Dan Dare

I'm in a similar position, having played mandolin and guitar for 30 years. I prefer to use my fingers on the bass if I can, but I find there are some approaches that really demand a pick. It's more to do with the attack and shape of notes than the tone. You can approximate it to an extent, but really, using a pick is the only option in the end.

I have a Carvin B1000, which has a preamp valve. I like it Has 6 band eq, so is tonally very versatile. They're not common, but worth trying one if you can. I swapped the ECC83 valve for a slightly lower gain version, which gives a more finessed transition when moving between clean and valvey sounds.

I would just suggest that you don't buy anything sight unseen or unheard on the basis of recommendation alone. All the kit suggested above is good. Whether it will suit you is another matter. You wouldn't buy a car without driving it. It may be inconvenient/tedious to traipse around trying things out, but it's the only way to guarantee you won't be disappointed.

Neutrik make a fat-bodied jack plug which will accept heavier speaker cables.

Perhaps, but it doesn't hurt. As I have a fairly powerful PA, I just use offcuts of 2.5mm cable to make my bass rig cables. 4mm is overkill, I agree.

No, but have a look at this (only a few mins) - How to wire Neutrik SpeakON cables - YouTube - which shows what to do

Speakon cables are simple to make. Just make sure you buy genuine Neutrik Speakons (cheap copies don't always fit well and can jam) and decent cable - Van Damme or similar. Get at least 2.5mm for all but low power applications. No soldering required. Just cut the cable strip to the correct length (the Speakon packet has a diagram to guide you) and screw them in. Takes 5 mins tops. You only need two pole 99% of the time.

"... to ensure there will never be two of the same". I do hope he's right.

Another toy for the weekend warrior with more money than sense.

What I wanted to be/do changed every week when I was a kid. That hasn't altered yet and I'm in my dotage...

I'm not surprised he's done this. He's a nice bloke. A band I used to be in played support for him once. He was very down to earth and chatted with us, even complemented us after our set.

I use my fx send to drive an additional power amp and cab when I need to make more noise, but that's it.

Bill's right. Power output figures claimed by amp manufacturers tend to be over-stated. An amp may produce its stated maximum power output over a few milliseconds at, for example, 1khz into a resistor, but it will be very unlikely to be able to sustain that. You will hear distortion if you are pushing a speaker too hard. Most speakers can handle short term bursts/peaks above their rated power, anyway.

Now all I have to do is buy some ties.

I've always been under the impression that most active basses have passive pickups with on-board powered pre-amps/eq. Is that not the case?

Someone will buy it. Probably some architect, lawyer or similar with more money than sense who can't play a note and who wants to impress his pals or who thinks it will be an "investment".

Tricky Audio are good - www.trickyaudio.com. These people look promising, too - PCH Audio - www.pchaudio.co.uk,

They would be perfect, as my cabs (4B and C4) have the older non neo drivers and it would be good to have spares. I'll pm you.

If they want to include Derek Smalls, you're right.

Have they got any more?

That will be a nice cab. I have five PJB 4x5 cabs and love them. How did you "chance upon" 8 or 10 PJB drive units? You will need to increase the cab size over the 6x5 if you intend to add two up-firing drivers.

You are unhappy that your political viewpoint is not represented by the Beeb and then complain about "F&$%@#g politics" ruining everything it touches. A fine irony. I haven't heard any "whining right-on left wing comedy" on the Beeb recently (I say "heard" because I haven't had a telly for 20+ years and only listen to the radio). It's all insufferably cosy, smug and politically middle of the road.

Best to ignore what people say and try stuff for yourself. We're all almost bound to recommend what we have/like and criticise what we don't have/like. The differences between good quality kit are quite small and certainly less than many make them out to be. I'd look for a used 4x10 (or two 2x10s) and an Ashdown (or similar) head if you want to play rock in pubs. For the money you have available, I wouldn't try to go lightweight for the setting you'll be using it in.

The neck is wooden, so the washer need not be metal before enough force can be applied to cause the wood to bend. It may be helpful for it to have some give so you don't do damage if you tighten the nut too enthusiastically.

In the minds of those who play it, yes. They exist on a higher plane of consciousness than the rest of us, you know.