Cort "rithimic"5 jeff berlin Bass

[Cutty]

Hi Guys,anybody using one of these basses,i wonder if you find the output low?Iv'e just got one of these and compared to my passive jazz bass fitted with fralin standard wind pickups i find the output from this bass very low,if the capacitor was faulty,would this give this problem i wonder if your bass is the same?,
Cheers,Cutty.

 

[songwriter21]

I bought one a while back, and returned it. It had very low volume, and some of the most bland sound ever. Fit and finish, it wasn't bad, unlike the sound.

 

[Belka]

Does it have Bartolinis? They are always pretty quiet with a passive circuit I've found.

 

[Cutty]

Yes it does have Barts,a new design between Jeff Berlin and Bartolini,i guess this is the problem then,Thanks.

 

[Aidil]

Have you raised the pickup height? IIRC, Jeff Berlin mentioned in one of YouTube clips that he likes to have his pickups high, very close to the strings.

 

[Cutty]

Yes iv'e done that,still the same,i think it's just the low output of these pickups,i will have to ask Bartolini about it.

 

[songwriter21]

It's not the pickups. The bass is passive, and probably would sound a LOT better with an active preamp (preferably also Bart), which would include an internal trim pot for the overall gain.

 

[JLee]

Jeff uses the bridge pickup exclusively. I've read reviews if you put the pan pot center for both pickups, there's a phase cancelation & the volume using both pickups is much lower than just soloing either pickup.

 

[flippyfloop]

I have this bass & the output is very, very low. Any solutions ?

 

[40Hz]

I have this bass & the output is very, very low. Any solutions ?

If you already like the tone then just pick up a clean boost pedal like a Spark or an MXR Micro Amp to use with it.

 

[India_Sierra]

I've had my 4 string Rithimic since March last year. I don't find it particularly quiet, even for a passive bass. I don't have the bridge pickup set particularly high, but I do use the bridge pickup almost exclusively. There is a very slightly fall in volume with both pickups running on full. I tend to play with the output volume just slightly rolled back.

The bass is quieter than my active basses, but that differential matters little to me. Once you're plugged into an amp, it's plenty loud and yet always retains a distinct clarity and tonal quality. I would say, if you were to listen to one of Jeff's recordings, the tone he gets is the tone I aim for. I love it. I also use a Markbass CMD 151P Jeff Berlin combo.

 

[DWBass]

Not a fan of the pickup positions.

 

[India_Sierra]

Where would you prefer them?

 

[DWBass]

Where would you prefer them?

Traditional pickup positions.

 

[India_Sierra]

I wouldn't say there was anything particularly unusual about the positions of these pickups. The neck is perhaps a little further north than you would find on a Jazz bass. I suspect that this intended as a foil to the bridge pickup. You will note Jeff's old Dean signature model featured this slightly wider pickup spacing. Now, Jeff may not be known for using a neck pickup (his old P body/Jazz neck bass eventually had the neck pickup disconnected) but it makes for a usable bass for those who like to blend.

I very rarely use the neck pickup on anything these days (I think the record must be on my Pedulla Pentabuzz with a P/J. In over a year of owning it, I've probably had the P pickup on for less than five minutes). The Rithimic bridge pickup will quite surprise some Jazz lovers. It has a lot of guts, with a big presence and a lot of low midrange. It's substantially 'bigger' sounding than a singlecoil without losing any of the definition.

 

[songwriter21]

I wouldn't say there was anything particularly unusual about the positions of these pickups. The neck is perhaps a little further north than you would find on a Jazz bass. I suspect that this intended as a foil to the bridge pickup. You will note Jeff's old Dean signature model featured this slightly wider pickup spacing. Now, Jeff may not be known for using a neck pickup (his old P body/Jazz neck bass eventually had the neck pickup disconnected) but it makes for a usable bass for those who like to blend.

I very rarely use the neck pickup on anything these days (I think the record must be on my Pedulla Pentabuzz with a P/J. In over a year of owning it, I've probably had the P pickup on for less than five minutes). The Rithimic bridge pickup will quite surprise some Jazz lovers. It has a lot of guts, with a big presence and a lot of low midrange. It's substantially 'bigger' sounding than a singlecoil without losing any of the definition.

That thing, honestly, was one of the weakest and most bland-sounding basses I've ever had (my opinion, obviously). Yes, I realize that passive needs a general volume boost, but the Berlin model is really soft.

Still, my vote for an incredible passive bass, that blows the Berlin away? A Bacchus Woodline 5 that I owned a few years ago. I've owned hundreds of bases, played them all active, and sure, more money for a Bacchus, but it was the only bass in which I've ever preferred passive mode. It was also, one of only a few basses in which soundguys gave me a compliment on. I forget why I got rid of it, but pretty sure it was some picky preference, certainly not the sound.