I don’t post very often, but thought I simply must let off the annoyance I’ve experienced recently whilst looking for a new instrument.
I have been practising my George Formby style play of late and felt it was time to buy a banjo ukulele… now that was when my troubles started.
First I visited a main dealer for Goldtone in the Cotswolds (a beautiful part of the UK for non UK peeps). Now the visit to this shop started oddly; I know this sounds unbelievable, but honestly the first thing the chap in shop to me wasn’t ‘Hello’ or ‘Can I help’ etc. What he actually said was ‘I just upset the previous customer” and then he just looked at me. When I asked to see the ukuleles he didn’t say anything and after three or so attempts by me to gain a response, he finally responded saying I should get them down myself from the wall display (which is fine but still a strange way to deal with a customer). Having got them down (an open back and a deluxe resonator one) I found the deluxe had a very noticeable scratch on the chrome work and the open back had what appeared to be glue or something similar on the fretboard (I hoped that these glue marks would come off easy enough). I tuned the ukes myself (good job I brought my own tuner as I wasn’t getting any assistance from the sales chap), and as it happened I liked the open back one enough to want to buy it. Taking the open back uke to the cash desk I mentioned the marks on the fretboard – initially the guy claimed he couldn’t see them (we’re talking a 2 -3mm circular mark for the worst mark here, so it was very easy to see them), but eventually admitted they were present at which point he rushed upstairs and came back maybe some 40 seconds or so later saying the problem was fixed and that he hadn’t had to use any cleaner to remove them. Then he added that the fret board was now ‘just a touch shiny’. What he done I have no idea, but the areas of the fretboard he had ‘treated’ (scrubbed I’d say) were now both bright and shiny and also scratched. Somehow he managed to both damaged (scratch) and polish the wood at the same time. Sadly this ended my visit to the shop as they did not have any other ukes in stock and he implied there was nothing wrong with the uke I had wanted to buy that it was my ‘problem’ if I wasn’t happy they had now damaged it. To be fair, I accept that I could have cleaned the fretboard up myself at my leisure at home after purchasing it. I could have got it back to a reasonable condition with a bit of effort, but I felt there was no way an instrument should be in that condition when sold new and at top dollar price – hence there was no way I was prepared to purchase it.
Next I visited a shop in Bristol (this time one part of a national chain) to see some Ashbury banjo ukes. I rang ahead to check they had stock and got them to check the instruments over whilst I was on the line for any blemishes or marks as I it was a fair trip for to visit the shop and I didn’t want to waste my time if they were scratched or chipped anywhere as I wouldn’t buy a new instrument that was not in top condition. I was told they were perfect and I made my way over to have a look at them. When I arrived the member of staff ‘tuned’ the open back and resonator style ukes I was interested in and left me to it (which was fair enough). I then went to play them I found neither was even close to being in tune and had to retune them again myself – which is irritating but not a major crime. As I tuned them I immediately saw on the neck of one of them that it had been knocked against something which had chipped the glossy coating and meant the neck was no longer smooth (it also looked pretty poor too - so much for my ringing ahead). Luckily the one I was interested in was undamaged, but I found the tuners which were geared peg style were fitted so close the nut that they stopped me from fretting easily near the top of the fretboard (good job I didn’t order one of these mail order or it would have come a surprise to find I couldn’t play it for such a reason). That said, I was interested enough to ask them about swapping the tuners to standard friction tuners (which I am happy with) so I could see if the instrument could work for me with those (I was sure it would as they are so much lower in profile). I waited about 10 minutes while they tried to fit them, after which I was told it was impossible to fit standard friction tuners - and suddenly that was the end of the visit. I have to say I felt there was that there was a strong sense of disinterest throughout my visit although I couldn’t completely place my finger on precisely what it was that gave me that feeling.
Since these visits I have decided to opt for a Goldtone like the one I first played that was subsequently damaged by the shop assistant, and I have ordered one from a very reputable chap mail order. He does a full setup and changes some parts for better ones when he does so. So hopefully I’ll be sorted in a few days. What saddens me though is you try to support local music shops, and when you do they treat you really badly and offer 2nd rate goods and top dollar. I know not everyone has experiences like this (thank goodness) but my feelings are that actually no one should get such bad service.
Anyway rant over… The Ukulele is still a great instrument isn’t it
I have been practising my George Formby style play of late and felt it was time to buy a banjo ukulele… now that was when my troubles started.
First I visited a main dealer for Goldtone in the Cotswolds (a beautiful part of the UK for non UK peeps). Now the visit to this shop started oddly; I know this sounds unbelievable, but honestly the first thing the chap in shop to me wasn’t ‘Hello’ or ‘Can I help’ etc. What he actually said was ‘I just upset the previous customer” and then he just looked at me. When I asked to see the ukuleles he didn’t say anything and after three or so attempts by me to gain a response, he finally responded saying I should get them down myself from the wall display (which is fine but still a strange way to deal with a customer). Having got them down (an open back and a deluxe resonator one) I found the deluxe had a very noticeable scratch on the chrome work and the open back had what appeared to be glue or something similar on the fretboard (I hoped that these glue marks would come off easy enough). I tuned the ukes myself (good job I brought my own tuner as I wasn’t getting any assistance from the sales chap), and as it happened I liked the open back one enough to want to buy it. Taking the open back uke to the cash desk I mentioned the marks on the fretboard – initially the guy claimed he couldn’t see them (we’re talking a 2 -3mm circular mark for the worst mark here, so it was very easy to see them), but eventually admitted they were present at which point he rushed upstairs and came back maybe some 40 seconds or so later saying the problem was fixed and that he hadn’t had to use any cleaner to remove them. Then he added that the fret board was now ‘just a touch shiny’. What he done I have no idea, but the areas of the fretboard he had ‘treated’ (scrubbed I’d say) were now both bright and shiny and also scratched. Somehow he managed to both damaged (scratch) and polish the wood at the same time. Sadly this ended my visit to the shop as they did not have any other ukes in stock and he implied there was nothing wrong with the uke I had wanted to buy that it was my ‘problem’ if I wasn’t happy they had now damaged it. To be fair, I accept that I could have cleaned the fretboard up myself at my leisure at home after purchasing it. I could have got it back to a reasonable condition with a bit of effort, but I felt there was no way an instrument should be in that condition when sold new and at top dollar price – hence there was no way I was prepared to purchase it.
Next I visited a shop in Bristol (this time one part of a national chain) to see some Ashbury banjo ukes. I rang ahead to check they had stock and got them to check the instruments over whilst I was on the line for any blemishes or marks as I it was a fair trip for to visit the shop and I didn’t want to waste my time if they were scratched or chipped anywhere as I wouldn’t buy a new instrument that was not in top condition. I was told they were perfect and I made my way over to have a look at them. When I arrived the member of staff ‘tuned’ the open back and resonator style ukes I was interested in and left me to it (which was fair enough). I then went to play them I found neither was even close to being in tune and had to retune them again myself – which is irritating but not a major crime. As I tuned them I immediately saw on the neck of one of them that it had been knocked against something which had chipped the glossy coating and meant the neck was no longer smooth (it also looked pretty poor too - so much for my ringing ahead). Luckily the one I was interested in was undamaged, but I found the tuners which were geared peg style were fitted so close the nut that they stopped me from fretting easily near the top of the fretboard (good job I didn’t order one of these mail order or it would have come a surprise to find I couldn’t play it for such a reason). That said, I was interested enough to ask them about swapping the tuners to standard friction tuners (which I am happy with) so I could see if the instrument could work for me with those (I was sure it would as they are so much lower in profile). I waited about 10 minutes while they tried to fit them, after which I was told it was impossible to fit standard friction tuners - and suddenly that was the end of the visit. I have to say I felt there was that there was a strong sense of disinterest throughout my visit although I couldn’t completely place my finger on precisely what it was that gave me that feeling.
Since these visits I have decided to opt for a Goldtone like the one I first played that was subsequently damaged by the shop assistant, and I have ordered one from a very reputable chap mail order. He does a full setup and changes some parts for better ones when he does so. So hopefully I’ll be sorted in a few days. What saddens me though is you try to support local music shops, and when you do they treat you really badly and offer 2nd rate goods and top dollar. I know not everyone has experiences like this (thank goodness) but my feelings are that actually no one should get such bad service.
Anyway rant over… The Ukulele is still a great instrument isn’t it
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