Dan Dare

He probably has decent eyesight. Most clip-on tuners are bright enough to be read at a metre or so distance. I can see mine fine and I wear spec's to read. Massive disrespect to the maker? Not really. Strings are metal. Not only that, they are a blend of different metals - core, winding, etc. Never heard of metals expanding/contracting due to temperature variation? As far as music stands go, as long as they are discreetly placed, they're fine in my opinion. I used to play in a function band. Our book had several hundred numbers in it. It just wasn't feasible to have them all in your head at all times. It's a different matter if you're a bunch of weekend warriors playing the same twenty songs each week.

True. Most quality vocal mics (excluding expensive condensers, which are not that useful for live work) are cheaper than pretty well any any decent guitar, bass, drum kit, etc. And that's before you factor in the cost of backline. I'd tell your singer to regard his mic' as his instrument and the PA as his backline and suggest it's reasonable that he should spend the equivalent on it of what the rest of the band have spent on their kit.

Maybe read before rushing to score a point? The post to which you responded stated that the "general public" would be unlikely to be aware of anyone other than Suzi Quatro and "the girl who played for Robbie Williams". I'm sure Tim knows who GAD is.

A dream come true for any music enthusiast... I had one of those dreams the other night. Took me ten minutes to stop screaming after I woke up.

"No tyre kickers"? Must be legit, then.

I'd pop the Tecamp in the boot of the car and head for a few shops to try stuff if I were you. Or take it with you when going to look at/try used cabs. Fender cabs are OK. They use Eminence Basslite drivers, which are not bad. However, if you can spend up to £500, some better quality options are within reach for you, especially if you buy used. A high quality 1x12 should give you plenty enough volume with your Tecamp and you won't have to worry about impedance (quite a few 2 driver cabs can be 4 ohm). Something like a used BF Super Compact should be well within your price range and they can make a lot of noise. Other makes are available, of course.

Absolutely old boy. The PA can go in the stables.

Yep. I've stored a PA in the hallway before now. It now resides in my lounge (heavy bits) and spare bedroom (stuff I can carry upstairs). My wife passed away some years back, so I don't have to worry about her feelings on the matter, although I have to give her credit for being understanding/accommodating when she was alive. Our drummer still keeps gear in the hallway. His wife is also understanding, although as she has her grand piano in their lounge, she couldn't really complain that much. I'd probably tell your drummer "Fair enough. I'll stop bringing my PA to gigs and we can hire from now on".

Their original shop was in the back streets of Camden Town. Like you, I bought a lot of stuff from them. When they moved to the North Circular, they were still within easy reach for me, luckily. Since they went online only, I haven't used them.

Ah, the old chestnut. There are arguments for both sides. If everyone uses the PA, then everyone should contribute. Not necessarily equal shares - it could be argued that some benefit more than others - but bookings for instrumental only bands tend to be thin on the ground. So everyone, even if they don't use the PA personally or to any great extent, benefits in that they get work they wouldn't have if the band had no singer. Singer should buy a vocal only PA? Fair enough up to a point - if, for example, said PA works out at about the same cost as what others have spent on their instruments and equipment. It may be that the singer should bear the lion's share of the cost of a PA if he/she simply sings. But what happens when singer also plays (keys or guitar, for example. Many do)? Should backing vocalists chip in? They're using the PA, after all. How about monitors? They are of value to everyone. Should the cost of those be shared? And how about other jobs that benefit the band as a whole? They cost time, effort and money. There's a lot more involved in running a band than just buying one's own gear and playing. In my band, for example, two of the members are good at the hustle/getting gigs. So they deal with that. My contribution is that I provide the PA. Another member has turned his garage into a studio/rehearsal space, so his contribution is that he enables us to rehearse/record for free. And so on. The only way is for everyone to put on their big boy/girl pants and engage in sensible negotiation.

Amen to that. We're talking about pop music here. It's always been about theatre, fashion and making waves to get noticed. If people don't like that (as is their right), they can move on and find something more to their tastes. As an old git (70) myself, I find it tiresome when other old gits blather on about "role models". Pop music was never about "setting a good example" ("Remember kids. Say no to recreational pharmaceuticals", etc, blah, blah) and similar tripe. It's about rebellion and stirring things up a bit. I loved the Pistols back in the day and guess what? People were spouting the same tired nonsense about them at the time. Ditto the Stones, Elvis et al going further back. Companies such as Fender need to sell instruments. They have bills to pay, staff to keep employed, etc. If they want to pick someone who is easy on the eye and a competent enough player (granted, she's no Marcus Miller, but she can get round the instrument) to promote their wares, that's fair enough. Personally, I couldn't care less about her or her music, but I'm not part of the target audience. I'm not going to buy any more Fenders - I'm happy with the couple I have - and the company isn't going to stay in business due to me. It seems a lot of the moaning is due to the fact that some struggle to accept that they are getting old and that what they want or like is no longer the focus of attention. Well tough. It's the way things are and we have no choice other than to get used to it.

Great advice. ICEPower, Hypex and similar quality modules aren't cheap, either, so you're unlikely to save a lot by going the DIY route. Selling it on could be tricky, too. GSS power amps are essentially class D modules in a box. I'd be inclined to look at one of theirs.

What are you listening on? Sounds plenty fat on my PMC Result6s or DT770s.

Rumbles are the standard recommendation for beginners or those who don't want to spend a lot. I would suggest you look at 100w, rather than 40. Most 40 or 50w combos have 8" (10" if you're lucky) speakers and won't set the world alight, especially if you want to use drive or dirty sounds (when they sound like an angry wasp). They won't gig, despite what anyone claims (barring maybe with an acoustic duo in a wine bar). They're also not that easy to sell on, as will inevitably happen should you a) improve and want something more capable or b) lose interest.

I'd suggest Mr Jones is barking his wares when he says it's "useless to use his cabs with other heads". It ain't. I have both Aquilar and Carvin heads and my PJB cabs work very well with either. I actually don't like PJB heads that much. I find them a little sterile. My Aquilar (AG700), being possessed of a touch of warmth, provides a good foil to the ultra clean cabs. Don't be taken in by the marketingspeak. Don't buy on recommendation, either. Try gear out before you buy.

Hilarious. Taking a pop at Ms Dey, methinks (who, before everyone jumps on me, is an astonishing player).

I take two basses to gigs, because one is tuned a semitone flat. Our singer has a penchant for Eb and Chic's Good Times doesn't sound good without the pedal note (the fingering is also a pig on an instrument tuned EADG). So I suppose I carry a spare as it could be retuned to conventional if needed. Having said that, I've never needed a spare bass in 50 years of playing. I carry a couple of old sets of strings, so I can replace one that breaks without the replacement sounding too twangy. Never broken a string on a gig, either.

Agreed and a bargain at the price.

Reminiscent of the old joke. Bloke goes into a motor accessory shop and asks "Have you got a set of wiper blades for my Skoda?" Shop assistant thinks for a moment and replies "Sounds like a fair exchange".

Buying a used hI fi amp and small speakers is a good shout. If you already have a hi-fi, you can just use that. ART make a cheap stereo transformer/isolator box with XLR, jack and RCA ins and outs that does the job. The little Presonus speakers mentioned above are good for the money and there are plenty of other compact powered budget monitors from options from M Audio, Mackie, Yamaha et al. Active speakers are less bother because you don't have to worry about a lot of connections/wires - PC to amp, amp to speakers, etc - or finding a home for the amp.

This used to be a common occurrence. Many of the venues often didn't own the PA, lights, etc. They'd get someone in to provide it and engineer and his/her pay was what he/she charged the bands on the night. A pal of mine used to provide PA in several of the London music pubs. I never minded paying someone 20 or 30 quid to do sound/provide the gear because it worked out cheaper and was less hassle than taking our own PA (which would have meant taking an extra vehicle, plus all the setting up/tearing down and carrying it).

As a long time PJB owner/user, I think it better to add more cabs for more volume if you want clean sound. Having said that, if you're running a C8, that's pretty capable on its own in a lot of situations. It should deal with most pub/club gigs, unless the band is stupidly loud. It is, however, quite heavy and the OP wants lightness, so I'd suggest two PJB 4x5 cabs will be a lot easier to transport. I have two C4s and three 4Bs and use two or more depending on how loud I need to be. Being quite inefficient, they do take a bit of driving, although the manufacturers rating of 400w per cab is a bit optimistic, imho. I'd say 300 is nearer the mark. I have a couple of 2 ohm capable heads, so can use up to three without adding additional amplification. Technically, I suppose I could use four, but I like to err on the safe side. I've not needed to use all five together so far. The thing I like most about them, apart from the clean sound, is that they are very immediate. When I play through more conventional cabs, they feel a bit slow/plodding by comparison. As the OP also wants to use them for 7 string jazz guitar, I reckon they will do that job very well. I play a bit of jazz guitar at home through one of mine and it sounds good.

Do drugs make you a better player? No. They just make you think you are.