Dan Dare

Ahh, the old "Save £15 squillion" routine. Inflate the price, reduce to normal selling price and advertise a massive discount...

Notice you have the neck flat. In my experience, a small amount of relief, i.e. forward bend (and I do mean small) helps if you like a low action.

AER? Versatility is their middle name. Pricey, though.

Used to love my Jazz through my old Trace AH350. Had to sell it as getting too old to carry it. Shame.

Watford Valves are selling Celestion 15" neos for much reduced prices at the moment. Got the 400w version and it works fine.

Armstrong pu's are excellent. Nice company, too. Many years ago, I sent my J bass pickups to Kent Armstrong and he fettled them for very little money and returned them within a week.

Absolutely Sam. Gotoh a no brainer. Nicely finished, solidly made, good quality materials. Can't beat Japanese engineering for the money.

I have a Peavey SX200 I don't use. Any good?

Well, the bass arrived this week with no issues (always a bit worrying when you buy mail order). Well packed/protected. Plus points - very playable neck, correct amount of relief, clean fret ends, nicely finished. A few rough edges - tuners a bit gritty (much better for a drop of lube and adjustment). Poor pickup balance - bridge/J pu overpowered by the P. Replaced the nasty cheap foam under the P with thinner closed cell foam so could adjust the height properly. Cheap flimsy bridge - fitted a Gotoh 201. It's turned out well - wide tonal range and have to admit the neck is nice. More to follow after it's done a few jobs.

Suspect Orange and others want to save a few pennies. As Dad and Ghost say, DI box the only realistic way to go. Just use a decent one (Orchid - UK made, cheap - £35 - but Sound on Sound was very impressed).

Nice instruments. One on sale here a few years back for £300ish. Don't know what it went for in the end.

It's all down to the individual player. I never measure height. Just set it so it feels right and doesn't buzz.

This is all good. Fender has been a bit like Hoover - they were first and became the generic instrument, the go-to brand. Now they're just another manufacturer - people compare their offerings to others and don't buy by the name. That's the way it should be. Having said that, I love my old Jazz.

Spot on Mykes. Enjoyed that

If the maker is happy to pay you to take it to a tech, I'd do that. Sounds like an iffy connection. Sprays/air won't sort that.

Rega Brio. Will drive anything. Can't go wrong.

Wow. Bet they did sound nice. Have you seen how much 15" Tannoy Golds go for these days?

Got to be a result. An amp you can do proper gigs with for less than £300. Hope you find the magic tone you're after.

Thanks All for suggestions. Just pulled the trigger on a P Bass Special - Thomann sale. Jazz neck, which should suit me, PJ pu's, can use passive (rarely found an active I can get on with. Fingers crossed I'll like it.

Gator make a nice gig bag - in several sizes - that would probably suit.

Ampeg 4x10 is a decent width

The 2 previous owners deny making any repairs or hearing a problem with the cab... As Mandy Rice Davies famously put it, "They would, wouldn't they?"

always a few on eBay

xgsjx beat me to it. I thought this thread was about amps nobody likes... As other say, there are amps with heat sink/convection cooling. However, they tend not to like being cased - can get too warm, unless they are low powered. Better amps have quieter fans - my EBS fan is very quiet.

30 quid for something that works? Bargain. You'll want something better in time a you progress, but you shouldn't have much bother getting your money back. Have fun.