Dan Dare

So far, I haven't got any worse...

Yes. The FR800, a Big Baby with onboard power amp.

Make your own. If you're using Speakons (which you should be - Bigguy2017 is correct above), you don't even need to be able to solder. If you can strip insulation with a sharp blade and use a screwdriver, you're good to go and you'll save yourself some cash.

I feel the same when I go to the breakers yard to get bits for my car. A lot of perfectly decent old vehicles that have probably been scrapped for something quite trivial because parts aren't available or are stupidly expensive. It's just the way the world is.

Wouldn't be too surprising if they added their own pre' to the front of an ICEPower module. Virtually everyone else does.

Malcolm Hine in North London (Edmonton) is excellent.

Meths is crude alcohol. Is there a local rough alcohol/moonshine in your part of the world?

Yep. 5 screws, same hole spacing. I'd re-use the screws from your existing bridge. You can torque the head off the Gotoh supplied ones if you're a but too enthusiastic. Guess how I know...

And there I was thinking they were just comfortable shoes.

JMB and Bandmix are primarily for amateur and maybe semi-pro outfits and musicians. Nowt wrong with that, but you will find little if any "session work" via either. You can find things (I have) through them, but it is very unlikely to be on your first try. You just have to keep looking and following up on anything that sounds promising. Be prepared to kiss a lot of frogs before you meet a handsome prince.

If you fancy something more hi-mass, the Gotoh 201 is the one to get. Works well and again very reasonably priced.

Difficult to look past Gotoh imho for a P or J bass. They do a very nice BBOT style bridge - Gotoh 203 - in a decent gauge of chromed brass that is less than £30 if you don't want something chunky.

It's really best to try some gear before taking the plunge. Even if it means taking a day off work (if, for example, you are not near any shops that stock a good range of bass gear), it will be worth it to ensure you get the right thing. I did that last time I bought new gear. I lived in London, but went to Bass Direct (other shops exist...) on a weekday when they weren't busy and spent several hours trying and comparing things. As BD are located pretty much in the centre of the country, they are reachable from most places. I was able to take my time and make a good decision.

If you'll be working with a drummer, you might need to move a bit more air than a 2x8 will. 2x10 gives you 50% more cone area (I know that's not all there is to it) than 2x8 and larger drivers are often more efficient, which means more output for a given amount of power in.

Did you adjust and (lightly) lubricate them or just bolt them on? Are they an overly tight fit in the ferrules? That can cause tuners to be stiff. In my experience, Wilkinson are decent value budget parts, but as always, you get what you pay for. As a matter of interest, I bought some Gotohs for my MIM P bass. They needed a bit of tweaking before they were good. Nowt wrong with that. They're fine now.

Agreed. Probably because people selling look at prices being charged in shops and price their stuff accordingly (forgetting the fact that a shop will ship, offer a guarantee, etc). If you are selling something rare, vintage or sought after, you may well get a high price for it. Otherwise, the market will decide. For buyers, the old adage of Caveat Emptor applies as always.

I love the top comment on the video - "Nothing like coming home after a hard day at work and playing a few of your favourite tunes to unwind".

True. From a buyer's point of view, shipping is a big plus if an instrument is any distance away. A day of my time, plus travel, is not cheap to me and I'm happy to pay a bit more to be saved the trouble/cost. Shops also have to offer some sort of guarantee, which private sellers do not. In the end, you pays your money and takes yer choice. Concepts of "fairness" are irrelevant. The market decides whether something is worth the asking price and nobody is compelled to buy.

This is the beauty of the P bass (imho, obviously). It works in the so-called "real world". Often, the sound one likes when standing next to the rig just doesn't work out in the room. It can be a bit of an eye/ear opener to use a long lead or wireless and go for a walk whilst the band is playing and hear how the bass sounds out front and whether it works in the mix. That tone you've spent hours (not to mention the money) achieving can be a bit underwhelming in context. I often find the bass needs to be a bit middly, even honky for my taste when I'm stood next to the rig in order to sound right in the room. Which is just what a P does so well.

As a long time (40+ years) J bass player, I came to P basses late and found it a bit of a shock when I first got one. The character of it is so different to a J - mid focussed, much less top, seemingly boomy, etc. Took me a while to stop trying to make it sound like my J bass. One I accepted that it was a completely different animal, everything began to change and now I love it. Some good advice from others above. Try asking someone else to play it whilst you stand back. That seeming lack of note definition and boom is completely different out in the room and in the mix, where it sounds solid and punchy. Stick with it and you'll come to appreciate it for its own qualities, rather than comparing it to your J.

Many powered FRFR cabs are designed for PA use. Often, they will not have eq (or if they do, it's unlikely to be suitable for a bass), so you will need a bass preamp, which will ideally need to provide line level output (which rules out some pedal-type pre's) as PA cabs are typically intended to be driven by a mixer. As for what's out there, the answer is virtually anything your heart desires, but quality PA powered cabs that are suitable for bass won't be cheap. Trying before you buy is essential. Chinese plastic box cabs will rarely do a good job. Even a quality PA cab may not have the character you need to amplify bass well. I have quality PA cabs (Fohhn) and have tried them with my bass. The sound is super clean and rather sterile, a bit like a giant hi-fi (if you've ever run your bass through studio monitors, you'll know what I mean). Great for PA, less good for bass or instruments that rely on amplification to give the sound colour and character .

He's a bit useful, isn't he? His arrangements are very well thought out. He implies a lot of the parts even if he doesn't play them (no disrespect to him - you physically can't cover it all with only 6 strings).

I prefer the AA. They fix your car and help you stop drinking as well.

Told you so: