Dan Dare

There are so many cheap decent active desktop speakers around these days it's really not worth building your own. The PreSonus Eris is well reviewed and can be had for 80 quid. Spend a bit more - on the baby Adams, for example - and I reckon you'd be hard pressed to better them with any self-built speaker unless you spend a lot more.

I didn't know the newer one had an internal PSU. Shame. I'll definitely have to hang onto my older one. You're right about avoiding used battery packs. They do deteriorate and lose the ability to hold charge.

Strings aligned perfectly over the pole pieces...

Use both then.

The PJB Double 4 can be battery powered with a portable chargeable laptop power supply. It's nice, but not a cheap option.

I've an idea Fender flats are re-badged D'Addarios (probably Chromes). They feel very similar and have the same coloured ball ends.

I've no doubt that Shane McGowan spends his £400k wisely each year. He's probably on his Peloton bike right now 😁

Walter Becker and Donald Fagen beat you to it.

Sell the Ampeg and use one 2x10 at rehearsals?

You're so right. How foolish of me.

Care to post a description/illustration?

Do you have "big hands"? There's a luthier (ahem) whose work sometimes features on here who may have just the thing for you 😊

Handy things to have if you have a real fire at home, too. Prevents the coals from falling out of the fireplace and setting light to the floorboards.

I'm a J bass fanboi. I have a PJ, too, but in my experience, nothing does P bass like a P bass, and it needn't cost a lot. If you want that sound, buy a used Squier and improve it. I know you are unlikely to get your money back if you upgrade extensively, but if you are selective (you only really need better pickups, pots and wiring), you should end up with something decent for less than £400. My Bitsa P is a Squier body and neck, with the basic Seymour Duncan P pickup (not worth getting the high output or vintage versions, imho), a Gotoh bridge, new pots, wiring and socket It cost me around £350 to build. With a set of knackered La Bellas, it does the job very convincingly.

Your prerogative to believe me or not. You say yourself that the Spark and the THRII-10 both seem to be very marmite. The only thing to do, really, is to get out and try a few things to see if they'll do what you want of them. Buying on the basis of recommendation alone is an almost sure route to disappointment.

It isn't realistic to expect classic bass tones and or clean/crunchy guitar tones in something compact for little money, I'm afraid.

Any amp will produce hum/buzz at full volume and gain. Your other amps are probably more powerful, meaning you don't have to run them flat out, so the noise floor stays further below the signal. That won't be the case with the Joyo because it has to be maxxed just to give sufficient volume. The fact that buzz deceases when you touch the strings/bridge suggests an earthing issue, too. There's a limit to what you get for 35 quid.

A sad day. I saw the news on my FB feed this morning (I was following him). A great character and distinctive and original musician. His autobiography is well worth a read. I'm so glad he had those extra years and he certainly made full use of them. RIP Wilko.

I particularly like the following sentence: "They allow the player to explore tonal possibilities that are otherwise impossible such as taking the role of a rhythm guitarist, making use of the higher octave strings to play chords while still being able to bring the thunder of a standard bass." Does he understand that it isn't physically possible to play chords on the octave strings whilst playing bass parts on the lower strings (unless one has eight fingers that are the thickness of cocktail sticks, of course?). What a twunt.

This. You could find yourself on the hook for all sorts of things if you indemnify the venue for any/all claims and losses. It's vital that the things you agree to indemnity them against are clearly defined. Jakester's right. You need to get this clearly established and in writing. If there's any doubt, I'd say no to the booking to safeguard yourself.

Kind of odd to have an all-time favourite anything. It presupposes that one's tastes are frozen at a certain moment. At the time the Beatles were around, it was a toss-up between them and the Stones for me (I'm that ancient) as to which was my favourite. A few years later and things were very different, as my musical and educational horizons broadened. That's been a continuous process in my life and I hope it remains that way.

THOSE NUT SLOTS 🤢 And as for the headstock... A shame his father's tool slipped, eh?

Gauge affects brightness. Generally, the lighter, the brighter.

This. That fat, smooth, juicy sound we like in isolation is often completely wrong when playing live. I like to check, either using wireless or a long lead, by going for a wander out front to listen how the bass sounds in the mix. Often, I find I need to thin the low end to remove the mud and boost the mids and top to make it sit right. The resultant sound can be none too pleasant when I'm stood next to the rig, but if it's what works in the room, I'll put up with it.