Dan Dare

I feel your pain. I got just £150 for a mint RMX1450HD in a rack case when I switched to active speakers. Heavy beast, but bombproof and uber powerful.

Good advice. Peavey are also decent. All can be had used for little money if you don't mind the fact that they weigh. Avoid really cheap power amps which are aimed at the rubbish end of the disco market. They have little to no protection circuitry and can take out your speakers if they blow up.

Pot, kettle, etc

That's rather naive. Any business that doesn't keep a grip on the bottom line isn't likely to stay the course. Would you willingly pay more than you needed to for anything? I wonder how much debt you're carrying if you would. As for "building relationships over the long term", that may be true in the case of a product or service that is unique or hard to source, but bands are ten a penny (no offence meant to Stew and his colleagues). Plenty out there to choose from.

No offence, but, as I pointed out, no business will pay more than it has to for anything. Yes, they will have a figure that they expect/are prepared to pay, but if they can get it for less (provided the quality is of the desired standard), they will be more than happy with that. As I also pointed out, there is no "standard fee" for many things. That's why I suggested quoting the relevant MU rate. It isn't about trying to "screw a band out of a few quid". It's about the bottom line. Any business will save whatever it can, wherever it can because all those "few quid", multiplied over the course of a year, can add up to a significant sum. That too is one of the "basics of business". Have a look at Stew's most recent post above. Had he quoted what the band originally discussed, do you think the venue would have responded "Too low. We'll pay you double that"?

They won't want to pay more than they have to. No business will, which is understandable. Not everything in life has a set price (who determines what it is?). I'd start by quoting the relevant MU rate and take it from there.

Or Psychotherapist

JMB, like any open-to-anyone site, has an enormous variety of people posting. They range, as does all of humanity, from the sublime to the ridiculous in terms of personality, ability, manners, etc. The fact that a few may be less than ideal is no reason to knock JMB itself. I've joined a couple of decent bands via JMB. It was especially helpful when I moved to a completely new area and wanted to make contact with local players and find a band or two to play in. Sure, I had to follow up on a few red herrings and sort the wheat from the chaff, but that's just what you have to do in most aspects of your life. If you don't mind paying, BandMix is worth a look.

I wasn't suggesting anyone should apologise. I was pointing out that we all have different priorities when it comes to instruments. Your reference to self-styled savvy "muso" types comes cross as rather defensive.

The ones I own, of course...

Never tried it, but I would imagine it wouldn't look great once it got a few scratches and the original colour started to show through (unless the new colour was close to it). I'd just get another pickguard made in my chosen colour. Plenty of places will do that for not a lot of money.

Toaster

We're all different. Peoples' attitudes to instruments range from purely functional/utilitarian - it's a tool to do a job - to aesthetic/personal - it's the instrument they feel at home with or the one they had built in exotic hardwoods that they've always dreamed of owning . Nowt wrong with that and we're all at our own particular point along that range of opinion. The original question - would you rather have 8 HBs or one high end bass - is a bit wide of the mark, in that it represents two extremes. Most of us are somewhere in the middle. We have one or two basses we really like and play most of the time, plus a beater or two that are handy for gigs in iffy circumstances or for when the kids want to mess around with them.

Anyone buying that better make sure their tetanus shots are up to date.

This. As long as you avoid models such as Tonehammers, where the preamps have been designed to recreate a more "vintage" voicing, you'll be fine with any good quality amp. Go shopping and try a few of the alternatives out.

I love Brown Sugar. I couldn't care whether or not the lyrics are not to contemporary tastes. I just find it amusing that people get their panties in a knot over ephemeral things like pop songs when there are so many more important things to be concerned about in the world. You are correct that the N Minaj song is the one many quote, but it's just one among countless others. The difference between it and Brown Sugar is that it's sh1te and Brown Sugar isn't.

Yep. Brown Sugar is truly shocking. This more modern offering from N Minaj is so much more socially acceptable: And I ain't hit that note but f*** you stupid hoe, just f*** you stupid hoe I said f*** a stupid hoe, just f*** a stupid hoe I said f*** a stupid hoe, just f*** a stupid hoe I said f*** a stupid hoe, just f*** a stupid hoe

I agree with your overall argument, but would add that it isn't only the US that can produce quality gear. We do it rather well in Europe, too.

Would a Strat bag do the job?

Some of us are happy to do so. Over the last few years, I've bought two US made bass amps, a German PA, British accessories (DI boxes, mic's), a Czech bass and other non-Far-East-made odds and ends. I acknowledge I'm fortunate in that I can afford to do this.

Quality over quantity every time.

If you play at home quietly when the kids are asleep, a decent pair of headphones would be a good choice and no risk of waking the rest of the household if you get a little too enthusiastic.

I'd definitely go used. Buy wisely and you should get much of your money back if you sell it on. On a £500 new instrument you will lose around £200 once its classed as used. You asked about MIM Fender necks. The one on my Mex PJ (they are a P body with a J neck) is very similar to than the one on my US Jazz. And it's in better nick, being a lot younger