Dan Dare

Odd. I've always had friendly, helpful service there. Mark drove me to the station on one occasion with my purchase (which wasn't large) when I didn't take the car.

Had the OP shouted/sworn at an actual person, that might be fair comment, but all he did was type the word "f***ing" in a text to a chatbot. That can hardly be interpreted as being "aggressive or abusive" to a human being, unless you are possessed of a particularly delicate nature or an extraordinarily thin skin. Or perhaps if you know you did something wrong and wish to recover the initiative/justify yourself, of course... So you "think a ban is entirely appropriate" and suggest he should offer the company a "carefully worded and sincere apology"? I sincerely hope he doesn't and finds another rehearsal facility.

Never mind their head office. Whoever the OP spoke with was obviously following their policy, so they won't be bothered. Inform the local authority and the fire service and don't do so anonymously. Give dates, times, etc. I'm sure they would be very interested to learn the company asked a customer to disable a fire alarm. If they've already banned you, you have nothing to lose. Forget the hand-wringing over a bit of swearing. That's obviously their way of trying to justify themselves.

The red ones do look good. I was tempted by one recently, but mine are all black and the gear tart in me wouldn't have allowed it.

As a PJB user, I agree with Bill and others who suggest that a decent 1x10 is probably your best option. There are plenty of quality 10" drivers that work well for bass. If you go the PJB route, even their 2x5 combo will cost you £400 and up, unless you find a used one at a bargain price. Those 5" drivers are great for their size, but if you're planning to jam with friends and do the odd open mic' night, I think 2x5 might struggle, especially against drums, unless the other instruments are all acoustic. I use at least two PJB 4x5 cabs (I have five, so take out as many as I need) for all but the quietest gigs. They are also quite inefficient, so take a bit of driving. I'd add a Barefaced 1x10 and something like a TE Elf to your list of things to consider. That would be light/portable and give a good account of itself. Someone I know uses an Elf with two BF 1x10s and it's surprisingly pokey.

Up to a point, maybe, but if you pair high quality, revealing cabs with a cheap amp, the result is unlikely to be good. The cabs will likely highlight the limitations of the amp - garbage in, garbage out and all that. Don't choose/buy on the basis of reviews or recommendations. Try stuff and see what works for you. If buying used, look at plenty. Take your time, rather than trying to get it sorted in a single day. That way, your new rig won't end up in the classifieds after a few weeks. Google should help find you some shops to visit.

Are you running it into too low an impedance?

Tricky to verify a Fender from photos, as they can be completely dismantled and re-assembled by unscrewing 40 or so screws and bolts. Parts can easily be weathered/antiqued to look original - firms such as Limelight offer new "vintage" Fenders, as does the Fender custom shop. I'd tread warily if you can't get to see it in the flesh (should that be wood?). If you are not experienced, the only way to be certain is to have an expert look it over. Even then, there are no guarantees.

Material is less important than how well a nut is cut and fitted. My '72 J bass is still on its original and none the worse. Perhaps if I used rounds and constantly cranked the tension up and down, it would wear, but I don't and it doesn't.

Not always possible to do without drums, depending on the type of music you're playing. Why does anyone put up with a bad drummer? Because there aren't enough good ones to go round. Those that are good are a) in demand and b) expensive and/or booked up months in advance. Ask me how I know.

Has to be keyboards. They have enormous harmonic range and can play up to ten notes simultaneously (more if the keys player uses a foot...). Fine if you're playing a solo piece. You can have a bass part, chordal accompaniment and melody all at once. In a band context, it can be a nightmare. We've been having this discussion with our keys player recently. He's good, but not very experienced. A a result, he tends to fill too much space, clashing with the other instruments. We're educating him slowly.

Bass amps and "sexy" do not inhabit the same universe...

Why isn't there a "None" option in the questions?

Didn't J Squiggle once play in The Searchers?

I know it means I'm sad, but that grates on me, too. On the topic of decals, it doesn't bother me. The decal on my bitsa reads "Dinky Toys". Perhaps some collector of diecast metal model cars might moan, but who cares?

Horses for courses. Fretted and fretless both have strengths, so use whichever best suits the job. I play in a soul band at the moment, so fretted works best for me in that context.

Ditto.

Definitely this. Paying someone for an hour of their time (If you have a pal who knows their stuff, buy them a nice bottle) will be enormously helpful and you'll learn the basics in that hour. It's so much easier when someone shows you, rather than tells you, how it works. It's not hard, but the initial learning curve, especially the effect of eq and how to use it effectively, can be a little steep. Good luck.

You could always get a quality full range bass cab - LFSYS Monaco, BF Big Baby, etc - and a compact power amp from someone like GSS. That would be compact, light, powerful, seriously bass capable and would work perfectly with a bass preamp.

A punch-up or a blazing row on stage often helps keep things exciting 😁

It's for a retailer to decide what level of service they are willing/prepared to offer and for you, as a potential customer, to decide whether you wish to buy from them. Everyone has a different take on what is "reasonable". That's the long and short of it, really.

Better get it muddy and dirty quick.