Dan Dare

"Tonewood" alert... There is a school of thought that says wood species doesn't matter when it comes to solid instruments. I tend to think it's correct. A pickup is not a microphone - it doesn't "hear" the strings vibrating, but senses that vibration in a magnetic field and converts it to electrical energy. So the important qualities are rigidity, weight and appearance. Any half decent piece of timber will do the job. As you plan to paint it, appearance is also irrelevant, although how well it takes finish is a consideration ("oilier" woods are more difficult in this regard). Construction - how well everything fits together, etc, quality of pickup and fittings - matters far more than materials. You could even use mdf, as do Danelectro. Have fun.

I've found that MB doesn't necessarily sound the best close up, but out in the room, it sits really well in the mix. I've heard several players using MB amps and have always been impressed. The sound just seems to fill the space properly. Some of the amps that sound good in the showroom can fall a bit flat in a live context, when the tonal subtleties you liked in the shop are drowned by a full band.

As an old git/OAP, I'm often astonished by the quality of "budget" instruments, when I compare them with what was around when I was starting out in the 1960s/70s. Modern CNC machinery means consistently accurate manufacture and it's rare to come across a real dog nowadays. The main question when buying is "Do I like it?", rather than "Is it good enough?" A decent set-up is usually all you need.

Good man. A Roqsolid cover will help disguise it.

Did you buy the BF Compact in the Market Place? I notice it's sold. If so, thank you. I kept looking at it and could feel myself weakening, despite the fact that I REALLY don't need any more gear.

Yet another reason to buy used.

What also puts me off so-called signature models is that they are the same as standard models, but with an inflated price tag and a few badges, etc.

Defo an ash body

Brightness has more to do with string and amp/cab choice than pickups, I find. High output pickups are not necessarily the way to go, in my experience. They can easily drive an amp into sounding dirty, but combine that with a tweetered cab and the result can be harsh, rather than bright and clear.

I've really tried to like Rotosounds. I'd love to support a home grown manufacturer (they started out about a mile from where I grew up in North Kent/South East London), but I don't like the tension or the way they feel under the fingers. A shame.

They're more than the budget, but the Beyer DT770 is a seriously nice pair of headphones and, with an extended low freq response, ideal for bass. Well worth it if you can save up the extra pennies - you can get them for a little over £100. Closed back, too, so great in noisy environments and for not disturbing others when you listen on the bus or train.

Peavey 4x10s are decent and often cheap as chips used, as long as you don't mind the weight.

There's one in the Market Place at the moment. £300 - not a lot for such a good cab. If I was looking for a 15, I'd have it.

Worth getting one of those disco tweeter boxes?

Good advice above. You really need a pure sine wave inverter if you go that route.

The 9-3 has a decent sized boot. Does it have to fit on the seat? If it does, I reckon Lozz is right.

Another company aiming for the wealthy dilettante market. That money would buy you a pair of very nice fretted and fretless instruments. How hard can it be to swap over between numbers?

One thing to watch for if getting a complete system is that the amplifier has a phono input/onboard phono preamp. Many don't these days. If it doesn't, a decent budget one (Pro Ject is a good budget choice) will be needed.

I would have thought the buzz would increase if there was a problem with fret wear... I'll get my coat 😁

She really isn't going to get any kind of decent all in set up for £500, unfortunately. As vinyl is pretty niche these days, there are few mass produced players out there and consequently nothing cheap that's any good. Used is one option. However, if the partner has a large record collection, he surely must have some sort of music system already. I'd suggest she gets a turntable and phono preamp, so he can run it into one of the line level inputs of his system (assuming he has one). The Project tts referred to above are decent and I have to add Rega to the list, too.

This is a pretty tasty cover, too. Astonishing vocals by Glenn Hughes.

They're OK. A pal has a couple, picked up cheaply used. He runs a few jam nights and keeps them handy as guest instruments. They do the job.

If you use UPS, don't seal the parcel. They insist on seeing what's in it so they can check it isn't anything dodgy (which is fair enough). They have parcel tape so you can seal it at the depot - my local one does, at any rate.

This has to be in there:

If you want a couple of light 1x12s, someone's (nobody I know, so not trying to push their stuff) is selling a pair of TKS cabs in the Market place. If I wasn't happy with what I have, I'd be very interested in them. Correct me if I'm wrong, but pretty sure DG use a neo Eminence (as do so many manufacturers), which makes them virtually the same as the TKSs. Given that the DG cabs are the best part of £600 each, which is the price of the pair of TKSs in the Market place, I know what I'd be looking at.