JoeEvans

Some older albums in their original form still sound better to me in terms of production than almost anything since. I'm not a huge metal fan but AC/DC's 'Highway to Hell' sounds better than any guitar rock album I can think of, for example. But there are plenty of other much-loved albums that sound horrible to me and I can't imagine how anyone approved the final mixes.

Yes - as I say, it's a totally OTT solution...

I still like the idea of a bass with a rechargeable battery and a USB C socket on the back to charge it. Or just an XLR out and phantom power. Both totally OTT as solutions but for some reason I'm drawn to an easy external power source.

Bass players: I'd never take my favourite bass out to a gig, it might get a tiny scratch on it and that would be really upsetting. Also bass players: just taking this one out the back to go at it with a rusty bike chain and an angle grinder for a lovely authentic-looking relic finish.

Although you wouldn't want a little bit of graphite to snap off the tip of the pencil and find a home somewhere in the plug socket, perhaps making a little bridge between two shiny copper components...

I really like small-bodied headless basses. I had an Ibanez Axstar for a while which sounded superb but in the end I couldn't get on with the narrow string spacing. Then I bought an ACG Border Reiver which has more by way of body, although it's still small compared to a normal bass, and that's just amazing, as you would expect. But I still quite fancy a true cricket bat, and the Hohners do look good... Part of the pleasure of the ACG is that it feels heavy for its size, but because it's small bodied, medium scale and headless, it's actually very light. So you get a bass that feels satisfying solid, but also light on the shoulder, at the same time.

I think for me the 'best' instrument - the one I value the most - is always going to be the one I most enjoy playing out with, so by definition I always gig with my best instrument!

Yes, but you might want to offer something over and above your basic statutory responsibilities.

I would write a short, clear returns policy, and when you sell a bass, give a printed copy to the buyer and briefly talk them through it. That way everyone knows where they stand.

I took the train from Manchester to Lancaster with a 4x12 cab once.

I did try Harry Potter - everyone used to love the sound of the amp like that, but then it started making these weird tweets, which really irritated some people.

I prop mine up on a 1950's edition of Proust's 'Au Recherche du Temps Perdu' in the original French. Great for that wistfully elegiac P bass tone that so many of us strive for.

Re electric bikes - yes, what isn't always immediately obvious is that they let you choose how much effort to put in, and you can still put in just as much effort as on a non-electric bike, only you go farther and faster. My observation is that people tend to use them for a wide range of different reasons - to shift a heavier load than you could without (especially a load of kids and their bags etc); to do a longer commute than you'd fancy on a non-electric; to keep on cycling when age, injury or progressive disease might otherwise have stopped you; etc. I think they're really helpful for people to get a bit more exercise and have a bit more fun in daily life. (Total thread derailment but I read the recent reports about the political desire to clamp down on illegal electric bikes for safety reasons, and the desire to make companies like Deliveroo to employ their delivery riders instead of forcing them to work self-employed. It would be great if regulation could instead force delivery companies to provide riders with decent electric scooters rather than leaving them to source their own ramshackle bodge-jobs.) I recently got another bike (non-electric) to use as a round-town cargo-carrier, with front and rear racks, hub gears and so on. I'm now getting a useful amount of extra exercise just in the course of a normal week, because I'll jump on the bike to nip down to Lidl or wherever and grab some shopping rather than driving.

I was discussing this with my partner yesterday - we're both in our fifties and the point has come where regular exercise is compulsory not optional if we want to continue doing the things we enjoy for a decent amount of time. I personally intend to continue to enjoy the pleasures of an active life well into my eighties so I'm trying hard to eat well and do daily exercise that includes cardio, strength, mobility and flexibility over the course of each week. I personally find that exercise is as important for my mental health as for my physical health, or perhaps that mental and physical health are really just aspects of the same thing.

I think MartinB has it - if you like the tone of the DI from the amp, just stick a plug in the headphone socket, as long as that doesn't also mute the DI. A very cheap technical fix.