Happy Jack

If weight is the issue (and it's one I'm very familiar with) then I'd suggest looking at a lightweight head and separate cab. I've had a lot of success with https://www.bax-shop.co.uk/bass-guitar-amp-head/trace-elliot-elf-200w-ultra-compact-bass-guitar-amplifier-head?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=surfaces&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=17868851192&utm_term=&adgroup=&creative=&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAx_GqBhBQEiwAlDNAZnseZptbD2kbaGt5Y5aG5bBzMQWIkJONTUI8sQNscwbM3Jc4h26PghoCUygQAvD_BwE paired with https://www.andertons.co.uk/trace-elliot-1-x-10-enclosure?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=surfaces&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAx_GqBhBQEiwAlDNAZgyyys3qFiB0E0ySD6u-gqH_AFgUTTKZAvqzQx1_HJUgOQEcvnflWhoCQEIQAvD_BwE Ludicrously lightweight, way more volume than you'll need for any venue that doesn't have PA support, and surprisingly versatile. I run a Rickenbacker 4003s5 through it with my covers band, and a double bass through it with my rock'n'roll band ... sounds great either way.

What does it weigh?

I was born at the tail-end of 1956, on a Saturday. The factory was closed for the weekend and for the New Year holiday, so not one Fender bass manufactured in 1956 was actually made while I was alive. Hmmmmmmmmm. I pondered and I puzzled why all this should be, I've got a sneaking suspicion someone's putting something over on me. So instead I went for the first bass manfactured with me actually, y'know, alive. Fender were still building basses in batches in 1957, and the first batch was in March. That's the batch that produced Bill Black's Precision. And mine.

It took me well over 10 years ... TEN F***ING YEARS ... to get this simple fact through to the drummer in my covers band.

Some interesting replies there, a few of them a million miles away from where I'm at, but it's all good. 😂 In both my two main bands over the last 15 years song choices have been largely democratic but every member (they're both 3-piece, one used to be 4-piece) has a veto ... we may beach about that veto being employed, but it's never over-ruled. Both bands have a pretty clearly-defined musical 'territory' that they cover, so that immediately averts most of the pointless arguments. In fact one guitarist actually got sacked by the covers band (specialising in the 60s & 70s) precisely because he turned up at a rehearsal in 2011 or 2012 suddenly insisting that we absolutely had to cover Paparazzi. 🙄 The R'n'R band is different in that the vocalist / front man takes lead on every song. If Damo doesn't want to sing something then it ain't gonna happen. In the covers band all three of us are capable of taking lead vocals, and that has led to the first response to any suggested new material being: "So, are you going to sing it?"

I was in one for about three weeks, over 10 years ago. IIRC it was set up by @paul h of this parish but I'm not even sure this is now the same Paul H. 🙄

That's impressive. I thought my 'musical memory' was pretty darned good, but there's plenty on that list that I don't recall at all. Agreed on Max Romeo, but also (for me) Joe Dolan, Lou Christie, Karen Young, Donald Peers. Who? So I recognise 45 out of 50 for the act performing them, but even then I struggle with some of the songs ... there's seven of those 45 that I couldn't hum if my life depended on it. 😂

I struggled with this because there were so many asongs that I have no recollection of at all. Then I realised it was the US charts. 🙄 For most Basschatters, this may be more relevant: 01 Archies Sugar Sugar 02 Beatles With Billy Preston Get Back 03 The Rolling Stones Honky Tonk Women 04 Peter Sarstedt Where Do You Go To (My Lovely) 05 Jane Birkin & Serge Gainsbourg Je T'Aime... Moi Non Plus 06 Marvin Gaye I Heard It Through The Grapevine 07 Creedence Clearwater Revival Bad Moon Rising 08 Fleetwood Mac Albatross 09 Frank Sinatra My Way 10 Bobbie Gentry I'll Never Fall In Love Again 11 Dean Martin Gentle On My Mind 12 Zager & Evans In The Year 2525 13 Elvis Presley In The Ghetto 14 Marmalade Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da 15 The Beatles The Ballad Of John And Yoko 16 Tommy Roe Dizzy 17 Robin Gibb Saved By The Bell 18 Thunderclap Newman Something In The Air 19 Mary Hopkin Goodbye 20 Fleetwood Mac Oh Well 21 Desmond Dekker & The Aces The Israelites 22 Kenny Rogers & The First Edition Ruby Don't Take Your Love To Town 23 Donald Peers Please Don't Go 24 The Bee Gees Don't Forget To Remember 25 Plastic Ono Band Give Peace A Chance 26 Fleetwood Mac Man Of The World 27 Amen Corner (If Paradise Is) Half As Nice 28 Lou Christie I'm Gonna Make You Mine 29 Karen Young Nobody's Child 30 The Scaffold Lily The Pink 31 Joe Dolan Make Me An Island 32 The Move Blackberry Way 33 Rolf Harris Two Little Boys 34 The Tremeloes (Call Me) Number One 35 Stevie Wonder My Cherie Amour 36 The Edwin Hawkins Singers Oh Happy Day 37 Booker T & The MGs Time Is Tight 38 Stevie Wonder For Once In My Life 39 Johnny Cash A Boy Named Sue 40 Herman's Hermits My Sentimental Friend 41 The Hollies He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother 42 Oliver Good Morning Starshine 43 Marvin GayeT oo Busy Thinking 'Bout My Baby 44 Lulu Boom Bang-A-Bang 45 Clodagh Rodgers Come Back And Shake Me 46 Stevie Wonder Yester-Me Yester-You Yesterday 47 The Who Pinball Wizard 48 Engelbert Humperdinck The Way It Used To Be 49 Cilla Black Surround Yourself With Sorrow 50 Max Romeo Wet Dream

His guitar player for several years in the late 60s/early 70s was the pre-Police Andy Summers.

They could no longer see the point ...

No older brother, I guess? Mine was nearly three years older than me, so I grew up listening (on a Dansette) to the Beatles and the Stones and the Monkees.

Dammit! It wasn't DARTmoor, it was EXmoor, that's why you didn't see me. I've just remembered walking down into the Doone Valley, which would have been a mite challenging from Dartmoor. Hey, cut me some slack ... it was over 50 years ago.

We were WAY more impressed by the sheep skulls ... not something we ever saw on Guernsey, and of course we were doing Lord Of The Flies as a set book at school. 🙄

'Twas 1969.

Chickenshack were (arguably) the second best blues band in the UK. On piano they had Christine Perfect, who later married John McVie and we all know how that turned out ...

I actually spent that weekend at Scout Camp on Dartmoor ...

I was doing fine until I got to "bowing and be able to read music". Ah well ... onwards and upwards.

https://www.notreble.com/buzz/2013/01/03/bass-of-the-week-david-gage-czech-ease-double-bass/

Here you go ... 100% cotton but NOT colourfast, truly Godawful design, dodgy-looking website but they take PayPal. All you need now is a Lynyrd Skynyrd tribute act. http://country-cowboy.com/en/cowboys/192-chemise-h-rebel.html

In all fairness, guys, neither of you stipulated QUALITY! 😂

https://www.temu.com/uk/kuiper/n9.html?subj=googleshopping-landingpage&_bg_fs=1&_p_rfs=1&_x_ads_channel=google&_x_ads_sub_channel=shopping&_x_login_type=Google&_x_vst_scene=adg&mkt_rec=1&goods_id=601099520873873&sku_id=17592234895062&_x_ns_sku_id=17592234895062&_x_gmc_account=710731536&_x_ads_account=6950480996&_x_ads_set=20180124146&_x_ads_id=150500440538&_x_ads_creative_id=659502228871&_x_ns_source=g&_x_ns_gclid=CjwKCAiAxreqBhAxEiwAfGfndNqD0cfRH7tWx9wwSrfR5yagFTEh_DyekMxFt66-ie6UUa65WDcT_xoCF6EQAvD_BwE&_x_ns_placement=&_x_ns_match_type=&_x_ns_ad_position=&_x_ns_product_id=710731536-17592234895062&_x_ns_target=&_x_ns_devicemodel=&_x_ns_wbraid=CjgKCAiAo7KqBhAvEigAG2VnuP5HTCHwPMYczawAhKFO-HPrQsh6INzu0-m-8phf6ZXsviIpGgIZ3w&_x_ns_gbraid=0AAAAAo4mICGJ0fwBYt8SZCkqS-MOpGxNT&_x_ns_targetid=pla-2111073600194&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAxreqBhAxEiwAfGfndNqD0cfRH7tWx9wwSrfR5yagFTEh_DyekMxFt66-ie6UUa65WDcT_xoCF6EQAvD_BwE&adg_ctx=f-7bdd958e That took nearly five seconds. 🙄

I take lead vocals on about a quarter of the songs for my covers band ... does that give me 'lead singer syndrome'? I rather think not. 😂

Google Maps gives me 97 minutes by the fastest route. Please let me know if you re-locate to, say, NW London. 😉