I still want an SD Curlee. Not on sale though.
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I'm surprised at how low the SD Curlee's are. $1500 gets you in the door. That alone is tempting.
I didn't pick anything up (I just paid off my 5 string order from last November) but I would jump on a Curlee or Corto 2 sale even though I don't need another bass.
Just put down payment on my Birdsong 5 string which will be 21H-101.
Will join my Corto 8c-117.
The waiting begins...
Will join my Corto 8c-117.
The waiting begins...
Excellent!
I'm number 94. No updates yet though. I'm still hoping it will be a 2020 build...
I just put myself in the queue for a Corto2 (#424), walnut body, maple fingerboard and black h/w. But it'll be 2021 sometime, so the hard waiting part starts now.
Beautiful
The first picture of my build (H-094) went up as well. Just an image of the neck but it's confirmation!
I talked to Scott about the build to see if he would have any issues getting alder and he said it would be no issue. Might not make 2020 but I'm not worried about that.
What else is going on your build?
Beautiful
The first picture of my build (H-094) went up as well. Just an image of the neck but it's confirmation!
I talked to Scott about the build to see if he would have any issues getting alder and he said it would be no issue. Might not make 2020 but I'm not worried about that.
What else is going on your build?
Bare brass bridge, gold tuners (Scott's choice - I was leaning chrome cloverleaf, but he's steering me away from the 1970s aesthetic), control plate TBD (we're waiting to see what inspires), knobs TBD, recessed straplocks (always). Wood is mesquite with walnut stripes. Neck is already done - rosewood board with mesquite headstock facing.
My knob preferences are almost ALWAYS flat-top barrel. I'm playing a wait-and-see this time. I think speed knobs and MXR-style are contenders, as are brass.
I never thought about strap locks. That came up once in conversation and Scott told me it would be easy to install them on an existing Birdsong but I don't want to risk screwing anything up.
I may need to look into that for this one though.
I may need to look into that for this one though.
Someone *early* on had the flush-mount straplocks. I saw a picture and fell in love. He's put them on all three (four) he's made for me (I put normal straplocks on Richard the Test Bass in place of the gripper-Ts).
When placing the newest order, he said the last time he did was probably the last one he did for me (2014 with a 2015 delivery). Here's a pic of someone's instrument with the flush-mount locks.
When placing the newest order, he said the last time he did was probably the last one he did for me (2014 with a 2015 delivery). Here's a pic of someone's instrument with the flush-mount locks.
A couple questions... I've almost made it through 150+ pages of this thread (and pt. 1) and I haven't seen that much mention of the Corto 2. Is it just getting lumped into the general "Corto" category, or is it so cool that everyone who has one is off playing it and not spending time on TB? Or, if you had one, did you decide you really like one of the other models better?
Second, I see a bunch of references to a "Corto 4" fairly recently, but don't see a current model that it matches to. Is it just shorthand for one of the other models, or did it get discontinued? What characteristics did/does it have? Thanks.
Second, I see a bunch of references to a "Corto 4" fairly recently, but don't see a current model that it matches to. Is it just shorthand for one of the other models, or did it get discontinued? What characteristics did/does it have? Thanks.
From what I heard, the Corto2 picked up a TON of popularity in terms of orders/sales. It may be that the "mindset of someone who wants a Corto2" and "mindset of someone who brags about their bass order" doesn't overlap much.
Corto4 was "Cortobass w/Delano Xtender pickup." He still uses the pickup, but I don't think the model generated the business to take up space on the website.
Fun fact; I ordered the first Corto 4 but ended up moving the money to a new bass. I remember talking with Scott about the Delano pickup and him trying to picture how it would look with the front plate of the Corto design and then bam, Corto 4!
I owned a Corto 2 and it is a fantastic instrument. Scott's take on the two pickup jazz style bass but like with everything Birdsong does it tries to refine things if necessary. For example, the Corto 2 doesn't have any pickup hum, and like all Birdsong models the consistency in terms of weight and playability is found in each instrument.
I only moved on because I prefer the CBass and the simplicity of a simple, single pickup. I wouldn't mind a Corto 2 but my next build is a C5 which uses the same pickups in a slightly different position so that will have to do for now.
I think once the CBass came along it really took over as the more popular model. Can't go wrong with the Corto 2 if that's what is catching your eye.
The Corto 4 was a Corto with a single Delano extender pickup I believe.
The Corto 2 was at one time his most popular model, I still think they're a little "flatter" sounding to my ears.....I like them. All my HY5s have the 5 string version of the same pickup.
Edited to say....those soapbars also work GREAT with an Aguilar preamp, just don't tell Scott I said that!
The Corto 2 was at one time his most popular model, I still think they're a little "flatter" sounding to my ears.....I like them. All my HY5s have the 5 string version of the same pickup.
Edited to say....those soapbars also work GREAT with an Aguilar preamp, just don't tell Scott I said that!
That's what I've already put my money down on. 21C-424
That's what I've already put my money down on. 21C-424
Fantastic! I just added you to the club. You're club member #125. Welcome to the family!
I have a Corto and a Hy5. The Corto has lace sensors, standard, and the hy5 has the 2 soapbars (Armstrong), as described in the post above. The Hy5 is more modern sounding, punchier, and capable of a burpier fingerstyle, esp. with the bridge pickup favored. It'll still do wooly and syrupy, with a robust vintage palate, but it gets to the modern stuff more easily and authentically than the Corto. The Corto has a little more girth in the low end but with excellent articulation and clarity. I love them both, I gig them both, but for me the Hy5 is the one I grab more often, especially if I don't know what exactly the gig will call for. I also find the body style of the Hy5 more comfortable, esp. when seated. For the record, if I were adding to the stable today without restriction, I'm Fusion-curious. My $.02: you cannot go wrong with anything from this shop. I got them both used, and there are a few on reverb.com right now. Good Luck!
Thinking more about what I posted here yesterday: like most, I've had no gigs for months and I'm spending a lot of time in the old 'shed. I love my Corto on a gig, but for long prac, sitting down, it's not great. The balance is perfect, no neck dive, but the short lower horn wants to slide off my lap. I have to tense up to keep it where I want it, and it's fatiguing and distracting to work with it for extended practice periods. The Hy5, in contrast, is super-stable and "disappears," it feels like an extension of my body, I don't have to think about it and I can focus on playing.
Does anyone else have similar experience with this model (Corto) slipping off your leg? For anyone who can make an informed comparison, which of Scott's body styles is the most comfortable for extended playing while seated? My eyeballs draw me to the Fusion for this purpose, but I have not played one. More broadly, what's your most comfortable short-scale for playing while seated for a long stretch, disregarding all other considerations?
Does anyone else have similar experience with this model (Corto) slipping off your leg? For anyone who can make an informed comparison, which of Scott's body styles is the most comfortable for extended playing while seated? My eyeballs draw me to the Fusion for this purpose, but I have not played one. More broadly, what's your most comfortable short-scale for playing while seated for a long stretch, disregarding all other considerations?
