Dan Dare

A lot of useful advice above. I would urge you not to buy on recommendation alone. Unless it's really impossible, visit a shop or two and try some gear out. If you can, borrow equipment from a few friends and see how it performs in real world situations. You could even hire a few things and try them at gigs, Wattage is a very approximate measure of what an amp can deliver. It's often measured at one metre into a nominal impedance (as explained above), but that's not the full story. Speaker efficiency (how much sound a particular speaker will produce for a given input power) and impedance affect how much volume an amp and speaker combination will produce. Manufacturers usually measure wattage at a single frequency such as 1khz. They also measure over a few milliseconds (which is different from the real world demands that will be placed on an amp) as well as at the lowest impedance that an amp will work safely into, which inflates the figure. Once you ask an amp to process a complex musical signal, rather than a single frequency test tone, things change again. Really, wattage is pretty meaningless other than as a rough approximation. However, it's used as finding an alternative measure is difficult. The Rumbles are a safe, reasonably priced recommendation if you don't want to get too deeply into it and just buy something you can be sure will do the job. I find them a little bland, personally, but I'm an Aguilar user. I think the Elf plus a 1x10 you suggest might not be enough for your needs. I'd look at 2x10 as a minimum if you're playing with a drummer, unless you're doing jazz gigs in wine bars. Watts are cheap these days, so buy something that's more powerful than you think you might need. 500 may seem a lot, but in reality, a 500w amp will only be around 10% louder than a 200w one. You can always turn a powerful amp down, but you can't turn a low powered amp up when/if it runs out of steam.

With only the very occasional exception, I've always enjoyed good customer service from just about anywhere I've shopped. I'm always a mite suspicious of those who recount multiple tales of bad service. Yes, the odd thing can (and does) go amiss, but it makes me wonder what those who always complain about poor customer service are doing or saying to the staff at the places that allegedly give them poor customer service. Having worked in a number of public-facing roles, I know from experience how unreasonable some people can be. Could it be that those who never seem to experience good service might be contributing to the situation in some way?

That bass currently resides in the Museum of London. It's described as "iconic". A bit pathetic, imho. The photo of Simonon smashing it calls to mind little Timmy having a tantrum because his mum said he couldn't have any sweets.

I'd get whichever is cheapest. Both reputable brands.

Of course it will work. Whether you like it is another matter.

Yeah, like, er man, I only play originals. I mean, I've got integrity. I don't copy or rip off uvver musicians. My latest song goes C, Am, D, G. Nobody's ever dun nuffink like that before. Move over Mozart. Etc, etc, etc. Ain't nothing new under the sun.

The ones I had made are for shooters. The idea behind them is that they allow normal level sound through but block loud transients. I found the company that makes them at The Game Fair a few years ago (I'm partial to a bit of fishing and shooting). They work as claimed, but I would still rather not use them unless necessary. The firm is Custom Fit Guards. Google will find them.

If you want a scratchplate made, Jack's Instrument Services in Manchester are very good. Wide choice of materials.

DH is 78 now. So her hearing would have deteriorated with age anyway. I'm 70 and mine is not what it was (high frequency loss mainly, which is almost inevitable with age. Acuteness is fine). Obviously, if one is playing large, loud stages, as was DH, the problem will be greater. As I said, I do carry and use plugs (I had proper custom fit ones made), but I prefer not to if I can avoid it.

This looks to be the easiest/cheapest option. You already have the passive subs and a spare power amp, so you won't have to sell the passives and buy actives (which almost inevitably means incurring a loss). You only need a simple 2 way active crossover to spilt sub and top feeds. Plenty of companies offer them - DBX, Behringer, LD Systems (their X223 looks good value at around £100), etc. All you want is a few extra XLR cables to feed the crossover and spare power amp and a couple of additional speaker cables (if you don't already have them). Even buying new, less than £300 should see you sorted.

Following from Down Under's post, your mixer may even have a sub output (both my Soundcraft and Allen & Heath do), so you may only need a power amp (assuming you continue with your passive subs). Used power amps can be had cheaply if you don't mind old school/heavy.

Much truth in that. A 35" scale makes a lot of difference on a low B. It helps if your gear is up to reproducing it, too. No real world bass rig will give you a low B fundamental (31 hz) at high volumes, but the better ones get closer or cover their tracks better.

Skytec and similar brands are, to put it kindly, absolute bargain basement (their stuff is aimed at the budget disco market) and I wouldn't trust claims of 1000w handling. They might cope with very short bursts in 4 ohm applications, but if your Dynacord can output 700w into 8 ohms, it'll destroy them with no bother, as you've found. You could get some better passives custom made (you're unlikely to find something suitable off the shelf), but passive crossovers, especially heavy duty ones, are inefficient and soak up a lot of power. At the levels you're running at, I'd look at an active crossover plus a power amp to drive your passive subs. Either that or go for active subs.

The problem with plugs, ear protection, etc is that either the whole band has to use them or nobody. I don't like them personally - they make me feel isolated from what's going on, but I have to use them sometimes in self-defence. My preferred option is that nobody uses them and we keep onstage levels reasonable and let the FOH do the heavy lifting. Once one person, especially the guitard, wears them and turns up so he can hear himself, everything goes to hell in a handcart very quickly.

Our singer has a penchant for Eb, so I carry two basses and tune one down a semi-tone. It's not just because it's easier to play in E than Eb. I also like having the low fundamental.

Thunderfunk are great amps, but not exactly found on every street corner. If you want that old school solid state heft (and who wouldn't?), a decent preamp plus powerful PA power amp is one possible option. Before I went Class D/lightweight, I used a BBE pre plus bridged QSC 1850HD and it had a truckload of slam. I still remember it fondly, but the lightweight stuff is so much easier to schlep at my advanced age.

This. You've given 4 examples in total. If they're all you've tried, you've barely scratched the surface. You will not, repeat not, drop into something fully formed and good unless you are extraordinarily fortunate. You're probably more likely to get all six of those lucky balls on Saturday night. Did you give the guy a chance to explain why he called you 3 hours late (11pm is hardly the middle of the night), or did you "tell him what to do with his band" immediately? I'm starting to sense a whiff of entitlement from your posts. The world doesn't owe any of us a gig or a job. It's up to us to go out and get one. Unless you are hot stuff, it's not easy.

Never thought I would "make it" in the usually accepted sense - live in a castle, have helicopter and Ferrari, etc. I had short periods of playing for a living, but I nearly always kept a "proper" job going. By the time I turned 30, I realised I would likely need a pension, so kept the music as a side-line that made me some extra lolly. Had a lot of fun and got to play with good people and go to nice places courtesy of the music. Now I'm in my dotage and able to live comfortably, I'm glad I did things the way I did. I know several people who did better than I did back in the day from music, but life is not as easy for them now as it is for me.

Exactly. People can argue with each other on here all they like about hobbies, giving people a lift to the pub, invigilating in exams, etc, etc, but it won't make a scrap of difference to the way insurance companies run their affairs. It isn't people on here who need to be convinced, it's the insurers. People are free to take a chance if they wish. It's a free (ish) country. But they shouldn't complain if it blows up in their faces.

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.