot amp in the Flying Pig shop first before buying it, same with the basses I've bought new from shops.

I play mostly rock stuff, so the Trace Elliot sound works for me (lots of high mids that cut through heavy guitars).
I've tried an Eden amp and 4X10- it's a pure, crystalline hifi sound, but one that would get buried by loud guitars.

the guitarist of the covers band I'm in always nagged me to get a Hartke amp and a Musicman Stingray like their previous bassist had.
I figured that while that would work for covering RATM's first album stuff, it wouldn't really work for covering Metallica, Green Day, Offspring etc.
also, there've been several reports of Hartke speaker cones failing.
my Trace amp and cab's stood up well to abuse with distortion pedals etc.

 

Hi,
Yeah, Machinehead in Hitchin are great,Seperate Bass floor - excellent service.