Dan Dare

You're going to be spending decent money, so it's well worth spending time auditioning and comparing. The last time I bought a new amp, I took a day off work and headed for Bass Direct (other shops are available). If you go during the daytime in the week, they will not be busy and you can try things to your heart's content. Fwiw, I like clean with the ability to dial in a touch of character and ended up with an AG700. I'd agree with alexa3020 that a TH will probably be a little too coloured for your tastes, but no harm in trying one. Ditto Markbass, although they have a party piece. Up close, you can feel they are a bit too honky/coloured, but out in the room, they sound fat and clear. Some amps that sound clean close up can fall a bit flat at distance. Any/all of the good brands are worth a try. They all have something to offer. I use PJB cabs, so find the slight warmth of my AG complements them well. PJB heads are too hi-fi for my tastes, but that's just me.

It's a pleasure. You probably do this already, but I find it best to set channel eqs with the FOH and monitors turned down. You may have to ignore "Can't hear myself" protests from the singer. Ask them to sing as loudly as they would when the band is playing, too. Once you have it dialled in the cans, you can use the master eq to adjust for the room.

Yes. Engage the PFL (pre-fade listen) on the channel whilst setting eq on cans and you should hear just the channel eq. You may have to set the signal sent to the cans to hear the individual channel, rather than the sound from the master eq. It's best to use closed-back cans for the job, so you hear as little of the room sound as possible.

An issue with do-it-all combos for guitar and bass (or keys) is the speaker and the way it's mounted. For bass, the ideal driver has a rigid, heavier cone to push air cleanly with no breakup. The cabinet will be closed backed and often ported to boost or at least preserve the low end. If you want to play clean jazz guitar, that works fine. It can work for acoustic guitar, too, although you will benefit from a tweeter for some sparkle. If you want a more characterful electric guitar sound, the ideal speaker will have a lighter, more flexible cone that can break up in a pleasing manner and the cab' will often be open-backed, which reduces low frequency output (you don't want too many lows with electric guitar to avoid muddying the sound). At low volumes, it will be OK for bass, but a bit weak lower down. For bass, I'd look to run the master volume at max/near max and keep the input gain as low as possible to avoid distortion from over-driving the preamp (unless you want it, of course). It's very difficult to get the best of both worlds. The Roland you mention will probably be as good as anything. You pays yer money and takes yer choice.

A great way to lose customers, eh? I don't do online shopping, so don't know whether it's possible, but can you specify no substitutions when you order?

It always amuses me when I buy something expensive and am instantly bombarded with ad's for more of the same. I appreciate that it's AI at work, but you'd think the wallies who programme it would build in something that recognises that few if any of us buys something costing a ton of money every week.

There's a chap whose work features on here occasionally who could do that for you...

So do I, but it cost a lot more than £200.

Whilst flats don't suffer tonally once they've lost the new zing (which I'm always glad to see the back of), I find the intonation deteriorates after a few years, especially on the low E. When I remove them, I find minute dents in the windings caused by the frets. I suppose once they've bedded in, they don't move or stretch, so the same part of each string contacts the frets every time you play. That probably doesn't do their ability to vibrate cleanly any favours.

Worst bass amp I've owned? One of these. A mighty 12w, with an open backed cab'. Sounded quite nice at low volume for guitar, but hopeless for bass. I sold it for peanuts. Now people are asking silly money for them.

Oh Gawd. Why is it that an instrument is thought to be worth stupid money because it has dead skin, dried sweat and bogies from somebody famous on it?

Agreed. I used one before I got my current rig, which has onboard DSP that takes care of things. It worked well. They go for peanuts used. I got about £20 for mine on eBay, from memory.

My God. What a beast. Eight KT88s. I don't want it. I really don't want it. I positively don't want it. No, really. I don't.

You can pick up a simple active crossover for less than £100 which will allow you to split the signal from the mixer. You may not need one. Some mixers have a dedicated sub output (mine does), so you can feed that to the sub and dial out the low frequencies you send to your top boxes using the master eq on the mixer.

I just searched for "turbosound milan sub" and it came top of the list.

The Alto won't cut it, imho. A single 12 with a 2" voice coil won't deal with drums and bass at any kind of volume and I'd be very sceptical of the claimed 900w rating. The Vonyx looks to be a cheap DJ's boom box. At around £200, it's bound to be a waste of money. I wouldn't assume that either will apply a HPF to the signal to your tops at those prices. Sorry to sound negative, but a decent sub can't be had that cheaply - certainly not brand new, anyway. Unless they employ sophisticated cabinets (which they won't at bargain basement prices), they aren't going to be light, either. I'd look for something used from a reputable make. There's a used Turbosound Milan 15 on the 'Bay at the moment (not mine or being sold by anyone I know) for £350. Something like that would be more up to the job.

True dat. When I built my bitsa P, I intended to string it with knackered La Bellas and go for the Jamerson sound, Decided on the standard Seymour Duncan P pickup at about £40. For nearly three times the price, I could have bought the SD Antquity. The spec's were identical for both. The Antquity just came with worn looking plastic covers. Sounds just as I wanted it to.

Someone who doesn't give a rat's. In the UK, jams and open mic's are pretty much the same thing.

Exactly. It wouldn't happen nowadays because of the smoking ban, but there are other issues. I always tell people no drinks on top of the amp. Some give me a funny look, but if that drink goes over, the fan will suck the spillage into the amp and bang. New amp time.

No, I don't really care. For me, jam nights are a fun evening and everyone gets the same chance - CV or not - to do their stuff. An important element of jam nights is that they are a chance for those who haven't done much playing publicly to do so. Some are good/experienced, some less so. We all have to start somewhere. As someone who has "played festivals, been on albums", etc, I appreciate that. At a jam I attend, the BL will sometimes ask me to play with less experienced players to help them along/keep order and I'm happy to do so. Others did the same for me when I was young and green 50 odd years ago. It's nice when someone good turns up, but it's a bonus. Lending instruments is a thorny area. If you don't know someone, you don't know whether or not they will treat your stuff with care and respect. The fact that they may be a "name" guarantees nothing. I wouldn't have lent a certain Jaco anything of mine, for example. He was known for not giving a flying one when he was off his face.

So here's a similar scenario. If you want to play at a jam night, by all means put your name on the list (asking friends to do so on your behalf is a bit naff). Saying you're "happy to get up" implies you feel you're doing everyone a favour. Few care that you've "played loads of festivals, played with people who you may have heard of and been on a couple of albums". Many of us have done similarly and don't make a deal out of it. It might be different if you are a known singer/frontman, but a bass player? Let's be real. If someone wishes to take their expensive bass to a jam night, that's their business. Many jam nights have a few loan instruments (as I pointed out previously, I take one when I play in the house band at jam nights). If you don't have an instrument, feel free to ask to borrow one, but you can't demand or expect it.

I bought a used Encore P bass for £30ish. I put decent strings on it and sorted the action, so it plays nicely. It's actually perfectly useable. I've occasionally taken it to gigs in iffy venues where I don't want to risk something better. Amen to that. Plenty of people don't wash their hands after a trip to the khazi. Just wipe away and sod what they think.

I wouldn't worry as long as it has a volume control. It will be obvious if you are over-driving the cab. It will make horrible noises before it expires.

The entitlement of some people is quite staggering, isn't it?

Exactly. Even if your bass isn't expensive, it's yours and you have the right to decide who, if anyone, plays it. I used to take a cheap eBay special to jams as a loan instrument. Several people turned up their noses at it and demanded to play my vintage Jazz or my Spector. Sorry, sunshine. Not happening.