Cort Rithimic V

[steviedee]

Any opinions on these or does anyone own one? I have unnatural cravings!

[6feet7]

I had one. Loved everything about it except the pickups. To me they sounded sterile and 'boring'. My extremely amateur opinion though, so take it with a pinch of salt.

[steviedee]

52 minutes ago, 6feet7 said:

I had one. Loved everything about it except the pickups. To me they sounded sterile and 'boring'. My extremely amateur opinion though, so take it with a pinch of salt.

Thanks! Was it relatively lightweight?

 

[6feet7]

1 hour ago, steviedee said:

Thanks! Was it relatively lightweight?

 

It was a few years ago and I don't really remember, but it can't have been a boat anchor because I've never gone for anything that was heavy.

[asingardenof]

Jeff Berlin (who I now think of as the UFN thanks to Ed Friedland) swears by his four-string signature version. 

[Rayman]

I’ve thought about one (and the 4 stringer) for years, but I guess it boils down to the same thing with any signature bass, it’s designed around the requirements of the person who’s signature is on it, and that is very much the case with Jeff. I can’t get past that hideous body wood configuration on the 4 string (which was chosen by his wife when they were designing it), so I always preferred the look of the 5. I have heard though, that the tones lacked a bit of something on both, but, that’s a matter of opinion isn’t it?

 

I just read through all that…. and I don’t think it answers your question at all 😆

[Baloney Balderdash]

23 hours ago, asingardenof said:

Jeff Berlin (who I now think of as the UFN thanks to Ed Friedland) swears by his four-string signature version. 

Jeff Berlin is also strongly against the use of metronomes when practicing, but otherwise has some rather reactionary old fashioned views on the subject of learning and teaching.

 

Of course neither takes away from his indisputably absolutely astonishing chops on a bass, but I would personally hesitate taking advice from him. 

 

That said Cort instruments in general are incredible value for the money, even the cheapest budget basses leaving their factories are genuinely great instruments.

 

Edited September 28, 2023 by Baloney Balderdash

[Rayman]

Agreed on Cort basses, pretty much fabulous at most price points. The GB5 looks awesome.

 

Also agreed about Jeff. He's an enigma for sure. His playing..... well lets be honest he's a genius. However I was lucky enough to fall out with him on a FB thread a few years ago, where he argued that you absolutely have to have a solid grounding in theory to be a good bass player. I argued that I'd been playing 40 years and knew next to nothing and had managed as a semi pro in the past (although nothing like the dizzy heights of people like him, obviously), learning almost exclusively by ear. We had a lengthy argument about it on the thread, it got a bit heated and I left it alone.

 

I actually met him at a bassday gathering in Manchester a few years previous, and he's an absolutely lovey and funny chap, but he has some odd opinions.

[choob.squeemer]

I remember reading that there were phasing issues to do with the positioning of the pickups - but then Peter Greens Lester had the same issues eh 

[Daz39]

1 hour ago, Rayman said:

Agreed on Cort basses, pretty much fabulous at most price points. The GB5 looks awesome.

 

Also agreed about Jeff. He's an enigma for sure. His playing..... well lets be honest he's a genius. However I was lucky enough to fall out with him on a FB thread a few years ago, where he argued that you absolutely have to have a solid grounding in theory to be a good bass player. I argued that I'd been playing 40 years and knew next to nothing and had managed as a semi pro in the past (although nothing like the dizzy heights of people like him, obviously), learning almost exclusively by ear. We had a lengthy argument about it on the thread, it got a bit heated and I left it alone.

 

I actually met him at a bassday gathering in Manchester a few years previous, and he's an absolutely lovey and funny chap, but he has some odd opinions.

I remember him coming on here a few years ago to talk about things (Unless that was TB and I'm hallucinating). He accepts his idiosyncracy and over-opinionated views and has tried to mellow out in recent years (possibly because he fell out with too many people!) I've listened to most of his available output on Spotify and he is definitely brilliant. I like the noise he makes with the Cort, not sure I like the look of it - but it was built to his specs, so I guess there's always a Fender signature model if he doesn't float your boat.

[OliverBlackman]

1 hour ago, Rayman said:

Agreed on Cort basses, pretty much fabulous at most price points. The GB5 looks awesome.

 

Also agreed about Jeff. He's an enigma for sure. His playing..... well lets be honest he's a genius. However I was lucky enough to fall out with him on a FB thread a few years ago, where he argued that you absolutely have to have a solid grounding in theory to be a good bass player. I argued that I'd been playing 40 years and knew next to nothing and had managed as a semi pro in the past (although nothing like the dizzy heights of people like him, obviously), learning almost exclusively by ear. We had a lengthy argument about it on the thread, it got a bit heated and I left it alone.

 

I actually met him at a bassday gathering in Manchester a few years previous, and he's an absolutely lovey and funny chap, but he has some odd opinions.

It sounds like your debate was less about theory but more about what makes a good bass player, which is impossible for anyone to conclude. As a teacher he would obviously push that you need some learning because that’s his career.
 

He gets a lovely sound out of those Cort basses so they can’t be bad.

[White Cloud]

Very good basses in my experience. I reason if they had the 'F' word on the headstock they'd sell in large quantities at double the price. 

 

It's worth noting that the necks fall into the skinny category and may need a regular tweak upon the truss rod. 

[Baloney Balderdash]

25 minutes ago, OliverBlackman said:

It sounds like your debate was less about theory but more about what makes a good bass player, which is impossible for anyone to conclude. As a teacher he would obviously push that you need some learning because that’s his career.
 

He gets a lovely sound out of those Cort basses so they can’t be bad.

You know nothing Oliver Blackman.

 

Edited September 28, 2023 by Baloney Balderdash

[Baloney Balderdash]

41 minutes ago, Daz39 said:

I remember him coming on here a few years ago to talk about things (Unless that was TB and I'm hallucinating). He accepts his idiosyncracy and over-opinionated views and has tried to mellow out in recent years (possibly because he fell out with too many people!) I've listened to most of his available output on Spotify and he is definitely brilliant. I like the noise he makes with the Cort, not sure I like the look of it - but it was built to his specs, so I guess there's always a Fender signature model if he doesn't float your boat.

It was TB, and he ended up getting kicked, then came back several years later, and ended up getting kicked again, together with me, after several heated arguments.

 

Edited September 28, 2023 by Baloney Balderdash

[asingardenof]

2 hours ago, Baloney Balderdash said:

Jeff Berlin is also strongly against the use of metronomes when practicing, but otherwise has some rather reactionary old fashioned views on the subject of learning and teaching.

 

Of course neither takes away from his indisputably absolutely astonishing chops on a bass, but I would personally hesitate taking advice from him. 

 

That said Cort instruments in general are incredible value for the money, even the cheapest budget basses leaving their factories are genuinely great instruments.

 

Yeah, I had to stop following him on FB after he went on a bit of a spree of pissing off people whose views differ from his because it was getting extremely tiresome. Like OK Jeff, read music, teach yourself technique, we get it, but that's not the end of the story!

[asingardenof]

1 hour ago, Rayman said:

Agreed on Cort basses, pretty much fabulous at most price points. The GB5 looks awesome.

 

Also agreed about Jeff. He's an enigma for sure. His playing..... well lets be honest he's a genius. However I was lucky enough to fall out with him on a FB thread a few years ago, where he argued that you absolutely have to have a solid grounding in theory to be a good bass player. I argued that I'd been playing 40 years and knew next to nothing and had managed as a semi pro in the past (although nothing like the dizzy heights of people like him, obviously), learning almost exclusively by ear. We had a lengthy argument about it on the thread, it got a bit heated and I left it alone.

 

I actually met him at a bassday gathering in Manchester a few years previous, and he's an absolutely lovey and funny chap, but he has some odd opinions.

I'm sure in person he's fine, but my word he has a real talent for rubbing people up the wrong way online.

[Rayman]

I get his 'motivational' videos popping up on my social media quite a lot. Now I'm no expert on video presentation, but he literally looks like he's just got out of bed most of the time, and I'm guessing a member of his family is holding the phone while he records the film. I mean, there's such a thing as a relaxed approach, but at least sort your bed hair out first?

[OliverBlackman]

26 minutes ago, Baloney Balderdash said:

You know nothing Oliver Blackman.

 

I know I would rather have Jeff’s ability than my own! 

[Baloney Balderdash]

9 minutes ago, OliverBlackman said:

I know I would rather have Jeff’s ability than my own! 

Well, that has little to do with the point of him being known to be a strongly opinionated hot head (and no, me also being a strongly opinionated hot head doesn't make Jeff Berlin any less of one), also apparently you haven't watched "Game of Thrones".

 

Beside being an amazing musician doesn't automatically also make you a great teacher, and even less automatically great at communicating online.

 

Edited September 28, 2023 by Baloney Balderdash

[Marty Forrer]

This thread has nothing to do with Jeff Berlin. It's about the Rhythmic V bass. How about getting back on track.

 

[Rayman]

👜

[steviedee]

I’m just looking for a relatively inexpensive 5er that’s not two heavy. Had a stingray (too heavy) an old Yamaha which I wish I hadn’t got rid of! And currently have a couple of bass collections which are great but i dunno if I’d play them live because they are a bit marmite! I just like the look of Rithimic V and the config, obviously Jeff great but not a big factor!

[Rayman]

Something like the Ibanez SR505, very manageable shape and weight, and I’m guessing similar string spacing to the Cort? 
Nothing wrong with Bass Collection by the way, the Nanyo range are ace.

[steviedee]

1 hour ago, Rayman said:

Something like the Ibanez SR505, very manageable shape and weight, and I’m guessing similar string spacing to the Cort? 
Nothing wrong with Bass Collection by the way, the Nanyo range are ace.

Probably a bit modern looking for me... which is the same issue I have with the Bass Collections even though they are 30 odd years old 😀

[Rayman]

Sire V7? Great basses