Dan Dare

Agreed. And what's wrong with wanting to earn a few bob doing so?

This. It's hardly a Strad'

Age does matter. I wouldn't apply to join a band of 20 or even 30 somethings, because they wouldn't want me and I wouldn't wish to put them in the embarrassing situation of having to say "Sorry, grandad". Given that I play as much for fun these days as anything else, I want to be able to relate to/get on with the people I play with. That means we need things in common and that means in most cases that we need to be of a broadly similar vintage. Music may be ageless, but musicians ain't.

Great singer. I love it when ones expectations are confounded. The woman in this vid' of a covers band looks as if she works in the local hairdressers, but boy can she sing -

So true. I always kept a day job, even when I was supposedly 'professional'. I might have left for a few months if I got offered work abroad, for example, but I always went back to a day job again. It meant I didn't have to live on baked beans. These days, with a couple of pensions, I play for fun/beer money, so I'm definitely an amateur.

Assuming we are trying to get it close to the original, I like to nail it, or at least ensure all the key/important phrases, etc are there. There is always a little room for leeway, of course, but not for taking liberties (this applies to the whole band, of course). If we are doing something differently - changing the mood, style, tempo, etc - then it's a bit more open ended, but the harmonic structure must still be right.

K&M are good

Should work fine. Depending on the BF cab, I'd compare the Sumo with the baby Sumo, if you think you might need more power.

Try https://www.mannsmusic.co.uk/search.php?q=phil%20jones#1-22154. If you want a pair, they also appear to have a red C8.

If you're playing small venues, I'd avoid 18" subs. You won't need the relatively small amount of bass extension they might give, they will be cumbersome, power hungry and will likely muddy everything up, especially in smaller rooms. If you are using a sub, 10s in the tops and 15s, or even 12s for bass will be more than adequate in small-medium sized venues. Quality is what counts with subs, not driver size. I have a 12" sub (this one - https://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/fohhn-xs22) that out-performs many 18s I've heard. Two of them has proved more than up to any job I've been faced with. You might like to look at some of the powered sub plus mini line array PAs. Portable, very clean sounding, simple to use and fill a room remarkably well. Not generally cheap (avoid those that are). However, if you plan to buy once and cry once, worth considering.

"European Crotch Walnut"? Nasty. Will probably require surgery...

The great thing about Ashdown is that you can get them fixed. The company is very good on back-up.

What's your budget?

Band members who are married/partners. If they fall out, it's a problem. If they are on good terms, one will always support the other, regardless of rights and wrongs, so you can't disagree with either of them about anything.

I agree with you. I wasn't suggesting that "Crafted in" had any meaning or significance, rather that the marketing brigade would like us to think it does.

No thumb rest

eBay

I think it's probably down to marketingspeak. "Made in" could be taken to mean built by robots/machines in a factory, whereas "Crafted in" is an attempt to suggest skilled, dedicated luthiers painstakingly doing it all by hand in a workshop somewhere picturesque . Unless I'm spending mega amounts on a custom instrument (which I wouldn't - I'm a cheapskate), I'll take built by robots any day. You know the tolerances, etc will be spot on. Machines don't tend to have off days...

This. If you want instant cash with none of the bother of advertising/demonstrating/dealing with tyre kickers, you can't expect anywhere near market value (if there is any such thing).

As a PJB fanboi and user, I have to suggest Phil Jones gear. A lot of jazzers like/use it and it does sweet very well.

I have a Carvin B1000 with a valve pre and yes, the valve does fatten/warm up the sound. But so does the SS pre on my AG700. I think it's probably more down to the design of the preamp than the components.

Stephane Grappelli used to tell a story about how he and the Hot Club band used to play clubs in Paris during the occupation. The places would be full of Wehrmacht officers, so the lads would change the names of the numbers - Sweet Georgia Brown became Georgella Brunne and so on.

I agree with Roger. No point in upgrading for the sake of it. Wilkinsons are decent pickups, especially for what they cost. I'd play on them for a while and see how they shape up. You can easily end up chasing your tail upgrading things. The differences between pickups are slight in my experience. A J or a P pickup is a J or a P pickup pretty much (leaving out obvious cheapies). Beware the sales spiel about their being wound with the hair of virgins, etc.