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I recently sold my pink JB2 Tribute. It ticked so many boxes for me. Great body shape, superb pickups, really nice neck, slightly thicker, front to back, but ultimately I prefer the sound of a P or PJ bass so I moved it on as it was too nice to be sat there not getting played. If the Jazz bass sound is your thing then I would strongly recommend the JB2 Tribute.

This may have wandered a little off topic. What was the topic?

Nah. You can still hear overdrive / modulation etc. You just can't hear small differences that only listening in a studio would reveal. Not being able to hear the difference between 2 types of chip in an overdrive pedal or whether the sound is from an analogue chip or a software emulation when the drums are playing is a lot different to hearing whether the pedal is on at all. That's not even the same subject!

I've played with bands where they're playing the wrong chord, which makes it impossible to sing the correct melody (so they sing the wrong melody). I've pointed this out to them and made them aware that all they need to do is change that one chord, which would allow them to sing the correct melody and am greeted by silence........ And they just continue to play the wrong chord.

I’ve depped with 2 different bands that did exactly this. I actually find it harder to play the whole section in 4/4, plus it amounts to throwing away something that makes the song more interesting and enjoyable to play.

I had that with a UAD interface a few years back, extremely annoying. I eventually got it out after gently jiggling it (is that a thing) for a few minutes every day for about 3 weeks. It hadn’t happened before, and it hasn’t happened since, but it’s made me a lot more careful in how I use and care for cables, being very gentle when inserting and removing, and checking for any small dents or signs of wear frequently 👍

A party/cover band I was in built on 80% personal relations and 20% musicality and capability. Drummer with no sense of time, a bass player who followed the singer instead of the drummer a keyboard player who used much prescence nagging about the unsteady beat and time feel, unstable singers. One band member did printed arrangements of all songs to everyone to make sure we were all "on the same page". There seemed to be a rule that every song should have at least one guitar solo and most songs were transposed constantly to accommodate the tonal range of the singers. Still, after 30+ years, the bass player claims being unable to hear the bassline of the original track. Despite the written arrangements the songs were always sounded different from time to time. On stage most had a sturdy black note stand with the printed arrangement in front of them, which - together with stage monitors, light stands and front speaker stands - sort of made a black wall between us and the audience. Supported a bit by the access to printed arrangements nobody cared to memorise the songs, meaning that most of us were staring at the printed arrangement meaning a loss of contact to the audience. Despite that we did get 2-4 quite successful gigs in the best years. We did change many of the songs by simplifying parts that we could not play.

Well, us oldies feel the cold!

Yeah you're right on all that. I ended up buying a CK 61 and owned it for 18 months, I thought it was great in almost every way. The main drawbacks for me were I've started doing formal piano lessons/grades and 61 keys isn't ideal for that, and I did notice the slightly narrower keys becoming a bit of an issue when practicing on a piano and then the CK 61. ....so I sold it last month and I've now gone for a Viscount Legend One 73 key which is an upgrade in almost every way - but it costs double the CK 61 and is bigger and heavier so perhaps not so good for grotty pub gigs.

The Blackstar Fly 3 is the safest option in the £40 price range.

The JB-2 is an interesting choice because it sits right at the intersection of affordability, ease of modification, decent quality, and attractive design, which is why many long-time bass enthusiasts still appreciate it despite not being as famous as Fender or Squier.

Oops, already done

Just like a good bassist 👍

I think Rean are made for Neutric anyway. Legally you need to give the retailer a chnce to repair faulty goods and if Andertons are offering a courtesy cab/PA then I think they are playing fair. Hope you sort the problem, not one I've come across before.

The CK61 is a very reasonable choice for pub/bar performances: lightweight, compact, quick to start up, good enough piano/EP/organ sounds, intuitive interface, multiple connection ports, easy split/layer, and priced right within your desired £750 range. The biggest drawback is the smaller-than-standard piano keys, which can feel strange when switching between keyboards, but at this price point, there are almost no other keyboards that are both fully featured, lightweight, and have larger keys. Therefore, the CK61 remains the most suitable choice for your performance needs.