New MXR bass synth pedal released

[Al Krow]

54 minutes ago, kiat said:

Yes @Al Krow a couple of bass pros I follow use synth bass and it would be handy for ultra-funky lines (eg Stevie Wonder, Soulive) for the attack and very short notes. I'm right handed and would use my right, so a short KB would be fine and would be fun.

 

As others have mentioned already the extra gear is off-putting and  definitely not necessary for the dep gigs I do, which the MXR Bass Synth pedal should be more than enough for. As it is my compact pedal board will need reorganising which I didn't plan on doing, but want to get two signal chains combined (synth & non synth) so will have to get a new board anyway.

Need to adapt my playing to get the best out of the pedal, which will be a challenge, but hopefully won't take long.

 

Agreed. Also I've not really figured how you play synth keys and a bass at the same time! And, more importantly, whether as a bass-player, there's actually much demand or expectation for any of us to be a keys player with a different skillset?

 

Maybe surprised at hearing this from me, but once the next software update goes through on the FI v4 VIP (not sure when that's planned - waiting to hear from @Quatschmacher re. timing), I've got a feeling from the comments @LukeFRC has made in his recent excellent review that the FI could actually be the better pedal with better display, many more presets, and midi connectivity. So, if you're getting frustrated waiting for a MXR that's maybe another option and only £20 more new.

[Quatschmacher]

9 hours ago, Al Krow said:

waiting to hear from @Quatschmacher 

It’s not within my remit to speak to this. Also, I’ve not even begun updating the manual yet, partly because there are still some discussions about some other cool ideas that may end up going into the next update. I don’t want to start writing until all updates have been finalised.

 

The FI4 in its current state is still the better pedal. The main difference that MIDI-shy folks will benefit from with the next update is some new presets that will be in the factory sound set, some nice onboard patch management and portamento on audio-triggered playing. Those features are in and working as expected. (The other potential stuff being discussed is more for folks who’ll use the deeper editing functions and will offer some cool extended sound creation possibilities.) 

Edited yesterday at 00:58 by Quatschmacher

[EmmettC]

On 01/11/2025 at 08:47, kiat said:

The sellers are having unexpected problems getting hold of these and sorting out who gets them. I ordered one on the 12th Oct with Thomann (exp 3-4 weeks), then two weeks later I checked and it said (exp 1-2 wks) which was on track. Last week it jumped to (exp 8-9 wks). I called them up and was told they have a longer list of people who've ordered them, than what they are getting in. Some will get there's sooner, maybe me too. It seems they've not got their automation sorted, given that they have all the data - and a friendly phone call might be just the thing to ensure that you don't get bumped down the queue, by any carelessness.

 

Still I'm looking forward immensely to getting to grips with the pedal and using it on dep gigs especially.

 

Like others, have considered a bass synth keyboard but my regular bands don't think we need one yet.

Bass direct had a social media post showing lots of them in stock - might be worth checking there if you want it quicker.

[krispn]

1 hour ago, EmmettC said:

Bass direct had a social media post showing lots of them in stock - might be worth checking there if you want it quicker.

I think they’re already accounted for.