Marvin

Of the two in the original post I'd go for the Ibanez. I've not tried a Jackson but have owned an Ibanez SR300 and it's a great bass. The newer ones are probably better than the one I had. The Sire M2, I can't comment on. However, I do have a Sire V7 and it's the one bass I own that won't be sold unless I'm absolutely desperate for money, it's that good. A little more expensive, the Yamaha TRBX204 (£260). Yamaha are always a good bet. Second hand Squiers you can't really go wrong with in my opinion. I bought my current one, unseen, from RichTone Music. I adjusted the action to my preference and it's been a great solid workhorse (and looks great with the Mexican Fender rosewood board neck I put on it :D )

You could buy 2 of these 😜. To be honest, I don't know what they're like. The head is basically the MiniMax which seemed to get decent reviews when it came out. https://www.thomann.de/gb/peavey_max_115_2.htm

They're good basses, I can't see me selling mine, but my word what utter tosh. If only for the fact that the basses have a considerable range of tones available, due to the onboard preamp, I should imagine that thing could be made from ply, with knobs made from baked bean tins, and it'd make no difference.

Happened all the time in the last band. It was a 5 piece. We had 3 up front with different instruments all over the place. I got stuck in a bay window once it was so cramped.

I own 2. A 1st Version, signed, Sire V7 Marcus Miller Jazz bass AND a Squier Vintage Modified Precision, that sometimes has the neck from a Fender Blacktop on it. That's it.

I've looking around for kit that'll do 'the pub gig' (2 guitars and your average drummer). Can one of these keep up? They look good on paper.

Is there good and bad plywood regards construction of the cab?

As sure as night follows day, I give up playing and then someone asks me if I'm interested in a band they're forming. Well, I might be as he's a great drummer. Anyway, I've got no amp/cab rig. However, someone local has a Trace Elliott AH150 head and 1518t cab for sale. What sort of gigs could you do with this set up? How loud, how big...the usual dumb questions 😁 Thanks

These days I try to buy from local shops, if that fails direct from online traders and then traders on ebay. I find Amazon to actually be pretty poor if you're looking for decent, quite specific gear. Strings it's ok for, but anything else, no. My view may also be tainted by the fact they sent me a Samsung S7 phone case instead of the flatwound strings I ordered, and then wanted me to pay for the return...

I really have no interest in any massive gigs, festivals whether they are inside or outside. Living in the peripheries of the UK it's always a bit of a bind to get to gigs anyway, however, in the early 90's I did get to go to Milton Keynes Bowl and then Wembley Stadium (the old one). They were good shows. However, festivals don't interest me. I'm not going to pay a lot of money to see bands I've not heard of and more than likely get sun stroke or trench foot over a weekend. As for BIG gigs. I went to see Depeche Mode 18 months ago in Birmingham. I've got to say, it was the most disappointing gig I've been to. I've always wanted to see them as they've looked fantastic on video. The reality is is could have been anyone on stage. It sounded like Depeche Mode but we were so far away Dave Gahan was about the size of my thumb nail. The sound was okish, but the atmosphere was dire.

I can't remember how deep the combo I had was, but I was never very satisfied with the stability the cab on the stand.

I had 2 of those Quicklock stands, they both broke. In the spec is says they're supposed to take up to 45kg. I'd say that's wildly optimistic. The combo I used it for was about 28kg and the 'locking' screw thread thingy sheared on both. I would never buy another one.

I've never been messed around by a group of people more than 'musicians'. I got back into playing 10 years ago, and hand on heart, people who want to be in bands have been the biggest time wasters I've encountered. JMB, gumtree, bandmix, ads in music stores, open mics, word of mouth...every one has been a complete waste of time. Watch grass grow, it's more rewarding.

Trademark Infringement and Trademark Counterfeit aren't the same thing.

Claiming Trademark Counterfeit is a fairly bold move, by bold I mean ridiculous. Nobody who buys a Dean thinks they're buying a Gibson. It's a pity Gibson don't put as much effort into making good quality instruments, at sensible prices, as they do into this sort of faff.

I think I could count on one hand how many times I've tried an instrument in a shop. I rarely go into music shops anyway as I don't really like them.

I don't need any at the moment...

Could be too late as Gibson have done nothing to protect IP for a long time. That aside, far east manufacturers simply won't care and carry on. ...and unless it's got a novelty detachable neck, then it's clearly not a Gibson or an accurate clone of one, so still no need to worry 😎

I sort of got the feeling that the VMs were basses from a certain period with 'upgrades' someone had done to them, I suppose you could say it was trying to feel modded. For example, my Precision VM is quite 70's in looks, but then you've got these meatier pickups in it. I could be wrong, I usually am 😀

Cameron bought a guitar stand from me. Great comms, prompt payment. Another basschat success 😎

I've got D'Addario Chromes (flats) on my jazz. It sounds great. Although...the rounds I had on my jazz were SO old that the Chromes sounded very bright initially.