Dan Dare

Good to see Rowland Emmett is alive and well.

I think it's just rarity. Many cheap instruments get abused or chucked, so the few that survive in good nick are rare. I suspect there are also plenty of people who cannot afford to collect vintage name instruments, so they turn to oddball stuff.

To paraphrase Mark Twain, rumours of the death of the amp have been greatly exaggerated.

You will need an active speaker if you wish to drive it with your Mackie. A mixing desk won't drive a passive one. If it's only for home practice/recording, I'd use headphones. Something with a decent bass response like Beyer DT770s would be a lot better than a cheap active cab. Little point in buying a bass head if you don't intend to use it for any other purpose. If you are practicing to tracks, you can route them and your bass through the mixer, set the balance to suit you and do it whenever you wish without the risk of disturbing neighbours or family members.

All of the above neatly illustrates the minefield that is vintage Fender instruments. With their bolt-together construction, any and all sorts of shenanigans are possible/likely.

Agreed, with the exception of the "mostly untrue". Frequently untrue would be more accurate. There are, sadly, people of both sexes out there who don't like the fact that their partner has a hobby or interest that doesn't involve them.

Exactly. I did think of messaging the seller, but why bother if he can't be *rsed to do some homework.

3x10 always struck me as being a good idea. Most of the weight of sound of a 4x10 and plenty enough for any normal situation. I had an Epifani and it was excellent. It was only the fact that it was a little bulky - although light - and therefore difficult to get up the narrow stairs to my flat that caused me to sell it.

There's no "best", really. Depending on what you like and how you learn, any of the afore-mentioned will do the job. A few lessons when you start out will set you on the right road better than any book, it has to be said.

Exactly. I could get rid of all my basses bar my old Jazz and be fine, but why should I? Getting a new toy occasionally helps things along. As a matter of interest, I find it handy to keep my Bitsa P, with knackered La Bellas and a highish action, on a stand in the living room to practice on. When I come to play my "proper" instruments, it's easy by comparison.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/114291627302?ViewItem=&item=114291627302

I know it's different strokes for different folks, but I just can't understand how anyone can say they don't care whether they gig again or not. Playing music live is pretty much the most satisfying thing one can do, imho, even with all the irritations that can come with it.

Viewed objectively (if there is any such thing), instruments are just bits of skilfully fashioned wood and metal. They are tools, that are meant to do a job. We may like or be fond of them, but they have to do the job, or they are just ornaments. If you don't get on with an instrument, sell or move it on and replace it with something that does suit you. You never know, the next owner may really find it to their liking. We're all different.

If you have a heavy instrument, I can thoroughly recommend the 4" wide Pinegrove bass strap. Got one about a month ago and it makes a big difference to playing comfort. Hand made in Blighty. Have a look at their website. They sell direct.

I've just got my first 5 after 40+ years of playing a 4. I shan't be switching over entirely, but it's useful to have the fundamentals when you're playing in D and C. I'm getting to grips with muting at the moment - having to remember to move the thumb across to cover the B and E strings to prevent them from droning sympathetically. Good fun.

I've not had any issues. However, I always collect an instrument that costs decent money.

Now then, now then...

There's a nice looking Markbass Nano in the Market Place that has a front switch and 210w. Don't know the seller so not trying to flog it for him. Looks as if it would be suitable.

It's far from easy to explain. This is an extremely complex subject and, as is the case with so many complex subjects, many have opinions about it that are founded not on fact but on their own suppositions. They will also tend to dismiss what others say as "nonsense", or worse, with no evidence to support the assertion. I did point out above that one should apply sensible limits to materials choice (balsa, to quote an extreme example, would obviously not be a good option, because of its lack of structural strength or rigidity). See itu's post above, in which he makes the (true) observation that two pieces of the same species of timber can behave very differently. As others point out, the variations between various hardwoods, or other materials such as Masonite, resins and so on for building bodies for solid electric instruments are minimal and tonally insignificant. If you have scientific evidence to the contrary, I'd love to see/hear it. Methods/quality of construction and electronics are the things that make real difference.

A lot of the custom/exotic stuff is aimed primarily at wealthy weekend warriors - architects, lawyers, et al - who play in bands in their spare time. Nowt wrong with that. I'd far rather the companies concerned were making instruments than a lot of other dubious stuff. However, they won't necessarily be better, viewed purely as functional tools, than a decent Squier, Cort or similar. They just look a lot nicer and give greater pride of ownership. I played in a band with a group of professional types once. Nice guys, not bad players and being given an occasional lift to gigs in a Rolls was fun.

Ah, but you get to play with all the new stuff courtesy of the day job.

I'd wager his partner is picking up the slack.

Construction, yes. Material (within sensible limits), no. How does a string vibrate on, say, a mahogany as opposed to an alder body? What are the differences? Can you demonstrate them? As you say, no need to argue more.