Cranes in Cardiff has gone, I see

[Zenith]

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.

[Vimana.]

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.

[Steve R]

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.

They were always up their own arses in there from as long as I can remember. It's a wonder they lasted this long.

[Wales-Bales]

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.

What kind of bike have you got?

[NYCBlue]

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.

[Cyclops]

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.

[Vimana.]

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 ;)

[Cyclops]

I like to 'roll my own'.

I'm a fair way down the path of actually building guitars. Got a £70 Tele kit; several How To books; some specialist tools including a sander and a router and have been following the Crimson Guitar Vids on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/user/CrimsonCustomGuitars)
I've also got a Harmony H77 on which I'm going to experiment - including adding a Bigsby.

[Heathblue]

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.

I just have a Tele now but, post my brain clot cannot play very well, I find it difficult to co ordinate my left hand fingers, my lad has an Ibanez 4 string bass, his 1st bass, I bought it for him in Cranes, an Ibanez Roadstar II 4 string bass (a 1984 model), again I bought it for him from Cardiff guitars, A fender Jazz 4 string which he has had defretted by Dave Dern, A fender Jazz 4 String, A fender Jazz 5 string, a fender hybrid (jazz Precision), a squire 4 string Precision