Bass Direct Reviews 

Mixed experiences.
Bought an amp head & bag: delivered promptly, although had to chase them for tracking details. Amp & bag are excellent.

Phoned to ask about buying a foot switch: No reply to 2. voicemails. Emailed asking when they expected to receive stock of the latest version of the foot switch: no reply.

Two other dealers in U.K. had no stock, so contacted makers in USA.
After several extremely helpful emails (with the head of the company whose name is on the product) ordered one direct: shipped out within 2 days; automatic shipping/tracking updates provided.

Allowing for VAT, shipping, duty (0%), PayPal fees, will be a similar price to one bought in U.K.

Major difference: customer experience.

Lasting impression is that Bass Direct only care about selling what they have in stock, whereas the USA makers care about supporting happy customers.

There is nothing wrong with Bass Direct’s products, but, from my personal experience they need to up their game in terms of customer service.

Ordered some strings yesterday and they arrived today. Communication was good, the price was good, so no complaints at all. Would happily buy from Bass Direct again.

I placed an order for items shown online as in stock. Two weeks later items still had not arrived despite them saying items had been posted. So I phoned and the guy and he said he was sending it that day?!?!? No communication to say they'd made a mistake, just left waiting! A week later still no delivery so phoned again and they said they'd look into it and get back to me. Did they get back to me? No! Appalling service! Buy elsewhere! No excuses in these modern times.

Found The Guy Pratt Betsy bass on Bass direct. Emailed regarding availability and purchase options and Mark came back to me within the hour with all the options and clear instructions. Once purchased the bass literally arrived the next day!!! It was set up perfectly and arrived in a gig bag too! First class service and I doubt I’ll go anywhere else for a bass.

I travelled today to buy a bass from this shop but felt as if I had travelled back to a time when music shops were staffed by spotty yoofs who weren't interested in customer service and just wanted to be paid to hang around expensive instruments. And to top it all, the bass I wanted, which was available to be bought mail order, only had one working pickup. No worries repeated the parrot like spotted yoof until I suggested that my having made a special journey might constitute a worry to me and left.

Barge pole touch don't with a- rearrange.

Ordered a Dingwall bass guitar. There were a few issues that i wasn't satisfied with so i contacted them. I got a fast and positive response along with some free strings and a part refund. Can't ask for better service than that!

As others have commented here this is a great store. Lots of basses, an excellent range of products. I visited this store twice, and purchased a Dingwall Combustion bass from them. The bass exceeds expectations. The customer service does not. Having decided on what bass after the first visit I did some research on pricing. The pricing from other suppliers varies widely. Bass Direct were in the middle of the range. I questioned this and they did offer to price match providing the product was in stock at a competitor. On this basis I returned to the store to finalise my choice. When it came to paying for the bass they could not price match their competitor The Bass Gallery in Camden. I was informed it was not the same product, it was old stock. I took this at face value, paid the full amount. I had already travelled 240 miles. There has subsequently been some dialogue on the subject post sale, it turns out Bass Direct could not match Bass Gallery prices, that was the real reason. If I had known that before hand I might not have bothered with the return trip. It is a great store, I cannot fault that. The sales part though needs to be handled carefully to make sure you get the deal you were expecting, otherwise you may leave disappointed.

Pathetic Customer Service
Several times now, it has just been pathetic customer service. I have bought a Dingwall Bass through them and had to order strings and extras several times over the years. Their customer service is extremely lacking, if they even know what they are talking about some of the time. That's the worst, trying to talk to "a professional" and you know more than they do. Purchases don't arrive for days/weeks, then when chased up, they just refund without explanation. Then when contacted again, they just give the bare minimum of explanations, and do not actually take the time to answer questions. These guys are clowns, and will never get my money again.

In January 2014 I wanted to buy a Yamaha BB1025X. I found one online at Bass Direct. Being only 45 minutes from my home, I drove over tried it out and bought it. I was very happy with the experience. So you his January I was interested in buying a preamp pedal, I went in with an idea of what I wanted. I tried a couple out, with help and advice from Mark the proprietor. Out of interest I asked about Dingwall basses and ended up leaving with the pedal and a new bass. Couldn’t be happier with the service I received. Mark was very friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. I ended up staying and chatting for a couple of hours. I’d recommend Bass Direct, particularly if you want higher end and more obscure products. Thanks Mark.

Went up to bass direct yesterday, had a wonderful time, tried several different basses and was given some brilliant advice, came away a very happy man with a bass I hope will last me a life time.

An earlier reviewer said he couldn't understand the bad feedback given by others. I can!
I too had an unpleasant visit to the 'store' to see a bass that was for sale on the website, but was then said to have been sold. A week later it was still on the website, so I phoned and was told it was back on sale. It was described as 'cleaned and set up'. So I foolishly bought it online and unseen. Set up? Really? With strings 15 mm off the fretboard and a massive bow in the neck?The weight was understated by 1/2 lb and the neck dimensions were misquoted. What else can there be wrong?
Absolutely zero out of ten - they clearly didn't give a damn. So I agreed a return and they said their courier would pick it up. So I waited in. Did he turn up? Of course not! I rang the courier myself who confirmed they had no such booking. They came the following day and I got my Paypal back, but I had wasted half a day for the delivery and two days for the collection.
Maybe they make enough money to be able to operate like this, but they certainly won't get any more of mine

I don't understand these other reviews - Buying was simple for me, and their prices are great (esp. for used models). I saw a Warwick I really wanted, so I clicked the email link, asked if I can buy it (with finance), and got a helpful and kind response. We worked out a plan, and they sent an invoice for 30% deposit. So when I got paid, I could send the remaining money to them. After I paid in full, they shipped it very fast, and it's in excellent condition. It's an old-school way of buying via email + bank transfer, but the staff are really friendly and it's a smooth process.
I never dreamed of buying a Warwick, but I got my 2002 Streamer LX and I absolutely adore it.

Just for context, I am a touring guitar tech who has also worked in music stores over the years, as well a luthier, making custom instruments for clients all over the world. I've toured since the late 80's with many of the bands you know and love, and I'd like to think I know a thing or two about working in music retail, as well as how to value customers. So here we go. I bought a Dingwall bass from the Bass Direct UK website on the 18th of July, in total it came to around AUD$4000. That's a lot of money for most people. However, Dingwall's are expensive, as is shipping, so I have no problem at all with the amount they charged. When the sale had gone through, the amount was deducted from my account, but I received no automated email from the store. I wrote to them and asked if they could verify the purchase, and eventually they did. I asked for an ETA, and waited 4 days for a reply, before writing again to ask the same question. The store denied that I had sent them an email to reply to, but they were replying to it right then. I pointed that out, and they changed tack and said the bass would ship "tomorrow". That was the 27th of July. The courier didn't receive the job for over two weeks. After having to ask repeatedly for the tracking information, a link was eventually sent to me. Note that at every stage of this process I had to request information that every other music store on the planet provides proactively. The link revealed that the bass was still sitting at the store a week later, and that ParcelForce had tried to pick it up, but no one was there. At lunchtime on a week day. I emailed again, and asked them to cancel that courier and use one that actually works. If you want to read about ParcelForce's reviews, it will make you wonder why any respectable company would ever choose to use them. Eventually after several emails a new courier was booked (through the same company, which is just insulting). I had to again ask for tracking. The bass sat in a sorting centre in the UK for another week, then left the country, and disappeared for a week. I had received several deliveries from Europe and the USA in half the time this order had taken so far. I emailed the store again, and asked if they sent the bass by air or by ship. They told me to check the tracking, which doesn't reveal that info. I told them I had been checking the tracking, and to tell me if it had been sent by air or by ship. They replied "28th July". I was losing my mind. Every communication from them was full of excuses, and always written in the most smug and short manner possible. Our email thread so far is 34 messages long. I asked the same question yet again, and added that they are the "worst f-ing music store I have ever dealt with in my entire life" They wrote back immediately, and told me I "could probably do with a lesson in speaking to people". Well thanks very much Marcus- you could do with a lesson in customer service, and how to effectively run a music store that doesn't make customers run after them constantly to get simple answers that should have been automated in the first place. It's been a month, I have no idea where my bass is, and all I can say about this amateur operation is- avoid.
Update 24/08/2022.
The bass finally arrived after more than a month, and it was damaged. The back of the neck had a dent and deep impact marks that went right through the finish, into the wood, breaking the wood fibres to a depth of over 2mm- a serious impact against something sharp and hard. The bass was advertised as new, but this isn't new condition. Bass Direct said they would refund 10% of the purchase price, when the bass in this condition isn't worth 90% of the price sold, it's worth much less. They dented it when restringing it, and simply do not care that I didn't get what I paid for. This business won't accept responsibility for their terrible lack of customer service, their inability to send out sales within a reasonable timeframe, their inadequate choice of delivery partners, or their own techs damage to customers instruments. But, as Mark Stickley so eloquently put in his email to me- they are too big for this to affect them, so they won't do the right thing.

As many people on here have found out, if they can't full fill you order, despite it not being marked as 'out of stock'. You just get a refund with no explanation.

The kind of service you'd expect from a Chinese eBay company.

I’ve used Bass Direct for all my bass related purchases / sales for over 10 years. Mark (the owner) knows his stuff and is quite direct in telling customers what he thinks about gear. I’ve heard him be very direct to people who are looking to sell a bass about the sale price they can expect to achieve. I guess it’s a bit like telling someone their child is ugly and useless. I’ve never known Mark to be anything less than pro-active in his communications (perhaps this is why he called his business Bass DIRECT). If you like places where staff suck up to you and don’t speak their mind then go to PMT or one of the other ‘box shifters’. However if you want a personalised, boutique bass kit experience this is the best place I’ve found in the UK in the 40 years I’ve been playing bass.

Not sure why there's so many negative reviews for this shop on here. They always reply to my emails inquiring about gear quickly, they graciously let me put a bass on hold for a month, and items bought online are always shipped and delivered quickly. Nothing but good things to say about Bass Direct from me. Me and the bassists I know would 100% recommend this shop to a friend.

I have used bass direct for years mark and the chaps are incredible. I wouldn’t go anywhere else ,my most recent experience being exceptional these guys are truly passionate about customer care have expert knowledge really make visiting the shop a great experience. 10/10 bass direct Buy with confidence you won’t regret it

Poor delivery service, the guy on the phone was polite but rather clueless.
Paid for a premium Saturday morning delivery but got a third rate courier.
Wasted a whole day waiting.

A couple of years ago I bought a xotic 5 string bass for £2600-00 after a short while I realised it wasn't for me.
I got back in touch with bass direct and having explained my situation to Mark that the bass was immaculate he offered my £1400 as a part exchange. ffs that's a joke -£1200. So i kept the bass.
A little while back I bought a 2nd hand bass rig from bass direct for £1440, again I wasn't totally happy, rang Mark for an exchange for a different rig and he offered me £1000 for my rig. -£440.
If I had accepted Marks offers I would be -£1640 and would've had to pay an additional amout to get the gear i wanted.
I know it's a business, but look after your customers 'bass direct' and don't just see them as a moneypit!
BE REASONABLE!

I have bought lots of bass guitars (at least 10 from memory) and equipment from Bass Direct over the last 10 years. Telephoned the shop to enquire on a used bass that was up for sale and to check it was still available. The person who answered the phone was not sure about anything and certainly didn't know anything about what was in stock. After confirming they had it and it was available I told them I was on my way and would be there within 2 hours.

After driving to Warwick I arrived to be told "Sorry mate, it's sold" with a shrug.... followed by "to be fair, this doesn't happen very often"

1: They knew I was making a journey over so why didn't they confirm with me that it would be held for me - I am (or at least was) a loyal customer

2: What an interesting interpretation of customer service - a dismissive shrug

3: I'm not and certainly never will be their 'mate'

I won't be returning.