SumOne

£279 here: https://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/product/251215451631027--ashdown-pbm-200-200-watt-portable-bass-head Yeah the Speakon thing is a bit of an issue for me too. I have an RM 500 so have a Speakon cable (and another one as backup). If I were to get the Ant (or Elf or Gnome or BAM 200) as backup I'd need to have an additional cable as backup to work with it. Not a big deal, but it is another cost and another thing to carry. (and Speakon cables are just better)

Nice. And already seems to be available and on sale! (one of those 'sales' where it's the actual price?!) £279 https://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/product/251215451631027--ashdown-pbm-200-200-watt-portable-bass-head Personally, I'd go: Elf (£230) for backup and ultra-portability. Ant (£279) for a small gigging amp - not as ideal for being pocket sized backup as the Elf but with a few additional useful live features like mute button, Speakon cable connector would seal the deal for me. Or I'd go Gnome v2 (£215) if I wanted to have things like aux in and USB for home use (but isn't as small as the Elf as a backup, and doesn't have the live features of the Ant like the mute).

Yeah, I find that to be an issue on almost all pedals that have presets and knobs. There really needs to be more thought into bridging the gap between 'what you see is what you get' pedals and being able to switch presets and know what's going on with the knob positions at a glance with it on a dark floor position 6ft away (not small images on a screen like the TC Plethora, or needing menu click through like most multi fx). Something like knobs without markers on them that turn infinitely and have LEDs around them to indicate the setting position. (apologies for saying 'knob' many times on a family friendly forum!)

There is the NAMM 'Not Available until Mid May' thing, but I tend to think even more long-term when it comes to the expensive basses. If someone here wants to buy the Dingwall Sol in May 2026 then I'll happily take it off their hand in May 2027 for £1k cheaper once a 'NAMM 2027 must have' new paint-job is available.

I know this isn't probably news to anyone, but for people in a similar position to me (i.e. can read music and play to roughly grade 3 but pretty much self taught) I'd highly recommend getting some lessons with a decent tutor. I've learnt more in the last 2x 30min lessons than in the last 5 years! It isn't so much just playing the grade pieces, it's stuff like: How to sit, wrist position, finger positions (not using my thumb on black keys!), how to use the sustain pedal properly (and how to properly use the middle pedal), proper scale technique, how to spot scale structures and what other scales work with them, some useful rhythm stuff (tapping out the notes for each hand on each leg), and some reading things - I'd been misreading ties as slurs. etc. I guess all that stuff could possibly be found in online videos and books, but having it tailored to you is so much more efficient and effective. I do think that once a week might not be necessary for me after a couple of months of ironing out bad technique, once a fortnight might be sufficient (and obviously saves 50% of the not insignificant cost). (I'm actually finding perfecting the grade pieces a bit tedious - playing The Muppet Theme for the 100th time it starts gets a bit annoying!)

It isn't too clear as the website seems to say contradictory things. I would generally think 'EQ bypass switch' means the battery powered preamp for volume is still on but the EQ section is bypassed (not ideal if you want a backup for a dead battery, or if you prefer a passive tone, or want to keep a cable plugged in without battery loss), but then it also says "The master tone control operates in both active and passive mode." So that suggests there is a passive/active switch. https://www.ibanez.com/eu/news/detail/20250930143736.html

I don't know about the M6, but I owned a Space 5 and really liked it: Lightweight, well balanced, good neck, decent enough preamp and pickups, looks good. If I was to be picky (which I am!) I'd say the non-rounded edges to the body aren't the most erganomic, and I'd say some Basses you hear and think 'that sounds like a P Bass/J Bass/Stingray/ Ric etc', as they have a specific character to the sound or way you'd tend to play them, the Space 5 is 'that sounds like a modern Bass'.

I have found that 4 string basses can sound decent at almost any price point, 5 string less so. I guess it needs good stability, pickups etc for a decent B string and that tends to cost. The Cort Space 5 is decent if you are okay with a headless bass. I assume their things like the GB range are good too.

Ibanez Iceman: Usually I'd say this sort of shaped bass isn't my bag, it's a specific rock/metal genre sort of look (which I don't tend to play), not having the upper horn but adding an extended lower one is an impractical design that doesn't balance well when standing and doesn't fit that well when sitting, it looks like quite a 'slab' sort of design with right-angle edges that would be uncomfortable, matte paint jobs are often a bit delicate,. It's a lot of style over ergonomics and practicality .....but it is stylish! I perhaps like the look of it enough to overlook boring practicalities. (although I think they've missed a trick by not having gold inlays). £889 seems a reaasonable price too. https://www.ibanez.com/eu/products/detail/icb620_1p_01.html I also like the look of the new catchily named SR1320SB. And it does seem a more practical shape than the Iceman as well as having better pickups and preamp. (costs £1,299 though which I think is perhaps a bit steep). I'd need to pick one with the right woodgrain pattern though as some can look a bit like someone has been at the office party and sat on a photocopier! The white one would immediately get called a Zebra Bass. A similar look to the new Dingwall Sol, must be a 2026 thing.

Nice! Although for me, the winner as far (as the paint-jobs go) is still the Sterling Ray 34 Purple Sparkle so I wish they'd use that colour scheme. It seems that Purple Sparkle Sterling Ray 34 was released in 2022, had problems with tuners and has since been on 'in stock soon' for every shop but never actually becomes available....which is possibly a good thing for me as I like: lightweight, passive (or at least passive/active switch), front facing jacks, a pickup in the Jazz bass type neck position for reggae type tones...so it ticks none of those boxes, but none of that matters when it ticks the big funky box that is purple sparkle!

Yeah, but there's a market for stuff like this £719 3 knob Walrus Audio Preamp (analog). Sometimes the good but limited sounds and simple form factor and build quality are more important to people than having lots of features.

A new interface pedal from EHX: https://www.ehx.com/products/effects-interface/ "Pedalboard Mode lets you run your guitar through any of your favorite plugins from your DAW and run them back into your signal chain for full hybrid rig integration. ...... The Electro-Harmonix Effects Interface Hardware Plugin knocks down the walls between physical and plugin effects, effortlessly turning your pedals into outboard gear and your plugins into pedals mounted to your pedalboard, all with a simple USB connection."

I like the look of this: https://dingwallguitars.com/bass/jacob-umansky-signature/

And there I was thinking I made a friend! Now you mention it, it does look like the work of AI regurgitating other posts. Sneaky.

Yeah you're right on all that. I ended up buying a CK 61 and owned it for 18 months, I thought it was great in almost every way. The main drawbacks for me were I've started doing formal piano lessons/grades and 61 keys isn't ideal for that, and I did notice the slightly narrower keys becoming a bit of an issue when practicing on a piano and then the CK 61. ....so I sold it last month and I've now gone for a Viscount Legend One 73 key which is an upgrade in almost every way - but it costs double the CK 61 and is bigger and heavier so perhaps not so good for grotty pub gigs.