Dan Dare

Ashdown are good like that. They don't inflate power outputs. In my experience, their stuff always gives a good account of itself.

£600 should get you something very capable, especially if you buy used. Personally, I don't like modelling amps, but that's just me. Better to have something that makes a few sounds you like, rather than dozens of "almost, but not quite" options, imho. Do you want something just for bass, or for guitar as well? If the former, a number of the usual suspects will be worth looking at. You don't appear to want/need high volume and it seems you want something compact. Fender Rumbles are a safe choice. Not my favourite (I don't dislike them by any means), but will do a decent job and frequently come up used. Well priced, too. EBS Session combos are nice, too. The 60 or 120 should be very suitable and they are well within budget new. I really like the Markbass CMD 12. New, it's a little over your budget, but a good used one will be well under it. It has a slightly warmer/old school sound than many and should suit the music you play very well. If you can find one within your price range, a used AER or Phil Jones combo will be excellent. Both tend not to be bought by hooligans, so used ones are usually in very good shape, albeit rather rare (people tend to hang onto them). Hope this is of some help.

What's your budget? Really, a visit or two to a decent shop to try things is the best way to go. You'll likely get dozens of opinions on here. We're all different. If you want clean, I'd avoid Orange. Good amps, but tend to be better if you like a bit of grunt/dirt/character in the sound. The gear you mention is really little more than for practice or possibly very small gigs. I doubt if any of it could keep up with a drummer giving it any degree of large. For clean at live volumes, you need power and enough in the way of speakers to move air without breaking a sweat. Low power + volume = distortion. Great for guitar players but not for bass, unless the music you're playing calls for it.

Carol Kaye?

Who was his gran? Paul Simonon?

Above our pay grade, I'm afraid. Try to remember that music is not a visual artform. If it sounds right, it is right. If that doesn't help, seek professional psychiatric assistance. It will likely improve other areas of your life, too.

It sounds like a P bass, played superbly, recorded in an expensive studio and produced by someone who knew what they were doing. As for re-creating that sound live, how much do you want to spend?

Oh dear

I was going to say no augmented fourths in it, so it can't be but some may argue the infamous intro lick has one (although it's split and not a single interval). Why the need to categorise? If you insist, I'd say it's classic rock, but does it matter?

Anyone know what plectrums he used 😁?

Don't feed the troll, boys and girls. Btw, in answer to the original question, I had a similar problem some years back. It turned out that I was damping a little too aggressively with the right hand and causing the strings to tap on the pickup magnets. A few weeks of working on being a little less heavy handed cured the problem.

A pleasure. As Woodwind says, several smaller cabs is easier to carry than a single larger one. It's worth looking at used gear to save some money. PJB stuff tends not to be bought by hooligans, so can often be picked up in very good condition. I had a flightcase (which was what led me to PJB stuff originally). I bought it mint from a jazzer, who had barely tickled it with his double bass. I loved the sound of it and used it for a time with an additional power amp and cabs for more volume. I sold it to help fund my current head (AG700).

I have a couple of C4s and three of the older 4Bs (which uses the same drivers in a larger cabinet and sounds a little more old school than the C4). The C8 is effectively two C4s in one box. I like the PJB sound very much (as you can probably gather). However, there are a few things you need to be aware of if you have not used them. I would certainly suggest a test drive before buying. They are not very efficient and take a bit of driving. You will need amplification with some power. The sound is very clean. It certainly isn't sterile and I wouldn't call it "hi-fi" as some do. I like the clarity, but it lacks that bloom (for want of a better term) that many traditional bass cabs seem to produce. Switching to PJB cabs can leave you feeling there is something missing until you become accustomed to the sound. For me, that missing something is colouration and mud, but if you play in a loud rock band, you may find the sound a bit too polite. Related to that is that those 5" drivers, although they can shift a lot of air for their size, need to be used in multiples in any situation requiring volume. I use two cabs (which will be equivalent to the C8 you are looking at) with a 700w head for pubs/bars at average volumes and more for larger occasions. Two C4s and a decent tweeterless 12 (I use a Berg') makes a clean, compact powerful rig with good low end poke, plenty of clarity and none of that spiky quality most tweeters seem to produce. Hope this is of some help.

Perhaps they mean rare as in under-cooked...

Every clip I see from Standing in the Shadows of Motown reminds me why it's my favourite film. Just magic.

Doesn't hurt to repeat it. Music is one of those things that can be a job or a hobby. People do it in the manner of their choosing. Nothing wrong with that.

This. My two bands play in a couple of locals for beers because they're nice places and the landlords are gents who give us paying gigs. It's not far to travel and means a fun evening on quiet nights early in the week.

My local recycling centre has a bin for metals, so they go in there.

Frank Zappa - "All the good music has already been written by people with wigs and stuff"

He was known to be fond of God's own county. Apparently, his party trick was to play with a ferret down his trousers. You can see evidence of it on the live clip of him playing What's Going On with Marvin Gaye. Note the way he keeps shifting from side to side in his seat as the little fella burrows about in his trollies.

Anyone know what brand of foam he put under his strings?

I agree with davebass above. By the time you've messed around sourcing plugs, soldering them up (and ruining a few), etc, it's probably best to buy ready made links.

I'm of the opinion that power cords are what supplies electricity to your gear

You could use additional cabs with a combo that won't drive them if you add a power amp, but that adds cost and is more to carry. This would probably clash with your wish for something "small, light and powerful". Separate head and cabs is more flexible. You can take as much/little as you need for a particular job. If you're spending proper money, which you appear to be, please try to visit somewhere with a decent range of options and try/compare things before making a decision. We will tend to recommend what we have/like and what suits us might not work for you. eBay, the Marketplace on here, etc are full of nearly new equipment that has probably been bought on the basis of favourable reviews. It's worth taking some time to make an informed decision. "Small light and powerful" doesn't usually go with "moderately priced". I've no doubt you know that. If the thing you really want is a bit more than your budget, try to scrape together the extra somehow. You'll be much happier in the long term (I speak from experience) and probably better off. It's almost inevitable that, if you settle for something you don't really want, you'll probably end up buying again.

Joe's back is fine. Not sure about his neck, though.