Dan Dare

Small mixer will do the trick. If you run a PA, you're already sorted.

I used to play Dicey's in the 80s, too. Had a Fender Bassman plus a 2x15 at the time. Deadly on that iron fire escape that went up/down 3 floors. O'Neill's in Wardour Street was a nightmare. No parking, wardens everywhere. Had to dump the gear, leave a couple of the chaps to keep an eye on/load it in, drive off and look for parking (usually ended up somewhere near Warren Street) and walk all the way back. Then the same in reverse at the end of the night. Have done Thames riverboats, too. Staggering up/down a narrow gangplank. Played a riverside hotel in Richmond once. The only parking was on the opposite side of the river. You had to pile up your gear on the quay opposite, press a button to alert the hotel and they sent a small boat to collect you. Took several trips - the boat was not exactly large. These days, at my advanced age, I check access before accepting a job.

PJB heads (imho of course) are very 'modern/hi-fi' sounding. They're powerful, well made and also rather spendy. I didn't think it worth upgrading to one from what I use (AG700). You should definitely do an A/B comparison with your GB before taking the plunge. Re. "sounding what your bass sounds like", that's a neat marketing phrase from PJB, but you may not actually prefer it. There is no truly "flat" design and if there was, you may not like it. If you run your bass through your hi-fi, which is probably as close as we can get to hearing it "flat", it can sound a bit sterile (for me, at any rate). May be OK at living room levels, but in a live context, it simply wouldn't cut it. Class D heads these days all use one of quite a small number of power amp modules. The major differences are in the preamp, where the designer's preference is what you hear. In my case, I like that slight warmth Aguilar bakes into things. Others prefer something different. One man's meat and all that.

Anything under a ton is likely to be a sideways move, really. The Yamaha referred to above is good for the money, but if you could save up a bit more - say another £100 - you could make a more worthwhile improvement.

dmmcombe. Spot on. The only Christmas song worth listening to. Good to hear from another KBW fan. Happy effing Christmas 😎.

It was a 4 string. It had that long, shaped upper bout that sits against your, er, rounded bit. I appreciate your kind offer. Sadly, I'm in The Smoke (aka London), so not really a practical proposition. Thanks everyone for advice. Full German is obviously the way to go. I've started looking out on eBay, etc. They do seem to hold their value, so if I don't get on with it, I should be able to recoup. There's a very pretty one on the Market Place at present, which is tempting. Are there any snags/things that fail that I should be aware of, apart from sockets and the nut - I can use a soldering iron and screwdriver (I understand the nut is a bolt on, so not a problem)?

I borrowed a Warwick this weekend. As a long-time (since the 1980s) Fender user, was mightily impressed, mainly by the tone - very solid, full but not overblown with a real punch in the chest quality - and the neck wasn't shabby, either. Did old school and modern sounds and easy to play. Had two J type pickups (active or passive - I mainly kept it passive). It was German-made and not cheap, apparently. Are the far eastern made ones worth a look? Don't fancy spending big money, but would like that sound at my fingertips. Suggestions and recommendations welcome. Thanks all.

Why not look for a used Mex P/J? Decent instruments for not a lot of money. I have one (which is not for sale - I'm not trying to punt it), which I use as a standard gigging instrument when I don't want to take my old J bass out. P body, J neck, P/J pickups. Does the job very well.

1. Take bog standard production line instrument. 2. Add minor bells and whistles. 3. Slap the name of someone famous/dead/dead and famous on it. 4. Charge an arm and a leg. 5 Kerching.

Good points, nay excellent ones. I dare say Stevie W, with his amazing musical ear, could also tell you how many days, hours and minutes the strings had been on it just by listening to a couple of notes. If you do get a Far Eastern jobbie, do post plenty of pic's here so we can admire and comment on it 😉

Last for ever, apparently.

Nick's right. If you're not sure whether they will stick with it, get them something used and not too dear (but not rubbish, obviously). You can always sell it on if you upgrade.

Neutrik makes a jack plug with a fat body for speaker lead use, if you have a head that doesn't have a Speakon socket. I bought a 3 metre speaker lead with them fitted recently so I could use my heads in the event that I encounter a cab that doesn't have Speakons. I cut it in half and attached a Speakon to one end of each of the resultant leads.

The 4B and C4 both use the Piranha 5" drivers, although you can get the C4 with Neo drivers, too. Despite claims that there is no difference between Neo and ceramic magnets, I found, when auditioning them, that the Neos were slightly sweeter sounding, with a little less punch. The 4B is larger and has a more old school (but still clean/crisp) sound. The C4 is smaller and has a tighter, more mid-focused sound. One of each makes a pretty potent small rig. They are both very revealing, so will highlight differences in amplification. I use either an AG700 or a Carvin C1000 with mine. I'm at Archway. PM me if you want to drop by.

Yep. Very tiny germs. The instrument's riddled with them. It would be more appropriate were the additional line on the back of the headstock to announce "Butchered in East Sussex...

BTW, if you're ever due to be in North London, you'd be welcome to drop by and try them. Let me know.

I have two C4s and two 4Bs. I use them in varying quantities depending on how much noise I need to make. You do need several of the 5" driver cabs to shift air and produce real volume. The ones with 7" drivers, such as the CAB 47, have quite a bit more weight to the sound. I prefer the 5s slightly, but as I don't like tweeters for bass (the 47 has one), that's not really a surprise. The 7s are pretty fine, too. PJB cabs with 7s are cheaper, too, so you get more bang for your buck. Really, you need to find a dealer and try them side by side.

My standard reply to the "Can I play your instrument?" question is "Can I have the keys to your car?" They both probably cost about the same when you factor in my rig.

If you want the lightest weight, Epifani are worth a look, too. Any of the brands mentioned above will do a sterling job. A lot of cab manufacturers use the same or very similar drivers, anyway.

Class D amps use power amp modules that are bought in from manufacturers such as B&O/Icepower or Hypex. The technology is well established and it is just not worth amp designers attempting to design/build their own. Generally, they are not repairable. However, that doesn't mean that if they fail, the amp is scrap. Provided the preamp is fine, the power amp module can often be replaced.

Pretty amazing, aren't they? The place where I work has an all D&B system (which was installed for the Olympics). I reckon it must have cost around £500k. There are a dozen or so subs under the seating and 50+ top boxes hung from the ceiling, all driven by D&B and Powersoft amps. Sounds fabulous when we play music through it. I run a Fohhn PA (also German made and approaching D&B stuff in price). I once combined my two Fohhn powered subs with my Phil Jones cabs and AG700. Made a stonking bass rig.

There's a considerable difference of degree and scale.

Teachers are as prone to prejudice as anyone. The problem is that they are in a position to influence/affect others with those prejudices. Re comments above about using the stronger hand on the fretboard, I've always understood that the stronger hand should be the one that creates the rhythm/timing. If you're right handed, try holding a solid rhythm with your left. Not easy (unless you play drums/percussion and have already trained both your hands).

Paddle faster. I hear banjos 😁