Dan Dare

A decent DI box will usually get you out of jail (unless the PA is really cr*p).

Worth trying what Bill suggests. You are unlikely to get a lot of low end from an open backed combo, but for quiet living room playing, it could well suffice. As far as I know, the Classic, unlike some combos, does not allow you to disconnect the onboard speaker so you can use only an extension cab (for which there is a jack socket). You would have to rig something up.

Give it a few years.

I do hope so. All the talk of resonance, etc is meaningless when pickups are not microphones and do not function as such. To test this, turn your bass and amp right up and shout as loudly as you can at the pickups. Unless they are or have gone microphonic - due to poor construction, age, etc - you will hear nothing from the speakers. How can they "hear" the acoustic/unamplified sound of the instrument? Electronics and construction are what make the difference.

I prefer single coils in a J bass. They just have "that" sound. You can do quite a lot to get rid of hum and buzz with good shielding.

Absolutely. No substitute for playing live, whether at a gig or just rehearsing/playing together and being able to see the whites of each others eyes. My bands have been having online get-togethers. |It's better than nowt, but a pale imitation of the real thing.

I agree with those who say construction is what counts. "Tonewoods" don't benefit a solid electric instrument. They may look pretty, but can even be detrimental (as BigRedX points out). Pickups are not microphones. They sense movement of a string in a magnetic field and generate a tiny electrical signal. They don't "hear" the vibration acoustically by sensing vibrations in the air. As long as an instrument is properly constructed, the material it's made from doesn't matter (within reason, obviously - it should have sufficient rigidity). The key thing is that the pickups and strings are mounted solidly and cannot move in relation to one another and that there is no movement between the parts of the instrument (between body and neck, for example). There are plenty of expensive plywood basses. It's just that manufacturers refer to them as being of "laminated construction". If it works, it's good. If it's cheap and it works, it's even better.

Ah yes. Billy ProTools. Shouldn't the artist be called Painter n' Decorator? There's splashes of blue paint all over his face

The guitar player in a band I used to be in was a notorious volume monster. We used to turn his amp down whilst he wasn't looking or was away with the fairies taking a solo. The trick was to do it enough to prevent him from deafening you, but not enough that he would notice.

Because more knobs and switches = better 😊

The Gotoh 203 is my favourite BBOT (BBOB, to be accurate as it's brass). The bass plate is flat, although it curves up at the back end more than the typical BBOT, probably because the metal is a little thicker. 7 hole fixing, too, so a little more secure. Watch out for the supplied screws, though. Make sure you drill the correct size screw holes and don't use too much force whilst tightening. You can torque the heads off them (guess how I know).

It appears that body has been made from 3 planks glued together (common practice, especially for budget instruments). The cracks look to be gaps opening between the individual planks. Probably caused by the planks shrinking at different rates, glue drying out and so on. From the look of the woods, they are pretty different in terms of grain, density, etc. Strong glue, clamping etc should fix, but be aware there's a chance they could open up again.

I've got a Baby Burco I can lend to anyone who fancies doing so...

I had a Frontman guitar combo that I bought for virtually nowt for messing around with at home. Did the job. Frontmans were practice/starter amps. Replaced by the Champion range I think. If you can get it cheaply, should be OK. Don't pay much for it, though.

Pretty hip, though

Guess so.

Nope

I have BT wireless, too. Try using the ethernet connection for a wired connection (which is what I'm doing) . You may find it even better.

Perhaps I shouldn't allow my eyes to influence my opinion of a piece of music, but I find the video of a snarling thug looking like an enraged MMA fighter a turn off. It says much about the artist that he chooses to portray himself in that way. That ain't what music is about for me. "Passion" doesn't automatically equal good. Have a look at film of speeches given by a chap in Germany in the 1930s and 40s. They're full of "passion".

Good point. It isn't lamination that's critical. It's how it's done, materials used, etc. If, for example, glues or resins that move/soften with variations in temperature or humidity are employed, a laminate can be less stable than a single piece of timber. Lamination can be a way of enabling less expensive timbers to be used, too. Of course, manufacturers will try to sell it to us as a benefit...

I wondered that. I thought perhaps Mr Gormley is doing a John Shuttleworth

Word on the street at the time suggests it was muffled and crap.

Perhaps there's room for a chemical loo in case you're caught short.

The problem with wearing coverings on your fingers is you will lose sensitivity to touch and feel. Much of bass playing with your fingers relies on being able to feel how the strings respond and adjust what you do accordingly. Playing with nails will likely result in a thin, spiky sound. If you need to keep your nails long for the guitar, might be best to play bass with a pick. It will also save wearing out your nails (which will happen pretty fast if you play on roundwounds at reasonable tension). Sacrilege, I know, but there it is.

I have to say, whilst BH does little apart from blow over repeated 8 and 16 bar phrases, he is astonishingly accomplished. He's also very well read musically, particularly regarding 20th century classical composers. His playing is crammed with quotes and references. It's just a shame he does so little with his formidable abilities.