Moos3h

Hmmm, there's two factors here: 1). Value / Resale. Basses with that kind of damage, even repaired, will always lose some of their value as it will be a negative point regardless. Is the price it is being offered for good, considering the damage? 2). I'm no luthier, but whilst I am sure the crack is probably stable, it doesn't LOOK all that nicely repaired - from a non-woodworker's perspective. This counts for quite a lot, so unless the deal is screaming 'bargain', it wouldn't be for me. My personal call on it is that it simply would bug me, so I'd pass. Others may feel differently! Cheers, James

Given the price that old skool cabs are going for these days, you could consider selling the Trace (you'd get a decent price for it as people value Trace stuff) and picking up a cheap head and cab. Peavey Black Widow-equipped 15's come up all the time and are dirt cheap but capable of taking a total beating. Cheers, James

There will be a few things at play here. The 3500 is only 250w at 8 Ohms and the Transporter cab you have is not particular efficient, this isn't going to help. However, you can try cutting some of the low (this might sound counter-intuitive, but it can remove some of the boomyness) to see if this improves things. Making sure you're not EQ'ing out too much midrange (so avoid a heavy smilyface graphic) as you can lose presence by doing this. Also, look at your pickup height, depending on the bass you might be able to adjust things to improve. Lastly it's also a matter of technique - I've fought this myself and have only recently been able to get better at this, but the E string is the biggest and loosest, so it moves more and thus generates more output, therefore don't play it quite so hard! If you have a split P pickup arrangement, screw down the E side a touch to get the polepieces further from the strings. Cheers, James

Really enjoyed it. Quite nice to hear the comments 'Of course, I couldn't actually play that live...' rather makes me feel better about butchering a few DD songs over the years!

Just dealt with Francis on a Lag acoustic, he was the buyer and communication was excellent - a smooth and easy deal. Thanks a lot! James

Boring but true, microfibre cloth and fresh (or not) breath. Seriously, unless the guitar is caked, it brings it up a treat.

What do you want to do? Is it scratched/scuffed? If so then a bit of Scratch X followed by Gold Class would do the job. I used Autoglym Super Resin polish. Fabbo.

[quote name='Delberthot' post='651823' date='Nov 11 2009, 05:46 PM']Am I the smartarse you're referring to?[/quote] Sorry matey, was meant figuratively and not personally - no offence intended (and shall edit!)

I doubt that anyone is saying 'OMFG GET 10001kW' for a laugh here. I am a regularly gigging bassplayer and can only tell you of my own experiences, which are that I would personally recommend 300w and above for peace of mind. You MIGHT be able to get away with half of that, but driving solid state amplifiers hard all night is not a generally great idea. As someone said above, efficiency is king. I sound far louder with an Eden 4x10 and a 300w GK head now, than I did with a 4x10 AND a 15' from a 600w head. This is because the Eden is incredibly efficient. There are times I still wish I had the 15, not for the volume but the uber-lows, but then I get over it and play some music. The same is also true for power amps - sadly some amps just seem louder, regardless of wattage. Anyone that has owned an old Peavey will know what I am talking about here. Likewise, some people have been dissapointed by the massive wattages claimed by some digital amps (i'm thinking Ashdown Superfly and Little Giant here). It's not always about having what will just do it and scrape by, having some power in reserve is a seriously good thing. Some people may say 'you never need that much power on stage', however it's my experience that not all bands and venues have a PA capable of having bass guitar through it (and the monitor mix), nor would always want it. Everyone's setup is likely to be different, so it makes sense to go for something, if practical, that will exceed your requirements, not just meet them. * Edited to attempt to make me sound less of a prat * Cheers. James

300w minimum, less than that will struggle to give you enough headroom with all but the quietest of drummers!

Tell us more about your PA setup - makes and models etc. You shouldn't be blowing tweeters if adequate crossovers are in place unless you are overpowering them significantly, or driving your power amp so hard that you drive it into clipping. Let us know more details and we can better advise.