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... and a very prog Xmas to you! (Yeah, that thing's a classic already, and the thread title did indeed nearly give it away. A prog Xmas can only be this or Rick Wakeman in Santa's cape, and I prefer this.)

And I'm of the unpopular opinion that they all do the same job. Now, which one will make me look fancy tonight?

the rain

Taped fingers changes the sound, but that's not an issue for practicing. I used to get blisters, but no longer do and I don't think my right hand is significantly more calloused than it was. Some things I've learned over 30 odd years: Let the amp take the strain, you don't need to pluck that hard. Share the load, use index and middle finger. I used to use just my middle finger but now use both, some sequences of notes fall easier if you alternate between fingers. Play little and often if you can, building up to those three hour gigs! Pluck diagonally across the strings, it sounds better and spreads the load across more skin. Some people recommend wiping your finger down the side of your nose to apply a little natural lubricant. Sounds a bit gross, but works actually. Keep playing!

Nope, no qualms whatsoever. I'm happy to use a cheaper bass for certain less well heeled venues, but generally I think you need to use the bass that fits with who you're playing with - If I'm playing theatre and Warner shows and the music is all 50's & 60's, it'll be a passive Jazz every time (yes, I know the Jazz didn't appear until 1960!), and if I'm playing lots of 80s and later in my Duo/Trio, I'll take a Status or a GB along. It's the best excuse for having lots of basses - "They all do different jobs." 🤫

I play guitar in a rockabilly band where the double bass player wraps sticking plaster around each of his plucking fingers before playing. I don’t play double bass so I’ll leave it to others to comment on the pros and cons of this approach!

We will do our best, enjoy!

I genuinely had no idea Orange amps went back that far, Jack. As for the Precision/Telecaster bass, I really don't like the sound. Sounds like he's hitting it way too hard, or the amp is distorting. What they had to work with in the 70s, I guess

No, it’s never occurred to me to think like that! I decide which bass I think will work best for the gig and take that, and sometimes a spare.

I think the top range Fenders/ Musicman is where this is the case and that’s my ballpark.

I am a bass tart and will go with any bass. This is why I have more than I need. Every bass I pick up makes me think "ooh, this is nice, we could be happy". Absolutely tragic.

No need to lay off. I'd wrap decorators' masking tape round my finger, just enough to protect it but allowing the feel of the string to come through. I've used this on both hands occasionally when necessary. Also you might want to play sometimes with two fingers, i.e. change the angle of your fingers to be at a diagonal to the strings, might give your index finger a rest.

Looks a cool venue. How did you tame the drums on stage? Surely you didn't actually get a drummer to tone it down?

Yeh, thats the same on the ME-90B as you would expect (same company), just that the pitch shift isn't in the same league as the XE-1, certainly not up to a couple of semitones below a drop D as a solo instrument live.

Hi @1Kay I’ve done a new bass day here: New Alnus Bass Day

Think the Glam thing just works really well at Xmas. Women seem to love the era. Dave

One sobering thought is that expensive is relative to wealth. The US national debt costs $1 trillion in interest payments. About what it costs to finance its entire defence budget and coincidentally what Elon Musk was paid .I guess if you can afford to run the world’s largest military then a $50,000 bass would be cheap. For most of the world though mass produced instruments in the far east are the only affordable instruments. Most made in the west would be considered expensive to extremely expensive. Which would explain the rise in bankruptcy for household name companies.

Anything over zero (0) as you'll assess its value by simply looking at it. If you can give it a go, you'll have to assess a lot of specifications before saying x is too expensive and it's always impossible to be objective as there are too many variables here, including personal taste and "wealth". You could also do the maths using the value of the material only without taking into account the added value of the craftsmanship, which again would be wrong. Putting it the way you propose is not a possible option as humans need a point of reference to give a value. Simply ask a non musician not interested in music the value of your instrument and you'll get a better answer, but get ready for a huge disappointment concerning what you consider expensive as it will become highly overpriced.