Dan Dare

The Retroglide is very similar in concept/layout to the old TE heads - essentially a pre with quite extensive graphic eq mated to a power stage. Given that it's designed by the same person - Mark Gooday - who made the old TE heads, it has to be worth consideration.

More of it, which drives the price down. If you see something you really want, I expect one of us could grab it and BC could do a relay to get it to you. I'd be happy to help. As a long-time PJB user, I can confirm that isn't the case. There is physics that actually favours multiple small drivers over one larger one. I find they don't want for volume or low end and the size of the drivers obviates the need for tweeters. The clarity and lack of harshness (always an issue for me with tweeters) is excellent. The downside is that they are inefficient and need some power to drive them properly.

I don't consider a "supportive" partner to be important. I certainly wouldn't tolerate one who was actively opposed to my playing (and would not hang around if that turned out to be the case), but I'm happy for me to do my thing and for her to do hers. My late partner would occasionally come to see me play and I would occasionally go to functions, etc at the university she worked at, but we didn't feel the need to be in each other's pockets the whole time. Keeps you more interesting to each other when you each have your own lives/passions.

As I understand it, the amp in MB12 combos is pretty much identical to the Little Mark head. The spec's are the same. Given that the combo will drive an additional cab', why bother replacing it?

I'd go for the EBS. However, it can be had new for only an additional £60 - see EBS Classic Session 120 Bass Combo Amp at Gear4music - which gets you a guarantee, etc

What about Eva?

A thinner string will always have more "ring". As others say, all basses exhibit this quality to an extent. If you want brighter sounding lower strings, you will need to use lighter gauges. Roundwound strings are brighter than flats and nickel wound are brighter than steel. You will also need full range amplification (read expensive) for that piano bass quality, especially at any volume. How capable is your amplification? If you are using the strings the bass came with, they probably won't be the best, either in terms of quality or freshness. New strings will always sound brighter than worn ones. If the notes are indistinct, that is usually a sign that replacement is required. Nickel rounds (something like D'Addario nickel XL, which are widely available and not too expensive) in thinner gauges are probably the best option.

Given the city's industrial past/heritage, the answer has to be most definitely. Metal bashing made Birmingham the greatest industrial area in the world. Sorry to be a nerd.

If you fancy the same head with a smaller cab and are in the North West, this looks nice, too - Ashdown MAG 600 EVOII Bass Guitar Amp Stack Head and Cab 600W | eBay

Mute switch and decent DI out. Tuner out is handy too. Not bothered about lights. meters, etc.

Ashdown are good like that. They don't inflate power outputs. In my experience, their stuff always gives a good account of itself.

£600 should get you something very capable, especially if you buy used. Personally, I don't like modelling amps, but that's just me. Better to have something that makes a few sounds you like, rather than dozens of "almost, but not quite" options, imho. Do you want something just for bass, or for guitar as well? If the former, a number of the usual suspects will be worth looking at. You don't appear to want/need high volume and it seems you want something compact. Fender Rumbles are a safe choice. Not my favourite (I don't dislike them by any means), but will do a decent job and frequently come up used. Well priced, too. EBS Session combos are nice, too. The 60 or 120 should be very suitable and they are well within budget new. I really like the Markbass CMD 12. New, it's a little over your budget, but a good used one will be well under it. It has a slightly warmer/old school sound than many and should suit the music you play very well. If you can find one within your price range, a used AER or Phil Jones combo will be excellent. Both tend not to be bought by hooligans, so used ones are usually in very good shape, albeit rather rare (people tend to hang onto them). Hope this is of some help.

What's your budget? Really, a visit or two to a decent shop to try things is the best way to go. You'll likely get dozens of opinions on here. We're all different. If you want clean, I'd avoid Orange. Good amps, but tend to be better if you like a bit of grunt/dirt/character in the sound. The gear you mention is really little more than for practice or possibly very small gigs. I doubt if any of it could keep up with a drummer giving it any degree of large. For clean at live volumes, you need power and enough in the way of speakers to move air without breaking a sweat. Low power + volume = distortion. Great for guitar players but not for bass, unless the music you're playing calls for it.

Carol Kaye?

Who was his gran? Paul Simonon?

Above our pay grade, I'm afraid. Try to remember that music is not a visual artform. If it sounds right, it is right. If that doesn't help, seek professional psychiatric assistance. It will likely improve other areas of your life, too.

It sounds like a P bass, played superbly, recorded in an expensive studio and produced by someone who knew what they were doing. As for re-creating that sound live, how much do you want to spend?

Oh dear

I was going to say no augmented fourths in it, so it can't be but some may argue the infamous intro lick has one (although it's split and not a single interval). Why the need to categorise? If you insist, I'd say it's classic rock, but does it matter?

Anyone know what plectrums he used 😁?

Don't feed the troll, boys and girls. Btw, in answer to the original question, I had a similar problem some years back. It turned out that I was damping a little too aggressively with the right hand and causing the strings to tap on the pickup magnets. A few weeks of working on being a little less heavy handed cured the problem.

A pleasure. As Woodwind says, several smaller cabs is easier to carry than a single larger one. It's worth looking at used gear to save some money. PJB stuff tends not to be bought by hooligans, so can often be picked up in very good condition. I had a flightcase (which was what led me to PJB stuff originally). I bought it mint from a jazzer, who had barely tickled it with his double bass. I loved the sound of it and used it for a time with an additional power amp and cabs for more volume. I sold it to help fund my current head (AG700).

I have a couple of C4s and three of the older 4Bs (which uses the same drivers in a larger cabinet and sounds a little more old school than the C4). The C8 is effectively two C4s in one box. I like the PJB sound very much (as you can probably gather). However, there are a few things you need to be aware of if you have not used them. I would certainly suggest a test drive before buying. They are not very efficient and take a bit of driving. You will need amplification with some power. The sound is very clean. It certainly isn't sterile and I wouldn't call it "hi-fi" as some do. I like the clarity, but it lacks that bloom (for want of a better term) that many traditional bass cabs seem to produce. Switching to PJB cabs can leave you feeling there is something missing until you become accustomed to the sound. For me, that missing something is colouration and mud, but if you play in a loud rock band, you may find the sound a bit too polite. Related to that is that those 5" drivers, although they can shift a lot of air for their size, need to be used in multiples in any situation requiring volume. I use two cabs (which will be equivalent to the C8 you are looking at) with a 700w head for pubs/bars at average volumes and more for larger occasions. Two C4s and a decent tweeterless 12 (I use a Berg') makes a clean, compact powerful rig with good low end poke, plenty of clarity and none of that spiky quality most tweeters seem to produce. Hope this is of some help.

Perhaps they mean rare as in under-cooked...

Every clip I see from Standing in the Shadows of Motown reminds me why it's my favourite film. Just magic.