Dan Dare

I don't get the "can't take my vintage instrument out of the house because it's too valuable" mindset. Many of us own cars that are worth more than such instruments, but we don't say "better leave it in the garage in case someone dents/pinches it". That's what insurance is for. Yes, vintage instruments are nice to own. Some are even nice to play. But they're tools to do a job.

Not necessarily the case. Were I in BF's shoes (in answer to his question, I think he is being very reasonable), I would take an item of items of equipment equivalent in value to the agreed buy-out amount and leave the band to sort out replacements.

Depends on the retailer. Some are good, some less so. If things do go south, the law is the law - see asingardenof's comment above - and it doesn't matter what Ts & Cs a shop attempts to impose or demand you abide by. You may need to be insistent and refuse to allow them to persuade you to compromise. As far as repairs go, it is not the best idea to accept an offer to repair to a brand new product. The best option is to reject it and demand a fully functioning replacement.

They exist in all forms of business. It's a little naïve to expect that one will not encounter selfish, ambitious people in music. On the flip side (balance, etc), if someone gets a better offer, it's fair enough that they will move on, although ideally they should do so decently, honour existing commitments, etc. In fairness to W and his ilk, I've been in a position where I was the only person unhappy with what a band was doing and where it was going (or not). Once you've tried discussing your concerns and failed because nobody else agrees with you, your only options are to suck it up or up sticks and leave.

A pal of mine refers to it as the "concrete wellie".

I suspect the reason for mounting the strings that way was so that he could turn all the tuners in the same direction to raise/lower the pitch. Looks weird, though and is likely to increase wear rate of the nut on the D and G strings, especially if he's using rounds.

Agreed. Our singer picked one up on t'Bay for £35 in mint condition. It's far superior to a SM58.

I don't feel differently about BC. Most of us have never met and do not know one another. I've been happy to receive enquiries about whether I would take offers on here (and have accepted a couple). I've done the same when I've been buying. As long as people are courteous and polite, I don't see a problem.

Rick Beato's latest vid' discusses how it has become ever easier to manufacture (I can't bring myself to use the words "create", or even "make") music. The downside is, of course, homogenisation, which he points out. AI, which by its nature, has to be derivative, can only increase the trend for everything to sound the same. As has been pointed out on other threads about the way popular music is heading, nobody who is interested in seeking out real or original music should expect to find it in the mainstream/mass market.

Given that this is likely to be a purchase that you want to last you (you obviously, like me, don't change rigs often), you really should pop the Bassman head in the boot of the car and head for somewhere like Bass Direct (not a million miles from you if you're in Leics) and do some comparisons. Go on a weekday when it's quiet and you can take your time choosing. I had that same head, with either 2x15 or 1x15 matching cabs and moved it on for similar reasons - age and not wanting to lug it around. You'll find modern cabs far superior to the old Fender ones (the drivers were pretty poor - I replaced the drivers in mine with Peavey Black Widows back in the day, which were a big improvement). Fwiw, I'm running an Aquilar AG700 these days, which I like. It doesn't quite do what the Bassman did, but it's pretty close. In your shoes, I'd concentrate on finding a head you like first and then look for cabs to match it. I note you have an old Ampeg classic cab just out of shot, which would do the job whilst you look for something. Happy hunting.

You may be able to, but check output levels/compatibility first. The preamp send in particular may be too hot for some headphone amps.

"Market value" is what a willing purchaser is prepared to pay. Market value is not what we, as individuals, think it should be.

I agree. It works out at roughly 10%, which is a lot less than auctions, having an item sold by a shop, etc. Sure, you have to deal with prospective purchasers, etc, but if you're sensible and not afraid to tell chancers to get lost, that's no hardship. For me, the biggest advantage is not having to set a price and let the market decide. I start things off at obviously less than their value to encourage bids and let it carry on from there. Occasionally, I've been pleasantly surprised.

Not sure about that. Some things, such as cars, consumer electronics, appliances and similar, are worse. Sometimes much worse. Anything that becomes obsolete or for which desire is ruled by fashion loses value as if it was sitting in a bath of acid.

Very true. In practice, the price you can expect for a used item (barring rare, collectable and similar) in good condition is normally around half new retail.

It might appear on eBay at fantasy island prices, but that doesn't mean it will sell for them. I've seen stuff sit on there for months because the prices were obviously straight from la-la land. If stuff wasn't selling at your reasonable price, it's highly unlikely to shift on eBay at a stupid markup unless someone naïve buys it.

Hotpoint or Electrolux?

Freddie and the Dreamers?

As one of the (not particularly vocal) minority, I have to say that flats are way more versatile than you assert. Yes, a well worn set of La Bellas will give you that Motown thud, but there are many more options. Ernie Ball Cobalts, for example, or even D'Addario Chromes, are much brighter, especially if you use the lighter gauges (which have the added benefit of being easy on the fingers).

Yes. As Nile points out, just get the 4 pole plug wired on pins 1+ and 1-. I wouldn't bother going to Designacable for something that simple. They're good, but you'll pay for the privilege. Speakons are very simple to wire. No soldering needed. You just strip the cable, push it into the terminals and tighten the cross head screws. Job done.

Appreciate that, but large all in one racks will always be heavy and cumbersome. I switched from a large rack to multiple stackable rack cases. It's a lot easier to make several journeys into the venue from the vehicle with manageable loads than it is to struggle with a single behemoth.

If you use sufficient numbers of small drivers, this isn't an issue. Mine have 12x4" plus tweets in small horns and put out plenty. They go surprisingly low, too, although that isn't needed with subs. As is always the case, you need to spend proper money to get good results with mini line arrays.

No. The gap between the strings flares out from the nut to the bridge end. If it didn't, you'd never get your right hand fingers between them to play. Measure the spacing between the strings on the bridge and look for something equivalent. Whilst the existing bridge may be quirky, it's also cheap 'n nasty. I'd replace it and keep the original. Something like a Gotoh 203 would be a great improvement and not expensive at less than £30.

Bill's advice above is on the money as usual. If you are going to put 15 top boxes on stands, those stands need to be heavy, stable, strong and consequently expensive. The risk of a drunk/careless punter walking into a stand and bringing down a large, heavy cab on peoples' heads is real. I've seen it happen. You can't always position stands/cabs out of harm's way to prevent it. Good quality 10s on poles/stands, plus a single sub will be more than adequate for the average pub/club. You don't need stereo/two subs in any but the largest of venues. I have two, but very rarely need to use both. I usually end up dialling back even a single sub - see Bill's comment regarding reinforcement from floor placement. Low bass frequencies are omni-directional, so coverage from using just one is not an issue.