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Agreed. Quantitive Easing has a lot to answer for.

Good point, well made. No Ali Express for me, especially when the real thing is available - and I can try before I buy.

They have only doubled in price if you are paying in paper currency that has experienced the effects of “printing” When priced in gold, bitcoin or even a currency like the Swiss Franc then the issue goes away.

A Passage to Bangkok - Rush

Not sure what you mean by 'North' but my mates in alternative originals bands can't always count on pa support up here, it's a world away from swanky covers in posh wedding venues. If you know what you're getting in to then fine. If not I wonder if it's worth having a nice rig (say a darkglass head and 2*10 cab or whatever) and then picking up an old 810 or something for super cheap for the gigs where you have to loosen fillings on your own. If you're sure you can get away with stage volume then don't sleep on the modelling combos. The Fender Stage, the Boss Katana and even the Blackstar stuff can all do proper grindy, compressed rock tones for little money and even less weight.

Puff the magic Drag-on - Peter Paul and Mary

Regarding the above inflation increases in prices, you only have to look at the expected standards of living in the country of origin. Americans are used to big houses, relatively reasonably priced domestic cars and [used to] enjoy healthy pensions, hence Fenders are fairly expensive for a mass produced instrument. Now look at the Germans - Warwicks have become absolutely eye-wateringly expensive. Obviously the Germans like some serious financial security and still aspire to owning a Mercedes-Benz. Companies that mass produce high value branded items, be it cars or basses, have cottoned onto the fact that they can make more money by selling lower volumes if they push their products up-market. But to switch to basses specifically, the Fender American Standard/Professional series has always seemed 'just out of reach'. When I was starting out in the late 80's/early 90's, that £7-800 Fender on the wall was the stuff of hushed legend amongst my musical peers. By the mid-late 2000s they were still relatively good value at just under £1000. Now in 2025 it's heading towards £2k. Why? Because everything has doubled in price. Try looking at Music Man prices! 🫣

The Queen is Dead - The Smiths

God Save The Queen - Sex Pistols

Although he is playing it at the bridge.

If you listen carefully… he’s playing the funk machine on Let’s Get It On. Jamerson was present at that session but Felder’s take was used over Jamerson for that track.

Someone is selling a G&L SB2 in the classifieds, that would be a superb bass if you decide to go that route. I've used mine on plenty of rock music gigs. Maybe an Ashdown combo if you decide to go with the amp. You can get a pro level amp for budget prices with those and again, great rock sound.

DeOxit or any cleaner can only be a temporary solution to noisy pots, any contact or switch cleaner should be used sparingly. In this case, the effects loop is two switches and the contacts can only really be accessed from within the case. For switches or switching jacks, I recommend a standard switch or contact cleaner, which is both cheaper and probably more effective. The other option, although not ideal, is to install a patch cable into the EFX loop, although even those contacts may corrode over time.