Dan Dare

Good advice. Fingerboard gunk is dead skin, grease and associated detritus. Rubbing alcohol/surgical spirit is a mix of water and isopropyl alcohol and some contain oils, so best avoided on bare wood. Just use isopropyl. The alcohol will help dissolve the grease and will evaporate without leaving a deposit, which is why wet wipes and similar are best avoided. Many contain things like lanolin. The various gunks sold as fingerboard treatments are similar in that they contain oils, etc. Best is to get the board clean, dry and grease free and then rub on a little (only a few drops needed) lemon oil, which is non greasy. if the wood needs it. Buy lemon oil from health food shops. It's much cheaper than getting it from music shops.

He managed to Fender them off

I hope to find my sound one day. I just have to remember where I left it. It's great getting old.

When I use a pick, I like a medium - .73 to 1mm - one, too. I find playing with a heavy pick a bit like using a chisel. A slightly thinner one accentuates the twang/click (which is why I use a pick on a bass).

Not really. Look up "moonshine" or "poitin" on Wikipedia. They're examples of home-made alcoholic spirits. Most countries have their versions, usually distilled using local crops or produce. What is the Latvian version?

You can confide in us. We won't tell anyone.

So far, I haven't got any worse...

Yes. The FR800, a Big Baby with onboard power amp.

Make your own. If you're using Speakons (which you should be - Bigguy2017 is correct above), you don't even need to be able to solder. If you can strip insulation with a sharp blade and use a screwdriver, you're good to go and you'll save yourself some cash.

I feel the same when I go to the breakers yard to get bits for my car. A lot of perfectly decent old vehicles that have probably been scrapped for something quite trivial because parts aren't available or are stupidly expensive. It's just the way the world is.

Wouldn't be too surprising if they added their own pre' to the front of an ICEPower module. Virtually everyone else does.

Malcolm Hine in North London (Edmonton) is excellent.

Meths is crude alcohol. Is there a local rough alcohol/moonshine in your part of the world?

Yep. 5 screws, same hole spacing. I'd re-use the screws from your existing bridge. You can torque the head off the Gotoh supplied ones if you're a but too enthusiastic. Guess how I know...

And there I was thinking they were just comfortable shoes.

JMB and Bandmix are primarily for amateur and maybe semi-pro outfits and musicians. Nowt wrong with that, but you will find little if any "session work" via either. You can find things (I have) through them, but it is very unlikely to be on your first try. You just have to keep looking and following up on anything that sounds promising. Be prepared to kiss a lot of frogs before you meet a handsome prince.

If you fancy something more hi-mass, the Gotoh 201 is the one to get. Works well and again very reasonably priced.

Difficult to look past Gotoh imho for a P or J bass. They do a very nice BBOT style bridge - Gotoh 203 - in a decent gauge of chromed brass that is less than £30 if you don't want something chunky.

It's really best to try some gear before taking the plunge. Even if it means taking a day off work (if, for example, you are not near any shops that stock a good range of bass gear), it will be worth it to ensure you get the right thing. I did that last time I bought new gear. I lived in London, but went to Bass Direct (other shops exist...) on a weekday when they weren't busy and spent several hours trying and comparing things. As BD are located pretty much in the centre of the country, they are reachable from most places. I was able to take my time and make a good decision.

If you'll be working with a drummer, you might need to move a bit more air than a 2x8 will. 2x10 gives you 50% more cone area (I know that's not all there is to it) than 2x8 and larger drivers are often more efficient, which means more output for a given amount of power in.

Did you adjust and (lightly) lubricate them or just bolt them on? Are they an overly tight fit in the ferrules? That can cause tuners to be stiff. In my experience, Wilkinson are decent value budget parts, but as always, you get what you pay for. As a matter of interest, I bought some Gotohs for my MIM P bass. They needed a bit of tweaking before they were good. Nowt wrong with that. They're fine now.

Agreed. Probably because people selling look at prices being charged in shops and price their stuff accordingly (forgetting the fact that a shop will ship, offer a guarantee, etc). If you are selling something rare, vintage or sought after, you may well get a high price for it. Otherwise, the market will decide. For buyers, the old adage of Caveat Emptor applies as always.

I love the top comment on the video - "Nothing like coming home after a hard day at work and playing a few of your favourite tunes to unwind".

True. From a buyer's point of view, shipping is a big plus if an instrument is any distance away. A day of my time, plus travel, is not cheap to me and I'm happy to pay a bit more to be saved the trouble/cost. Shops also have to offer some sort of guarantee, which private sellers do not. In the end, you pays your money and takes yer choice. Concepts of "fairness" are irrelevant. The market decides whether something is worth the asking price and nobody is compelled to buy.