Dan Dare

Pearl on sunburst is a crime against nature.

If you do use Mr Sheen and other silicone based cleaners, don't spray them direct onto things. Silicone is a great insulator and can play havoc with electronics. Spray onto a cloth and wipe with that.

SKB and Gator are much the same as far as quality/strength goes (as are all the ABS type cases). I prefer Gators because they cost less. Boschma are supposed to be strong as far as plastic cases go. I wouldn't think a shock mount type will be necessary unless you are going to be slinging it in the back of a truck. If you go for full ply flight cases, with metal hardware, etc, they aren't going to be light, or cheap. Up to you, really

As others suggest, drive unit technology has changed considerably since you got your rig and good quality modern 10 and 12 inch drivers can easily handle 200w. Modern bass amps are much more powerful than those of yore - power is cheap these days, due to the development of the class D amp modules that so many manufacturers use. If you are using a 50w amp, you do need efficient speakers to get the best out of it. A lot of modern high power drive units are not particularly efficient, compared with older designs, so you need to try some with your amp to see if it will drive them adequately. I wouldn't buy anything without doing that first. You might also think about selling your amp (you may be surprised how much it is worth if in good shape - decent vintage valve amps are quite sought after) and getting something newer. It will be a lot lighter and easier to carry around. If you like a vintage sound (your rig suggests you do), I agree Markbass is worth investigating, but there are a number of other brands that are equally good. A trip to a decent shop to audition alternatives looks to be in order. If you intend to keep the Vox, I would certainly suggest you have a tech' look it over before using it in anger if it hasn't been used for several decades. Older capacitors can deteriorate and the valves may not be giving of their best by now.

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Which is why I don't use them. It goes in the case when I'm not playing it.

I must shop there. Although I'm 65, so maybe it'll be a bit young for me...

Agreed. The best answer I've heard to the tone wood debate is "pickups aren't microphones". Seems to sum it up pretty succinctly.

Ed's pretty handy, so I doubt it's him. mentalextra, you're right. "Unboxing" another source of hilarity.

Good luck reading charts in the average dark gloomy boozer where the typical jam takes place...

If you like your Briefcase, a Suitcase will give you the same tones but with quite a bit more power and weight. There's a decent looking used Suitcase on eBay at the moment, currently at a reasonable price. It's the older model with the larger cabinet, which I think is better for upright and will certainly give you what to my ears is a more natural low end than the newer, smaller version, which is based on the C4 cabinet with built in amplification (I use both C4 and 4B cabs, but with a separate head). The older Suitcase is a bit of an awkward carry, although nothing too terrible - it's the shape rather than the weight that makes it so.

Sophisticated stuff from our friends in Hong Kong. They look like the sympathetic strings you find on Hardanger fiddles, which run in a cavity beneath the fingerboard and vibrate freely to give a sort of doubled effect. Didn't realise the idea had spread to electric basses 😊

Apart from its limited appeal, it's an accident waiting to happen should someone brush against or walk into it.

The other YT vid's I enjoy are those where A N Other "reviews" an amp or an instrument. Typically, the "review" will be conducted in A N's living room, which is strewn with old socks and empty pizza boxes. A N usually begins with the words "What's up, guys" and delivers the entire thing in a hyper, over-excited manner, whilst attempting to slap the bass to within an inch of its life. All you can hear, because A N has dropped the action to nothing, is fret rattle and tuneless twanging. Hilarious. I won't be mean to anyone by posting links here, but you can find plenty of examples on YT if you fancy a few minutes amusement.

Agreed. You cannot expect to turn up out of the blue and be instantly one of the gang. Go for a few weeks, get to know people and show some support for the evening. Most jams are run by people who receive little reward for all the legwork and organising they do. They welcome those who are prepared to put in a bit of effort, but if you are the type who turns up, does your 3 or 4 numbers and then buggers off, you cannot expect them to be overly thrilled with you.

Some useful info here - https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/bass-place.

For analogue, the smaller Mackie Onyx models are worth a look. Decent mic pre's and eq.

The Chromes do settle down after a while. I find the medium light set compares well with the TI flats when broken in (I switched from TI Flats because I found the A string too low in tension. I had to move the bridge saddle to the point where it was falling off the threaded rod to get the intonation true). The Chromes have some kind of coating on them when new - I presume to prevent them deteriorating in the pack - which you should wipe off with alcohol. Makes them feel much better.

Love the fact that the seller says "never moved from the house" since he got it. Not surprising, really.

Good choice on the Rumble. I was a little alarmed to see people recommending expensive, powerful stuff to you. Whilst the advice was sound, I felt it might be overkill for the requirements you set out in your original request. If you do need to make more noise and like the sound your Rumble makes, you can always add an extra power amp and cab at a later date, or even buy another Rumble and link them. Have fun.

I'd say practice the songs you already know to start. Playing a fretless takes a little getting used to at first. You have to finger the notes slightly sharp - on the fret-line rather than behind it - so it's handy to start with something you are familiar with. You need to concentrate on getting good, solid accurately intonated notes before moving to things like slides and vibrato. Have fun.

I've got one you can have. Not quite the same - North London rather than Cornwall - but it's yours for £8k. Used twenties in a carrier bag, please.

Me too. A pal of mine edited Fiesta for Raymond a while back. His claim to fame is that he is the man who introduced Readers' Wives to the world.

Oh all right.