Dan Dare

Can't go far wrong with RCF for the money. I worry about putting big boxes on poles, so would look at 10 tops with a sub, but that's just my preference.

Indeed. A floating tower block. Interestingly, they can be relatively inexpensive if you make a last minute booking. I have to confess to looking into it when I moved house recently. My flat in London sold 3-4 weeks before I could take possession of my new place in Hampshire. I puit my stuff in store and looked at Air B&B and similar. The cost worked out at a couple of grand. For that, I could have had a month on the Queen Mary 2, with all food, accommodation, etc included. I decided against eventually. It would have been hell on earth for a curmudgeon like me, but I did consider it. In the end, I managed to rent an out of season holiday caravan for around a third of the cost.

I'd go further. Even if it's not sh1te, the fact that attempts are being made to dragoon me into it brings out the Victor Meldrew in me (who, tbf, is never far from the surface).

I had a similar experience on the Harwich to Esbjerg ferry. Fortunately, there was another bar (populated, funnily enough, mainly by ageing squares like me) where we could escape the "fun".

As a general rule, look for an amp that requires you to cut, rather than boost the eq to get the sound you want. If you have to make major changes to get the sound to your liking, it probably isn't for you. Another point worth considering is that it's best to audition amps and cabs together. System synergy and all that. Some combinations (not always from the same manufacturer) work better than others. If you're buying just an amp or just a cab, take your amp/cab with you and try them together.

True. However (and I'm not trying to be controversial), if no bass cab on earth is capable of reproducing that flat frequency response, it's a waste of time - and likely money - trying to achieve it. I know you'll be aware of this with your experience, but flat between which frequencies? All amps are measured between set frequencies - specs will normally state "between X hz and Y khz". All amps incorporate some form of high pass filtering to remove sub bass, which soaks up power needlessly and can damage drive units. In the case of class D, there is low pass filtering to remove the unwanted high frequencies that class D generates. I appreciate there's an element of taking it on trust that designers have done their homework and ensured that spurious frequencies/nasties have been taken care of. It's also the case that designers will resort to mid scoops and similar to give their offerings showroom appeal and impress the prospective buyer with how "clean" they sound. A someone who loves a P bass with flats, I'm no fan of that Fortunately, it's usually pretty easy to hear it. It's best to audition gear with ones ears, rather than a 'scope. Plenty of people waste time and money chasing the flat frequency response illusion. I know it's their money, but there are better things they could spend it on.

Always a possibility. Best to hang onto that Squier as a spare, eh?

I guess he answer is that he can't.

That's the point some of us are trying to make. A truly flat frequency response is not achievable by any bass rig. What people perceive as flat - eq switched out of circuit or everything set at mid point/12 o' clock - is nothing of the kind. It's the baked in sound. The question above - why would you love Handbox flat more than Ashdown or Ampeg flat? - is spot on. There should be no difference between them if they were truly flat. Anything short of a substantial PA will be 3db down (or more) at 50hz or so (which isn't even the fundamental frequency of the low E, let alone the B on a 5 string). Many bass rigs are running out of ideas at close to 100hz at any volume and that's not necessarily a bad thing. I've experimented with adding a sub to my bass rig. Not a cheap, one note sub, either (Fohhn XS30). Impressive at low volumes and on its own, but it quickly became mud city in a live situation. By the time I had it set to sound right, the sub was barely contributing anything. What response do I want from an amp? One that gives me the sound I like at realistic volumes. I don't care what it looks like on an oscilloscope. I should imagine most players would want the same.

Ah, Black Widows. I put two in an old Bassman 2x15 cab many years ago when the crappy OEM drivers went south. Fabulous sounding cab until some toe rag pinched it.

I certainly agree with that. You need those mids for the classic P or J bass sounds.

But that's just my point. You are judging books by their covers. Many of us oldies don't wear "smart casual slacks" or aspire to "deep squareness" or "golf club membership". Many of us would rather poke out our own eyes with sharp sticks. Your mohawk, combats and 110% Psychobilly t shirt is just as much a uniform/sign of conformity as those smart casual slacks. It's the costume you have to wear in order to feel comfortable in the world. You are still conforming to the norms of your chosen tribe. Sounds as if you are putting a lot of effort into showing the world that you are not "square". I'm also a fan of the great outdoors, mostly water-based - surfing, kayaking, fishing, etc. I'm not particularly sociable and like to do things on my own or with a good friend or two at most. Cruise ships wouldn't be for me, either as a workplace or leisure activity. However, I'm secure enough not to jeer at those who do like them.

I agree with Bill. "Flat" does sound sterile, at least in a live context, when you almost always need to emphasize or tame certain frequencies to compensate for room acoustics, etc. However, truly "flat" is a bit of a myth. There's no such thing as "a piece of straight wire with gain", to quote Peter Walker of Quad. Any component in the chain introduces some form of colouration/sonic signature. Switching eq out of circuit or setting eq to 12 o' clock does not remove the componentry that produces gain, which will also have been chosen by the designer to give their preferred nominally "flat" result. The instruments we play are not even "flat". They convert physical vibrations into electricity via sensing those vibrations within a magnetic field and turning them into a minute electrical signal courtesy of a coil round the magnets. The power of the magnets, number of turns in the coil, pots, onboard eq circuitry, etc all affect/colour the signal before it even reaches the amp. There's little point in even attempting to get a "flat" response. It's interesting to close your eyes and set your eq solely by how it sounds. You can be surprised when you see where the knobs end up.

Old folk weren't always old and many can still teach young 'uns a thing or two. They'd probably regard your mohawk, combats and 110% Psychobilly t shirt with amusement. My pal who played for Joe Loss told me of a chap he became friends with on the QE2. The fellow had been a commando and was still in good shape. They docked in New York and the old chap and his wife went ashore to see the sights. Somebody attempted to mug/hold them up and the old guy put the mugger in hospital with his bare hands. The police declined to pursue the matter as it had been self defence. Very satisfying to hear.

That makes a lot of sense. it's accepted that Squier and Epi' are decent instruments and perfectly capable of being used professionally. So if Fender, Gibson, PRS (via their SE models, which are excellent for the money) and others put their value for money offerings in the hands of pro' players, it may well encourage those buying their first instrument (or those whose pockets are not deep) to consider them. If it gets more people playing, I'm all for it. If someone has a good experience with a Squier, they may well think "I'll get a full-fat Fender" when they have more to spend or wish to upgrade. So it's in the companies' interests to ensure that their budget offerings are as good as they can make them. Again, the consumer wins, so that's good too.

I agree with those who say that "budget" should mean up to around £300 these days. All but the most budget of modern instruments are very good indeed. CNC machinery, etc ensures that tolerances and build quality are all on the money. The phrase "hand made", unless describing an expensive instrument, may well mean fit and finish is less good than it would be on a factory built instrument that has been made primarily by robots and machines (which don't have off days, fall sick or take holidays). Economies of scale and modern manufacturing methods mean we get a lot of functionality and quality for our money nowadays. You tend to get better components when you spend more, but even that isn't a given. I have a £500 Cort that has Hipshot bridge and tuners and Bartolini p/us. Not top of the range Hipshot or Bart stuff, but perfectly decent. The fit and finish of it is way better than that of my 1972 J bass.

Any of those mentioned above. If your budget is around £300, you can't be too ambitious.

If it's new in a shop, it won't be a "killer deal", whatever they claim. They have to make a living and don't give stuff away. I'd go for used, but It's your money, so up to you.

There's a 4 ohm BF 2x10 in the Marketplace at the moment (not mine or belonging to anyone I know).

In that case, may well need some work. I'd try re-wiring/new pots and socket first and see how that goes before dropping money on new pickups. J bass wiring is very straightforward if you fancy doing it yourself. Plenty of diagrams online.

Is it any good for metal?

Isn't the classic J bass set up two volumes and one tone? i wouldn't (assuming you have a Fender) imagine Wilkinson p/us would be an upgrade. They're decent, but no better than the Fender originals.

Efficient, too, which you'll need with "only" 350w. 2 drivers in one box usually makes a bit more noise than 2 single driver cabs.

As msb points out, your reading and busking skills need to be on point. Bands on cruise ships must be versatile and be able to play virtually whatever is asked of them at the drop of a hat. Two pals of mine (one now sadly passed) used to play for Joe Loss when his was the resident band on the QE2 (so this was a while back, but I shouldn't imagine much has changed). The band book was enormous and encompassed all styles (despite the tea dance image one might associate with the name Joe Loss). They told me it was quite lucrative, but also quite boring for much of the time. You are rarely if ever pushing the musical boundaries - most people who go on cruises are not fans of anything "out there" - and you will often be playing the same stuff night after night. The hours can be long. Obviously, one needs to be presentable and have social skills (interacting with passengers and crew is part of the deal, on and off stage), be disciplined and punctual and so on (it helps not to have a weakness for the electric soup - temptation is all around). Essentially, it's a musical day job but, unlike most day jobs, you don't get to go home and kick back/go out on the tiles when you finish work. Most cruise ships have excellent PA, etc, so any portable, high quality rig will be fine. You don't need a stadium rig. Carry spares of everything - you can't replace stuff, get it repaired, go to the shop or order online in the middle of the Atlantic and stopovers in ports are usually brief. Are you looking to get work as an individual or as part of a band? I'd approach some cruise operators and enquire how they book their entertainment. Most will use an agent.

It's always struck me as odd that, whilst most people view it as normal for instrumentalists to work at their craft, practice scales, acquire theoretical knowledge and so on, many seem to think that singing well is all down to "talent". Proper singers know different, of course and will learn vocal techniques and exercises and practice just as any musician does. They know that having a decent sounding voice (which is something one is born with) is only a starting point. Shame there aren't more who think that way.