Tee’s Bass Rumblings……at The London Bass Guitar Show.

The Olympia Conference Centre in Kensington held the first EVER London Bass Guitar Show on 12^th and 13th of March, which I attended on the first day along with a friend.  In association with leading bass magazine ‘Bass Guitar’, this was the first time the UK were treated to a show dedicated entirely for the bass guitarist!  Spread over 2 days, the general public got to sample the delights of many leading brands of bass guitars, amplifiers and accessories such as Ampeg, Trace Elliot, Jim Dunlop, G&L, Musicman, Ernie Ball and new brands such as Overwater by Tanglewood. Another treat in store for us were the Masterclasses and Live Stage Performances with some of the industries best players such as Mark King and Stu Hamm.
We arrived at the Olympia Conference Centre just in time for (pictured below) Yamaha Endorsee Marco Mendoza (of current Thin Lizzy and former bass player for Whitesnake) bass Masterclass!  He rocked out some of his own songs, and opened up the floor for questions. Then he surprised us all by whipping out a rather tasty looking green Yamaha 6-string fretless bass and blowing us all away with this crazily fast Jazz playing to thunderous applause!  I had the pleasure of meeting him afterwards….he was a very sincere and charming man, with eyeliner that could give Jack Sparrow a run for his money!

Met by a barrage of thumping bass lines coming from all directions as we entered the part of the conference centre we hadn’t explored yet. We wandered around the stands like kids in a candy shop getting confused at what to look at first!  Remembering Go To Guitars had a stand with G&L by Leo Fender, we went straight there to try out a 4-string G&L Tribute which I have had my eye on for many months and hoping that we will one day get into the shop.  I was not disappointed and fell in love almost instantly.

Another brand at the show was the Overwater by Tanglewood. We here at Musicroom Portsmouth are one of the UK stockist for these masterpieces and launched the range in the store this past weekend with one of Tanglewood’s experts in Overwater. These two brands have come together to create a range of solid, beautifuly crafted, yet affordable bass guitars!
The London Bass Guitar Show is defiantly a show worth going to for any bass player!