Kev

You're just baiting now, aren't you? 😅

With the same thought process, why do we need any pedals/processors? Why do we spend our bassy lives trying to chase the right amp/bass tone, if none of it matters?

I'd love to try the MXR and the VIP. The MXR has that ease of use that made me HATE the FI v1 I had; I know its come a long way since then, but part of the reason I loved the Deep Impact is that it had everything on the pedal, no PC required etc and the MXR has that too. I tend to completely not get the argument people make when they say they'd rather just play keys to get a proper synth tone. I feel like it's mostly bedroom musicians that think this way, oddly enough I can't just whip out a synth for a middle 8 for most of the venues I play in!

I'd agree, but the Oc-5 was the exact same, and I don't really think that was Boss attempting to hype.

Pretty much same ETA everywhere at the minute, I scoured earlier and the only place suggesting a quicker delivery than that was Bax Music, which naturally i ignored 😅

For me, this is what I meant by the guy suggesting you should draw your own conclusions from the video. Without playing the pedal, its very hard to get a feel from what tracking and latency issues they may have, as what your eyes see or ears hear are only as important as how it responds to your attack.

Ugh. If there's one type of pedal that you can't really draw a consensus on from merely listening, its a synth pedal. Is it worth watching?

Nice, i'll dive into that later. Did you get any verdict from it? Slightly OT, but did I see someone somewhere express concern about how visible the FI VIP's text is under stage lights? Looking at this video compared to all the other pedals, it does seem pretty bad! Shame really, as its a nice design otherwise.

There may be a valid reason we've decided not to have a separate International sales forum to differentiate it in the past, but since a certain political event happened and the impact this has on importing goods to the UK, it does make a lot of sense, as I imagine many don't want to wade through listings they have no intention of following up due to the complications of it all. Sad state of affairs really, but it is what it is.

Gotta artificially raise those prices to bring them back down again for a "sale"

Can you use an external footswitch to switch presets and make preset changing on stage a realistic prospect?

I'm talking more stage use than what I assume you mean is at home

Depends in what sense you speak. I would wager for the vast majority of players, the MXR is far more suited to them and therefore "better", the FI by comparison is far more difficult to program and needs a better knowledge of synthesis, whereas the MXR is still comfortably in the realm of tweaking knobs on the fly until you hear something you like. I'd like to try one, but I'm conscious that most demos i've heard of it are nowhere near as good as the initial video sounded, and much as I love the interface, I don't like the C4 esque lack of easy foot accessible presets, combined with lack of midi.

Any update on how things are going now its back in their hands?

Nice write up, your experience tallies with my own. When I AB'd them, I was using a Japanese "Octaver" pedal, and the results were mostly the same. In headphones, I did hear a slight tonal difference between the two, but never anything anyone would pick up on without them being side by side, and certainly not through a loudspeaker/in a mix. Anyone using an OC-2 because it sounds better is kidding themselves. Don't get me wrong, using an old Japanese OC-2 is definitely cooler (I bought another one after I sold the OC-5 years ago!), but that's all it is.

I've got custom box making down to a fine art, I challenge your boutique to a duel.

I don't actually mind the simple delivery at all, used it a couple of times now and just dropped off at the local shop. Don't have to worry about charging the customer the right postage amount, buying the right postage, or even really about weighing and measuring it (eBay "guess" based on the item and if they're wrong, they pay the extra postage needed). As a seller I think the changes are for the better, its the buyer protection fee and the confusion that causes with offers etc that is the real issue for me.

Perhaps, neck pocket looks tight (ironically) but its another thing to check, and another thing you wouldn't expect to have to mess with on a £2k+ bass...

To be honest, I still thought their instruments were much cheaper than that, I remember getting a custom for a great price was kinda the point at the start. Not good.

Bugger it, I've picked up a used like new Auralex for a little more than the HB. I think ill throw the bendy pad in the bin. Forget the question, the feet are returning, ta for input all.

I could, but I opted to take the easy option of spending £40 on a piece of bloody rubber and foam to avoid any DIY, may as well have made the thing myself if I'm cutting a wood blank to shape 😅 alas it isn't returnable now so one must make do.

Unfortunately, from the various angles in all 3 photos, it consistently looks like the bridge is a tad too far to the right of the neck, you can see it from how the E string doesn't align with the pickup and the general look of the strings across the neck, but probably most obvious when looking at the truss cover. It's an awful lot of work that is going to be needed to get all of this right, before he lifts a finger I would ask for a full schedule of the works he is doing, if you're insistent on going through with the repairs and not demanding a refund/heavy discount.

In truth, I doubt its doing too much, though I do have thin carpet and a rather "hollow" sounding floor, and i do think the pad is absorbing some of the vibrations if nothing else (first floor flat).