Dan Dare

Didn't J Squiggle once play in The Searchers?

I know it means I'm sad, but that grates on me, too. On the topic of decals, it doesn't bother me. The decal on my bitsa reads "Dinky Toys". Perhaps some collector of diecast metal model cars might moan, but who cares?

Horses for courses. Fretted and fretless both have strengths, so use whichever best suits the job. I play in a soul band at the moment, so fretted works best for me in that context.

Ditto.

Definitely this. Paying someone for an hour of their time (If you have a pal who knows their stuff, buy them a nice bottle) will be enormously helpful and you'll learn the basics in that hour. It's so much easier when someone shows you, rather than tells you, how it works. It's not hard, but the initial learning curve, especially the effect of eq and how to use it effectively, can be a little steep. Good luck.

You could always get a quality full range bass cab - LFSYS Monaco, BF Big Baby, etc - and a compact power amp from someone like GSS. That would be compact, light, powerful, seriously bass capable and would work perfectly with a bass preamp.

A punch-up or a blazing row on stage often helps keep things exciting 😁

It's for a retailer to decide what level of service they are willing/prepared to offer and for you, as a potential customer, to decide whether you wish to buy from them. Everyone has a different take on what is "reasonable". That's the long and short of it, really.

Better get it muddy and dirty quick.

Don't worry. Speakers will happily tolerate short bursts of as much as twice their rated power. Add to that the fact that an amplifier rarely if ever delivers its full rated power and you'll be fine. It will be obvious from the sound if you are pushing it too hard. Just back off the volume in the unlikely event that happens.

Please don't discuss or agree to any reduction. Add expenses plus a grief fee on top when you take her to SCC. Chancers like her bank on bands being afraid to pursue them so give her a good kicking (in court, obvs). Good luck.

Laudable (I also worked in public service), but the obvious points are: 1) Not everyone is as decent as your mum. Would she try it on as this buyer appears to be doing? I suspect not. Handsome is as handsome does. 2) There is no shame in denying a chancer the opportunity to put one over you. chris667 has it right above, imho There's no virtue in setting yourself on fire to warm others.

Does the seat come out easily? It was only 4 bolts on the MG.

Any quality cab should handle a 5. The key question is how loud do you need to be. Excursion is important at very low frequencies and you need some grunt in your amp (which your Quliter has). LFSYS and BF are safe recommendations, but even my PJBs will do the job at moderate volumes. A single one of anyone's smaller cabs will not blow the windows out with a low B. The laws of physics, Jim. If what you have currently does the job - you say you need to downsize slightly - can it be carried in the passenger seat of your MX5? I used to be able to transport a 1x15 bass cab in the passenger seat of my old MGB.

If someone examines and plays an instrument at leisure, pronounces themselves satisfied and buys it, surely that's the end of it. I'd be deeply suspicious if someone, having pronounced themself satisfied with and bought an instrument, claimed out of the blue that it was "not playable". Sounds like a chancer to me. The OP appears to feel a little intimidated by the purchaser. Offering remedial work in the circumstances is more than generous, imho. From the description of what he does - refurbing used instruments, adding Chinese hardware, etc - it seems he is not selling at high prices.

It's been three years since I left the Smoke. I guess the Gallery has changed since. They used to have a good selection. Whilst BF are undoubtedly excellent cabs, they do tend to be an automatic recommendation, when in reality, they're far from being the only option. Stevie on here offers the LFSys designs, which I like a lot. I also play in a soul band and use PJB cabs (with an AG700 rather than a TH head). They work very well for me, with a nice blend of warmth and clarity. The downside is that they're a bit inefficient and you need several to make a lot of noise.

The Gallery has quite a good stock. When I lived in London, I used to take a day off work and head for Bass Direct (straight up the M40, so not a bad journey) on the rare occasions when I wanted to make a major purchase. Go in the week when it's quiet and you can try stuff to your heart's content. Add a nice pub lunch and it's a pleasant, albeit pricey, day out.

I'm pretty sure that SKB model is 3U (I have two and they are). Not made any longer AFAIW.

Any decent cab will do the job. TH is light and compact, so take it to a few shops and try stuff with it.

If you Google "angled amp stand", you'll get plenty of options. Check the weight rating if your rig is sizeable. Not an issue with a combo, but if using a separate head, you'll need something to stop it sliding off the cab.

Good buy and schlepping it will help keep you fit 🙂

This is very true. The sound that pleases in the showroom, studio and your home is often less than ideal at gigs. I occasionally hire myself and my PA out. At one gig, the bassist had a BF Big Twin and insisted on flooding the place with low frequency mush. I tried in vain to persuade him that the object of the exercise was not to demonstrate how fabulously extended the frequency range of his rig was, but to no avail.

I reckon many silly prices are due to people being ordered by 'er indoors to get rid because the place is crammed with instruments So they put it up at a stupid price and tell her "I'm trying to sell it, dear, but nobody's biting".