SumOne

I fully agree with this. My first love of music is electronic stuff, but sitting at home listening to drum loops for hours and thinking about the finer details of which hi-hat sample to use just doesn't fill me with much joy. Meeting up with a few people who enjoy playing music is a lot more fun, getting their different viewpoints (and leaving the hi-hat nerding to the drummer!), and I find that having live gigs to look forward to (even if they sometimes turn out to be poorly attended) gives a focus that you don't get by just doing practise sessions.

Many of us struggle to find the right USB cable though, let alone all that stuff.

Unfortunately, these are the trials of multi-fx, lots of potential, but lots of potential faff too! The last gig I did was delayed as there was some very odd noise which we eventually tracked down to being because of the lead guitarist's multi-fx. And our last practice session was interrupted by the rhythm guitarist's multi-fx unexpectedly playing a drum loop. Another band I was in had trouble with a guitarist forgetting that a preset had a pitch shifter applied. I've tried to turn on the tuner of my Boss GT 1000 Core before (double footswitch press) but ended up just pressing one footswitch and changing preset to something inappropriate. All these hassles are possible with individual pedals, but they usually seem more intuitive. I'm sort of sold on the concept of Multi-fx, they can be great, relatively cheap, small, powerful tools. But they can also be a real headache.

I saw the Orb play live last night, one of the highlights was 'Towers of Dub' (from the excellent UFORB album) The Bassline that kicks in at about 3m what really makes it. It's the same bassline as the Revolutionaries 'El Bamba' ......and that is a reworking of Jackie Mittoo & The Skatalites 'El Bang Bang' (but that doesn't have the same bassline)

Thanks @MrDinsdale, you're right - it just needs the Divider to be directly in front of the Input and can then have it set in 'Single' mode as a switch between L and R inputs, can then map that channel select function to a knob or footswitch. So no need to use the Send/Return inputs for this (but could also use them 100% as 'Return' to have upto 4x inputs). What I like about the Core is that it clearly has a big brain! It's not always the most intuitive to find these things but it really can do a lot of processing. e.g. The Divider can also be set in Dual mode to apply dynamic filtering/sensitivity/cutoff frequency for L/R, and then can have multiple divided paths and map multiple switches to one footswitch or knob (and can add 2x expression pedals or extra dual footswitches). 2x inputs, 2x FX Loops that can be used as inputs, 3x dynamically divided signal paths, 20+ blocks of effects, midi in/out, and then different output signal routes means the possibilities are pretty huge but all within a pedal that fits inside my Bass gigbag front pocket. .........I still haven't managed to get a decent envelope filter sound out of it though!

If you still have all the rest of the band why not continue but with a new singer?

Has anyone found a good way of having a Bass in Input R and another in Input L and being able to switch/mute between them? As far as I can tell, there are all sorts of options for splitting the effect chain signal and different outputs, but not so obvious how to split L/R inputs and mute one of them. My solution so far is Splitting the path and using the 'Return 1' for one Bass (Send set to Zero) and Return 2 for the other (again, Send at Zero), then the 'Mix' block can go from 100% / 0% for each side of the split. Is there a simpler way by switching the Input L/R though?

The question is a bit like 'I can only have one pair of shoes, which ones should I get - Wellies or High Heels?' (not that either one of the pedals mentioned fit those descriptionsl!), so the annoying answer is that it depends on what your needs are. Saying that though, if I was only getting one pedal and the budget was about £100 I'd get a Zoom B1-Four. Then you have a Tuner, Compressor, EQ, Drive, Modulation, Octaver, Synth, Delays etc, and a decent practice tool with drum loops/metronome and can plug headphones into it, and can be battery powered. If you really need a XLR DI (which I've found is only really needed if you are doing long cable runs to a mixer/PA and you can't do it from your Amp XLR out) then there are seperate passive DI boxes like the SubZero for about £15.

Protoje & Zion I Kings 'Weed and Tings' Zion I Kings remixed all of the Protoje 'In Search of lost time' album, to 'In Search of Zion', and all have dub versions too. Worth checking out.

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.

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).

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.

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.

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 preference things. 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 for it's money.

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.

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

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.

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.