I went to B.B. Kings to see the awesome Norwegian Button Accordianist/Yodeler duo Polka Bjørn & Kleine Heine (don't miss them if they come to your town) and hung around to see the headliners The Red Hot Chili Pipers. They were great, but my favorite part was that the bassist/guitarist Nick Hawryliw played a $150 bass through a Hartke stack and it sounded phenomenal.
He was really good, as in nice and solid and pumping. He and the drummer were locked in and muscular. When they did funky stuff like War's "Low Rider", with the bagpipes doing the harmonica/sax line, he and the cheap Yamaha did it complete justice.
Lesson #42: If you have a set budget for a bass and amp, don't spend it all on the bass. An underwhelming bass and a great amp will kick ass more than a great bass and an underwhelming amp.
