Dan Dare

I assume that by "transposing", you mean you are reading a part in one key and playing it in another. That's a skill you can learn, as you can any other. There's some helpful guidance in the posts above. If you are playing something you know in a different key, being confused about transposing suggests that you do not know the song/piece, but that you have learned a sequence of moves from a particular start point, that point being the first note/chord. As a result, rather than thinking in terms of intervals and the movement/shape of the melody, you are thinking "This song begins in C, moves to F after two bars, then to G, etc, etc. If you know a piece, the key becomes irrelevant. To use a simple example, if I ask you to sing a song that you know and give you the starting note or key, you will be able to do it easily (or you should, at any rate). The principle is the same when playing the bass. If the first change is up a fourth, it will be to F if the piece is in C, A if it is in E and so on. Woodinblack (see above) is right. You must think in patterns, rather than fixed notes. It is helpful that the bass is tuned in fourths - moving to the same fret on the next string up takes you up a fourth, down three frets takes you down a minor third, etc, etc, wherever you start from (and therefore whichever key you find yourself in).

Good idea.

Even that would be a waste. That P bass p/u is in the wrong place (the cut out under the scratchplate was probably done with a cold chisel). He admits the heck is warped. The tuners are sh1te. Even the bits would probably not be worth £20.

The three legged chair is pretty cool, too...

Sounds likely you may have been over-doing the low end. Did you happen to notice what the speaker cones were doing? Were they moving excessively (that means noticeably - you shouldn't be able to see the cones flying in and out)? Were you using large amounts of low end (under 100hz) boost? Does the cab you disconnected have a more extended low frequency range than the other (the one you kept using may have simply not been capable of reproducing the very low frequencies it was being fed)? I'd experiment with your eq, using the cab you disconnected on its own, see what happens and adjust the eq accordingly.

If you are straining/cramping, it's a sign you are doing something wrong - most often bad posture, using too much force and similar issues. Do you use a very high action/very heavy strings? Are you playing through an inadequate rig that causes you to have to play very hard in order to be heard or produce the tone you like? There are many things that could be causing it. Using supplements/drugs can merely mask the real issue. I would take a few lessons - not necessarily to learn any playing moves/techniques, but to make your playing more efficient and less fatiguing. Perhaps you might even think about some Alexander technique. I've found it extremely helpful.

Try to remember that you are just one of many, many things that are being filmed/in shot. You are not the centre of attention (you are the bass player, after all...). Carry on with what you do and ignore it.

Sensible advice.

For conventional boxes, you shouldn't go far wrong with JBL, RCF, Mackie, HK, etc in the budget to mid-price bracket. Stick with established names. Guarantees, after-sales/repairs, etc are likely to be better, they will stand up to use and you will get a better price if you do sell them on. To be honest, there are no real stand-out makes at most price points. It's a competitive market and all the companies are fighting to give you better bang for your buck. You really need to audition some, rather than buying on recommendation alone.

Yes, it's getting worse. Along with everybloodything else. The world's going to hell in a handcart, etc, etc. What's that, nurse? Time for my medicine...

Surely it has to be when it's not been previously owned/played (excluding "owning" by the shop/store that buys it from the maker/manufacturer). I know demo instruments in shops are a bit of a grey area. I'd class them as used unless they're only been hung on the wall.

Just drink 18 pints before you play. You'll be fine 🤮

If he's going for 3, he might as well go the whole hog and choose 4.

A full-fat flightcase (not SKB or similar plastic thingy) has to be a sensible precaution.

Made by Gotoh, I believe (most Japanese manufacturers use their tuners). Given that the Ibanez bass in question was hardly high-end, the seller has to be particularly deluded.

Does the bear defecate in the woods...

Yes. No, they don't lack any bite (unless they are years old and knackered).

Flats for me, too. On a Jazz Bass, they are the dog's.

This. Combines 1 and 5 and doesn't offend anyone.

If it's a Thunder 1A, they are quite desirable, so selling it and getting something that is more what you want from the off would be a better option than modifying. As far as I'm aware, the original pickups were Di Marzios (if they're the cream coloured ones), so they are pretty decent. Modifying is an expensive route. By the time you you've bought pickups, active electronics, paid to have the frets pulled, etc, you will probably have spent about it would cost you to buy something more to your liking. And you never get back the money you spend on modifications - sometimes, they can even lower the price you can sell for.

Exactly. Taking Lessons and learning technique will take us so far, but we still need the physical attributes that people like Robeson (a great man) had/have. You are either born with those or you aren't.

I initially learned the violin/fiddle. In my teens, all my pals were starting bands and I wanted in. Playing the fiddle definitely wasn't cool/what was wanted. As they all wanted to be guitar heroes, I decided to take up the bass, reasoning that I would get more offers. It worked. I even played it for a living for a while.

No. You just have to play the notes that are below your low E up an octave. It works fine. You don't have to play the whole part up an octave. People are all different - their voices do not all function best in the same key(s). Phil Starr sums it up very well above. I repeat - if the singer is struggling, a song will not sound good, no matter how well the rest of the band plays it. As musicians, we are there to support the singer and the song, not to indulge ourselves or show how clever we are. And if you do pro work, you had better be ready to play a piece in the key required, not the one you think it should be in. I'll give an example. A band I used to play in did 'Grapevine'. Our singer, who was (and still is) very good, could not manage it in the original key. It was just too high for him, so we dropped it to one that was comfortable for him. He was in his fifties. Marvin Gaye was the best part of 30 years younger than that when he recorded the song and we lose our upper register as we age. The guitar player kicked up a terrible fuss about it. The real issue was that he didn't want to learn it in a different key. He would rather the song had sounded poor than make an effort. A bit pathetic, really.

Bad form, imho. The band should always accommodate the singer. If someone's voice works best in a certain key, that's the key the band should play it in. The two most important members of any band are the singer and the drummer. If they're delivering, everything else will be right (assuming competence on the part of the rest of the band, of course). I know we might not like to acknowledge it, but it's the troof.

Jeez. Bouzoukis are very lightly constructed (one reason they have that lovely, airy tone). That thing could be dangerous. It is likely to fold up without warning.