Doddy

Some bandleaders will form a minus sign with a sideways finger on the other other. Generally though, on those sort of gigs it's expected that you'll be familiar with the repertoire ( standards, classic pop tunes, and so on) so the bandleader can point one finger down and the band will know if it's in F or D minor. These signals are generally used for a scratch band with no charts or arrangements, when songs are being called on stage.

I think that as long as you don't have your bass in a super low or high position, it shouldn't make much difference really.

Rather than different hands, it's normally fingers up for sharp keys (1 finger= G, 2 fingers=D etc.), and fingers down for flat keys (1 finger=F, 2 fingers=Bb etc.). You don't see it as much anymore, but it's common with old school bandleaders. It's easier to see 4 fingers point up and know it's in E, than to mouth E and have half the band mishear and start in a different key.

I always sit when I'm practicing. I'm not going to stand in one position for a few hours while studying new material, so I want a decent stool. I use a Roc n Soc cycle seat with a backrest. I take it out to long rehearsals and certain gigs too.

Rather than pointing her towards Youtube, I think it would be more beneficial to show her some things yourself, or look for a teacher (obviously online right now). Early on I'd look at showing her right hand alternate picking, major scales/arpeggios, the notes on the fretboard (up to the 5th fret to start with), and basic reading. All of that will give her a solid foundation on the instrument, but she should still keep learning songs to keep it fun.

I'm just going off what I've been recommended. Although I have always been lead to believe that higher master and lower gain will give cleaner headroom than higher gain and lower master. Going off that, I've always set the master relatively high first before turning up the gain.

I'm not technical or anything, but I've always used the master to give me maximum volume, while using the gain to set my level. If I set the gain anywhere near full, I invariably end up clipping the preamp before ever touching the master volume.

Maybe because of the way the volume controls work, which @BassBunny mentioned earlier? Or maybe because of the different eq? All I know is I've been using the Retroglide solidly for a few years now, and I never have to crank the volume too much. It's loud.

I mainly use a preamp pedal with my passive basses to give me some extra tone shaping. The Sadowsky preamp/di is my favourite for this- It just makes my Fenders sound better. I don't usually use one with active instruments but I don't like the slap sound on one of my favourite basses, so I'll run a preamp to give me the sound I want. I run my amp flat and only use the graphic eq to notch out certain frequencies depending on the room, so I just use preamp pedals for additional tone shaping if necessary.

I put a Bartolini HR 4.5 AP in my '98 Streamer LX after the stock MEC preamp died. I kept the stock pickups though. Sometimes Bartolinis can sound really smooth but with the MEC pickups it still has that Warwick sound, only with more tonal flexability.

I never understood why people thought that because, as far as I'm aware, the RM800 and Retroglide 800 used the exact same power anp. £160 for a Retroglide is a total bargain.

Whenever I've played the MXR ones they've always started to glitch in the lower register, like most analogue octaves do. I agree that digital ones are solid low down, which is why I suggested them for a cleaner sound. I, personally, don't like the sound of them as much.

Just be aware that most expression pedals require a TRS cable, whereas Line 6 pedals generally use a standard TS connector (At least all the older pedals did, so I'm assuming that the Helix is the same), so you need to get a pedal that is compatible. Some pedals like the DOD expression pedal have a switch that you can swap between the TS and TRS, but otherwise you need to get the right one. I bought a Line 6 Expression pedal for about £30, used. It works great with my M5, but won't work properly with other pedals because of the connection.

I guess it depends what kind of octave sound you are after. If you want that classic sound that's used in songs like 'Earth Song' or Sledgehammer', you'll want something based on a Boss OC2. Depending on your budget, I'd look at pedals like the Valeton OC10, Boss OC5 (or a used OC2), MXR Vintage Bass Octave,or the 3 Leaf Audio Octabvre. The EBS Octabass is really nice, but has a smoother sound (i think). If you want something that will just drop your signal an octave a bit more cleanly, then maybe look at a digital octave like the TC Electronic Sub n Up, or the EHX Pog or even the Digitech Whammy Ricochet. Be aware that a lot of octave pedals will start to glitch at around a low A, so you may end up having to play an octave higher to compensate. Your amp will probably be fine. Any decent quality amp should be able to handle an octave pedal.

I doubt that the basswood in a budget instrument will be the same quality as what is used in a 2 grand one. Apparently, cheaper basswood is heavier and doesn't sound as good as the lighter, and more expensive, cuts. A lot of high end makers offer basswood models. There is nothing wrong with it. Why did Fender start using alder in the first place? Because it was cheaper than ash.