Dan Dare

Get the band to stand in a line and say "all band members take one step forward. Hey (name of member you want to fire), where do you think you're going?"

I carry two, but only because our singer has a penchant for Eb, so one is tuned down a semitone to give me the low fundamental and make the fingering easier. Obvs, I could tune it up if needed.

Fret sprout is not uncommon on instruments that are built in one climate and shipped to another. Or maybe the wood used for that instrument hadn't been sufficiently dried/seasoned. Usually the result of the wood shrinking as it dries, leaving the fret ends poking out. Not by a lot, but enough to make the neck feel horrible. If a shop hadn't picked up on it and addressed the issue (they usually just need a swift file and smoothing), it suggests that they don't check instruments before putting them out on the racks.

Perhaps not the best response to someone posting who is blind. Ah well, it was a couple of years ago...

Add neglecting to tune your instrument and cranking it in a tiny venue you could take over some of the guitard's duties, too.

I think the discussion might be getting a little ahead of itself. It's difficult for us to make practical suggestions for someone who has hearing loss, especially if they have a limited budget and are looking to buy used. We simply can't put ourselves in a person's position if they are hearing impaired and know what to recommend. You often can't try used gear in a playing environment. I would advise the OP to take the time to try a variety of options at some decent shops. If he finds something that works for him, even if it is out of budget, better to borrow or save to get it, buy once and cry once and at least have something that does the job.

I fear you're correct. Like you, I avoid couples in bands like the plague. Suggest that one might change or improve something and the other is in your face, etc.

She's been working down to it. Tried all the other instruments and couldn't hack it and finally thinks "everyone can play bass, even me". Edit to add: Just realised you were probably wondering about why Linda M never tried , rather than the woman in the OP's band (which is who my comment was aimed at).

Not to mention a rig. She appears to have a bass.

Used bass off the 'Bay? Should be plenty of bargains in January when those who have Christmas credit card bills to pay start looking for ways to raise a few bob.

Not a good strategy. The old man/drummer will support her even if she's terrible to avoid getting earache at home. If she turns out to be decent, they'll be thinking about easing you out to make the gig money go further.

Joe Ely wrote a song about that.

Forgot to add earlier. Look for used, rather than new. eBay and similar are stuffed with used Pacificas, Squiers and the like at bargain prices. People often buy a guitar, for themselves or a youngster, intending to learn. After finding out it ain't as easy as they imagined, the instrument goes in the cupboard, until one day they decide to sell it. Either that, or they (or the youngster) make good progress and decide to upgrade relatively quickly. In both cases, you get to pick up a used instrument in good shape, ungigged (how many beginners gig?) for not much money. If you look after it, you can move it on for not much less than you paid for it when the time comes for you to upgrade. A repairer friend often picks up such guitars for silly money from eBay, gives them a clean, set-up and new strings and sells them on at a profit.

Yammy Pacificas are always a sound choice Can't go far wrong with Squier, either and they sell easily used when you want to upgrade.

If an item was discounted, I wouldn't worry about a few marks. If I liked it, I'd probably try to get a few quid back and keep it.

It's a practice/starter combo. As it's from MB, it's going to be decent, because they have a reputation to protect. Whether it will be enough for you to gig with is something only you can determine. Practice amps don't usually offer a simple upgrade path (for example, by allowing you to run additional cabs), so when/if they are not sufficient to do the job, you have to sell and start again. The market for used practice combos is limited because fewer want them. The new price of the MB is not far short of what you would pay for a more capable used combo. It won't be a bad choice by any means, but it may be a limited one in terms of what you can do with it. I'd advise trying one - plenty of shops carry them. Don't buy on spec' or on the basis of reviews/recommendations.

If you're looking to save weight, modular - several smaller, lighter boxes, rather than one large heavy one - is the way to go.

I love it when people who plainly know nowt about something come up with tripe to boost it - "Whether you're a seasoned musician or a beginner, this Music Man style bass guitar is sure to meet all your needs"... Yeah, right. I wasn't going to buy it, but, having read that, how could I not do so?

I'd say a smidge above. I converted a fretted to fretless and filed the slots to be slightly above the board. If you like a lot of relief in the neck, you may get away with level. A DB may have them level with the board, but remember its action is much higher than an electric. Best to experiment, rather than file them right down from the off.

You don't need to centre subs, but it is best to place them together. Frequencies become less directional the lower they get. Depending on room acoustics, it can be better to place them at one side to take advantage of boundary reinforcement, floor coupling, etc. One good sub will easily outperform two average ones The problem with large, one box cab's is that they can be a bit precarious when put on poles, which you have to do to get the best coverage/dispersion of higher frequencies. If a drunk punter crashes into a stand whilst dancing a bit too enthusiastically, things can go pretty pear shaped. It's better to have compact top boxes on poles and keep the sub(s) on the floor, from both performance and safety standpoints.

Closed back cans are better because ambient noise can't cause problems. You generally get a better bass response from them, too, which is handy. I have an ancient set of Beyer 770s that do the job for me.

Aguilar Tone Hammer?

As you don't play yourself, I'd be wary of buying something expensive on spec'. It's difficult to get it right when buying something for someone's interest that you have little knowledge of. As it's not a main present, I'd keep it simple. Programmable strobe tuners are all very nice, but are a bit expensive/overkill for a young guy with his first instrument and amp. The TC clip on tuner at a quarter the price would be fine and you could add a decent strap and gig bag and still spend less than the the cost of the Peterson suggested above.

Now that's one occasion where a round of applause when they'd finished would have been in order...

A wise move. Incidentally, when you say you've seen a bass for sale that you owned as a teenager, do you mean the same make and model or the very same instrument? That's intriguing because most teenagers don't own massively desirable instruments (unless mum and dad are minted).