Dan Dare

Perhaps "bright" and "vintage" don't really inhabit the same universe.

Different strokes for different folks.

Another 👍 for Armstrong from me. Quick, reasonably priced and good work.

I agree with Bill. Domestic subs, even quite powerful ones, won't cut it in a larger space. Good subs are also expensive (cheap ones sound vague and tend to suffer from one note bass). Given that your PJB stuff will sound clean, you'd need something decent to complement it, which means not cheap. I'd be thinking of hiring if it's only for a one-off series of shows and you're not likely to need it again in the foreseeable.

A BF Super Compact would be my cab choice. I assume you like a more old school sound, which they do very well and plenty loudly.

Loft find? Skip find, more like.

Glad you're on the road to recovery. I know you are aware of this, but don't push things too hard. We don't bounce as swiftly in our 60s as we did in our 20s and take longer to get back to full fitness. As for what I want to do now I'm in my late 60s (68 last week), number one has to be playing good music with people I get on with. I'm fortunate in that money is not an issue for me, so it doesn't matter whether I get paid or not (although I don't do things for nothing unless the event itself isn't for profit - a charity gig, for example). I'm trying to improve my music theory knowledge, which is a never ending quest and concentrating on keeping the fingers supple. Gigging at 65 plus as opposed to 21? I'm less inclined to travel as far and don't want to be lugging equipment up fifteen flights of stairs, or to play in a dump or to people who hate the music. I'd rather go fishing or head for the golf course. I want the people I work with at 65 plus to appreciate subtlety, dynamics and ensemble playing. Team players, if you like. I won't play with volume monsters or ego maniacs, no matter how good they are.

But that's my point. Everyone hopes/believes that what they make or produce will appeal to an audience of some sort. Failing to pay attention to whether something will be likely to recoup the time and money spent on producing it can be a shortcut to bankruptcy (as many find out, sadly). It may be nice, romantic even, to imagine that companies "design and make things for a super niche audience, or without one in mind at all, because they love it", but it is rarely the case, unless they are sufficiently well off to be able to not care (a point I made earlier). The notion of "cool", which flatters us by inviting us to believe that something is made specially for us and a few other like-minded souls, is just another marketing tool.

The tone of your posts was somewhat dismissive. That's what I was responding to. We're talking about pop music, after all. It's a fashion product, whether we care to admit it or not.

Hardly "nasty". I was responding in a similar tone. "99.9% of the audience don’t know what’s good for them"? Really? Wouldn't you say that's more than a touch arrogant? Who has the right to tell anyone what is "good for them", save perhaps a lawyer or medical practitioner?

So the answer to my first question is that you don't? "Creative" is an over-used word these days. In my experience, people who use it a lot tend not to be all that "creative". I have indeed read your posts. You sound quite impressed with yourself.

Perhaps you don't need to worry about making a living. Do you adopt the same stance with what earns your daily bread and tell your employer that they are getting what you choose to give them whether they like it or not?

Many replies on this thread are slightly tongue in cheek. Don't take it too heavy. If I find through experience that a company produces good stuff (or stuff I like, which is why I use PJB cabs), I will, within sensible limits, tend to favour its wares. That's why I drive a Toyota. Having invested the time and effort in finding something I like, I'm not going to start at square one every time I want to buy something. Life's too short.

A Polish builder, perhaps?

I'm a bit of a PJB cab fanboi. The small drivers mean you need a few of them to make any serious amount of noise, but since I switched to them, nothing else sounds quite right to me. The clarity, focus and lack of zing and clang (can't stand tweeters for bass) set them apart. Not so keen on PJB amps, however. Powerful and clean, but too hi-fi sounding for me when used with their cabs.

This. Then you can use a regular amp. No point in spending good money on a whole rig you'll rarely use.

You could use both the new head and EBS, using the EBS as a power amp to drive the additional cab.

Spot on. I don't suppose Joe Pass ever weed on his audience.

I always tell an audience "Remember, the more you drink, the better the music sounds and the better looking your partner becomes".

Given that lap steel is played with thumb and fingers (and players almost always wear thumb and finger picks), I'd say many bassists are not "perfect to play steel guitar, especially the finger picking style ones". Sure, they can learn, but they will probably have to make more effort than someone who plays fingerstyle slide guitar, dobro or pedal steel, because they will already have much of the technique needed. I appreciate you wanted to show off your lap steel (and very nice it is, too), but you make little sense.

If "something new" meant exploring new tunings, different techniques, etc, I'd be all for it. However, hacking/butchering things and then attempting to profit from it does not really equate to innovation.

G&L Kiloton Tribute. Bought on a whim and the only and therefore best and worst purchase of 2021.

You're a braver man than me. My backline's worth more than my bass.

I had an AH250 that I used with a Fender 2x15 cab, with the original drivers replaced with Peavey Black Widows. I also ported the cab properly. Sounded fab and very loud. Shame it was such a beast. I needed a Volvo estate to carry it around.

Do you have a fretless? It might sound a bit meh on a fretted. I wondered about the following, too. My father fought in WW2 and he died 15 years ago at the age of 86.