Author Topic: Good guitar shops in London? (Read 8700 times)

dave_mc · « **on:** July 15, 2006, 09:09:13 PM »

Ok, I need your help guys! I know a lot of you on here are from England, and maybe you could help me.

Seems like there's a good chance (not totally confirmed, but a good chance) I'll be able to have a few days in London from the middle of next week. Now, I'm fully aware there are good guitar shops in London, lol, despite what the thread title may have you believe.

I know about Denmark Street, and the surrounding area (Soho soundhouse, etc.). I also plan to make trips to the Wembley Guitar Centre, Holiday Music (Leytonstone), and Machinehead (Hitchin) as they have a lot of stuff I'd like to try. I don't think it's worth a trip to Charlie Chandlers, as going by the website anyway, there's nothing I REALLY want to try there- not worth wasting half a day on anyway, as I want to see some of the sights too, even though I was there last summer :lol: .

Basically, I want to get to try what I can't try here in Northern Ireland. I'm mainly after more vintage style valve combos- no marshall, fender, Gibson, etc. as it's pretty common here. I also like high gain tube heads/combos...

So basically, what other good guitar shops, with a wide range of less well-known kit, within say a 30 minute limit from central London by train/tube are there?- the closer the better, but if somewhere is truly awesome (within reason) I'll travel. Are there any glaring omissions in my list of shops?

Links to their website (if they have one) would also be appreciated. Thanks for the help, guys.

If I haven't given enough info about what I want to try, ask and I'll post more, but I didn't want you guys to have to read 6 pages in the first post.

:drink:

Kilby · « **Reply #1 on:** July 15, 2006, 09:34:26 PM »

http://newkingsroadguitars.co.uk/index.html

http://www.petercooks.co.uk/

http://www.abcmusic.co.uk/ who have shops in and around London including Hounslow and Kew (so Charlie Chandlers may then be worth a visit)

On Oxford St theres soundcontrol (under the virgin store) and theres Ivor Mairants (just off Oxford St)

Theres also a pretty reasonable store at 301 Broadway, Bexleyheath (the wifes cousin lives down there) and theres always Feline down in Croydon.

MacCarris (spelling) on Charing Cross Road, though to be honest don't get your hopes up over Soundhouse or most of Denmark St. They're mostly box shifters, Wunjo, Andys and Vintage & Rare are about the best there.

I think those are the main sites of interest.

Oh yeah if you are into Sci-Fi or fantacy books, Forbidden planet is only a couple of hundred yards from Denmark St (infinitely better than the Belfast store of the same name).

Rob...

dave_mc · « **Reply #2 on:** July 15, 2006, 09:39:15 PM »

Quote from: Kilby

http://newkingsroadguitars.co.uk/index.html

http://www.petercooks.co.uk/

http://www.abcmusic.co.uk/ who have shops in and around London including Hounslow and Kew (so Charlie Chandlers may then be worth a visit)

On Oxford St theres soundcontrol (under the virgin store) and theres Ivor Mairants (just off Oxford St)

Theres also a pretty reasonable store at 301 Broadway, Bexleyheath (the wifes cousin lives down there) and theres always Feline down in Croydon.

MacCarris (spelling) on Charing Cross Road, though to be honest don't get your hopes up over Soundhouse or most of Denmark St. They're mostly box shifters, Wunjo, Andys and Vintage & Rare are about the best there.

I think those are the main sites of interest.

Oh yeah if you are into Sci-Fi or fantacy books, Forbidden planet is only a couple of hundred yards from Denmark St (infinitely better than the Belfast store of the same name).

Rob...

Awesome, thanks Rob. That Ivor Mairaints, where is it exactly off oxford street (i didn't know it was there last year, d'oh!)?

And I know full well about Denmark street, lol, I was there last year. It's more a "well I'm here so I might as well check it out" rather than an awesome guitar place...

:drink:

EDIT: oh, and roughly how far down charing cross road is macCarris?

Kilby · « **Reply #3 on:** July 15, 2006, 09:44:37 PM »

http://www.ivormairants.co.uk/ifindus.html

Link fixed :

I was going to reserve this week for window shopping (in my case), but I now think I'm heading home for a week instead (yippee).

Rob...

dave_mc · « **Reply #4 on:** July 15, 2006, 09:48:06 PM »

^ that specific link doesn't work, but www.ivormairants.co.uk does- thanks rob! Enjoy your holiday at home!

:drink:

EDIT: oh, and I'll just be doing window shopping too. Although Northern Ireland, for its size, is actually pretty good for gear, you have to take your chance to try better gear when the opportunity arises, not when you're only buying, lol.

:drink:

Kilby · « **Reply #5 on:** July 15, 2006, 09:51:09 PM »

Hehe I will

Enjoy your shopping and hope you find (and get) something that you want.

Rob...

dave_mc · « **Reply #6 on:** July 15, 2006, 09:53:01 PM »

^ thanks, man.

Anyone else with anything to add, feel free to chip in.

:drink:

Antag · « **Reply #7 on:** July 15, 2006, 11:07:42 PM »

Quote from: dave_mc

Machinehead (Hitchin)

If you're going as far afield as Hitchin, make an effort to go to Coda Music in Stevenage - a veritable aladdin's cave of great stuff. Unlike many shops, they don't quibble if you want to try something & some of the staff actually know what they're talking about! :)

(FWIW, there's also a branch in Luton, but the Stevenage one seems to have more stuff...)

deg0ey · « **Reply #8 on:** July 15, 2006, 11:48:36 PM »

So you start a thread called "Good Guitar Shops in London", and then decide to go out to bloody Hertfordshire?!

A bit off topic, but you can always tell people that don't know London by the way they underestimate its size...A mate of mine agreed to meet someone (coming from southampton) in Camden, before a gig that was in Brixton - wtf?!

TBH Dave, Machinehead is gonna be a long way to travel (but they do have some good gear) and it won't be within your 30 minute limit, I wouldn't have thought

And remember they're closed Wednesdays (you said the middle of next week)

Unfortunately I can't contribute to decent guitar shops, but bloody hell Hitchin seems a long way to go

dave_mc · « **Reply #9 on:** July 15, 2006, 11:59:09 PM »

^ ^ thanks antag- I had considered coda, but figured it was maybe too far (EDIT: it's closer than Hitchin. But only by like 5 minutes. And there's more stuff I want to try in Hitchin...). I may take a look though. I have checked their website before, and it's true they had plenty of good kit- but I don't think they had anything that I couldn't get to try closer to the centre of London.

^ deg0ey- I think I researched machinehead when I was going last year- I didn't make it through lack of time, lol, but I think it was half an hour on the train. I'll take a look though. And report back, lol.

EDIT: aye, King's Cross to Hitchin is 30 minutes, if you get the right one (unlike my feeble attempts to get to Oxford last time, when I ended up on the darn 2 hour train... :( ). Of course, knowing my luck, it'll take 3 hours to get to King's cross... :lol:

oh, just checked, king's cross should be grand- about 6 tube stops from where I'd ideally be staying (a few changes though :( ).

Finally, just to point out- Hitchin may seem a long way to go, and it is, but it's a lot shorter from London than it is from Northern Ireland... :(

blue · « **Reply #10 on:** July 16, 2006, 02:51:18 AM »

Quote from: Kilby

Oh yeah if you are into Sci-Fi or fantacy books, Forbidden planet is only a couple of hundred yards from Denmark St (infinitely better than the Belfast store of the same name).

Rob...

oi, them's my mates! and it'll always be the talisman to me... bloody corporate takeovers

deg0ey · « **Reply #11 on:** July 16, 2006, 09:52:55 AM »

Quote from: dave_mc

oh, just checked, king's cross should be grand- about 6 tube stops from where I'd ideally be staying (a few changes though :( )

Ah that's good - Changes aren't difficult as long as you decide in advance where you need to be, otherwise you get demolished by the locals...There's nothing worse than being stood in a tube station tryina look at the map on the wall :lol:

If in doubt, print one off of TFL :P

Where will you ideally be staying? Anywhere we mighta heard of?

Elliot · « **Reply #12 on:** July 16, 2006, 10:33:57 AM »

If your going to Hitchin you have to go to Stevenage - trouble is CODA is in the old town a good 30 minutes walk away

Also (as I was born in Hitchin but haven't lived there for 25 years, thank the Lord) someone decided to put the train station 30 minutes walk away from Machine Head (or indeed the town!) - So pack a Kendal mint cake :D

dave_mc · « **Reply #13 on:** July 16, 2006, 04:47:29 PM »

^ ^ degoey- probably queen mary university, if they have any room left (this kind of was unexpected, hence the rush, lol). Really cheap, and really handy (mile end- about two stops east of the tower of london). I stayed there last summer, I think it was like £130 for a week (with ensuite). Awesome- that's not much more than most hotels would charge you for a single night. And safe patrolled grounds as well. Fridge in each room too, which was pretty awesome for breakfast needs (seeing as how it was self-catering).

^ elliot- aye, I know they're quite a bit away, I've been checking out multimap, lol. Ah well, it's not ideal, but I'd rather take a half hour train journey and walk for 20 mins to half an hour than to try to figure out how to get there one-errand from Northern Ireland...

:drink:

one last question- I keep seeing adverts for "the bass centre" in brune street, near liverpool street station. Now, in some of my old magazines, there's an advert for the house of guitars at the same address. Is this still there, or is it solely bass guitars?

It's not too far from central london (3 stops, maybe) but it's a waste of time if it only has bass guitars...

Thanks for any help.

:drink:

deg0ey · « **Reply #14 on:** July 16, 2006, 04:53:00 PM »

How many days are you staying for dave? I don't see how you're going to have time to fit in trips to all these places :lol: