Established in Cardiff 1851 - gone in 2017.
I blame PMT - had to pre-order me PRS SE Floyd 24 (2017) there.
And Gamlins is the personification of customer indifference.
And that's all I have to say on the subject
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Established in Cardiff 1851 - gone in 2017.
I blame PMT - had to pre-order me PRS SE Floyd 24 (2017) there.
And Gamlins is the personification of customer indifference.
And that's all I have to say on the subject
A piano tuner from Cranes used to tune my grandad's piano every year.
Our local Stationary Shop has moved too.
Also on my town travels, I was also astonished to see Ribbles Cycles - with a scattering of bikes and room to ride 'em in the shop.
I think Cranes is coming back into the centre of Cardiff. Possibly in one of the arcades. Don't shoot the messenger if I am wrong though
Stationery / Stationary.
Writing materials / Not moving.
From experience, Cranes were never able/wanted to compete. They only stocked selected brands - for a music shop of that size in the city centre to not check off all of the big boys is madness. Roland is the one that comes to mind.
If you could get, say a pedal for £150 in Cranes and PMT were selling it for £130, were willing to price match and they also offer interest free loans who are you going to go with? I've also experienced much better customer service in the 10 mins I spent in PMT than I ever did in the many years I visited Cranes or Gamlins.
I always like to support local businesses wherever possible, but it was never the most welcoming of shops.
On one of the rare occasions where I did manage to spend some time trying a few guitars out in that little 'testing room' , I emerged, handed back the Tele that I'd tried out to a member of staff. I mentioned that I had spotted a little ding on the finish. Voluntarily. Being helpful.
But he grilled me about it, and then got two other members of staff involved to comment whether they had seen the ding before.
Oooh no, none of them had etc etc. FFS .. ;)
All felt very accusatory. I never set foot in there again.
My first guitar was very similar to this. I still have the body somewhere. I got it in swap with a kid at school. He swapped it for Live And Dangerous by Thin Lizzy. A Double LP for an electric guitar! It just needed a couple of spots soldered.
https://reverb.com/item/3010554-earl...stream-electra
We didn't have the Internet back then, so at the time so I didn't know what I had.
How many guitars do you guys play?
I currently have four. I like to swop them around which I find keeps my practice fresh. Two have whammy bars - one a Fender; the other a Floyd Rose - and each calls for a different technique, particularly when doing squealies.
Something else I use to keep fresh is different effects - wah-wah, tube screamer and a Line 6 Pod X3 which simulates different rigs.
Crikey. Seven.
Too many have come and gone.
I like to 'roll my own'.
Strat - Tokai body, Fender neck, SD p'ups
Tele - Fender / Allparts
Esquire - Fender / Allparts
Seagull S6 Acoustic
Hohner Congress Archtop - '64
Martin Coletti Archtop - Early '50's
Aria Fretless Bass.
I enjoy the Esquire the most as a one-pickup guitar makes me work to get the nuances out of my right hand and riding the vol/tone controls.
Not much into effects.
Preamp set to edge of breakup, a little dab of reverb and ride the volume and (having tried quite a few) a Tubescreamer does it for me.
I have a Fender Princeton amp , but my everyday 'amp' is a PC running Scuffham S-Gear these days.
S-Gear is simply incredible ;)
Last edited by Vimana.; 12-04-17 at 19:41.