Dan Dare

I've found MB cabs are slightly unusual in that, up close, they don't sound that great, but they do project very well. A pal uses the 2x10 combo and it has real punch out in the room, but sounds quite ordinary when you stand next to it.

The smaller PJB combos are OK when other instruments are acoustic, but once electricity enters the equation, they don't quite cut it in my experience. I had the Flightcase (4x5" speakers, 150w). Fine sounding but needed help when playing with electric guitars, drums, etc. Sold it and got a couple of C4 cabs and use them with a lightweight head. Good for up to medium volume and moderate drums but after that, it's back to old school cabs.

I agree with all those who comment along the lines of "I can do the job/I'm all right". It's dangerous to pin one's self esteem on it. If you enjoy playing, do a few gigs and get along with the people you play with, that's all good. Remembering how many people there are who can hardly play a note helps put it into perspective.

If you're playing "70s classic rock and upbeat original guitar heavy blues with loud drummers and guitar players", you'll need to shift some air. That old school tone needs to sound effortless to ring true. A 2x10, even one of the best, just won't cut it, whatever anyone claims. Unless your budget is substantial, you simply can't achieve it with compact, lightweight kit. You don't need to schlep an 8x10. Several smaller cabs will do the same job and be easier on the back. I agree with suggestions above for Ashdown amplification, to which I'd add or anything old(er) school, but you'll have to accept it will not be that light. There is plenty of gear from the likes of Peavey, Ampeg, Laney et al being sold off cheaply these days. Peavey 4x10 cabs, for example, are heavy but sound great. Probably the best way to get that big old school sound is to use a preamp and pick up a used PA power amp, which will drive multiple cabs happily. Something decent, such as a QSC, shouldn't cost you more than £200 (for an amp that would have been many times that a few years back). Above all, visit a well-stocked shop and try stuff out. Don't buy on the basis of recommendation alone.

Two pals have the Markbass 1x12 combo and are both happy with them. They turn up used quite regularly. I like them and nearly bought one, but found one cab plus my AG700 head was virtually as compact/easy to carry about, hence my suggestion. Someone (nobody I know) is selling a BF Midget T in the market place for £300. That's a small, light (20lb odd) cab with plenty of poke you could use with your TH. Should be fine for smaller jobs, etc.

Appears to be a way to cram the head and drivers into a slightly more compact cab.

Why not get a decent (HotCovers, for example) padded sleeve for one of the cabs so you can take just one for smaller jobs. As you say, they are light when not in flightcases, so it seems a BF 1x10 or a new combo will be an expensive way of duplicating what you already have.

How old is the power amp and how expensive was it? Ratings for PA power amps, especially those at the budget end of the market, can be very optimistic. It may heat an 8 ohm resistor for a few milliseconds sufficiently for the output to be claimed to be 500wpc (does it claim RMS, or another rating, such as "music"?), but in reality, a complex music signal can leave a lot of power amps running out of breath, usually because the power supplies aren't up to delivering sufficient current. The fact that you say it doesn't "maintain its tone" when pushed would suggest to me that it is running out of steam. Before investing in an extra cab', I'd get the power amp checked over. MB 2x10 cabs can give a surprising amount of wellie when driven right. If the amp won't drive one cab adequately, it will certainly struggle with two. You may need to upgrade amplification to gain any real benefit.

You appear to be deliberately misunderstanding me. I didn't say the mother shouldn't have gone and been part of the occasion. Neither did I argue against her enjoying it. I do not "lack empathy". I'm delighted for hearing impaired/deaf people to go to gigs (the fact that I have played loud music for over 40 years means I may be one of their number eventually). My point was that to sue is ridiculously OTT. It seems plenty on here agree with me. So please stop setting up a straw man to argue with.

This is crazy - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-42776454. Leaving aside the obvious jokes about the fact that you would be better off not being able to hear what was happening at a Little Mix gig, how would having someone signing the banal lyrics of typical chart tripe increase anyone's enjoyment (can you even sign drivel such as "ooh yeah baby", etc?) when they couldn't hear the actual music? Note that I am not arguing against providing signing/assistance for hearing impaired people in as many situations as is practical or possible. However, music (I use the term loosely in this case) requires the ability to hear in some way. The lyrics are only a part of it. I know it's tough that those who cannot hear are unlikely to be able to enjoy music fully, but that's just the way life is. Discuss.

Quite a few used monitor wedges on the 'Bay at the moment. Some look quite decent.

Not really. If the money is legally his, it's his. He may have to count it behind bars, but it's still his.

The boost you get from an extra cab does rely on the fact that the amp can drive them adequately. I'd try before buying in case it isn't up to it.

You'll have to give us some idea of a budget. Do you want powered or passive, how large/powerful do they need to be (do they need to make enough noise for you to hear vocals over massive backline), will you be putting just vox or instruments through them, etc, etc? I use 4 of these - http://hkaudio.com/products.php?id=131, but they are mainly for vox.

Good advice. Gives you a scalable rig, which you can tailor to suit the size of the job.

Were there any?

Hilarious. What next? Shoes and wallets made from the great man's skin? Can't wait...

I'd bet Orange are playing the impress-them-in-the-showroom game and agree with Bill's opinion re. gain structure. It's a common trick. You design an amp to give pretty well all its power by the time the volume is at about 3 and people say "Wow. It must be staggeringly powerful if that's how loud it is at 3. I'll take it." Then they find it has no more to give.

Re. "Is this the norm?", there isn't a "norm". He who pays the piper and all that. Accept the offer/contract and you abide by the terms. No point in arguing. They can find plenty of people who will be happy to accept the T&Cs.

Maybe and maybe not. It's not so simple. If, for example, others are transporting/providing a PA or items of equipment you depend on to perform, then you are exploiting them, or depending on them, at any rate. If you're happy to pay them for their efforts, that's not so bad. However, if everyone decided that having a car was "too expensive, too much hassle, nowhere to park, traffic jams, unnecessary for daily life" and that they "have never really liked driving", where would you be then?

Bar lines are punctuation. They tell you where the strong/on beat should happen. Tied notes are used when a note should be held beyond the end of a bar. What's wrong with that?

This. Speakons should be the same diameter as XLRs.

When it's a bass synth...

More generally, would anyone claim learning to read language "stifled their creativity"? It's the same with music. A lot of defensiveness around the topic in my experience.

Wrong way round, surely? C = no sharps or flats, g = one sharp, F = one flat and so on.