Dan Dare

If they're leather, a good application or two of dubbin will soften them.

100% certain scam. Just refund his PayPal payment (if he's paid) and ask the next highest bidder if he'd like it. Or relist.

Blimey. Time to head for the exit, I would suggest. I had a similar situation to contend with recently. Some pals were working up a band with a singer who once (many years ago) had a minor hit (scraper Top 10) with a song she didn't write, arrange or produce. The usual story - she was wheeled in to sing something that was put in front of her because she looked good and could just about hold a tune. They asked me to play bass and as the other musicians, who are friends/colleagues I've worked with a lot over the years, are good players, I agreed, thinking it would be a good musical experience (I'm not worried, at my age, about trying to get famous or make shedloads of money - I'm fortunate in that I'm comfortable in my dotage). However, our heroine thought she was a star. She was musically illiterate and kept changing things, covered her insecurity/incompetence the whole time with b/s and generally behaved like a diva. I walked. The others hung on - even did one gig, which was a shambles - but it crashed and burned.

Spot on. Waste of time to expect mainstream teevee shows - especially daytime ones - to cater for the knowledgeable. It's all about how it looks and people wanting their 15 minutes of fame (even if it costs them money). If you had something you thought was of value, would you get an expert opinion (better still, several) or ring up a TV company and invite them to shaft you?

P, J, PJ and a fretless. You can only play one at a time (and nobody listening cares - we're bass players, remember 😉). .

I find the plain leather 3" wide Levy's straps fine. They are nice and cheap, too. Padding makes little difference imho. Once it compresses, it's as if it isn't there. It's the width that's important.

I assume that by "transposing", you mean you are reading a part in one key and playing it in another. That's a skill you can learn, as you can any other. There's some helpful guidance in the posts above. If you are playing something you know in a different key, being confused about transposing suggests that you do not know the song/piece, but that you have learned a sequence of moves from a particular start point, that point being the first note/chord. As a result, rather than thinking in terms of intervals and the movement/shape of the melody, you are thinking "This song begins in C, moves to F after two bars, then to G, etc, etc. If you know a piece, the key becomes irrelevant. To use a simple example, if I ask you to sing a song that you know and give you the starting note or key, you will be able to do it easily (or you should, at any rate). The principle is the same when playing the bass. If the first change is up a fourth, it will be to F if the piece is in C, A if it is in E and so on. Woodinblack (see above) is right. You must think in patterns, rather than fixed notes. It is helpful that the bass is tuned in fourths - moving to the same fret on the next string up takes you up a fourth, down three frets takes you down a minor third, etc, etc, wherever you start from (and therefore whichever key you find yourself in).

Good idea.

Even that would be a waste. That P bass p/u is in the wrong place (the cut out under the scratchplate was probably done with a cold chisel). He admits the heck is warped. The tuners are sh1te. Even the bits would probably not be worth £20.

The three legged chair is pretty cool, too...

Sounds likely you may have been over-doing the low end. Did you happen to notice what the speaker cones were doing? Were they moving excessively (that means noticeably - you shouldn't be able to see the cones flying in and out)? Were you using large amounts of low end (under 100hz) boost? Does the cab you disconnected have a more extended low frequency range than the other (the one you kept using may have simply not been capable of reproducing the very low frequencies it was being fed)? I'd experiment with your eq, using the cab you disconnected on its own, see what happens and adjust the eq accordingly.

If you are straining/cramping, it's a sign you are doing something wrong - most often bad posture, using too much force and similar issues. Do you use a very high action/very heavy strings? Are you playing through an inadequate rig that causes you to have to play very hard in order to be heard or produce the tone you like? There are many things that could be causing it. Using supplements/drugs can merely mask the real issue. I would take a few lessons - not necessarily to learn any playing moves/techniques, but to make your playing more efficient and less fatiguing. Perhaps you might even think about some Alexander technique. I've found it extremely helpful.

Try to remember that you are just one of many, many things that are being filmed/in shot. You are not the centre of attention (you are the bass player, after all...). Carry on with what you do and ignore it.

Sensible advice.

For conventional boxes, you shouldn't go far wrong with JBL, RCF, Mackie, HK, etc in the budget to mid-price bracket. Stick with established names. Guarantees, after-sales/repairs, etc are likely to be better, they will stand up to use and you will get a better price if you do sell them on. To be honest, there are no real stand-out makes at most price points. It's a competitive market and all the companies are fighting to give you better bang for your buck. You really need to audition some, rather than buying on recommendation alone.

Yes, it's getting worse. Along with everybloodything else. The world's going to hell in a handcart, etc, etc. What's that, nurse? Time for my medicine...

Surely it has to be when it's not been previously owned/played (excluding "owning" by the shop/store that buys it from the maker/manufacturer). I know demo instruments in shops are a bit of a grey area. I'd class them as used unless they're only been hung on the wall.

Just drink 18 pints before you play. You'll be fine 🤮

If he's going for 3, he might as well go the whole hog and choose 4.

A full-fat flightcase (not SKB or similar plastic thingy) has to be a sensible precaution.

Made by Gotoh, I believe (most Japanese manufacturers use their tuners). Given that the Ibanez bass in question was hardly high-end, the seller has to be particularly deluded.

Does the bear defecate in the woods...

Yes. No, they don't lack any bite (unless they are years old and knackered).

Flats for me, too. On a Jazz Bass, they are the dog's.

This. Combines 1 and 5 and doesn't offend anyone.