Rate Your Shops
 

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..

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

[QUOTE=MachinesOfHate]



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


[/QUOTE]

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???

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.

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

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

[QUOTE=Bedrovelse]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???[/QUOTE]

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)

Great reviews people! :D

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

I thought that said Rate Your Shoes...

:upset:

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

:(

:smash:

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

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

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:

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

[QUOTE=Bedrovelse]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???[/QUOTE]

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

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

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!

[QUOTE=MachinesOfHate]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
[/QUOTE]
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.

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

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

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.

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

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

[QUOTE=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[/QUOTE]

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

[QUOTE=fancy_a_tipple]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[/QUOTE]

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.