SumOne

Saw Johnny Osbourne and Horace Andy at Komedia in Brighton a few weeks ago, both were excellent, so were the bands (Dub Ashanti Band, and Upper Cut Band), the venue was good too - sold out and busy enough for a good atmosphere but no queing, could get right up close to the stage, and could even get a decent pint easy enough. 

9 hours ago, TRBboy said:

I'm sure Peach guitars had good reason. There's very little markup on musical instruments compared to other retail products (typically 35% from trade price to full RRP inc. VAT). Having worked in MI Retail for years, the top two reasons that spring to my mind are: 

 

1) They were offered a discounted price from the Distributor, possibly for buying a certain quantity, and have then passed that on to the customer to have the lowest price around and win sales above their competitors. 

2) They've sold for the cheapest price around BECAUSE of the popularity. Knowing that it's a hot item and having the lowest price increases traffic to their website, and even if prospective customers don't buy it, they're 'in the door' as it were and may buy something else. It's a very common tactic in retail generally, supermarkets do it a lot. It's known as a 'loss-leader': you take a hit on a popular product to get customers there and buying other stuff too, which you WILL make profit on.

 

Yeah, I guess. Perhaps they push for the upselling - they advertise a Plek setup for £175 with the Bass, perhaps they hope to also sell an Amp/Cab/cables etc. Still though, GAK, Guitar Guitar, Gear 4 Music all sold out at £750 (Bass Direct £700) so selling for £600 seems to be shooting in the foot a bit. I wouldn't hold my breath they do it again in the short term. Good deal for whoever got it though, I'm a bit jealous I paid £700! (mine is green though, which I prefer, Peach only seemed to sell one or two Grey ones).

On 24/04/2024 at 14:58, Dazm66 said:

This is one of the things that worries me. I like the look of it and the spec etc and the reviews are all pretty good but can't get hold of one locally to try. Peach can order one but it's a 20% non-returnable deposit for an order. 

If I were Peach I'd regret discounting a new in in-demand Bass for £600 while pretty much every other UK shop sells for closer to £750 and are sold out everywhere. It's not like they needed to put that discount on to sell (unless they were B stock or something). Most price match though, so if Peach happen to do that deal again you could try with another shop that has them to try out.

It's a good Bass, my thought process is what are the alternatives for a well balanced, 5 string, lightweight, relatively cheap Bass?

The closest non multiscale 5 string alternative is probably the Ibanez EHB 1005  which is about £1k. (and doesn't appear on the Ibanez website anymore so I think it's old stock, it seems the 1505 is the new - more expensive version). The Ibanez its better in some ways (sweepable mids, passive tone control, s-locks, a bit lighter, saddles can move strings sideways, rounder where forearm meets the body) but I'm not sure it's worth £300 more, and there are a few things I prefer on the Cort (colours, zero fret, non-slanted back, non-locking jack).   

It's funny how a small thing like a non curved body where your forearm meets it (I tend to play quite far forward - pluckng in front of the neck pickup) can become an issue. Well, it does for me anyway, but perhaps I'm overly fussy. 

Personally, I find this can make playing uncomfortable. Which is a shame, as surely it would cost next to nothng to round it off. If be tempted to sand it down a bit myself but it'd look a mess. 

14 hours ago, uk_lefty said:

I agree there's "better" tech out there but this probably sits in the middle: great sound quality but physical controls so you don't have to be programming for hours on end. I can see the appeal of both.

I think I wouldn't mind that 'what you see is what you get' too much if it kept to that - but I assume that as it has presets and programming, each time you go to a new preset potentially none of the controls are actually in the positions where they are physically set, which I think could get really confusing. I suppose you could never change presets though and that'd solve that.

£345 from Andertons and GAK etc. 

I suppose it fills a niche, it is good to have physical controls, it looks tough, and the DI XLR could be useful.

Not for me though, I think things have moved on from these sort of designs - something like the Boss GX 100 (£449 from Bax) gives a whole lot more control/editability in a similar sized and priced unit. 

Yeah, as others have said: I'd prefer stage left. To be the same side as the snare & hi-hat, and it means the Bass headstock is pointing away from bandmates that could knock into it, and away from the crash cymbal. 

11 hours ago, tauzero said:

Just noticed that the Cort is down to £649 at Thomann.

Yeah, but not available for a couple of months. I wouldn't be suprised if the price goes up once in stock - I've seen shops do that before. It dissuades you buying from elsewhere in the meantime. And I think for the sake of £50 it might be worth avoiding international shipments with customs checks, my last Thomann delivery took about 2 weeks to arrive.

Arrived! First impressions are good. 

• Sounds good.
• lightweight at 3.64kg (although I think my Ibanez EHB 1005 MS was even lighter at 3.4kg).
• Perfectly balanced (can sit with it on the lap and take hands away and it'll stay in position).
• Low action without fret buzz, no noticable things like dead spots and the strings all feel part of one instrument (I've had 5 strings where the B feels quite separate).
• Nice neck - satin rather than glossy, quite shallow but quite wide, some might find it a bit too wide but I like it (19mm string spacing and a bit more space on the edges than some fretboards give)
• Nice colours, it's a dark purple on the backk and there's more purple blending through on the front than pictures pick up (it is matte that seems that it'll scratch and dent easily though).
• Seems decent quality control throughout.
• Decent gig bag (weak point being a bit of a flimsy feeling zip).

If I was being picky (which I am!)

• One thing I'd check if you're getting one: The bridge saddle for the G is pretty much as far forward as it can possibly go (less than 1mm forward movement left), so very little room for manouver if it needed going further forward for intonation. But that isn't an issue on mine as all the strings are intonating correctly without me adjusting anything. 
• There seems to be no tone control in Passive mode.
• It'd be good if the volume and pickup blend knobs had white position markers on them (like the EQ knobs have).
• I would prefer more rounded edges where your forearm meets the Bass body.
• I'd prefer EQ with sweepable mids like on the Ibanez EHB or at least being able to internally switch different EQ points like Lakland do (perhaps there are internal switches for this - I haven't checked yet).
• Those plastic covers for the Battery that lots of manufacturers use seem like they're from a cheap toy, they could at least be flush with the back, I think I was spoiled with the Digwall system for that though. 

But these are picky/personal preferance things and comparing with Basses double or 3x the cost.  Overall, it seems a great Bass, especially for the money. But even if money wasn't an issue, I think it gives the Ibanez EHB series a good run f

I've sold via commission through them before, and once it sells there is something like a 2 week wait until you get paid in-case their buyer returns it. So I assume they offer buyers returns/refunds easily enough if something is wrong. 

3 minutes ago, Sibob said:

For sure, they're quick enough in Instagram....just not sure how to get photos from them now haha.
I wonder if the ordering emails are again from a different system to what @Woodinblackmentioned?!

 

Si

Yeah perhaps it is from a different email and that's the issue, the ones I've received are automated from [email protected] 

27 minutes ago, Sibob said:

Has anyone ever had any issues with emails from BD not arriving? Either to Gmail or Hotmail (Outlook)?
They seemingly receive mine, bit responses not arriving to either account, very strange!

 

Si

I've just bought a Bass from them and quickly received a series of emails (order received, order complete, feedback request) to my Hotmail account, no problem (but they do automatically go to Junk mail until marked as 'not Junk'). And the Bass I bought pretty much immediately then changed status on their website from 'available' to 'preorder now'. I also phoned up earlier and got a quick answer and helpful response. 

Photos/info from Bass Direct: https://www.bassdirect.co.uk/product/2009-fender-american-standard-jazz-bass-3-tone-sunburst-pre-owned/

And my high-pressure sales pitch: I expect somewhere like Bass Gallery could sell this for at least £1k, they take 15% commission (so I'd get £850). So if no takers here soon, next time I'm in that neck of the woods I'll go for that fairly hassle-free (and possibly more profitable) option. Or the lowest hassle option is another shop has offered a straight purchase of £800 (I expect they'd sell for at least £1k). So get on it soon if you're keen as otherwise I'll go for those easier options which potentially get roughly the same £.

Bass Direct just received a Green one which I've just purchased (perhaps a bit rashly!, I almost always like to try a Bass first, and usually go second hand). My Bass maths to justify it is that I've got a Jazz up for sale which should sell for more than the Cort, so it's not a cost - it's a saving!

Exciting times. Now the waiting game (which I hope is quite a short game - next day delivery). Will report back.

Edit: After I'd bought from Bass Direct I had been speaking to Guitar Guitar and they mentioned they price match. Bass Direct are now sold out of the Cort Space for the time being (£699) but Guitar Guitar have them  in stock for £749, so you might be able to get £50 knocked off that price, although perhaps they only do it if other shops have them in stock and available to buy there and then. Thomann have them listed for £655 but not in stock for months - I've noticed a tactic is sometimes with long wait times they have a lower price while it's not in stock to keep you hanging on and not buying elsewhere, and then when it is in stock they put the price up.

Another Edit: Grrr Parcelf*cks! 'Unable to locate address' It's a residential street with nothing out of the ordinary, the house shows up on google maps etc. No attempt to call me to try and find the address if that's really the issue, just an automated 'not happening today' which makes me think the driver just can't be bothered. And Parcelforce customer service app/call seems almost designed to wind up customers, but at least I could confirm that the correct address is on the package, so it is slackness from their side.

I've just been mucking about on my Yamaha RBX 765A which has been sitting in a case as a backup Bass for a long time and after only playing 4 string for about 6 months I'd forgotten how it isn't just about efficiency or the lower notes - it can also be more interesting to play a 5 even if you don't need anything below a low E. 

Right now I'm playing 'Baggy Trousers' and forgot it can be a lot more efficient if using the B string just for the E#, but can also use other positions going up the B string for a different tone to mix it up as the song progresses, or can go back to the 4 string frets (useful for parts like the octave jumps at the end). It opens up a lot of fretboard options, different patterns, and different tones regardless of going below the low E or being efficient. 

I've also just realised that certain songs where I got used to thinking it didn't matter to go lower (like the low D in 'Proud Mary' played an octave up instead), actually I now think that single low note is worth having (and without having to drop tune and change the fretting positions/muscle memory).

I am fickle with these things, but I've put my 4 string Jazz up for sale and am getting another 5 (Cort Space), as it feels that while 4 strings will get the job done, 5 is more interesting to play. 

I do think if playing rock/metal with a plectrum then 4 might be better if you don't need the lower notes (which you do need for a lot of metal) as the muting is that bit easier, hence why a lot of guitarists that also play Bass tend to play 4 strings.

Friends/family/colleagues feign interest out of politeness. To pressure them and then get offended that they aren't being more supportive is a bit egotistical. Why should they care? 

If I wrote a Gothic Horror novel, I wouldn't expect my cousins/aunties/colleagues/long lost school friends to be the target audience and the ones that should support and be the deciding factor to make or break it. I'd send it to appropriate publishers, if they thought it was good enough to be profitable they'd promote it to the small % of the population that enjoy Gothic horror. I don't really see music as something all that different. I'd promote my Ambient Dub Techno album via appropriate social media pages for fans of that music, record labels, radio shows, DJs, clubs etc. they are the target audience who make or break it, I wouldn't pressure my Auntie Dorris to 'like' and listen and come to gigs. 

I've gone right off any serious promotion to friends/family on Facebook.

Friends I haven't seen for 10 years and my 80 year old auntie aren't gonna go 100 miles to a pub to watch me play ska covers! I feel that hassling them is just a few steps away from selling tupperware to friends and neighbours. 

Still though, I do a bit of 'playing at the Red Lion of Friday, head along if you're out and about'. There is a band Facebook and Instagram page that people can choose to follow (and mute) which does the more pushy advertising. 

48 minutes ago, Reggaebass said:

Haven’t heard that in a long while, I remember buying the album when it came out and was blown away, great selection 

Yeah, 'New chapter of dub' is a great album. 

Version excursion!

Original: Aswad, Love Fire

Aswad, Dub Fire

Dennis Brown, Promise Land 

Damian Marley & Nas, Land of Promise

3 hours ago, steviedee said:

Thanks for the info! As I say it’s kind of academic as I’ve just modified what play so there is no need to detune but it was just out of curiosity!

I've encountered this before from guitarists saying 'can you drop down a semitone' or 'you need to pay in drop D' (while I play a 5 string). I'm not convinced they know what they are talking about! Can play that low D on a 5 string,what do they care about how I fret it?! And is a low A# or lower really needed? I mean, almost all Reggae and Dub is with standard tuned 4 string down to low E and that sounds like plenty of low end - it's about the EQ and volume and giving Bass the space rather than playing inaudible rumble. And there are always alternative notes (like a third or fifth up). 

But anyway. Yeah, I've found multi fx best at detuning just by a set amount like a semitone if it really is needed (but I'm yet to find a situation where it really is needed). 

Fender Jazz USA 2009. £850

Sunburst + Tort + Rosewood. 

This is a really good condition 2009 USA Jazz Bass, it just has a couple of small cosmetic dents and scrapes that you wouldn't notice without close inspection. 

Lightweight: 3.9kg according to my scales, 3.8kg/8.7lbs according to Bass Direct. (https://www.bassdirect.co.uk/product/2009-fender-american-standard-jazz-bass-3-tone-sunburst-pre-owned/)

With a Fender Tweed gigbag.

TI Flats, and Schaller S Locks fitted.

Collection from Chichester, or I'm usually in London on Mondays, and Worthing Wednesday evenings. Sorry, no postage/courier. 

21 hours ago, KingPrawn said:

Nice. Whats the dimensions please

The hard case is 160x36x21cm

The pedalboard is 56x32x6cm

T-Rex ToneTrunk 56 Pedalboard and hard case. 

Velcro stuck to the pedalboard. Some superficial scrapes but otherwise all good. 

£40 + postage (I guess that'll be about £10).

33 minutes ago, ped said:

Is it me or is that contradictory? Also I think it’s talking more about using compression as an effect, as opposed to how most bassists use it, as an overall tone shaper keeping everything in check in perhaps a more subtle way. Both OD and Fuzz will flatten your signal, so it doesn’t matter if comp is before or after that, I think after is better because you can let the fuzz and OD respond to dynamics which the best ones do really well.  

Yeah, they do say 'apart from vintage fuzz and wah' and I guess it depends on how much overdrive before it steps into that territory, and they are talking about compression as an effect.

Personally, I don't use much compression at all unless I'm playing a clean sound, then it can be good subtlety, or as a noticeable squish effect. But if I use effects I'll put more like a Limiter with a high threshold at the end - just in case there's something like an overly 'peaky' envelope filter that needs taming. 

I think, @garry warrington, you might want a compressor with clean blend, or change the compression settings lower, or if you are using the Beta with a lot of overdrive perhaps you don't need a compressor at all (as it'll be compressing your signal anyway). The Beta does tend to be quite muddy sounding. 

4 hours ago, garry warrington said:

 

I always thought the comp was at the end of a signal chain

This from Origin Effects website:

"... where do you place the compressor in your signal chain? 

The Official Textbook of Pedal Placement™ states that, apart from vintage fuzz and wah, compression should always be first in the chain. For typical guitar use – that is to say, using your compressor as an obvious effect – we certainly agree. Compression reduces the dynamic range of your signal, squashing the peaks and preventing any notes from jumping uncomfortably out of the mix. For clean sounds, like those used by Funk or Country players, this is just what you want – a nice, even clean tone without slicing anyone’s heads off. 

If this is how you like to use your compressor, it will work best first in the chain. This is partly because the next pedal is likely to be an overdrive. Overdrive will also dramatically affect the dynamics of your signal, clipping the peaks and eliminating any difference between loud and quiet notes. As such, placing a compressor after your drive would not allow you to bring out all the snappy, funky bits of your playing – your overdrive has got rid of them all already!"