Dan Dare

That's interesting. I must admit I haven't shopped around for a few years, as I've been happy with my present insurer. When I originally tried to find insurance as a musician - a while ago, now - the quotes I received were pretty eye-watering. Come renewal time, I'll have a look and see what's on offer. Thanks.

I have to disagree with much of the above (sorry, Warwick). Most musicians I know do declare what they do to their insurers. The excess premium I pay does not equate to 10 gigs worth of money per year. it's more like two (works out at an extra couple of hundred a year for me, although I am older and have a large NCD). The cost of an insurer declining to meet your claim will be a LOT more. You can take a chance, of course, but you'll regret it big time if the worst does come to pass, especially if you are at fault and you have to pay someone else's costs as well as your own. The chance of it happening may not be great, but paying a little more is worth it to me for my peace of mind. As I pointed out previously, you won't find any bargains on Compare the Market type sites. They are aimed at Mr & Mrs Average. When I started to do a few gigs many years ago, I told my then insurer that I wished to add cover as a musician and they wanted to quadruple my premium. I asked the MU for advice and they put me in touch with my current insurer (Victor Knight - Google will find them). The cost is only slightly more than what I paid previously. A specialist broker who deals with insurance for professional/occupational purposes will probably be able to find you something, too. It's your decision, but I'd urge you not to take a chance. Insurers just love to avoid paying out if they can. Fair enough. They're businesses and have to protect their bottom line.

Paid gigs definitely count as work. I'd strongly advise getting cover that includes professional use. Insurance companies love a loophole. If you just go for SD&P and have an accident on the way to/from a gig, they will happily wave goodbye and leave you to sort out the mess (and possibly pay someone's relatives for the rest of your life if the very worst happens). It won't be the cheapest, but it'll be a lot cheaper than the worst that could happen. Many insurers will take monthly DD payments these days, which helps spread the pain. The MU can point you in the direction of insurers who cover musicians at not outrageous prices. You are unlikely to find one on the Compare the Market type of sites.

Yep. In fact, I think I'd prefer to poke out my eyes with sharp sticks.

It already exists. Pair a decent bass pre' with something like a big Lab Gruppen class D power amp and away you go. Pricey, though.

Hardly "budget" though...

Beyer DT770

If you like naval history, Drachnifel is well worth a watch.

Wood type may on occasion make a tiny - likely immeasurable - difference to the sound of a solid instrument, but as no two pieces of the same species of wood have exactly the same density, grain structure, etc, its pointless worrying about it. Construction methods and electronics are where the major differences lie. Sure, it's a completely different story with acoustic instruments.

I always use Parcel Force and have not had a problem yet (I may have been fortunate). If they collect, I'd suggest them. Not the cheapest, though.

I played an outdoor festival on Sunday evening. We were last band on. I arrived as the band before us started playing. I parked in the street outside the venue and was impressed by the sound of the bass. It had plenty of depth, tonal range and clarity and was loud. As I was behind the stage, much of what I heard had to be coming from the rig, not the PA. I walked round the front of the stage and the guy was using a Barefaced Big Twin and an Ashdown ABM500. Very impressive. So yes, BF will do definitely what you require, imho.

The obsession with chasing "the one" applies to a lot more than basses. There is no ultimate "one", just our current unattainable ideal. The minute we have it, we hanker after something else. It probably stems from our tendency to become bored once a desire is satisfied. As soon as what was previously a pipe dream becomes reality, it gets absorbed into our everyday existence. I guess continuing dissatisfaction is the reason humans no longer live in caves and hit things with wooden clubs. So it's not all bad. My old '72 J that I've had since the early 1980s is the instrument I always come back to, so I guess that's my "one".

Probably not that great in many cases. It depends on the eq/facilities different pre's offer. A channel strip type of pre will probably allow more extensive tone-shaping and have less of a baked-in sound. When I made the switch from pre + power to a head, I found a head that gave me results I liked with my instrument and cabs without my needing to do much with the eq. Of course, if my tastes/instrument/cabs change, I may have to change it to get what I want. As I'm pretty ancient and set in my ways, that's relatively unlikely.

Not a problem. Go into your internet settings and select the "delete all cookies and browsing history on exit" option.

I used to run a BBE pre' plus PA power amp. Worked well, but was no better than my current Aguilar head (and a lot heavier/bulkier - a modern class D power amp would get round that issue). If your head has an fx return, you can run a pre' into that and bypass the onboard tone stack/preamp. The only way to find whether it will suit you is to try stuff out. In my experience, running a flat rig is nice at lower volumes, but it can get a bit lost when you need to push some air and compensate for venue acoustics, other instruments/amps, noisy stages, etc. If you want that studio monitor clean sound at high volume, you need to spend quite a bit of money.

Any bass rig that leans towards clean/hi-fi, rather than characterful, should do the job. The frequency range it needs to reproduce is pretty well the same, after all. A SVT would probably not be ideal, although I have heard excellent results on electric DB from a big Trace rig. PJB kit works well on DB (other brands are available). I use mine for both electric and acoustic bass. The most important thing is the pickup/transducer system you use. Garbage in, garbage out and all that.

I agree with Bill, unless you intend to move it on in the near future (I note you do a bit of buying and selling). If so, I'd go for whichever is in best nick and goes for most money used.

If you can afford it, it's wise to have your own PA. No worries about dividing the spoils when/if the band splits (worse case is that you end up selling stuff at a loss so everyone gets their share). A plus is that owning a PA makes you a more desirable addition to bands in the future.

I think it depends on the occasion. There's nowt wrong with wearing a tee with a band logo on it at a pub gig or similar, but maybe not at a wedding. I'll wear a suit or even a DJ and dickie bow if it's what's needed. Trying to be "cool" is for fashion victims who worry that someone might snigger at them. How many of the sniggerers are in a position to put their money down and hire the band? Few to none, I'd suggest. So ignore 'em. If wearing band kit helps make the name stick, I'm fine with it. I'm not ashamed of the bands I play in and have no problem with "selling" them. We often have a banner behind us and/or pull-up signs each side of the stage (again, depending on the event and what is appropriate). As long as we get gigs, I'm happy.

Bloke sounds like a custard (composite insult to get around the profanity block). Why leave, though? You say you enjoy the evening. Might have been better to just smile, say nope, stick around and let him worry about it.

A classic illustration of why you should never play in bands with relatives or partners. Too much spill-over into your personal life if you fall out.

That's fair enough if you are involved in something that earns you a good living. You can usually tolerate a poo sandwich if it comes with plenty of bread. However, the reality is more as follows for us ordinary mortals.

A major problem with playing in bands can be that those with the most ability do not always possess sterling personal qualities (probably because their talent has granted them a pass throughout their lives). So you end up torn between the fact that they make the band sound good but can be a PITA to work with.

There is fun to be had creating your own Frankenbass, but it's worth bearing in mind that buying a cheap bass that costs, say £100 - £200 and spending hundreds more on modding it can end up costing the same as buying a more expensive instrument. Resale value will not be high and you'll never get back anything like what you spend on it. A HB or similar will always be a HB or similar, regardless of what you do to it, in the eyes of a potential buyer.