jrixn1

I've bought a few things from Thomann post-2020, both above and below the £135 threshold. The price paid at checkout is the final price you pay - nothing extra is added by anyone. The outbound delivery process is as it used to be (i.e. takes about a week to arrive). The issue now though is that the logistics of returns take a lot longer, with the courier (DHL) tracking unreliable. So if you do need to send something back, it's 3-4 weeks of your items/money being in limbo, with no one on either side really knowing what's going on.

Active speakers are a great choice, and have the advantages of generally better dispersion; DSP for speaker protection and crossover; and convenient form factor (they can be stood upright or be tilted back). One question is which size to get i.e. how loud you are. I recall your other thread where you said you play in two bands: a function band, and a quiet Americana-type band. I play in a 10-piece (sometimes larger) function band and I use a QSC CP12 active speaker. We generally have full PA, so the active speaker is for the stage sound - but occasionally we don't and so on those occasions I will use the active speaker as backline. I've used smaller/quieter and larger/louder active speakers over the years, but the QSC CP12 is what I've settled on, as it goes more than loud enough, and sounds good. It is very manageable at 13.7kg and a footprint of 35 x 32cm. QSC will also give you a six-year warranty. Brands other than QSC which I've used and would highly recommend are RCF, Yamaha, and FBT. I've used Zoom B1 Four, MS60B, and B3 in the past, plugged straight into active speakers with no issues. It is just as simple as you are imagining it could be. If in the future your tonal goals or tastes change, just swap out the Zoom for another pedal - much easier and cheaper than swapping bass amps and cabs around.

All the previous replies have good advice on sourcing and cutting up boxes as a DIY solution. To answer the question directly about where to buy boxes - I've used the ones from https://www.sellusyourguitar.co.uk/product-page/guitar-packaging-electric-bass-guitars a couple of times. They come in two pieces which slide together to get a snug fit. So at £10 (plus postage) it is expensive for just one box - but the option's there if you don't have time right now to traipse around the local shops etc.

I had a successful transaction with @JapanAxe Thanks Graeme!

Well, you should nearly never actually find yourself playing in a theoretical key - that's why it's called theoretical. Sometimes a piece changes key to the parallel minor, which means the root stays the same and you just switch from major to minor. An example everyone will know is Norwegian Wood, when it moves from the verse (E major) to the bridge (E minor) at 0m32s: https://youtu.be/Y_V6y1ZCg_8?feature=shared&t=24 Now suppose your piece was instead in Db major; the equivalent change would be to Db minor. However, as the screenshot in the original post of this thread shows, Db minor has six flats and one double flat, which is basically impossible to read. So that is why Db minor is called a 'theoretical key' - strictly speaking it is technically correct, but nearly no one would ever use it. Instead, i.e. in real life, a songwriter or composer (unless they are being a dіck) would be pragmatic and use the equivalent key signature - C# minor, which has four sharps and is a lot easier to read. There is a beautiful example of this exact parallel minor change in Clair de Lune: https://youtu.be/FoD_AxKoJDs?feature=shared&t=107 and in that video you can follow along the sheet music and see where the key signature changes at 2m19s and 2m35s.

There seem to be two iterations of the TGI Extreme: one (older?) with the one-piece handle (e.g. https://www.peachguitars.com/tgi-gigbag-bass-guitar-extreme-series-.htm), but most sellers are now selling the two-piece handle version (e.g. https://www.absolutemusic.co.uk/tgi-extreme-series-electric-bass-guitar-gigbag.html).

For £59 I would go for the Fender FB620. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fender-FB620-Bass-Guitar-Gig/dp/B06Y1XXMYG/ref=asc_df_B06Y1XXMYG/ I like the more streamlined/minimal vibe: no huge pockets - my leads/pedals/etc travel in a separate case anyway; hidden handle for vertical carrying; and the shoulder straps can be hidden away too (I never use them). I prefer its one-piece handle to the two-piece handles sometimes found on other bags which you have to attach together with velcro each time you want to pick the bag up.

Same bass - https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/266445257157, different (better) description: "This is not an original stingray, beautiful action and sounds amazing but NOT an original"

It's a good point although in this case a reference of a GK MB115-II was given. I owned a GK MB210 in the past and it is pretty good and will go quite loud for its size - but a MINI CMD 121P or 102P go very loud for their size. So @salaourtxe I reckon that unless you were always running your friend's GK MB115 on full blast, the MINI CMD 121P is the one to go for. It is also of course the easiest to move around, as it's the lightest and narrowest - which was your primary criteria as I read it ("I want an amp that I can move around easily and that sounds good").

What's your scenario? Small-group jazz, concert hall, listening audience - I wouldn't be happy doing it. Large, loud function band in a wedding marquee - you'll be fine. If of interest, I have some comparison audio here from a few years ago, as we recorded both the rehearsal (P bass, flats, foam) and the gig (upright, piezo direct): out.mp3

The cab rating is more of an approximate guide than a strict guarantee that everything will be ok. You would be fine with a cab rated at 200W, if you play at a lower volume - or you could damage a cab rated at 700W, if you maxed out the EQ and played very aggressively etc. If you do want specific cab recommendations, indicating your budget, musical genre/band line-up, and venue type/size will help get the best suggestions.

You might not save much percentage-wise on the overall weight of the bass, but due to the leverage effect of the tuners being right at the end of the neck, it will alter the balance and probably make the bass more comfortable to wear. If you replace the original tuners (let's say 100g each) with some lighter ones (let's say 60g each), that would be 160g saved in total over the four tuners. You can trial the change in weight and balance before buying anything by removing one (100g) or two (200g) of the current tuners. 160g is of course about in the middle. Remember these numbers are just an example - use the actual weight of the tuners concerned in your case.

I was about 75% on my HD 10-A; when I moved to 732-A I was on no more than 25%. The K10 has a HPF option (around 100Hz I think) if you turn the dial to 'ext sub'. This could make a difference.

I've bounced back and forth between 10" and 12" over the last few years. The 10" I had were RCF HD 10-A (similar to your 310-A) and Yamaha DXR10. Our band have some QSC K10 so I've used those a bit too. For 12", I've owned RCF 732-A, FBT ProMaxx 112A, and QSC CP12. For me the 10" were great most of the time but on some occasions at louder gigs they were starting to limit or otherwise not perform effortlessly, particularly in the lower frequencies. It was never really awful, but I did notice it and think that it would be nicer to have a better stage sound. The RCF 732-A and FBT ProMaxx 112A are definitely a step up in quality. I didn't have to run them hard at all, so they sound better. The 732-A was the best stage sound I've ever had; but I appreciated the ProMaxx 112A's lower weight (14.8kg vs 17.8kg). However, running either of them at a very low level felt like overkill, with so much in reserve but still transporting them to gigs just to have them barely ticking over. They are also physically larger of course and with 10+ of us in the band the stage is already always cramped. The QSC CP12 is interesting and has hit a sweet spot for me, as it's the size and weight of a 10" enclosure but they've put a 12" driver inside. Ultimately it won't go as loud as the 732-A or ProMaxx 112A, but as mentioned above that isn't a problem for me. FWIW I've been meaning to list my FBT ProMaxx 112A for sale - you're welcome to trial for a few weeks if interested (with a view to buying it - but just send it back if it's not a match).