Dan Dare

The problem with playing loud is that, unless the equipment is capable of delivering clean signal at high levels, the distortion can be enormous. Ignore claimed ratings of 900w, etc. An amp processing a simple sine wave may heat an 8 ohm resistor sufficiently for a few milliseconds for the manufacturer to be able to claim that, but a complex real world musical signal is a different matter. It's not the volume alone that is the problem, but all the nasties caused by overdriving the kit. DJs can be the worst offenders. They often have real El Cheapo stuff that they overdrive.

Swings and roundabouts. have one in my 72 Jazz. More powerful and wider range of tonal options are the pros. Loss of that classic warm but crisp JB sound is the con. Makes it more versatile but sounds more generic. Not sure whether I'll keep it or not.

You don't actually specify a budget, as far as I can see. As others advise, you can't generally get decent sound out of small, cheap bass amps (you need to move air and cleanly for low frequencies and that takes a bit of power/quality). If you can stretch to it, the smaller EBS combos are nice and the advantage of buying something better is that you can recoup part of the cost when you upgrade. The amps you suggest will get you virtually nothing back on resale, I'm afraid. I'd steer clear of pawnshops, too. They don't give stuff away. eBay a better bet. Good luck.

Your enquiry is slightly unusual. You refer to not being able to "memorise songs". I would suggest that, until you can do that, there is little point in attempting to learn to play any instrument. Can you sing, even to a limited extent? Do you sing along with the radio, etc? You need top develop your ear and appreciation of music (not intellectual understanding or theory - it's pointless attempting to learn music theoretically without practical application, which it appears you may be trying to do).This is vital and is especially important for playing the bass - because the bass is responsible for laying down the harmonic and rhythmic foundation of any piece, the player must have an appreciation of those things. Until you have developed your ear, you cannot really learn any instrument. I'd suggest taking some basic singing lessons to start you off.

As others advise, quality is variable. I have a '72 Jazz that is lovely - sound and playability - but I've had it 30 years and have done a lot of work on it. You have to treat any instrument on its merits, regardless of age, make, etc. Good hunting.

Good to hear customer service is alive and well.

It's a well known teaching aid. Necks on children's violins, for example, are often marked with coloured dots. If it helps you, it's good. Ignore criticisms and do what's right for you.

I got the impression funds didn't stretch that far.

Another vote for fishing trollies. They have large wheels so deal with bumps, are tough and dismantle, so they fit in the car. I use the Preston Innovations one. Works well.

It's so unfair. She sings well, too.

Ah, the Grateful Dead rig. Nice to see it again.

I'm struggling to understand why one has to do one or the other thing - scales, notes, etc - first. It sounds a bit mechanical/programmed. Surely learning is a cumulative process and you acquire/learn combinations of pieces of knowledge as you progress.

If you like flats, try Thomastik. Expensive, but nice. Use them on my fiddle, too and just converted to them on the bass.

New drive unit? I put a Black Widow 15 in an old Fender cab and it was great until some toe rag pinched it. Ampeg cabs tend to be well built/worth repairing.

KT88 similar to the 6550. Made by many different companies.Both tend to be used in high end hi fi amps. Can be amp dependant as to which is best for a given purpose. Suggest asking someone like Watford Valves for advice. Have found them very helpful.

Companies tend to offer products at a variety of price points. Probably hope if you start with a budget item and like it, you'll upgrade to one of their belter offerings. Some make their own premium products and sub contract budget items (EBS). Instruments the same - G&L for example.

AH PA series has better eq than Zed (2 band mid) and cheaper. Mackie Onyx nice - very good mic preamps and eq. I have one. Yam digital desks good, but not keen on their analogue models.

Having been through the jointly owned PA minefield, I'd strongly advise that each band member buys/owns the constituent parts individually - one owns the mixer, one the tops and so on. That way if someone leaves, they take their item with them and no arguments about buying them out, value etc. At worse, if you split up and sell a complete PA to share out the proceeds, you can lose a lot of money. Been there, done that. Am fortunate in owning my own complete rig these days - decided to buy to avoid another loss. Gets me gigs, too. I'm a crap player, but people hire me for my kit

If you want one and have the lolly, doooooo it. Can't take it with you

Hi All. Just signed up. Been playing 45 years (am very old) on and off. Have had the same instrument for the last 30 of those ('72 Jazz, which I found in a hock shop when they could be had for reasonable money). Just bought a G&L 2000 Trib (Thomann sale). The old beast with flatwounds great for blues, etc but needed something more modern sounding for some jobs. Amazing what you get for your money these days. Still after the ideal rig, of course. Running a BBE pre, bi-amped, with Peavey and RSE power amps and a couple of SVT cabs. Not bad, but would welcome ideas to get me closer to the classic rock sound. Lots of knowledgeable players on here - good site. Looking forward to picking everyone's brains. Cheers. Dan