Dan Dare

A good old fashioned flight case takes some beating (literally). Heavy and awkward to carry and may well cost you more in carriage charges, but if you value your instrument, it has to be the way to go.

Dirty input jack on the amp or output jack on the instrument can cause odd noises. Try cleaning them with switch cleaner. Is the lead OK? Try wiggling it - especially near the plug at each end - whilst the note is sustaining and see if it results in any crackles and buzzes.

Bill. Could I pick your brains, please? Is there a straightforward way to work out how much wadding a cab needs, or is it a case of suck it and see? Is it best to allow for the wadding when calculating cab volumes? Thanks.

Looks good. Re break-in, I wouldn't hammer it for the first few hours. You could connect up the iPad or similar and play some stuff through it at moderate volumes for a while to loosen things up.

I had a similar issue recently and it turned out to be dirty contacts on the input jack. I sprayed the plug with switch cleaner, pushed it in and rotated/wiggled it a bit (oooer, missus) and it solved the problem.

Rough with the smooth has to be the motto. Pub gigs are generally all right. You encounter the odd bad one, but most are fine. As long as I get paid, I'm happy to play to two people and a dog. I look on it as paid rehearsal time.

Have a look on eBay (search for 'instrument decals'). People will make them to order. I had this made up (can't remember the guy's name who did it, I'm afraid) and intend to put it on the Bitsa when I get around to it.

Polyester toy stuffing worth a try? eBay has plenty.

Words don't fail me. In fact, words such as Sh1te come readily to mind.

Well, if you have active FoH, that's power to each side of the front of the stage, plus active monitors - say one each for a 4 or 5 piece band. That's quite a lot just for the PA and is additional to anything needed for individual backline, power for FX, etc, etc. If you're happy, great, but I like to keep things as simple as I can.

An increase of 3db is supposed to result in a doubling of volume. However, it takes a 10db increase for people to perceive volume as having doubled. Barely any amplifier on earth will double the power output it gives into 8 ohms if the load is reduced to 4 ohms, because the power supply in most will run out of steam.

Many happies Willie. The man who wrote my favourite song (Nightlife).

I appreciate that. I know active speakers do sound a little better in most cases. My PA speakers (Fohhn LX150s and XS22 subs) are sort of semi-active - the power amps are built into the subs and you feed the tops with normal Speakon cables. It sounds pretty good. Like a giant hi-fi. However, I've got no alternative option if something fails on a job, unless my monitors (which are passive) suffice.

I have an Ernie Ball. Works fine and the display is quite large and easy to read in poor light..

Looks good. I have a Dinky Toys decal on the headstock of my Bitsa. Always fun when people ask what make it is and then look closely at it. I tried to get a Hotpoint decal, but couldn't find one.

You carry on then. I prefer to err on the side of caution, especially if I'm driving an amplifier hard. As an example, take a look at the spec' sheets for Kappalite drivers (popular choice for bass cabs). I'm not singling out the Kappalite - all drivers behave similarly. The impedance varies quite dramatically according to frequency. At certain frequencies, what is supposed on paper to be a 2 ohm load can be a lot lower.

Good advice. Using passive speakers also removes the need to run mains power all over the stage. I'm running active FoH at the moment, but I'm aware that if anything fails, it could create a problem. My monitors are passive, so I could put some of them out front if the main system misbehaves, but it may not be adequate.

With a solid electric bass, it pretty well doesn't matter as long as you keep it dry.

Amplification is fine to buy used, but be wary of used speakers unless you can be pretty sure they haven't been abused. If buying as a band, I'd suggest that each person owns a particular item (or items) rather than just a percentage of the whole PA. That way, if someone leaves, they just take what is theirs with them and you don't get into arguments about buying them out, what their share is worth, etc. Or worse, selling the whole thing - you never recoup its value - so you can split the proceeds and then have to buy another rig.

It must be good. It's made from "proper Brazilian luthier wood", after all... Probably Warmoth parts. Given that you could get a complete used American P bass in good nick for a grand (or less), does he really believe people are that stupid? Time for a low ball offer to p!ss him off, I feel 😁

Bye

With a PA, the first thing you really need to do is to decide a budget and consider the use it will be put to. Will it be for vocals and maybe an acoustic instrument or two, or do you intend to run the whole band, including bass and drums through it? The usual suspects - see recommendations above - all offer systems at various price points. In the mid price range (rigs that will work for pubs, clubs and similar), the decent brands (Mackie, EV, RCF et al) are all pretty competitive in what they offer. You won't go far wrong with any of them. Don't judge solely by wattage or size, however. As is the case with bass rigs, a bigger number isn't necessarily best at a given price. Not long ago, the DJ at a wedding I played at turned up with a small Nexo system - one sub and two 10+horn tops. The quality and weight of sound was amazing from such a small rig, albeit one that probably cost £5-6k.

If it doesn't absolutely have to be through body, Gotoh make a nice BBOT type bridge that is nicer than the original and not expensive.

Not easy to touch up a sprayed finish without it showing, even with a solid colour (metallics are a nightmare). Ask any car body repair place. You can get there or thereabouts, but it will show close up and in certain light. Depends how fussy you are. If you want an invisible repair, a re-spray - of the top at any rate - is probably the only answer.