Dan Dare

Bass amps and "sexy" do not inhabit the same universe...

Why isn't there a "None" option in the questions?

Didn't J Squiggle once play in The Searchers?

I know it means I'm sad, but that grates on me, too. On the topic of decals, it doesn't bother me. The decal on my bitsa reads "Dinky Toys". Perhaps some collector of diecast metal model cars might moan, but who cares?

Horses for courses. Fretted and fretless both have strengths, so use whichever best suits the job. I play in a soul band at the moment, so fretted works best for me in that context.

Ditto.

Definitely this. Paying someone for an hour of their time (If you have a pal who knows their stuff, buy them a nice bottle) will be enormously helpful and you'll learn the basics in that hour. It's so much easier when someone shows you, rather than tells you, how it works. It's not hard, but the initial learning curve, especially the effect of eq and how to use it effectively, can be a little steep. Good luck.

You could always get a quality full range bass cab - LFSYS Monaco, BF Big Baby, etc - and a compact power amp from someone like GSS. That would be compact, light, powerful, seriously bass capable and would work perfectly with a bass preamp.

A punch-up or a blazing row on stage often helps keep things exciting 😁

It's for a retailer to decide what level of service they are willing/prepared to offer and for you, as a potential customer, to decide whether you wish to buy from them. Everyone has a different take on what is "reasonable". That's the long and short of it, really.

Better get it muddy and dirty quick.

Don't worry. Speakers will happily tolerate short bursts of as much as twice their rated power. Add to that the fact that an amplifier rarely if ever delivers its full rated power and you'll be fine. It will be obvious from the sound if you are pushing it too hard. Just back off the volume in the unlikely event that happens.