chris_b

Buy cheap, buy twice!! I'd aim for a good heavy duty trolley at the best price I could find.

Fantastic.

My Sadowsky Metro RV5 is the best sounding bass I've owned so far. I've compared it to chambered NYC models and it sounded better. My US Lakland 55-94 was the second best sounding bass, and my Skyline 55-02 was very close to the US version. I have a Sandberg TT5 SL which is in the same sonic ball park. These basses are a "cut above" the other basses I've owned and played. The Metroexpress is seriously cheaper but has Chinese made electronics, pickups or hardware. IMO these basses don't come close to the German (or Japanese) Sadowsky's, so I'd give that one a miss. If you are aiming to buy a great bass, get a "Premiership" bass, not a "Ryman's League" copy. I find the VTC the least useful control on my Metro. The bass and treble controls are so powerful they take over. IMO there are also great deals to be had for the basses on your list in the classifieds. Also consider Roscoe, ACG, Shuker, Sei and Elrick.

I keep my current ACS plugs, and the previous pair, in my gig bag. Also several sets of foam plugs in the accessories case.

I'd be standing on one leg to be comfortable on some of these stages.

My next door neighbour plays DB through a Markbass 112 combo. She sounds very good.

IMO adding a non-Sadowsky pickup might work against the existing pickups and you'll end up with less rather than more.

The size of a speaker means nothing. The sound depends of something like a dozen different parameters and the box. Also depends on the volume. A speaker being driven at 50% will sound better than the same speaker being driven at 100% and a cheap speaker won't sound as good as a well made, more expensive, speaker no matter what size it is. IMO even with a quiet jazz drummer a 10" will sound better than an 8" speaker. You're happily using a 25watt combo, so I'd suggest you get another combo, the same as your current one.

Talk about making a simple job complicated!!

Not a good idea, in my book. If 3 pickups sounded better, Roger Sadowsky would have already done it.

The 3 bassists who started me off were Bill Wyman, John McVie and Duck Dunn. After that it was Tommy Cogbill and Jerry Jemmott. These days Nathan East and Reggie McBride.

Do you make 5 string basses, under 8bs?

IMO all basses, amps and cabs have a sound. The art is matching these components so they compliment each other, and make you sound like you want.

I spent 8 years in a cover band in the early 10's and we never rehearsed. When the band leader wanted to put in a new song he emailed us with an MP3 or YouTube link. We learnt the song and gigged it the following week. This rehearsal business is very overrated.

double post!!

The comfort of my hands, arms and wrists determines the length of my straps.

Old school??? Whipper snappers.

Why have a fixed number? Put 10 songs on the list, start at #1 and work your way through. You might have 3 or 5 or all of them under your belt by the end of the day. The secret of good rehearsals is to turn up knowing the songs.

It was worth saying twice.

I've played at many weddings. The one thing many bands don't realise, at a wedding you are playing to guests, not an audience. They are not there for you, and what you play only had to keep multiple generations happy and on the floor. Modern or old fashioned is irrelevant if they are dancing and enjoying themselves.

This happens a lot in the music business. The business side thinks it knows more about the music than the musicians do. What is the significance of 8? I think you know your business better than anyone else. You are seeing the response, what is the feedback you are getting on the gig?