Dan Dare

I was under the impression that was the whole point of this site.

The Speakon sockets on the C4 are attached to a small PCB, to which the cables for the drive units are soldered. There is quite tightly packed wadding inside the cab, which should help to prevent mechanical rattling. The rear panel is permanently attached. The C4 is quite a solid thing, with small panels and fairly substantial bracing. Access to the inside is only possible via the front, necessitating removal of the drivers. The noise on the sound clips posted above sounded more like break-up or distortion than a rattle to me. Is the bass active? Does the battery need replacing? One would expect a rattle to happen all the time, rather than on certain notes. The cab looks to me to have been well used. I'd try it with another amp. If the problem persists, I'd ask the seller for a return/refund. If you go poking about inside it, it could be claimed that you've caused (or worsened) the issue yourself.

How about a bit of white gaffa tape with what's inside scrawled on it with a permanent marker? Leaves you more money to spend on beer 😁

I'd be more inclined to try screws. Is that the C4 that was for sale on here recently? If so, a couple of us noticed that the plastic "feet" (for want of a better word - they are long pieces of shaped black plastic that run virtually the full height of the cab) were missing from the back of it. The screws to hold them in place use the three screw holes on each side of the back panel that you can see in the photo. I don't know what the purpose of the plastic thingiies is (both my C4s have them, so they are obviously a standard fitment), but I wonder if they and the screws serve some kind of structural function. They can't be feet as they are on the rear of the cabs, not the bases.

I'm a PJB owner and rate them highly. However, they can't be described as "moderate budget".

If you can find a good used one, the Markbass CMD 121P is excellent and leans towards an old school sound, which should suit a country band ideally. Light, compact and a surprising amount of oomph for its size. A pal found a clean used one for £300 and he loves it.

This is the standard recommendation and with good reason. Rumbles are light, sound decent and are not too expensive. They sell in large numbers, so there are always plenty of good used ones about. I would suggest going for something with a bit more than 60w on tap. Around 200w should be fine. You may not ever use it flat out, but the headroom will ensure clean sound, even if you do push it a little.

You win the internet today.

This. No point or reward in playing in a toilet to a bunch of animals who hate you. It won't be like a public or paid rehearsal - you can't stop in a number/go back and do it again to perfect it, etc. If you get a lot of negativity, you'll probably end up miserable and feeling you're doing it wrong when in reality, it's just wrong place, wrong time. Not worth the grief.

Too many to list. Tastes change as we get older.

It's back up on the 'Bay at £225. So the "buyer", if there was one, must have pulled out. Have just messaged the seller, enquiring whether it's from the era when Fender employees drew the logo on the headstock with a permanent marker. Will share the response if I receive one.

One of these. Fat chance of my ever owning one.

Mumford and Fathers

Thinning the herd. If you know about these, you'll know how good they are. Final price drop before it goes on eBay. Recommend me a lightweight amp, cab, etc (usually followed by buy a Barefaced).

Exactly. Plus, the machine won't need to be paid (important in these days when gig fees are being squeezed), so you can take gigs that wouldn't be worth doing for a larger band, you can play a smaller stage because fewer players need less room, etc. Yes, it's great to take out a full band and all the bells and whistles, but it often doesn't work from a practical perspective.

I try to play with drummers who can play the drums...

If the original key isn't achievable by a singer, the band should transpose. Not all keys suit all voices. That's especially true if one is getting on a bit. You tend to lose the higher register with age.

So it's country, then. Just not 50s style.

I feel that's taking it a little too far. Certainly, if the majority don't like or want to play a number, it's reasonable not to do it, but if only one or two object, that shouldn't rule it out. Yes, the singer has to be happy they can put it over and that it suits them, but if that's the case, fine. We play a few I'm not that fond of, but playing a song I don't like is only 3 or 4 minutes out of my life and if it goes down well with an audience, I'm happy to go along with it. If I don't like a song, I try to play it as well as I can and get satisfaction from a job done right, rather than enjoyment of the music itself. It's much the same as the attitude one has to take at work.

This. What feels right in your hands is what's important. Take your time and visit a few shops to try stuff. You're in London, so how about a trip to the Gallery in Camden? You don't have to buy from them, but you need to play a selection of instruments and they have quite wide stock. HB is already owned by a large corporate. It isn't (and never was) an actual company. The instruments are designed/specified by Thomann and built by one of the massive instrument factories in China that builds for many different brands. With the exception of some major names or boutique/one off makers, that's how most mass produced instruments are made these days. They are designed/specified by front companies that don't usually make but subcontract the building to giant firms such as Cort (factories in Indonesia, Korea and China), World Musical Instruments in Korea and others.

I've had a few. Too few to mention.

Thanks. It really can. I'm glad I thought about selling it - gave me the motivation to try to fix it. I'm definitely keeping it now. I've treated it to a new set of flats and it's instant Bernard Edwards. Minus his technique, of course...

About 3 years back, I fancied a Sting Ray, but didn't want to pay what they go for. I looked around and read reviews and the G&L Kiloton came up as a possible poor man's Ray. So I went out and bought the Tribute/Indonesian version (which uses the same pickup/wiring as the US versions and was favourably reviewed). The shop where I bought it only had a little combo to try it with, so I attributed the fact that it sounded like a J bass with only the bridge pickup working to that. When I got it home and tried it through proper gear, it was the same. Middly, nasal and no great weight to the sound. So it went in the cupboard to be forgotten about until recently. I dug it out and thought I might as well sell it as it wasn't being used, but I worried that it would be unlikely to have much appeal with the feeble sound. I wondered whether there might have been a broken wire or one of the pots wasn't working right. So I found a wiring diagram online, took it apart and guess what. The pickup selector switch was incorrectly wired. It must have been done wrong at the factory because I bought it brand new. Don't they test things before shipping them? Apparently not. Broke out the soldering iron and switched a couple of wires on the selector switch over and blimey. It rattles the windows. Very pleasing.

Same here. I prefer passive to active P and J basses. I fitted an East J Retro to my J a few years back. Quality of the product was excellent. Clean/noiseless in use, wide eq range and did all that was claimed of it. However, I felt it made the instrument sound a bit generic. That J bass quality was missing. Eventually, I removed and sold it. I'd suggest using an external pre, rather than a permanently fitted one. I also have an active P Bass Special (P/J). It's versatile, but a bit characterless,