chris_b

For 90% of bass lines a 2 fret or 1 octave span is all you need. Any more and you move your hand. Trying to play with your thumb routed to the spot is very limiting. A mobile left hand gets you around the fret board and is the way to create good bass lines.

A good fretting hand technique isn't about reaching as many frets as you can in a stretch. It's about accuracy, control and flowing smooth movements across the board. How do you manage fast runs with your fingers extended like that?

I'd keep on saving then your £300 will increase and you can buy something you can use, rather than just keep in a bag.

IMO the best 300 watt head is a 500 watt head turned down a little. Especially if you are using a single 8 ohm cab.

I've broken a strap. Luckily the guitarist had a spare, so I spent the night playing the bass under my chin. I've carried a spare strap ever since. I carry an accessories bag which has a spare for most things. Strings, gaffa, batteries, strap, pens, ear plugs, fuses and 2 full sets of leads. I even have several picks, which I don't use but I did lend them to the guitarist when he forgot his pick tin. I also have a set of everything for home use. I never take any gig stuff out of the bags or cases. I've left stuff at home in the past!!

I take care that these things don't happen in the first place, and not be grateful that a piece of gear bounces!

I've had 2 amps fail on a gig and they were both valve amps. In 20 years I've never had an SS or D class amp fail. My Aguilar amps are "flightcased" in aluminium foam lined cases I got from Maplins. The combined weight of 2 amps and 2 cases is about 10lbs so taking both to every gig isn't a hassle at all. I don't get the "buying a backup amp, just in case" idea. I'll often sound check both and use the one that sounds best on the day.

Delbert McClinton Live.

I wear 28db ear defenders over 20db moulded ear plugs whenever I'm near those things!

Tony Williams Lifetime at the Marquee, with Jack Bruce on bass. I got there early to get one of the seats at the front. That wasn't a good move. They all had Marshall 200 watt stacks and used every last watt. It took 3 days for my hearing to recover. Since then, one of the loudest experiences, after Santa Pod, was seeing the Saints in NOLA a couple of years ago. The sound system must have been on 21. It was painful and I spent the whole match with my fingers in my ears!

I don't know the bands you see, that could be so inconsistent, but the guys I see, as I say, are consistently good. My experience trumps your cynicism.

Does your bass sound right out in the room?

I see bands and artists who I know and know are consistently good. No crystal ball required.

I don't go to gigs where I'm going to be disappointed, so I've never left half way through. Sadly, I've played a few gigs where the audience did that!!

DJ's never did respect the music. It was a necessary evil which always got in the way of their stunning and clever performance!!

Plywood is fine for making a bass, as are many other materials. Cost, looks and tone are all valid reasons to use specific materials. My take on this. Unless you are in the business of listening for tone in materials you're not going to be very good at identifying the small differences. Unlike tea, coffee, perfume, whiskey blenders and some makers of musical instruments our senses will not be developed enough to be able to comment whether this material or that material makes a difference or not. We don't know what we don't know. We can say what our preferences are, but I just don't get why people think they know all the answers and reasons, when they clearly don't.

I took my Ampeg SVT3 PRO in for a service. The tech took one look and said, "I've never had one of these in." He pointed to about 20 SVT's on the floor at the other side of the workshop. "Those are what I usually work on!"

I went to see The Crusaders at the Festival Hall and found they were supporting the Chick Corea Elektric Band. The drummer had bough the tickets and hadn't told anyone about the line up. It was a great gig.

IME if you're going with a DI you need proper monitoring, for everyone on the stage. I did a gig where we used a dep drummer, with an electric kit. What he didn't bring was any monitoring, so I spent the night with the drums being a faint sound in the distance, out of the PA and a drumless back line. It was one of the most miserable gigs I've done.

My back up is always the last thing that was my go-to. I wouldn't buy something specifically to sit there as a backup.

I've had 2 amps fail on me. Both were valve amps. I've not had any issues in the last 20 years, after moving to SS and D class. I never used to carry a backup anything. I didn't know anyone who did. We never had enough money for two of anything, and especially when my amp weighed in at over 40lbs. I can bring two now my amps are cheap as chips and weigh less than 6lbs. These days I sometimes bring extra cabs so I can try out different rigs. Something that was impossible when each cab weighed close to 100lbs.

I couldn't see it listed, but this bass appears to have an 18v preamp. The mid control is the passive tone control. I'd get used to playing this bass as is before you start planning to alter it. Evaluate what you've got, then decide if you need to make any changes.