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< Music Gear ~ Buying Basses in the North |
| GOATLORD |
 Posted: Sun Jun 03, 2012 1:13 pm |
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Joined: 06 Jun 2005
Posts: 9059
Location: Northern Ireland
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| Is there anywhere that has a decent selection? |
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| Hill |
| Posted: Mon Jun 04, 2012 1:00 am |
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Joined: 23 Jan 2012
Posts: 119
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| I've always just tried to get a go on a mate's bass that's the same make as one I'm looking into just to get a feel for the necks, string spacing etc then ordered online. Not a great selection in most places but guitar centre on the Lisburn Road has a fair few |
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| Bigwan2062 |
| Posted: Wed Jun 06, 2012 12:47 pm |
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Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 188
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No Dave there isn't, but you're a man who travels to gigs aren't you? Surely you'd find yourself in London, or at a push Glasgow, on the odd occasion? Plenty of better places to go bass shopping than in Belfast (or anywhere else up north)...
Looking anything in particular? |
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| Millsy_kobi |
| Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2012 3:39 pm |
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Joined: 02 Apr 2011
Posts: 159
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www.basschat.co.uk 2nd hand section or www.bassdirect.co.uk
If you wanna try before you buy your fucked though. I took the risk on a Spector Euro 5lx because it was at such a great price and it worked out ok. Wouldn't fancy spending big bucks without playing first though.
NI really is lacking in a decent bass guitar shop. |
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| Hill |
| Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2012 5:01 pm |
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Joined: 23 Jan 2012
Posts: 119
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Aye I did the same with my Euro 5lx too and it's a dream to play, still on the look out for a nice wick though! Which is highly unlikely considering I'm cursed with being a lefty  |
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| Bigwan2062 |
| Posted: Fri Jun 15, 2012 7:55 am |
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Joined: 08 Jun 2005
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Millsy_kobi wrote: www.basschat.co.uk 2nd hand section or www.bassdirect.co.uk
If you wanna try before you buy your fucked though. I took the risk on a Spector Euro 5lx because it was at such a great price and it worked out ok. Wouldn't fancy spending big bucks without playing first though.
NI really is lacking in a decent bass guitar shop.
+1 to both those. Almost everything i've bought in the last 5 years has come from basschat, and my current squeeze (Dingwall Afterburner) came from Mark at bassdirect. But as you say, try before you buy is out over here unless you know someone who already has one. I'd thought of organising what basschat users call a bass bash, but who has the time... |
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| desertfather |
| Posted: Mon Jul 02, 2012 10:54 am |
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Joined: 04 May 2011
Posts: 592
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| There are a few craftsmen in the north could build you the bass of your dreams at a nominal charge |
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| Millsy_kobi |
| Posted: Thu Jul 05, 2012 8:40 am |
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Joined: 02 Apr 2011
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desertfather wrote: There are a few craftsmen in the north could build you the bass of your dreams at a nominal charge
Such as? |
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| Leather Mike |
| Posted: Thu Jul 05, 2012 12:18 pm |
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Joined: 18 Sep 2008
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desertfather wrote: There are a few craftsmen in the north could build you the bass of your dreams at a nominal charge
no, there arent.
While there are some cracking luthiers operating in the north (off the top of my head, Ernie McMillen from Avalon and Jamie at Thirsty Gums being just two) who build unbelievable instruments to order, you won't get them for a "nominal" price. While ordering from a local luthier or one that you happen to know may well see you getting the instrument of your dreams at considerably less than it would cost you to get it from one of the big-boy custom shops, it wouldnt be a "nominal charge." You get what you pay for. |
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| desertfather |
| Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2012 5:53 pm |
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Joined: 04 May 2011
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Leather Mike wrote: desertfather wrote: There are a few craftsmen in the north could build you the bass of your dreams at a nominal charge
no, there arent.
While there are some cracking luthiers operating in the north (off the top of my head, Ernie McMillen from Avalon and Jamie at Thirsty Gums being just two) who build unbelievable instruments to order, you won't get them for a "nominal" price. While ordering from a local luthier or one that you happen to know may well see you getting the instrument of your dreams at considerably less than it would cost you to get it from one of the big-boy custom shops, it wouldnt be a "nominal charge." You get what you pay for.
When I said nominal I was talking in the 5 figures range but peanuts considering they're doing it on your behalf and will be one of a kind. It would be better spent than in a showroom for the same price because it's all done to your specifications. As a drummer I remember seeing on the pork pie site they can build a custom kit begining at $70 per drum which in 2005 when I priced that translated to as little as £100 a drum but was subjective to size and wood |
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| Juggz |
| Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2012 6:38 pm |
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Joined: 01 Nov 2011
Posts: 1196
Location: Under A Lesbian Moon
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desertfather wrote:
When I said nominal I was talking in the 5 figures range but peanuts considering they're doing it on your behalf and will be one of a kind
Quite a lot of people are understandably apprehensive about spending the €1.5-3k your average custom job will cost because, spending that kind of money, most would rather play the end result before paying for it. You can spend 5 figure sums but chances are it'll be an Alembic or a gold plated Ritter and you should really get some suction too for that kind of money. Nominal it is not. We're straying from the point of the thread though.
In this country, north and south, you really have to look abroad for a decent selection of proper high quality basses outside of the obvious brands. I've bought a few hand-made basses in from Japan 2nd hand and they all came in under the €1000 mark and can't see myself buying an instrument in a shop in this country ever again. The shops here are fuck all use really, the invariably shit setups don't help when you're trying to evaluate how a good instrument is really going to work out for you in the long term. Figure out what you actually want, learn to set up an instrument and then buy from abroad. It's the only way. When I was getting a 6 string bass along time ago, there wasn't one I could find in any shop. I enquired with one shop who were a dealer for the bass I was looking for, they told me they could get it in to try out, but I'd have to buy it before they'd get it in and quoted me €1800 Fuck that, I ended buying it from the US for €1024 all in. |
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| desertfather |
| Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2012 9:26 pm |
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Joined: 04 May 2011
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There is a snare drum builder 15 miles from me who builds snare drums within the 2-500 range. Another guy living less than 15 minutes walk north of my front door makes first nation flutes for £60.
4 or 5 figures on a guitar or bass isn't that much in the long run. You will realize that if you are spending with in the budget range you will have spent as much if not more from constantly upgrading over a number of years.
In a nutshell you can spend as much or as little as you want. |
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