Dan Dare

One of several clever, eclectic and musical English bands I really liked back in the day. Stackridge was another. Thanks for the reminder.

Who cares? Do one (encore, that is) if you want. If you don't, don't.

Tina Weymouth and Steve Van Zandt.

Agree with lownote. MBs can take a bit of tweaking, but when you get it right, they sound great. The other thing I like about them is that they project and sound very good in the room. I don't know why, but they do. I found this out when I went to see a friend's band play. The bass sounded excellent, with a real punch in the chest quality. I spoke with the bass player and he was using a 2x10 MB combo. Standing next to the amp, it didn't sound anything special, but at distance, it just worked.

Yep. Send it back. As you point out, you can't expect miracles from a budget instrument, but actual faults such as loose frets are unacceptable at any price.

It's the claiming authorship I'm not keen on. Credited to Robert Johnson - recorded 1936, but probably based on an existing song.

"Collectible" (often mis-spelled "collectable")

Good idea. It should work. It would be handy if the handle you choose goes a little past vertical so it won't close if you brush against the amp.

NOW GONE. THANKS TO THOSE WHO GOT IN TOUCH A couple of sets of D'Addario XL rounds, taken off new instruments (I use flats), plus an unused set of Elite rounds. All long - 34" - scale. Free to good home if you cover postage. PM me.

It is balanced, albeit with a distinct mid forward quality (which you can adjust, although not completely lose, with eq on the amp of course). Series mode is quite a bit louder than the other options I can't quite make out the amp in the demo'. I use an AG700, which works fine with it. I thought I'd try the Kiloton for that reason. Sometimes that fat, sweet bass tone doesn't quite cut through in a noisy live situation and can get a bit lost (I have a vintage J bass, a Mexican PJ and a Bitsa P - made with nice components). If the G&L doesn't work out, it wasn't expensive, so it's not the end of the world. I'm surprised G&L are not more widely used. For the money, they're very well put together.

Here's a pic' for you

Bought one of these yesterday - Kiloton™ | G&L Musical Instruments (glguitars.com). Bit of an impulse purchase. Having become a Joe Dart fan during lockdown, I fancied a simple, passive bass with a single humbucker. I didn't want to spend a lot of money and already have a P. Surprisingly tonally versatile and very nicely put together for a budget instrument. Took it to bits when I got it home as I do when I buy a new toy. Good quality fittings and decent pots - not the usual flimsy tiny things you find on Far Eastern budget instruments. It's always pleasing that manufacturers don't skimp on the stuff you can't see. A little heavy, but nothing a wide strap won't take care of. Very solid sound with plenty of midrange bark and high output. Must give a mention to Guitar Guitar in Epsom. I bought the bass (which they had at a considerably lower price than elsewhere) and a gig bag and they threw in a set or Ernie Ball Group III flats. Very helpful shop and absolutely no pressure to buy. Just set me up in a demo room and left me to get on with it. Very pleasant experience.

That's what I thought. Presumably, buyers will still use PayPal as previously. I think Wolverinebass hits the nail on the head above. eBay wants to use money paid for a few days (much as banks do when they take time to "clear" payments, which, in the era of instant electronic movement of money, is a nonsense) before paying it to the seller. Exactly. If money is taken from your bank account, good luck in recovering it. You will be told that you gave consent to eBay to access your account and that consequential losses are your problem. I spoke with eBay and asked what would happen if they were hacked and money was taken from my bank account and did not receive a satisfactory reply. Very dodgy. I shan't be playing. Very dodgy

Perhaps she's going deaf.

It does, but not if you want it at higher volume. I'm on the fence as far as "bass tone" is concerned. I've found over the years that what sounds good next to the rig doesn't always work in the room (in situations where one is not going through the PA, obviously). I try to dial in a sound that is a little too mid-prominent and lacking in low end extension these days. It isn't especially pleasing when stood close to the rig, but it works and projects better into the room.

What makes a bass good for chords? The player.

Same as. One of the drivers packed up, so I replaced both with Peavey Black Widows. Sounded pretty nice after that. Replaced the head with the inevitable Trace Ellioitt a few years later.

A fundament? A rudiment? A blunder?

No such thing as "sacrilege". It's your instrument and you are free to do as you wish with it. If you are certain you won't want to try to realise the collectible value (which is dependent on fad/fashion and can often change) for it at a later date and it will make it perfect for you, that sounds the way to go. We're not talking about a Strad here, after all. Bear in mind that we tend to find that our "perfect" changes over time.

An oil finish is nice, but bear in mind you won't be able to refinish at a later date with any form of varnish/lacquer as the oil will sink into the wood and react with anything you subsequently attempt to apply. So be sure you really want to do it before proceeding.

I like his small driver cabs. I have two C4s and three 4Bs that I use in varying combinations according to how loud I need to be. Very clean sound and project well, although you do need to use them in number if you want to make a bit of noise. They are also quite inefficient and take a bit of driving. The 4B is fuller and a little softer in tone than the C4. As stand-alone cabs, I prefer them. However, I find two C4s with a tweeterless Berg 1x12 to fatten the bottom end makes a potent compact rig.

A word of caution re. soldering preamps and similar micro-circuitry. Don't use a high wattage soldering iron and keep contact between iron and what you are soldering to a minimum. It's very easy to cook miniature electronics. Quite a useful guide here - Soldering Irons - A Complete Guide | RS Components (rs-online.com). I use a 15 or 25w iron with a fine bit for jobs like that. I note you want longer wires on the preamp. It may not look as neat as replacing them, but would it be safer to add wire to lengthen them (you can insulate the joins with shrink sleeving)? They will be out of sight once the pre' is installed in the bass, after all.

I don't think it's possible to "fill the gaps". I agree with those above who say don't change or do so minimally. If you're not happy to do that, maybe suggest to the others that the band recruits an additional musician. Fwiw, there are very few guitar bass and drums line-ups that really work live for me, but that's just my 'umble opinion.