Mudpup

I couldn't see the fret markers due to the dark roasted neck either - and this is my sticker job 🙂

Picked up a strap from Hutton. Dead easy and arrived quickly. Recommended.....

There are a couple of Genz Benz Streamliners in the classifieds here for an absolute steal. I would grab one of those.

I had the J one and probably needed the middle one....

I prefer them too. Don't know why but I've just ended up with my main gigging basses being HH ones. Of the mainstream ones available I can recommend the Cort A4 Plus. It's incredible vfm and easy to pick up used. A brilliant neck and great build quality with decent components. I've had some boutique stuff and this is easily up there with them. And if you like knob twiddling try a Warwick Corvette or Streamer $$. The switches add about a squillion tone options to the pickups. I too had a G&L L2000 USA and actually loved the sound in the band mix but couldn't get on with the neck on it. If it had a different neck I would probably still have it.

A Fender Rumble 500 combo seems to be the go to response for this type of post usually. They pop up used fairly frequently or a new one is a little bit over budget for you

Grabbed a bass from Phil. Great guy - easy to deal with and really knows his stuff. Deal with confidence....

I've got a Native Instruments M32 sitting in a box unused since COVID if that's any use to you? Used it for a bit of recording for a few months to stop myself from getting bored before the gigs came back. I doubt I'll use it again (and I'm a supporting member)

Sounds like a traditional Basschat relay is in the offing ...

Gotcha

You need wired headphines for this. It's a bluetooth connection to your phone and the app rather than the headphones. But it's a seriously good bit of kit regardless and a bargain price. I would just get this and a pair of wired phones personally. You're probably looking at a Boss Waza Air if you need bluetooth headphone connection (and a bank loan!)

The rising prices of new gear usually means the used market flourishes. Not in this scenario though.

And this is the issue - no one else seems to have any either.

If you fancied a trip to London then the Bass Gallery in Camden probably has the biggest selection of kit in store. Best to go on a weekday and maybe give them a shout prior to your visit. I popped in to PMT in Old St a few weeks back and there was just one Roland bass combo in there 😞

I can never tell whether an amp is going to work for me unless I've used it at a few gigs. Consequently trying them out in-store has always been a waste of time for me. A perfect example of this was when I tried a Mesa D800, Magellan 800 and Darkglass M900 head to head in PMT. The Mesa and Magellan sounded really good and I didn't like the Darkglass much. I ended up with the Mesa, it lasted 2 gigs with the band. I then grabbed the Magellan for a few months - that lasted about 6 gigs and I moved that one on as well. You may be better served by popping a post up on here with a bit of detail about what you think you're looking for, get a few suggestions from the gang (try and establish whether they've actually gigged the amp though) and then look for a used version of the contender. Gig it and if you don't like it just flip it. Think of it as gear rental....

This Warwick one is a good single handled bag https://www.gak.co.uk/en/warwick-rockbag-deluxe-line-bass-guitar-bag/7499