MacDaddy

Wunjo Bass, Denmark Street. Not an online retailer, but I have done business with them online, and would heartily recommend.

and proof that just a couple of inches does make a difference

Old Peavey combo's - bass and guitar - tend to be built like tanks, and seem to last forever (once you've given the potts a once over with contact spray ) but they don't seem to hold their value. At all.

my Shukers are medium scale 32' and feel right. My Rob Allen Mouse, and Snapdragon folding bass are short scale. And feel right. The 'normal' 34' (and above) feel cumbersome for me. Yes I'm a shortarse

Depends Learning at home for ones pleasure, then getting all the right notes in the right order. But if learning to play live, then very much depends on the line up of the band.

I only got rid of mine because the neck was too chunky for my wee hands. It looked great and sounded great. Definitely punchy. Sat well in the mix in a band with guitar and keys. Yours is in a lot better condition than mine was. Mine had significant 'mojo' 😆

Happened to me when I (literally) bumped into Dave Ellefson at a LBGS. I regressed back into the teenage metal fan with Megadeth posters on the bedroom wall. I blabbered and called him 'Sir' 🙄 He took it in his stride and posed for a selfie. Top bloke 😎

The free version of VideoPad https://download.cnet.com/VideoPad-Free-Video-Editor-and-Movie-Maker/3000-13631_4-75742510.html

now gassing for a Peavey MiniMEGA 1000.

I am Today years old! Back in the day I got my grade 6 on classical guitar, never once was it mentioned in any lesson or theory that the guitar - as you both correctly state - is actually a transposition instrument. 🤯

The bass is a transposing instrument, and is written an octave higher than it sounds. Point being it is not just an octave lower than the guitar as the above graphic shows.

'Best' for me is a combination of factors, including weight. The PJB M-500 was hands down the best sounding solid state amp I've owned (as long as it wasn't going through PJB speakers), but my TechAmp Puma 500 does the job and is a lot lighter and quieter. My favourite however, is the 100w amp in my Peavey Vypyr VIP3, which contains Electric guitar, Bass guitar, and Acoustic guitar amp models, and is actually loud enough to do a large pub sized gig on bass.

Mission accomplished! 😁

playable 18 string basses do exist. https://guitars101.wordpress.com/2008/07/13/18-string-bass-guitar/

Doh! my bad Trippe, not Tripe. https://www.loudersound.com/features/matthew-trippe-nikki-sixx-the-imitation-game

Any bass for sale, advertised as previously owned by a well known bassist. If it's no longer good enough for them, why should it be good enough for me?

Little and Large, or it may have been Cannon and Ball. Summer season in Blackpool many years ago at the end of one of the piers. Billed along the lines of 'An Evening with...' they only came on at the end and did a bit.

The Damned. IIRC, but I probably don't, it was a gig in Birmingham. Something was thrown from the crowd, causing them to walk off after a couple of songs.

In a similar vein, Nikki Sixx. Replaced by Matthew Tripe for an album and a tour, then reinstated when he 'got well'. Allegedly.

Paul Gray. Back in The Damned after playing with them in the 80's.

Billy Sheehan. Briefly fired from Mr Big in 2001, but quickly reinstated.

Hugh McDonald. Played on Jon Bon Jovi's demos in 1982, played bass in Bon Jovi from 1994, became an official member in 2016.

Which preset would be a starting point?

It should be pointed out that good customer service isn't just getting things for free.

And this: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dx7vNdAb5e4