[Steve_M]

Ken, as far as I can see the internet is already the best place to go for information. They've repeatedly tried to revive bass magazines here in the UK but they don't seem to last. There's a market but people find the internet is more immediate, relevant and accessible.

I believe (from looking at the forum I run) that the biggest bottle neck in a potential decision making process over purchasing equipment now is getting access to the gear itself so people can make their own judgements. The large majority of members on our forum own brands that are commonly found in shops because they're getting a known quantity. Their instruments may not be perfect but because they've tried it, they know what they're getting for their hard earned wonga.

Forums help people openly share information about their experiences of owning and playing certain brands - and the the after sales service is becoming critical these days. There are a handful of people (including myself) who are prepared to take a leap of faith with a manufacturer on reputation alone but most people won't do that.

On the forum I help run, we arrange reviews of any instruments that a manufacturer wants to send us - haven't done many of those yet but we put sound clips up as well as the usual photos. Sound clips have proven to be very useful. I know from one bass I reviewed called a 'Mule' I was very impressed with the workmanship for the cost of the bass but the guy messed up wiring the earths in his circuit and the bass always sounded muffled. We put clips up and took the wiring issues up with him on the forum. He accepted our points without question and stated he was going to sort the problems out next time. Despite the wiring issues he STILL had about 6 enquiries about making a bass.

We also organise meet ups every 6 months. People get to try out each others basses and amps. There are often some surprises in matching actual performance to marketing hype with some equipment. We've been able to do direct comparisons between basses by F-bass, Celinder, Alembic, Smith, Musicman, Pedulla and many UK based builders such as Jaydee, Shuker, Status and AGC. I'm sure this has influenced members buying decisions and helped them expand away from the usual high street retail offerings.