Dan Dare

Agreed, but it's good for a laugh.

Those look like Bill Lawrence pickups. Perhaps someone has replaced them at some point. Very good pickups. Don't get rid of them before trying them. I doubt Toneriders will be an improvement if they are BLs.

You could file the hole to be triangular and straight edged and glue on a little piece of scrap ebony. When it's set, file/sand to shape. Would be a bit of a faff, but cheap.

Great point. Several cabs working well within their capabilities will always sound better - fuller and more authoritative as stated - than one that's being pushed, even at modest volumes.

Did the chunk come out in one piece? If so, if you line it up right and get the grain to re-engage, you should be able to glue and clamp it back. May need smoothing over when set.

Nobody.

How are we "spoiling ourselves"? I've worked for 50 odd years to be able to afford nice things and I'm going to enjoy them. Why not buy a cheapy and try it? Plenty of bargains about at the moment. Or make a Bitsa? I did recently and I like it, but wouldn't sell my better instruments and use it exclusively. Playability is mainly in the set up. I played cheapies when I was starting out (as did almost everyone) and had fun. I could happily play one now if there was nothing else available (and I know a lot more about set up than I did back in the day, so could get it to work better), but I prefer to use what I have now. That's it, really.

Ah well. Should generate a few more sales of I am a Dog on a String (hope I got that right). Look on the bright side Stevie boy.

Don't sell it at the moment, unless you're desperate for funds. Money is tight, few if any have gigs and you won't get the best price. Wait until the world has returned to some semblance of normality. Given that a 2x10 is hardly enormous (and the Rumbles are light), I personally wouldn't sell it. It's handy to have additional resources in the event that you may need to make more noise at some point. I have more cabs than I usually need, but the extra ones come in handy at times. That's just me, of course. Your decision, obvs, but not a good time to sell at the moment.

Replace the tuner with a Hipshot detuner. Adjust to raise/lower the pitch by a semitone. Play with it in the dropped position and tune the instrument normally. When you need that high E, simply crank it to non-dropped position. You may need a friend to help. Or use your teeth. Either way, job done 😁 Do I win a prize?

True. I find that clarity, whilst pleasing in isolation, doesn't always work in a band context. That clean tone that is so enjoyable in the showroom or living room can be a bit gutless when everything else is going on. I learned that a long time ago, when I used to use a long lead and walk out in front of the stage whilst sound checking (pre wireless days). The sound I liked when stood close to the backline disappeared at distance. Boosting the low mids to the point that it sounded a little honky on stage helped the bass project and sit much better in the mix. I think that's why the P bass is so popular. Sure, it lacks clarity and definition when compared with more sophisticated designs, but it just works in a live situation and has that punch in the chest sound that does the job.

Don's a great teacher. I love his videos. Always so clear and well explained. I struggle to play authentic reggae bass because I clutter things up too much. I find Don's advice very helpful.

Exactly. It's very easy to overpower a delicately set up instrument.

Have you played it? If you like it, it sounds a fair price. Is it in a shop or for sale privately? I ask as it's unlikely to be a bargain if it's being sold by a shop (it's their job to know the value of things). You could probably sell it on at little to no loss if it doesn't suit you. Your call, really.

The frets are only part of it. He uses a low action, lighter strings and plays gently. Everything works in combination. That's the underlying point of comments on this thread, really. It's simplistic to say that one part of an instrument is responsible for tone or sound. Materials, construction, electronics, string type, action/setup, etc and - most important - the player all combine to produce the end result. LS is a subtle and more cerebral player. He's pretty much diametrically opposite to someone like Steve Harris (who I also admire, but for different reasons).

I think Lozz is right. For heavy rock/grunge, you're going to need a bit of power. I'd also suggest separate head and cab(s) rather than a combo. That way, you can add cabs if you need to. It also means that you can use the head plus a small cab for home/jamming. A decent used Ashdown head with 200w plus should do the trick. Add cab(s) to taste or needs. Have you had your Electric Blue looked at by a repairer? If it's a relatively cheap fix, it might do you for now. You could spend your budget on cabs and upgrade the head at a later date.

Indeed. Lends a whole new meaning to the term "I got wood"...

In the spirit of scientific enquiry, Mrs Dare and I shall be testing these to ascertain which results in the best, ahem, tone (or whether any differences can be found). The participants in the study and the procedures employed will be the same each time. The only variables will be the instruments themselves. Full report to follow.

That's it in a nutshell. Compare "super cables" to outright rubbish and there will be a difference. Once you get into the realms of decent quality (which needn't equate to super expensive), it's all snake oil.

I saw the word "Cleartone" and was remainded of a well know modifier/improver of basses. Thought he'd diversified into cables for a moment...

I polish all my instruments with Snake Oil. I swear it makes them sound better 😁

The TE GP12 refers to the preamp. Which power amp does it have? It should say something like AH250 or 350 somewhere on it (which is the wattage rating). Will definitely have a much wider tonal range than the Orange

Just make 'em up yourself and save money. It's dead easy. No soldering needed and the screw terminals are clearly marked so you can't go wrong if you take a bit of care. Use proper Neutrik Speakons and decent cable - something like Van Damme or Sommer - and away you go.

It ain't just pop. Opera is full of histrionic warblers.

As it's only one of the cabs that makes the noise, that would rule out mains issues. By "static" noise,, I take it you mean a kind of hissing roar. I had a similar experience once with an amp. It turned out to be a capacitor that had failed. Resist the temptation to poke around and take it to a repairer is my suggestion.