Matt P

secondhand would be my reccomendation, yamaha or aria, if you can find one with a solid top then even better, mind you i just picked up an ariana (budget Aria) from the 70's (i think) and it's all plywood but sounds amazing! the previous owner bought it in a junk shop. i'd be searching the secondhand stores and the like. butthe deal that Ian is offering would be my first choice, especially with the hard case for an extra 15 quid! (a bit of gaffa tape and should make it useable enough) get some new strings for it and you're still under budget! (i'm a huge fan of Newtone heritage 12's, the finest strings i've tried and i've tried plenty over the years from most of the big and not so big names) Matt

check out [url="http://www.tnt-audio.com/int.html"]http://www.tnt-audio.com/int.html[/url] they have a diy section with stands etc, i've been using a flexy rack for years now and it's fantastic, i'm currently building a modified uprated version using thicker shelves and bigger threaded rod (and more space) they've got 2 different speaker satnd options but these look pretty good and should be dirt cheap to build [url="http://www.tnt-audio.com/clinica/stubby_e.html"]http://www.tnt-audio.com/clinica/stubby_e.html[/url] matt

the t-amps have been on my wishlist for ages but for a bargain amp i'd go with Dingus' suggestion of a cyrus, they're very nice bits of british kit made not too far from where i grew up. i've got a bit of an eye out for a newer hifi amp to upgrade the arcam alpha 5 in my main system and a cyrus is on the list, however the list also contains audiolab, nad, naim, roksan and a newer arcam (and there are probably a few other makes that i can't currently recall)

i love everything except the colour really (which might grow on me) that's some incredible work you've managed, if it were fretted i'd be bugging you to sell it to me! the detail that you've gone to is fantastic. the veneering on the headstock looks perfect and the control and scratchplates wouldn't look out of place on a 3k custom bass. well done Sir! Matt

Just bought a project Warwick rockbass Corvette from Rob and the whole deal was totally painless, it arrived quickly, well packed and exactly as described, deal with confidence in this fine gentleman. Matt

I don't have any experience of the Peavey basses, but someone on here will, have you run a search from the main page (box on the top right) that will throw up any post that mentions them, someone might have reviewed one. (the reviews section is very useful) matt

the bespeco one works without the battery, it only powers the LED, it's not the smallest but i've yet to break mine in about 10 years of stomping. a diy one could be built into a box not much bigger than a matchbox and would be much more rugged. Matt

this one would do the trick, http://www.soundsliveshop.com/p/Bespeco_VM22_Control_Pedal/BES-VM22 i've used one with my marshall for years, but i've also made a few for friends with locking detachable leads in nice metal cases (but with no led although that could be added easily enough) you only need very basic soldering skills to make one. i used these plugs for the lead at the box end. http://www.maplin.co.uk/audio-locking-connectors-chassis-plug-line-socket-997 it only needs a fairly basic cable too, i used 3A 2 way mains cable for the ones i made and 3 way for the double switch i made for a friends ea doubler. (i think the single button one worked out about the same price as the bespeco one but in a very solid box and with a long cable included.) Matt

whatever you end up buying i'd really recommend buying from the Basschat Classifieds, there are bargains galore to choose from, [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/187674-kramer-baretta-nt-l75/"]http://basschat.co.u...baretta-nt-l75/[/url] this looks a bargain, even with a pro setup and a new set of strings it would still leave you with plenty of change. [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/188326-yamaha-bb300/"]http://basschat.co.u...6-yamaha-bb300/[/url] you can't really go wrong with a Yamaha, and this is a good example at a great price. [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/184803-spector-q4pro-now-l170/"]http://basschat.co.u...q4pro-now-l170/[/url] this ones been mentioned before but it's a great deal and a cracking bass. [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/185002-reduced-l200-yamaha-trb1004-natural-that-needs-some-love-epic-sad-face/"]http://basschat.co.u...-epic-sad-face/[/url] this one is a tiny bit higher than you wanted to spend but if it's anywhere near you then it's worth the extra (especially as it comes with a good gigbag. [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/188112-bass-collectionyes-sgc-nanyo/"]http://basschat.co.u...nyes-sgc-nanyo/[/url] i saved this till last, the sgc Nanyo bass collection basses are superb and this one's in a good colour and at an amazing price. i have no connection to any of these sellers. but i've made plenty of deals on here and they've all been fantastic. Matt

yeah that doesn't look like a fender headstock and that serial number would be either a '77-'78 USA bass or a '94-94/'04/'05 japanese bass so i'd guess the decal had been added on. (as if it was either of those options 170 quid would be a real bargain) seems a little odd to me to have 2 pickups and only 2 controls (that i can see), would expect 3, (either 2 volumes and tone control or a volume, a pickup blend and a tone) BUT just because it's not a Fender doesn't mean it's not a worthwhile purchase,have yu actually tried it out? if it plays well and sounds the way you want then it's worth getting, I'd haggle him down on the price a bit though, starting offer at 100 quid maybe? Matt

the Phil Jones Bass Buddy gets almost there, has 10W output but no drum machine. [url="http://www.philjonespuresound.com/products/?id=2"]http://www.philjonespuresound.com/products/?id=2[/url] Matt

for size i think this is the smallest, reports are that it's quite loud so would work perfectly. http://www.dv247.com/pa-systems-and-live-sound/mackie-srm150-compact-active-pa-system--39978 is he considering a hands free microphone too? leaving his hands free. (a wireless headset would be my choice as it will be harder to knock while handling animals)

[quote name='TheGreek' timestamp='1348415111' post='1813328'] If they're still in business!! [/quote] that's why i'm saving as hard as i can! i might go for a graft series as that would take me less time to save.

this just reinforces my belief that custom instruments are actually bargains, unfortunately i'm going to have to save for quite a while before i can order the Recurve Classic Single Cut 5 that i've got my heart set on, but I'll get there one day! Matt