Rate Your Shops

[Jamie]

So, this is a rating thread and a chance for you to rate your local guitar shops!

The layout should be something like this:

Name:
Place:
Country/state:
Review:

Rating: /10



I'll start off.



Name: Sound Control
Place: Newcastle
Country/state: United Kingdom
Review:This is quite a small shop, but pretty good still! Sound Control is the largest group of branches of Musical Instrument shops across the UK. The staff in here are nice and friendly and don't mind chatting with you and helping you out. The middle floor is a small room for Bass and PA. There is a selection of roughly 25-30 basses there, alot of Fenders (the usual MIM jazzes, etc.) They also have some brilliant Schecters, Fender MIA's, Tobias' and many Euro Spectors! So the selection isn't that great, but the basses they have are nice. Unfortunately, they dont have a bass specific employee, which is quite a shame. A good thing about the shop is on the top floor, they have a great guitar tech who you can go up to and talk to and he can do jobs and setups for you. I've heard he does a good job too! Overall, I think its the custom service and friendlyness that does it for me.

Rating: 7/10



More to come..

[Echleon]

Name: City Music
Place: Yruro
Country/state: England, Cornwall
Review: Well I have a love-hate relationship with this shop. Overall, I would say the stock in this shop is very good; they stock a wide range of brands and models (good ones I must say). The bad thing about this shop is customer service. Whenever you go up to the top floor (guitar and bass section) you feel like you're constantly under servailance; like their always watching you. Whenever you try out an instrument, you'll be lucky if you're amped up, and even then, it's doubtfull you're get more than 5 minutes playing time (this might be because im 15, and they don't take non-adults seriously). This shop is also very overpriced; which leaves me and my friends resulting to online buys. The positive things about this shop, is there is much space, will often lower prices when presented with online quotes, and purchase of an instruments ensure lifetime warranty (yes, free setups).

Overall, I give this shop

Rating: 6/10

[kaiser]

Name: Jonny Roadhouse Music
Place: Manchester
Country/state: England
Review:

This place is pitiful, they don't care about you much, they just want your money or do they? i went in, all they're stock has chips in and stuff, and they are vastly overpriced! And i just looked round their minimal selection as i got dirty looks and just left. I swear on the way out i saw a sign saying "you must be over 18 to buy guitars or basses from this shop" i mean i can't be certain, but it definately said something dodgy.

score: 2/10 only because i'm generous

[Bedrovelse]

Name : Soundcontrol
Place : Stoke-on-Trent
Country : United Kingdom
Review : Pretty big shop really, but very Guitar orientated, with at least 100 guitars as you walk in, another 50 acoustic's in a seperate section, Keyboards/PC recording at the back, Drums next to there (Mainly Electric ones) and then the bass section, just right of everything else.
Bass wise...hmm pretty decent, really, they have the usual 'beginner' basses, (squiers, ibanez 'starter' packs')
A Few Ernie Ball Musicmans (2/3),
1 Acoustic (Fender i think)
Tobias, galore...(to many, as i really hate them :upset: )
To many Squiers,
and a wide variety of Fenders (Jazz' & Precisions (Standards and Re-issues)
Also a LOAD of ibanez', i would say around 12 or so.
BUT SADLY :upset: NO 6 STRING BASSES?? I've complained, and they say theres no 'demand' for 6'ers...
Amp section is pretty good actually, a variety, of combo's and cabs/head rageing from Hartke, Laney, Ampeg, Ashdown..etc...etc...

Sadly they only stock Ernie Ball Super Slinky Strings...£18 a set?? hmmm...

Effects, they stock Zoom Multi's and Boss Single Effects (Boss-ODB-3, Zoom 506, and tonnes more)

Rating : 7/10
priceing is crazy in there.

[Machines]

Name: Dawsons
Place: Manchester (City Centre)
Country/state: UK
Review: Reasonable sized place that sells all musical instruments (Strings / Brass / Guitars). Guitars / basses on 1st floor, staff are friendly although a little slow to initiate contact sometimes. Bass selection is aimed at starters and 'fashion' bassists.

BRANDS = Fender / Squier / Peavey / Musicman / Vintage.

There is a demo room to try out gear with a decent sized amp to plug into. Not a place to look for new gear in particular, but a reasonable place to pass some time and browse.

Rating: 6/10



Name: Soundcontrol
Place: Manchester (Salford)
Country/state: UK
Review: A huge warehouse that holds hundreds of guitars and basses. Certainly aimed more at experienced musicians more than beginners and fashion victims. Staff are generally all at the counter rather than floor walking and giving assistance. It can be somewhat annoying when you actually want to buy something. Huge range of basses - very easy to find many things you want. Other 'customers' seem to like to turn their amps to max all the time which is also annoying.

BRANDS = Fender / Spector / Warwick / Schechter / Yamaha / Tobias / Ibanez / Musicman

Rating: 7.5/10


Name: Regent Guitars
Place: Leamington Spa, Warwickshire
Country/state: UK
Review: A deceptively large shop spread out over 3 floors. The basses are in the basement (no pun intended). This is an Aladdins Cave of gear - unfortunately let down by a small amount in-stock.

BRANDS = Musicman / Peavey / G&L / Fender / Aria / Vintage

Rating: 6.5/10


Name: Forsythes
Place: Manchester (City Centre)
Country/state: UK
Review: A large music shop aimed mainly at classical musicians (large range of brass / strings / pianos & sheet music). Guitars feature on the 3rd floor (stairs only). They have a range of approximately 15 bassesof which all suck. None I tried were setup at all. All basses are connected via a security system which must be deactivated by a member of staff before you can even touch anything. I find this ironic because there's nothing worth stealing.

BRANDS = Aria / AXL / Squier / Epiphone

Rating: 3/10

[H flat]

Name: George's Music Springfield
Place: Springfield/Morton
State: Pennsylvania, USA (Philly area)
Review: The basses are all extremely low-end; I haven't seen anything better than some Squiers and GSR200s in a long, long time. Rockbasses are a rare sight, and the best thing they've ever had is a mediocre Cirrus. The staff is very biased toward those who spend a large amount of money constantly. They also are very nosey; albeit I can go pick up any bass, a patch cord, and jam (most people need to ask), the employees are still extremely snobby and watch you constanty. The kids aren't too nice either; we get the usual group of 2-5 teens coming in, disrespecting the basses/guitars and playing horribly, and then leaving. The kids that come play guitar usually play the same thing over and over. Seeing the workers (who seem congregated around the center area the whole time) laughing/chuckling/staring at a kid playing (with his/her head facing the wall) is not unseen. The guys also are quick to rip off the stereotypical soccer mom and her would-be guitar son/daughter. Ugh. They're obviously comissioned. One last thing, they don't let people set up anything! I wanted to try a Behringer V-Amp and the one guy insisted on hooking it up (the fact that he took about 5 minutes didn't help). They also like to sell basses "as-is," without any of the tools/wax/etc that normally comes with them. They even keep the soft/hard cases!

On the positive side, anything that other nearby George's stores have can be shipped to the store overnight, with no cost to the consumer. (I think the stock of George's Music stores varies based on the overall welath of the town and people that it is in.) The two bass teachers are also top-notch, and rates aren't too bad; I think I'm paying about $68 a month for lessons, and my teacher sometimes gives me an extra half hour or so.

Overall, if you've got your heart set on a bass and need it soon, George's is quite an OK place. Prices are quite negotiable, and you can get a very good discount my pointing out small cosmetic flaws on a floor model bass. But don't expect to save up your money for half a year and go there expecting to find the perfect bass with that $2k you saved up and leave with that warm feeling you get knowing you were helped to make a good decision and will get excellent support. I've expected it from them. Twice. And both times my hopes were killed. I'd take a trip to King of Prussia or New Jersey for Sam Ash or GC if you want a half-decent buying experience. (I know GC isn't that great, but it's the best we have short of driving 4 hours to Bass Palace or taking a train ride to NYC.) Overall the place just feels gimmicky, from the red and yellow walls to the black pants and polo every staffer has on to the half-broken front sign.

BRANDS: Squier, rarely a MIM Fender, Ibanez galore, some Peavey, but they do have a decent number of order-only brands.

Rating: 4/10 cause I'm feeling good today.

[Chaos]

Name: Airport music
Place: Buffalo, New York
Country: United states

Review: I've bought an small guitar amp, a bass pedal, and I've gone there for lessons and strings. I only really talk to one guy there and he's very cool. He has helped me set up my guitar for free and he's let try whatever I had my eye on before I bought it. The store is sort of small and although has brand name and quality looking guitars, the selection is small. Probably, 15-20 basses. Many Ibanezes and Gibsons/Epiphones. There's Jacksons too. No Fenders, which is alright I suppose. Most of the gear looks like it's priced well. Overall, definitely a cool store.

8/10

[Bedrovelse]

Name: Soundcontrol
Place: Manchester (Salford)
Country/state: UK
Review: A huge warehouse that holds hundreds of guitars and basses. Certainly aimed more at experienced musicians more than beginners and fashion victims. Staff are generally all at the counter rather than floor walking and giving assistance. It can be somewhat annoying when you actually want to buy something. Huge range of basses - very easy to find many things you want. Other 'customers' seem to like to turn their amps to max all the time which is also annoying.

BRANDS = Fender / Spector / Warwick / Schechter / Yamaha / Tobias / Ibanez / Musicman

Rating: 7.5/10




Hey..Im thinking of traveling up to manchester, as im only 1 hour's drive (south) of manchester and was thinking of going in the Man Soundcontrol..

They got a good range of 6'ers???

[fathergoat]

Name: Durham Music
City: Ajax/Pickering
Country/State: Ontario, Canada

Store: Well this is a very small shop with the owner their at all times. There are a very small section of basses, which tend to be the same (e.g. Fender Precession, Squire-p x 10). They order in basses they think will sell, but tend to overprice them, and overstock them (e.g. Mark Hoppus signature $959+tax Canadian). When shopping for bass strings: be prepared to pay at least $44 Canadian for the lowest quality strings they have. The staff work very slow and are not very helpful unless you are buying the strings, which are beside their chairs. The store contains about 5 different bass amps that are all below 50 watts. Overall I found this the worst music store I have ever been in and that I would rather spend the gas money (gas is very expensive in Canada now) and go to somewhere where I can trust they will give me my dollars worth… or even close to that.
Rating 4/10

Teacher: Well, the only bass teacher they had at the time was the teacher I had. I will First off, he told me to use a pick because all of the best bassists use them and “you will suck without one”. Secondly he told me that I would never be able to play any Primus (wtf?). After two weeks of lessons I had learned Carousel and What’s My Age Again? (And he had tabbed them wrong, like the first note of carousel 5 notes off on the intro… where it is only the bass playing).
I then decided to quit due to the fact I felt like a better bassist than he was and he was holding me back.
Bass teacher rating 1/10.

OVERALL RATING 2.5/10, and I am sorry to ramble on.

[warwickcorvette]

Name: Marks Music
Place: Cambridge, Cambridgshire
Country/state: UK
Review: A fairly small music shop located in the centre of cambridge, for its size it stocks a great variety of basses at great prices ( Got my stingray for £1050) . The customer service is great, everyone in there is very friendly and happy to help with problems. If you're ever in cambridge check it out

Rating: 9/10

[shacklecrow]

Name: Back alley music
Place: Mold and Chester (different branches)
Country/state: Wales and England
Review: ok this place doesnt stock many basses has about 20max i think, best bass they have is a fender mustang, the rest are copies of good basses and dont cost over £250. They dont stock schecter basses at all so i cant even get them to get me one :upset: and the only decent thing they are good with is second hand cabs and they have quite a wide selection of effects pedals

i give them 3/10

[kaiser]

Hey..Im thinking of traveling up to manchester, as im only 1 hour's drive (south) of manchester and was thinking of going in the Man Soundcontrol..

They got a good range of 6'ers???

the one MachinesOfHate is talking about isnt directly in the centre of manchester, but the Sound Control that is in the centre of manchester has a couple of 6'ers i think, one being the Yamaha TRB1006 (if i remember correctly)

[Jamie]

Great reviews people! :D

[Chaos]

Just remembered another

NAme : Guitar Factory
Location: Western New York State (place exactly escapes me)
Country: United states.

Seemed to have a large selection of guitars and acoustics. The bass selection not so wonderful. The store is large, and very spacey, they could probably fit a lot more gear in there. They have a nice demo room with amps you can plug into and close a type of door. Prices seem fair. I picked up my used Spector bass there. It was priced a bit under 300 and it seems to be holding up. I traded in my SX for 100 dollars there, so I believe that was definitely a good deal. I haven't delt with them all that much but I keep them in mind for future purchases.

7/10

[fatbandit]

I thought that said Rate Your Shoes...

:upset:

I was getting ready to talk about shoes, dagnabbit...

:(

:smash:

[bryce_the_cat]

Name: Scarboro Music
Place:Scarborough
Country/Province:Canada/Ontario
Review:Worst store I have ever been to. 3 basses, all of them were Slammer, by Hamer (similar to Fender & Squier). They also had 1 bass amp, that being a Rogue.
They had around half a dozen effects pedals, then strings and cables and such.
I give this store 1.5/10

[Worrpigs]

Name: hartland music conservatory
Place: Hartland
Country/state: Wisconsin
Review: ok so my store isnt big at all, they mainly stock fenders and for acoustic guitars they have a bunch of Taylors. Its not big like i said so i get to know basically everyone in the guitar shop, so they tell me truthfully about some of their stuff that is bad, good, or just plain crap. i also get very good deals, and im planning on buying my next amp there(fender bxr 200w head w/ peavey cab). they stock a bunch of handmade effects from a guy in milwaukee and used to have Digitech until they stopped stocking them, they also do repairs, set-ups and basically anything else you want them to. very pleasant place and very fun place to just hang out and talk to the guys
Rating: 9/10

[knockwurst_myband]

name:DB music
place:victorville
country/state:calirfornia
review: ok this is a very VERY smally music store, my living room is about the size of the entire store, not including the back where the merchandise is kept). they have all basic stuff like strings pedals etc. but not much to choose from. they have a whopping total of get this 3!!!! basses no i'm not kidding there's a silvertone, another silvertone(thats another color), and another bass i've never heard of thats $600. the people are nice, but feel a bit pressuring. the bass amps selection are well, less than appealing. they have a couple yorkvilles and a hartke amp or 2.
rating: 3/10 :upset:

[Jamie]

Name: Howards Bass Place
Place: Newcastle
Country/state: United Kingdom
Review: This is a tiny shop, smaller than my bedroom! Its very secluded too. Its just a door on a street with a tiny sign above it. As you walk up the stairs a strong smell of cigarettes hits you. Not pleasant at all! The shop usually has 2 or 3 40-50 something men in it, talking. Luckily, these guys are very knowledgable! So in the shop there is quite a wide selection with some strange and unique basses. Most of the basses there seems to be old and tattered or disgustingly modded (we saw about 4 vintage 60s and 70s jazz basses that had been horribly modded and painted, etc. Its disgraceful. As I was looking around the basses, I would ask the owner how much a certain bass was. Every single bass I asked about was either not for sale or was a vintage fender, which he was asking for around £3000 for! So basically, they sell nothing! I wouldn't actually buy anything from there but its nice to look around and see what cool stuff they have!


Rating: 3/10

[Machines]

Hey..Im thinking of traveling up to manchester, as im only 1 hour's drive (south) of manchester and was thinking of going in the Man Soundcontrol..

They got a good range of 6'ers???

I'd say theres around 6 in total. At least 1 Spector, 1 Shechter, 1 Tobias and a 3 Warwicks (fretted and fretless).

[SlapHappySunshine]

You know, this is a very good topic and I'd love to see something like this with a sticky next to it.

[Jamie]

Especially useful if you're going on holiday you can see which shops are best and why, etc. and from who posted that review, you can see who lives near there! Meaning you can get in touch with them and meet up with them or just ask for directions to the shop!

[Untitled]

Name: Dawsons
Place: Manchester (City Centre)
Country/state: UK
Review: Reasonable sized place that sells all musical instruments (Strings / Brass / Guitars). Guitars / basses on 1st floor, staff are friendly although a little slow to initiate contact sometimes. Bass selection is aimed at starters and 'fashion' bassists.

BRANDS = Fender / Squier / Peavey / Musicman / Vintage.

There is a demo room to try out gear with a decent sized amp to plug into. Not a place to look for new gear in particular, but a reasonable place to pass some time and browse.

Rating: 6/10



Name: Soundcontrol
Place: Manchester (Salford)
Country/state: UK
Review: A huge warehouse that holds hundreds of guitars and basses. Certainly aimed more at experienced musicians more than beginners and fashion victims. Staff are generally all at the counter rather than floor walking and giving assistance. It can be somewhat annoying when you actually want to buy something. Huge range of basses - very easy to find many things you want. Other 'customers' seem to like to turn their amps to max all the time which is also annoying.

BRANDS = Fender / Spector / Warwick / Schechter / Yamaha / Tobias / Ibanez / Musicman

Rating: 7.5/10

This is what i was gonna put pretty much, for some reason, i cant stand dawsons anymore. I dont know where that other shop is in City Centre though.

[Echleon]

Name: Modern Music
Place: Truro
Country/state: United Kingdom
Review: This shop is interesting. They mostly stock Squiers and a few MusicMan Sub Basses. However, they do stock a few nice guitars (USA Fenders, Jackson, PRS). I mostly visit this shop to buy strings and picks. This store is extremely cramped, hardly any space to walk; however, the customer service is great, and they stock many amps.

Rating: 8/10

[fancy_a_tipple]

Name: Music Center
Place: Bedford
Country: Merry old England

Review: A small shop selling a good range of guitars, basses, drums, banjos... and lots of mixing equipment. Really cool staff, all of them play in the same band, always up for a chat. Nice selection of basses; Yamaha, Fender, Epi, ESP, Musicman, Ibanez, a few warwicks and Rics from time to time. For a shop where breathing is difficult they sure sell a lot of stuff... unfortunately it lacks any decent bass amp section, selling only a few peavy combos and no cabs or heads. Still a great shop where you can hang out for an afternoon playing bass. Sound Control may have more basses but atleast the manager isnt a wang.

Rating: 8/10

[Kibuddy]

Daddy's Junky Music
Portland, ME. USA.

This shop can be really off and on in terms of quality. The overall atmosphere is not very good. Most of the employees know very little, if anything at all, about what they sell. The bass selection is really touchy. On some days, it can be awesome. I've managed to come across a like-new Peavey Cirrus and two mid-high end Spectors. Some days it will be merely okay. Other days, you may find a few Squiers and a low end Ibanez or two, and that's it. It all depends on what day you come in. The amp selection is pretty poor. Some used Ampegs and Peaveys, and maybe a Hartke here and there. A lot of them are in really rough shape, too. I know nothing about their guitar selection, though, as I haven't looked too far into it. The pricing here is insane, though, in a bad way. They over price almost everyhint. You can find a good deal here andf there, but for the most part, they'll rip you off if you're not careful.

Rating: 5/10

Portland Percussion
Portland ME, USA

This shop is a big step up from Daddy's, but still not my favorite. The atmosphere here is almost like an underground guitar dealer, seeing as, well, the shop litteraly IS underground. The minute you walk in the door, you look out and see the entire shop below you. Very cool. It was a little dark when I went, though. It could have used a few more lights. They're authorized to deal a lot of great instruments, like G&L, Rickenbacker, and Modulus, but they rarely have any of the good stuff in. They, of course, carry lots of Squiers and Fenders, and some OLP Stingrays as well. This shop seems much more focused on drums and guitars though. The amp selection was very limited here as well. LOTS of Crate combos. A few Ampegs dotted aorund the area. They're authorized to deal Roland amps, but they haven't had any in stock for years... It's a cool shop, but it could be much better.

Rating: 7/10

Buckdancers Choice Music
Portland ME, USA

This is my favorite shop in the area. This place acutally feels like a music shop. The staff knows what they're talking about and are completely capable of doing repairs. There's even a luthier there, incase you have any serious problems with an instrument. These guys deal much more than basses and guitars, though. They have ukuleles, violins, double basses, steel guitars, citars, some really wierd instruments I've never seen in my life, and even a lap steel. Lots of stuff to mess around with. The bass selection is kinda poor here. Dean, USA Fenders, Warwicks, Epiphone, and a few others. However, of all the shops, these are the highest quality instruments. The amp selection is MUCH better here than the other shops. Fender, Mesa/Boogie, SWR, Tech 21, Ampeg, and I think I saw a Hartke head there, too. This shop is always filled with intelligent people. I've never once seen a wanabe guitarist trying to shred here. It's a very relaxed environment, and I've met some really cool people here. Of all of the shops I've been to, this is easily my favorite.

Rating: 9/10. Could have a much better bass selection.

[The_Red_Death]

Name: Acorn Music
Place: Salmon Arm BC Canada
Review: One of 2 music shops in my town, neither of which are very good. The only basses this place carries are Squiers, and occasionally a Yamaha or Peavey. The staff aren't very helpful at all, and all seem to be pissed off when one asks to try out an instrument. I know the staff know what they're talking about, as they're all smart people. They just make no effort to show it.

Rating: 3/10

Name: The Music Shoppe
Place: Vernon, BC.
Review: Now this is a great shop. Very helpful staff, and a large selection. The first time I walked in there, a 20 or so year old guy came out from behind the counter. I said I was just looking around at basses, and he pretty much showed me every bass they had there, even a couple great deals on some used Spectors. They carry G&L, Spector, Yamaha, and a large selection of various used basses. This is the shop that gets all my business from now on.

Rating: 9/10

[shadow316]

Name: Guitar Amp and Keyboard Centre (GAK)
Place: Brighton UK
Review: One of the best music stores in the country. Won the Fender best UK dealer award for 2004/5. The staff are very helpful and when you phone the shop you are directed to someone who knows specifically abou the instruments you are interested in. They're always willing to knock money of whatever you're buying and if they don't have what you're ;ooking for then they'll go out of their way to get it for you. The shop itself is huge and now they've moved the drums section to a entirley new shop called the drum cavern so there is loads of space. They have all the best instryments and amps on display and are always willing to let you try them out. They have a great website and what they sell ARE the lowest prices in the country. And they deliver anything to your door for £10, which considering how big and heavy an Ampeg 8x10 cab is, i think that's pretty good.

Rating: 10/10

[fancy_a_tipple]

Name: Guitar Amp and Keyboard Centre (GAK)
Place: Brighton UK
Review: One of the best music stores in the country. Won the Fender best UK dealer award for 2004/5. The staff are very helpful and when you phone the shop you are directed to someone who knows specifically abou the instruments you are interested in. They're always willing to knock money of whatever you're buying and if they don't have what you're ;ooking for then they'll go out of their way to get it for you. The shop itself is huge and now they've moved the drums section to a entirley new shop called the drum cavern so there is loads of space. They have all the best instryments and amps on display and are always willing to let you try them out. They have a great website and what they sell ARE the lowest prices in the country. And they deliver anything to your door for £10, which considering how big and heavy an Ampeg 8x10 cab is, i think that's pretty good.

Rating: 10/10

Ive always wanted to get the train down to Brighton and spend a day getting lost in that shop, from the pics on the website it looks amazing

[shadow316]

Ive always wanted to get the train down to Brighton and spend a day getting lost in that shop, from the pics on the website it looks amazing

It would really be worth the trip. I live an hour and a half away on the train. But it was still worth it.

I was down there last saturday and i played a Warwick 5 string Thumb bass and a Rickenbacker 4003 through the Ampeg 8x10 they've got on display.

I'm now just about to buy a Rickenbacker.

It was fun and well worth the trip.

[rh15951]

Name: Back Alley Music
Place: Chester/Mold/Warrington
Country: NW England
Review: Fairly good selection of basses (guitars and drums also) they stock Cort, a few Fender, Squier, Yamaha, Rickenbacker, Epiphone, Ibanez. Prices are quite expensive compared to other stores. Lack of amps - they only stock a few Laney and Carlsboro combos. Poor selection of strings to choose from. The staff are cool, they let you play on the instruments with no hassle.

Rating: 6/10

[fancy_a_tipple]

It would really be worth the trip. I live an hour and a half away on the train. But it was still worth it.

I was down there last saturday and i played a Warwick 5 string Thumb bass and a Rickenbacker 4003 through the Ampeg 8x10 they've got on display.

I'm now just about to buy a Rickenbacker.

It was fun and well worth the trip.

I think ill be planning a trip soon... My mate told me it was really crowded in there when he picked up his guitar, did that put you off or does the sheer sight of so many guitars cloud all other judgement? :lol:

[shadow316]

I think ill be planning a trip soon... My mate told me it was really crowded in there when he picked up his guitar, did that put you off or does the sheer sight of so many guitars cloud all other judgement? :lol:

There weren't that many people when i went down but try and get down in a week day if you can.

I have to say that their display was impressive. The first thing i saw was two Rickenbackers and a Gibson Thunderbird IV and i'd say there was about 50-75 basses in there.

[Chris K]

Jamie, hurry up and review that shop we went to! It's heaven!

[Chris K]

Guitar Guitar:

Range: All kinds of Brands, or guitars and basses. Cort, LTD, ESP, Musicman, Ibanez, fender, Gibson, etc plenty to choose from.

Its a very big shop, and is very nicely set out. Theres a good atmosphere in there.

Staff: well, on terms of knowledge, I knew more about the stuff they were selling than they did...but they did let me play an Ibanez Jem7VWH (£1500) and an ESP Truckster (£1700) without being arrogant "Only if you wave cash in my face" sales people, and not letting me. The staf were friendly and talkative.

they also have a back room filled with custom and relic guitars.


Best Music shop in Newastle, beyond a doubt.


EDIT: This post was made by Esp Griffyn

[BassIsTheSoul]

Guitar Villa
Nazerath, PA
Review: hence the name not too bass oriented but there is still a big selection... theres a drum room with about four drumsets(acoustic), an acoustic room with one acoustic bass in it, and the main floor with about over a hundred guitars and maby 40 basses... ok selection0OLP, musicmans, fender jazzes, spechter, shadosky, aria, and nice amps to go, nemisis, ampeg, ashdown, etc..
overall ratiing: 6.8/10 cause i take awsoem lessons there and bought all my equipment there... pretty knowelageable manager, too... and victor wooten visited(they have a picture of him there) and a few other awsoem ppl.
:smash:
-pat

[trumpeter]

Name:Gerry's Music
Place:Southampton
Country/state:USA/MA
Review: At first glance, they have a nice section of guitars and basses, but wait, there is no amps to be found. After a slight look you will notice, they only carry crate GUITAR amps. Also, all guitars and basses are some no name brand or "slamer" by "hamer". However, they have an excellent selection of brass and woodwind instruments, and know what they are doing when it comes to repairs. I would never buy anything here, due to the amazing overpricing (strings cost upwars of 50$ a set), however they do excellent repairs.

they get a 4/10 because of crappy selection, but excellent repiars

[lemoley]

name: sound of music
place: kendal
county: cumbria
rating: rubbish

[Kibuddy]

name: sound of music
rating: rubbish


Hmm... Just like the movie. :lol:


I really did not like that movie...

[lemoley]

yeah i was kinda bummed too when i saw it

[willibassist]

yer lemoley is right, soundofmusic shop is appallingly rubbish
on the other hand:
Name: RnT
Place: Barrowinfurness
Country: NW England
this shop is great, its full of loadsa instruments and its good jus to hav a play around in. and theyve loads of 5 stringers and yes they do sell six stringers. the shop owner(i think he is) is incredible on his six stringer and he is one of the reasons i started bass. its a friendly shop with a drum section upstairs. money is knocked off if your a regular and most of the prices are very reasonable anyway.
rating:8.5/10

[lemoley]

where do you live man?

[gaslight]

Name: Music workshop.
Place: Sydney.
Country/state: NSW, Australia.
Review: Great place, been a regular customer for nearly 5 years. Anything I want they'll order in if they don't have it, I get great discounts, and yeah, it's good.

Rating: 10/10

[trumpeter]

i wish i lived close to a good guitar shop...the closest GC is like....50 miles away...thank you parents for chosing to live in the middle of nowhere

[H flat]

Guitar Villa
Nazerath, PA
Review: hence the name not too bass oriented but there is still a big selection... theres a drum room with about four drumsets(acoustic), an acoustic room with one acoustic bass in it, and the main floor with about over a hundred guitars and maby 40 basses... ok selection0OLP, musicmans, fender jazzes, spechter, shadosky, aria, and nice amps to go, nemisis, ampeg, ashdown, etc..
overall ratiing: 6.8/10 cause i take awsoem lessons there and bought all my equipment there... pretty knowelageable manager, too... and victor wooten visited(they have a picture of him there) and a few other awsoem ppl.
:smash:
-pat



How far is this from Philly?

[Jaded]

Name: Instrumental Music
City: Santa Barbara
Country: USA

Review: I'm kinda on the fence with these guys. I hate the dudes who work there, but they have a better bass selection than the other store in town, Jensens, who I am friends with almost everybody there. Intrumental always hires retards who don't know how to set up basses right, and they b*tch at you when you reach for higher end guitars. However, if you are good, they'll leave you alone, most of the time. I've gotten b*tched at before when an Ibanez with sh*tty electronics started shreiking ("Hey! What did I tell you about letting us set up stuff for you?!"), but I started talking sh*t and he layed off. Anyway the bass selection is like this: Mostly Fender and Ibanez, a few Spectors, a few Warwick Rockbasses, and sometimes Musicman, one of those Line 6 modeling basses, and some Peaveys. Amp Selection: Fender, SWR, Eden (only one combo), Peavey, Ashdown.

Rating: 5/10 for moderate selection with douchey employees.

[DesolationRow]

Shop: Sam Ash Music
City: Margate, FL
Review: Awesome place. Not perfect in terms of quantity and selection, but decent nonetheless. The employees are awesome people. Always helping, chatting, giving you suggestions and tips in terms of technique and gear. Anything you can see, you can test. It really helps. Always my first choice for gear. Really cool place. And they get regular shipments of Warwicks.

Rating: 8/10 for the imperfections on their selection. (Fener/Ibanez whores)

[neatobassman]

Name:Skip's Music
Place:Citrus Heights, CA
Country:US
Review:
I love this place. It doesn't have the widest selection. Only about 25-30 basses at a time, but they change it up all the time and they have the basic stuff. Their prices are REALLY low. I use this place basically for my "Oh I need an extra one/set" store. Also, the people are really cool there. Most of the guys are about 20-30 years old, all musicians, so they know what they are talkind about. And they never try to sell you the most expensive, or the most popular, they show you what they think you'll like, then the expensive and popular. Very nice place.

Rating: 8/10

[FenderSRX]

Name:Gerry's Music
Place:Southampton
Country/state:USA/MA
Review: At first glance, they have a nice section of guitars and basses, but wait, there is no amps to be found. After a slight look you will notice, they only carry crate GUITAR amps. Also, all guitars and basses are some no name brand or "slamer" by "hamer". However, they have an excellent selection of brass and woodwind instruments, and know what they are doing when it comes to repairs. I would never buy anything here, due to the amazing overpricing (strings cost upwars of 50$ a set), however they do excellent repairs.

they get a 4/10 because of crappy selection, but excellent repiars
I thought I was the only one here that knew about that place.

[Congratulations]

Name: Doesn' have one
Place: Burns Lake BC
Country: Canada

Review: Doesn't exist, I don't have one.

Rating: 0/10

[CrookedFingers]

Does anyone live near Rondo? I'd like to know what kind of selection they have. I'm sure they have more than just Brice, SX, and Douglas basses...

Plus, I'd like to go there...

[CrateElectrabass]

Name:Crippa Music
Place:Grand Rappids
Country/state: Minnesota
Review: they only stock squire and washburn basses and crate amps. they have a good selction of tab books. most things are over priced. they do offer lifetime warentys on the thing you buy from them, the people that work there are very good and nice.

Rating:7 /10

[Joelbassman]

Name: Music Machine.
Place: Napier.
Country: New Zealand.

Review: This shop is situated in town so its about a ten minute car drive from my house. It has a range of instrument's: Guitars, basses (electric and acoutic) drums, electricdrums, PA systems, amps etc.

The thing that stands out about it is the service. I am always getting free extras added on to my purchases, service with a smile basically. Also I know the guy who works there and he is a really great guy.

Oh and the recently got in a few more basses which are boost the score from an 8/10 to a 9/10.

Rating: A solid 9/10.

[wishiwaskurt210]

name :aerohead
place :mentor ohio
country :usa

review:not a very good place to go if you want to buy an instrument they really dont know much they can tell the differance between a bass and a guitar but thats about it .there all lazy besides for there guitar tech who is pretty nice and knowledgeable about everything .other then that there prices are too high and the customer service is bad.

3/10 only good for strings and picks other then that i dont go there.

[AcerbicCunnt77]

Name: Instrumental Music
Place: Ventura
Country/state: California
Review: The wall they keep all their guitars and basses on is huge, so you can't always get the one you want down by your self. Very helfup and friendly, cheapest and best guitar/bass tech guy in town as well.

BRANDS = Fender, Peavey, Warwick, Ibanez, Schetcher, Spector, (some others I cant remember)



Rating: 7/10

[pitchfork]

Name: Duck son and Pinker
Place: Swindon
Country/state: England/Wiltshire
Review: Pretty good shop were i buy loads of stuff some basses and guitars kinda over priced but still good pretty good range of amps, pa systems and guitars/basses not such a good range of drums very helpful assistants

Rating: 7/10

Name: John Holmes
Place: Swindon
Country/state: England/Wiltshire
Review: This shop is pretty good quite a small shop hardly any range of amps pretty good range of guitars, basses and drums for the size of the shop dependign on whos it the shop assistants can be helpful or unhelpful i dont think they sell pa systems and if they do ive never seen them.

Rating: 4/10

[peeted]

i have quite a few local ones.

1.
name: spectre sound
place:bingley, west yorkshire, uk
review - quite good, realy good on the guitar side, plenty of amps. bass brands include fender, wawrick, musicman, rickenbacker, peavy, epifone, squire, vintage and loads of crapy obscure brands. the staff are ok, they can cartainley talk the talk but from what iv been told they cant walk the walk.
2.
sound control
leeds, yorkshire, uk
good shop, good amps (hartkie, trace eliot, wawrick, messa and so on), bass brands include aria, cort, musicman, fender, epifone, wawrick and a few others, they have plenty of pedles, you can allways try prety much anything you want, they get lots of **** bassist in (from the goth gathering ground pretymuch next to it) so there usualy glad to see a half decent bassist. the staff are prety sound to me (ocasionaly try and purswade you to buy stuff but thats there job) iv been told by a few guitarists that they can be a bit gay tho (suposedley they get lots more guitarists in than bassists).

3.music ground
leeds (next to soundcontrol), yorkshire england.
decent shop, more colectors basses and guitars tho. they have sid viciouses bass (or did last time i was in any way). its more of a museum of good instruments than owt else tho (it even looks like a museum)

4.belmont bridge guitar shop
skipton, yorkshire
there bass suplys mainley fender and squire, the shops very small, there freindly staff but i dont think they know much about bass.

5.keighley musicians centre
yorkshire
used to suck but is improveing, there working with local musicians to find out what everyone wants. they have started stocking yamaha and ibanez now along with orange amps, there geting a load of pedles soon, they sell instructional books, do lessons on keys, bass, guitar, piano, vocals, drums and much more. they have a practice space. very sound staff, they will try for ages to get you what you want even though there only just realy starting out as a proper guitar shop.

[owlandtree]

Motorcity guitar: Waterford Michigan. Midwest musician mecca. Awesome vintage-new gear. Huge percussion/drums section, top-notch teachers and they beat ANY going price on new equipment by 5%. www.motorcityguitar.com

Herb David guitars: Ann Arbor Michigan. World famous luthier Herb David's shop. He can order anything for a good price, his guitar work is world class and great service!

[good rats]

Name: Billy Hydes

Place: Blackburn, Melbourne

Country/state: Victoria, Australia.

Review: I love Billy Hydes. It has got a GREAT selection of basses and amps. ALso got a great selection of drums, Guitars, everything you need really. The people that work tehre are all REALLY friendly and will be happy to help you out. I go there all the time too they're probably getting sick of me, :lol:. They have great prices and can order in anything you need really.

[Accentopus]

Name: Marks Music
Place: Cambridge, Cambridgshire
Country/state: UK
Review: A fairly small music shop located in the centre of cambridge, for its size it stocks a great variety of basses at great prices ( Got my stingray for £1050) . The customer service is great, everyone in there is very friendly and happy to help with problems. If you're ever in cambridge check it out

Rating: 9/10
Although you are right about the atmosphere and willingness to help, this store is no bigger than my bedroom. I often go in for a chat with employees, however many of the basses are significantly overpriced, and I would not agree with this high rating

More around a 4 or 5/10

[SlapHappySunshine]

Sorry, this is a great thread and I'm afraid I can't allow it to be sucked under with a bunch of the other of the great threads.

[the101er]

Name: Andertons music
Place: Guildford
Country: Ye Olde England


Review: Andertons is pretty big, it caters for most musicians, ie guitar, drums, classical, piano. the bass selection comprises of Warwicks and Fenders mainly, although Ibanez, Epiphone, Musicman, Squire, Rickenbacker and others are also provided. they also have a large selection of amps, from the likes of SWR, Ashdown, Hartke, Ampeg and Randall. there are also soundproofed rooms provided to test the products.

its always fun to head down there and piss about on the rickenbackers to the horror of the staff :D

Rating: 8/10 misses out on a nine because of the staff, who at times can be very pushy and un-welcoming

[Bass Ninja]

Name: Music workshop.
Place: Sydney.
Country/state: NSW, Australia.
Review: Great place, been a regular customer for nearly 5 years. Anything I want they'll order in if they don't have it, I get great discounts, and yeah, it's good.

Rating: 10/10

Where abouts is music Workshop

[alienking84]

Name: Big Apple Music
Place: Utica New York
Review: It's a great local shop but, I can't tell if they just don't really like basses or if they lack funding to get high end gear. I've only seen one six string bass there and it was the ESP LTD. The best bass I've seen(and played and am about to buy for that matter) is a Schecter Elite-5. The shop has 3 fretless Jazz basses, and all are lemons. The strings are bad and the pickups are ****ed up. I've yet to try any guitars out but they all seem really nice. They have a nice vintage section. There amp/cab/head sections are very nice. I've seen fenders, hartkes, and a peavey tnt 115 the other day. I've never been in the drum/keyboard section cuz its past the basses :lol: . Service is great though. I already bought a wah pedal from them and like I said, plan on getting the Schecter. Also they give lessons for like 10 or so instruments and have a great rental policy.

Rating 7/10 because of the lack of high end basses.

[Jamie]

Bump! Feel free to carry on posting reviews :)

[katana_manatee]

Name: Soundcontrol
Place: Glasgow
Country: Scotland (UK)


It is a great shop with plenty of space and a lot of instruments. One thing you will notice is the staff are all very friendly and most are pretty knowledgeable. Their range of instruments is good with a lot of different makes. Also this store is the only official Schecter dealer in the UK with plenty in stock at all times. :D You get plenty of time to try out an instrument and the staff pretty much leave you alone with it. The prices are also pretty decent and the staff are not afraid of chucking in freebies with big purchases.


Overall: 8/10

[FoX74B]

Name: Guitar Center
Location: San Bernadino, CA
Country: USA

Review: One of my favorite places to go. All the employees I have talked with were very courtious and helpful. Many good bass players work there and jammed with me. Their knowledge of the bass was great and they answered my questions without getting annoyed. Actually, it is pretty hard to leave that store because those guys always have a bass, riff or story to tell me/show me. And they have a great supply of Schecters, Warwicks and Musicman's, so I am busy for hours... Amp selection includes Ampeg, Mesa Boogie :naughty:, G-K, SWR, Fender and a few others. A good selection of distortion pedals and strings too.

9/10
Not a perfect score only because its about 25-30 miles away...

************************************************** ***************

Name: Music Mikes
Location: Riverside, CA
Country: USA

Review: Kind of a hole-in-the-wall store, pretty small, not the best selection of basses. Mostly Fernandez, Fender Squires and some brands I haven't even heard of... They do, however, have a small supply of Corts that I play when I go there. Their amp selection is a tad bit better though, having a good selection of Ampeg and SWRs. I bought my SWR LA 12 combo there for only $180 which was a decent deal. The employees there a helpful and knowledgable though not as outgoing as the ones at Guitar Center. I mainly go their to pick up strings and other misc. items.

5/10

Only minutes away from my house and has a good amps at a decent price. But due to its limited selection of basses and other items, I give it a 5.

:thumb:

[blizzard]

Name: Billy Hydes

Place: Blackburn, Melbourne

Country/state: Victoria, Australia.

Review: I love Billy Hydes. It has got a GREAT selection of basses and amps. ALso got a great selection of drums, Guitars, everything you need really. The people that work tehre are all REALLY friendly and will be happy to help you out. I go there all the time too they're probably getting sick of me, :lol:. They have great prices and can order in anything you need really.

Pretty much the same for the store in brisbane.

Rating: 8/10 because they never had six string and took ages to order in some parts for me.

[Alma]

Name: Bass Centre

Place: South Melbourne

State/country: Victoria, Australia.

Verdict: A really top notch shop. A shop only for basses, only 2 of its kind in australia. These guys will do anything for you, with incredible prices. Really friendly. Will order in anything for you...Good store, well presented etc.

Rating: 9/10. My favourite store!