Dan Dare

I think it's probably down to marketingspeak. "Made in" could be taken to mean built by robots/machines in a factory, whereas "Crafted in" is an attempt to suggest skilled, dedicated luthiers painstakingly doing it all by hand in a workshop somewhere picturesque . Unless I'm spending mega amounts on a custom instrument (which I wouldn't - I'm a cheapskate), I'll take built by robots any day. You know the tolerances, etc will be spot on. Machines don't tend to have off days...

This. If you want instant cash with none of the bother of advertising/demonstrating/dealing with tyre kickers, you can't expect anywhere near market value (if there is any such thing).

As a PJB fanboi and user, I have to suggest Phil Jones gear. A lot of jazzers like/use it and it does sweet very well.

I have a Carvin B1000 with a valve pre and yes, the valve does fatten/warm up the sound. But so does the SS pre on my AG700. I think it's probably more down to the design of the preamp than the components.

Stephane Grappelli used to tell a story about how he and the Hot Club band used to play clubs in Paris during the occupation. The places would be full of Wehrmacht officers, so the lads would change the names of the numbers - Sweet Georgia Brown became Georgella Brunne and so on.

I agree with Roger. No point in upgrading for the sake of it. Wilkinsons are decent pickups, especially for what they cost. I'd play on them for a while and see how they shape up. You can easily end up chasing your tail upgrading things. The differences between pickups are slight in my experience. A J or a P pickup is a J or a P pickup pretty much (leaving out obvious cheapies). Beware the sales spiel about their being wound with the hair of virgins, etc.

Given that a Gotoh uses the same bolt holes (and even screws) and fitting one requires no modification of any kind, I respectfully suggest the bloke at Andertons was talking our of his @rse.

Correct re. cello tuners. Probably a small student double bass, as you say, and of Eastern European origin. Before the Far East began mass producing stringed instruments, plywood Eastern European instruments were pretty much the default economical student instruments.

Forget Barefaced and other modern, clean sounding, efficient kit if you want a "sonic sludge bath". Get some old Goodmans 18" drivers in massive cabinets and similarly ancient valve amplification. Tweeters are banned. Then start saving up for a long wheelbase Transit to cart it around 😁.

Agreed, but those high end exotics don't tend to keep up the style and performance for long before bits start dropping off unless you baby them and keep them indoors when it's raining. Given that there are few, if any British cars these days, that may not be a comparison one can even make. Compare Italian to Japanese, German or Scandinavian, however and it's a different story 😊

Perhaps, but if it ain't broke.. Playing music in bands, especially if playing covers, is not about putting your "personality in the lines". It's not me-me-me, it's us-us-us. I'd love a pound for every time I've heard someone say "that's my interpretation" when playing something badly/wrongly. Before you can "interpret", you need to understand the original language properly.

Make the song yours and put your personality in the lines? How about a spot of slap? Or a nice buzzsaw heavy metal bass sound, played with a pick? Should sound great on Riders on the Storm... Roger Ruskin Spear used to hold up a notice that said "Wow. I'm really expressing myself" whilst playing a dodgy sax solo in the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah band. Says it all, really.

Add a power amp (plenty of decent cheap used ones about) to run the extra cabs and you're home and dry for much less than your budget.

Let's hope their stuff is better built than Italian cars...

I think some of the organ bass parts on Doors recordings were played with the foot pedals on the Hammond, as were numbers by players such as Jimmy Smith. Some of them can be a little tricky, but definitely doable and fun to play, on bass as a result. Give it a go. If you want it to sound close to the original, keep that tone rolled back and don't allow the notes to sustain for too long.

This is so true.

You're right that people out front will generally not notice what we're using or whether the bass sounds better or worse. As long as it's solid and full and provides a decent foundation for the music, that's the important thing. Everything else is for our benefit. I've also found that Markbass gear sounds OK - not bad, but not great - on stage, but projects very well and sounds good in the room. I guess it's really only we bass players who worry about the tone of our kit. That's good, in that you will play better if you're happy with the sound you're getting, but apart from that, it's probably not worth obsessing over it. Of course, I've been through a number of set-ups to find something I like (as have we all), but if I'm honest, I'm probably the only person who is bothered about it.

Can't go wrong with K&M. Best of all, you can get spares for them.

I've found Joe Hubbard's book helpful for extensions and substitutions.

Where are you based? Really, you need to find a decent shop that stocks a good range and try out some options. If you're in the Midlands, Bass Direct in Warwick is the obvious choice. Go during the day midweek and you can try stuff to your heart's content. That's what I did and I'm very happy with what I have.

Give it a go. You've nothing to lose. You can always say thanks but no thanks if it isn't to your liking. It's only one evening out of your life.

For bass, make sure your headphones have a good, extended low frequency response. Closed back is much better than open, imho. The good old Beyer DT 770 or the Phil Jones model are both good and not too expensive.

Good advice. I'd add to that a little. If he suggests something good, incorporate it into what you play (even plonkers can have good ideas). Just say "Thanks. I like that bit. I'll use it. The rest I'll sort out myself". The important thing is to be upfront and not let things fester. Control freaks often take advantage of others' politeness - they don't want to give offence or start an argument. Once he knows he's getting no change out of you, he'll either accept it or clear off. Either way is a win for you.