Dan Dare

Could be worse. Might have been James Blunt...

You may be actually tapping the pickups with your fingers. I find this happens when I play hard - I like to play right over the pickup.

Logo is hilarious.

That's a lot of money for an 8 ohm resistor, a switch and a connector or two. If the original 2x10 is 4 ohms, that means it has two 8 ohm drivers wired parallel. Many heads will run into 2 ohms these days (my two will), so you could drive the additional cab, but if not, I'd look at an additional power amp to drive the other cab. Power amps are quite cheap and compact these days now we have class D. Alternatively, if you don't mind something larger/heavier, an old school power amp can be had for peanuts used. Gives you more flexibility.

Exactly. If the cab you like is 4 ohms and you can't run another with your head, power amps are cheap and compact these days, now we have class D. Something like a Baby Sumo will cost you around £250 for 600w into 4 ohms and is about the size of a portable radio, so you can get one to power the additional cab.

So the Bassman 135 ain't over-rated then...

Phil's absolutely right. Try a lot of stuff, find something you like and buy it. You appear to be looking for something to keep longer term, rather than something transitional. So get the thing you like and if you want more power/volume, save up and buy another. Get it right at the start and you won't be one of those serial purchasers, always buying stuff and moving it on/trading it in because you're never really happy with it.

This thread does illustrate the benefit of buying from a specialist. That will usually (if not always) mean a smaller shop and you will almost certainly pay more for the privilege. However, there are benefits to doing so. The larger shops depend on volume for their turnover. They buy in larger quantities at lower cost, enabling them to charge less. However, their tighter margins mean they spend less on set-up and detail and will not be able to offer such a personal service. This applies especially to the predominantly online retailers. If you don't mind taking a chance that you will have to either do set-up and finish yourself or pay someone else to do it, you may save some money by buying from them. If, on the other hand, you value service and want your purchase to be a pleasant experience and to get an instrument that is right first time that you can just play and enjoy, you will be better off supporting that specialist who tries harder. Given that a good instrument is generally not a frequent or cheap purchase, I know which option I prefer.

Given that it isn't likely to realise a lot, whether sold whole or one piece at a time, and also that it's "surprisingly good", why not continue to use it as a spare?

Hence the dreaded Auratone mini-speakers (aptly nicknamed Horrortones) and later NS10s that cropped up in studios everywhere - to get an idea of what a mix sounded like on regular domestic gear. As far as Motown using a relatively high hpf goes, they had a living to make/records to sell. They had to make things sound good on car radios and the like in order to get radio plays and consequently for people to buy the records. Most people did not own high quality sound systems and still don't. The few who do are not going to keep a record company in business, especially as many of those will not be interested in mainstream pop music to begin with.. As a matter of interest, hpf at 70hz is still decently low.

Neck oil, firewater, hooch. The electric soup is stolen from the long-running 'Dear Bill' column in Private Eye.

I think you answered your own question. Post Christmas bills traditionally mean people want/need to offload stuff to boost the Exchequer. A good time to buy if you have the funds.

Trying to re-create studio tones in a live context is a minefield. I agree with comments above that it was probably a vintage P (because that's what most blues players would have used), possibly with flats (you can get an over driven sound with any kind of strings depending on how you treat the recorded track), but the end product will depend on the processing used in the final mix. Could well have been recorded direct to the desk and if so, probably via a specialist pre-amp. Jamerson was recorded that way. Despite claims that his sound was achieved via the classic Ampeg rig, it was actually only used as a bass monitor in the studio so the band could hear him.

Good advice. Those Greenbacks won't have the extension to produce low frequencies loud and you may risk damaging them if you push them.

The tension of the strings dictates (or should) the diameter. I use that set and find them balanced. The only way to find out if they suit you is to try some.

I just don't get this. Mass produced stuff and tat acquiring the status of a holy relic because someone famous has used/abused it. I can understand why the organisers put on such events (bizness, innit?), but why do so many go along to pay money and gawp? Are people that gullible?

Don't forget the full on doom/death metal costume and make up, blood capsules in the mouth to bite at appropriate moments and to strangle a live chicken during the sermon 😉

NABOP (not another bloody overdrive pedal)

Another vote for Watford Valves. Derek is very helpful.

As the Bassman 135 used four 6L6 power tubes, I think it would produce rather more than 65 or so watts. Have you ever used one? It's a pokey amp, trust me.

The final phrase - "the punters seem to like it" - is what it's about. It's all very well being "authentic" and "true to one's principles", but it doesn't pay the bills.

Fabulous playing. Those producers didn't like him because he was prone to be erratic and to over-indulge in the old electric soup. Tragic waste. Brilliance only carries you so far. If people can't rely on you, they look elsewhere.

That Bassman 135 should make plenty of noise with the 4x10. Older wattage ratings were very conservative. I had the same rig as you back in the 1980s. The old 2x15 was a bit of a beast to lug around (my trusty Volvo estate came in handy). One of the speakers went pop and I replaced them with Peavey Black Widows, which made a big improvement to the sound.

This. If you're spending proper money on something (which, unless you are buying a beater bass or a cheap amp for, say, a youngster, is the case with instruments) and the seller is not a legit shop/dealer (they must offer guarantees, etc, which gives you some protection), it's crazy not to deal face to face.