Dan Dare

Obviously a wind-up.

I read somewhere that Rumbles use Eminence Basslites, so if it's true, the potential weight saving is unlikely to be significant.

This. I avoid signature stuff because you pay extra for the same old same old. It's much the same with those "ex-famous player" instruments. You get a standard mass-produced piece of kit at an inflated price. No thanks.

Leave any amp out in the garden at this time of year and it will go dirty 😀

The above. Shops are businesses. They need to pay the staff. keep the lights on, etc. They have to offer a guarantee on anything they sell. They are up against the online discounters. Everyone moans that shops are disappearing, but nobody wants to support them. Nobody is forcing you to accept their offer. A low offer is usually a sign they don't really want something and hope you'll dispose of it elsewhere. If you want the convenience of not having to advertise it, show it to potential buyers and so on, you're going to have to pay for the privilege. Think about it. It's about the worst time of year to sell musical instruments and luxury goods. Few people are spending in January. They're too busy trying to pay off the Christmas credit card bills. so the shop knows it's going to hang about and not do anything for their cash flow quickly. Throwing a tantrum is a bit pathetic.

This is good advice. Even if you can find someone to do it, you will probably devalue the instrument or make it harder to sell. Most players want fretteds. You could look into getting a replacement bolt on neck. You could switch over the tuners to keep cost down. That way you can keep the original and return it to the instrument should you ever wish to sell it.

"Not the greatest for gigging"? Ever heard the expression "beggars can't be choosers"? £230 doesn't buy light, loud and great for gigging. Not bragging, but many of us on here use rigs that cost around ten times your budget. See Downunderwonder's post above. Something has to give.

Appears to be he-who-cannot-be-named's German cousin.

If this is the case, beware of disappearing down the rabbit hole (not to mention spending lots of money) of trying to replicate what you already have and are happy with. Your ST with the volume down for smaller jobs will still sound great and it gives you the option, should you ever need it, to push it for bigger occasions without strain. A Super Compact is a nice cab, but it won't shift air the way a ST can. The laws of physics, Jim. A ST is pretty compact for a big sounding cab, anyway. Far better (and cheaper, by the time you've taken the hit on selling your old cab and bought a new replacement)) to take Chris's advice above and get a decent trolley.

Turn it down.

Absolutely. Given that B&O/IcePower, Hypex, Pascal and others all offer proven, reliable off the shelf modules, it makes no sense for amp manufacturers to try to re-invent the wheel.

It seems we're starting to strain at this. Those with years of expertise and experience, such as Bill, Aged Horse and Stevie, have given good advice above, which should be all we need. To summarise, don't abuse your gear, ensure it matches (within reason - a 1000w amp with a 100w cab is almost bound to end in tears, but smaller discrepancies are fine as long as you are sensible) and that you use it within its specified limits. Accept that drive units, as mechanical devices, are going to wear out/fail on occasion. Even electronics components don't last for ever. C'est la vie.

Stain won't usually seal. It will, however, soak into the wood, which you may not want. If the neck is a mixture of varnished/unvarnished, you will not get an even tint and it could look terrible. There will almost certainly be some of the varnish left on the neck, which will protect the wood. When using sandpaper on a curved surface, it helps to back it with a piece of sponge, so you don't sand a flat into the surface. Friction should keep the sponge in place on the sandpaper. If it doesn't a small piece of double sided tape will.

Sounds as if you may have hit the nail on the head. Amp builders buy in the modules they use. It wouldn't be cost effective to make their own, even if (and it's a big "if") they are capable of doing so.

If you want a very small/light combo with a bit of output, you're going to have to accept that it will be fan cooled. The components are crammed in tightly and there isn't room for heat-sinking.

Companies such as Tool Station, Screwfix and RS Components sell loadsa castors and wheels. You should be able to find one that matches. Even if you don't, a set of 4 is going to be cheaper than £103. A lot cheaper.

My '72 Jazz. Had it since 1982.

Good advice from uk_lefty. Replacement scratch plates are not expensive. I've had a couple made by Jack's Instrument Services in Manchester. They're very good. You send them the original and they copy it exactly and return it with the new one. Wide choice of materials/finishes and colours. Have a look on their website.

In similar vein, I had the 2x15 Bassman cab back in the day. Awful stock drivers - flimsy pressed steel chassis, tiny magnets and seamed cones made of what looked like recycled greetings cards painted grey. I replaced them with Peavey Black Widows (which were the best I could get in the UK at the time) and it sounded great. Didn't know anything about matching cab volume to drivers, etc, but I must have got lucky as it worked really well.

I remember playing the Hammersmith Odeon many moons ago (before it was re-named the Apollo). They had a newer PA (as in newer at the time - this was a while ago), but in the wings, tucked out of sight, they still had the old Voice of the Theatre horns. They were enormous. I could easily have climbed into the horn throats without stooping too much. I'd love to have heard them. I appreciate they probably wouldn't have had a lot of low end, but as a vintage hi-fi fan, it would have been nice to hear them. I hope they haven't ended up in a skip. One of the resident engineers told me they had driven them with big old Western Electric 300B valve amps back in the day. Lovely.

Exactly. It isn't the "fault" of the room. Virtually every venue has anomalies and idiosyncrasies, but many engineers don't allow for them or check the sound from anywhere other than the mixing position, which is often central/in a direct line from the FOH and high up.

I used to assume that punch in the gut bloated bass was due to d1ck waving by engineers, but I wonder whether it's due (at least in part) to the fact that they are often situated up a tower at large gigs, far from floor and walls and therefore do not hear much reflected sound. Not making excuses for them - they should do their due diligence and check the sound from multiple locations - but it happens so often, it's hard to believe they are all deaf or showing off.

Pea Turgh's suggestion above of that 100w Rumble is sound. It's collection only from Bradford, which is a schlepp from where you are, but that's a very good price for one of those.