Buying: Cort GB95 vs Cort GB75P?

[mrelwood]

I rarely see value in these "which one should I buy" threads, but I've been swaying back and forth for a while without a conclusion, so I'm forced to put one up of my own.


BACKGROUND

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The Cort has a great sound and marvellous ergonomics, but the dead spot at and around the 7th fret of the G-string is too severe for me to bear. The KSD has a nicer sound acoustically, and the replaced handmade pickups are nice, but the ergonomics make the bass too cumbersome for me to play. Not sure wether it's the neck-heaviness, 35" scale, or the narrow bridge pickup lacking in hand support that bother me the most.

Lakland Skyline 44-01 rw and 44-02 maple are now "Crafted in Indonesia", and they just didn't have the body resonance I long for. Skyline 55-60 was pretty good, but I didn't feel a significant difference over my KSD. G&L didn't have the sound nor the ergonomics.
Sandberg California TM5 were very good, but since they also have a slight dead spot, I'm not sure I can justify the cost (1300-1700€ vs 700€ Cort).

Since the Cort has superb ergonomics and I want a rosewood fretboard, I'm now looking at the GB95 and GB75P (Limited edition). Cort no longer has a distributor in Finland, so I have to order blind. Notable differences are:

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- Spalted maple top
- Seymour Duncan pickups
- Adjustable string spacing (I use 18,5mm instead of 18mm on the GB75)

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- Dao top
- Mighty Mite pickups (I suppose)
- Fishman Powerbridge piezo bridge

The tops seem to be only a thin veneer, so I'm not sure they contribute to the sound that much.


THE QUESTIONS

- Has anyone of you yet tried the GB75P? How was it? Notable dead spots?
- Anyone compared the basic GB75 and the GB95?
- Comments on the Fishman Powerbridge? Is the piezo sound usable on a cover gig playing evergreens and mimicking a really old bass sound, perhaps even an upright?

Duncans over Mighty Mites might be a done deal for some, but since the Mighty Mites in my GB75 sound just fine, the piezo might be a bigger selling point for me.

Thanks for anyone who can contribute!

 

[mrelwood]

I guess the question was too lengthy for people to be interested. Anyway, I think I'll order the GB95 next week since I'm not sure I'd use the piezos that much, if at all.

 

[milo]

Cort GB 95 you will never regreat it.
Plays like a dream ,very low action,build quality is top,basslines pups.
Well known guitar maker and repaire guy here in Slovenia got one for set up,and he compared it to Lakland skyline 5502.Cort blown away Lakland and both are made in same Cort factory so Cort knows what they are doing

 

[Growly Lytes]

I think the Mighty Mite pickups on the Punisher made by Cort sound pretty good for cheap pickups.
The replacements are EMG.

 

[Etienne38]

Hi, I guess I am too late, but I had the "basic" GB75 OPN and I bought recently both fretted and fretless GB75P.

I was VERY happy with the upgrade, and the basses are far more sensitive and reactive !

I have more fun to play with, and I like their look.

The piezo is a nice addition, but I don't use it much.

I never tried the GB95 so I cannot give you any comparison, but for sure, if I would have to decide again to buy the limited edition GB75, I would do it again for sure !

 

[mrelwood]

Funny thing bumping in this thread I started 3 years ago!

I ended up buying the GB-5 Custom (GB95 with a new name). Unfortunately there was something in the combination of woods (I suspect) that I found stiff sounding. A good Jazz Bass has a funky spank when dug hard or slapped, and it feels like the bass itself jumps to create the note. The GB-5 Custom was further away from that than the GB75. I have gigged with the GB75, GB-5 Custom and the GB75 with a GB-5 Custom neck (rosewood fretboard), but mostly with my KSD Proto-J 605 (35" 5-string JB) as the KSD has the nicest spank of the basses I own. But I've felt that I'm not where I want to be with my basses. So, here I am again!

Hi, I guess I am too late, but I had the "basic" GB75 OPN and I bought recently both fretted and fretless GB75P.

I was VERY happy with the upgrade, and the basses are far more sensitive and reactive !

Guess what, you're not at all too late! What I decided a few weeks ago is to focus on playing the KSD and sell both the GB-5 Custom and the trusty GB75 (and the GB65 that was a bit of a whim), and buy for example the GB75 WPL with the rosewood fretboard. Thank god I found your reply! It seems that the GB75P would be quite a bit more to my liking than the GB75 rosewood. Might be quite a quest though, as it's a rare bird and no longer in production.

Anyway, three For Sale adds to make. I should get on it...

 

[Etienne38]

But I've felt that I'm not where I want to be with my basses. So, here I am again!

That's life, and I am now in the same situation.
I enjoy very much the GB75P but I played on a precision fender, and I fall in love with the sensitivity of the bass, which is far greater than my Cort.
Another point is that even if I found that playing with fretless is great and brings great "freedom" feelings, I figure out now that I nearly never play anymore on the GB75P fretless.
These two points in mind, and additionally the fact that I will receive the money from house sale, I will sell these two twins and buy a new bass.

Might be quite a quest though, as it's a rare bird and no longer in production.
Anyway, three For Sale adds to make. I should get on it...

So, I will probably sell the two GB75P (fretted and fretless), probably around the end of this year.
I am not at all in a hurry because I have no idea which high quality bass to buy, so I will have to find the one which will make me feel so mmmmmhwouawwww
If you are interested, just mp me your email address and I will keep you informed.

 

[mrelwood]

Interesting times! The sensitivity of a bass is very much what I'm looking for also, but no Precision has the JM pickup setup I have grown to love.

You earlier said your GB75P to be far more sensitive and reactive than your GB75 OPN, and later a Precision Bass to be even more sensitive. Do you still feel the same about the GB75 OPN vs GB75P? Which Precision was it by the way, perhaps an older one?

 

[Etienne38]

I don't know which was the exact model of the Fender precision bass I played on.
I felt the same sensibility on the ATK304 bass (but except the sensibility, that bass is not meeting my needs so I will not switch to it)
Yes I confirm the P is more sensitive because the pickups are upgraded comparing to the OPN and indeed we feel it.

 

[mrelwood]

I know what you mean, the pickups in the OPN are okay but they are lacking a bit in the dynamics. How would you compare the OPN to the 75P acoustically? The pickups can be changed later on anyway, I am much more critical to the acoustic feel of a bass.

 

[Etienne38]

I am not good enough to hear any difference except that sensibility actually.
The additional piezzo pickup on the P is bringing an additional way to build the sound.
Actually I bought them 80% for the sensibility and pleasure to play comparing to the OPN, and 20% for the dark brown look which I really like, especially taking into account that the two basses I own now are real twins except for their frets (one with and the other without) which is great and very nice.
For me the OPN was already very good about the sound, but just more shy.
If I wouldn't have the P fretless before, I would have kept the OPN and would have upgraded it.

 

[mrelwood]

Etienne38, thank you so much for the very valuable information! I am so lucky to get this precise comparisons to the OPN I have and plan to replace. I'm pretty sure the GB75P is a must have for me in the future.

 

[DavidEdenAria]

I know what you mean, the pickups in the OPN are okay but they are lacking a bit in the dynamics. How would you compare the OPN to the 75P acoustically? The pickups can be changed later on anyway, I am much more critical to the acoustic feel of a bass.

I agree on the acoustic quality of the bass being foremost.....that's a far more important quality in the 6 string guitar world than bass world from what I've gathered.

When I first ventured into basses in general from the 6 string world, I searched out the most resonant and best built basses with quality hardware for dirt cheap.

I wound up with late 80's USA Peavey Fury (P copy with J neck) because of the lighter weight, excellent build quality and ease of service and parts replacements (P bass guts basically)....installed a Duncan SCB2 (hot P pickup) and that's it, does everything a passive P type bass should do imo...resonant, balanced, dynamic, lightweight and the neck feels "worn in" like an old Fender....lighter than most Fender P basses too.

I started looking at "higher end modded Fender" types such as the Corts which I saw a few used and was very impressed of the features and build quality.

That particular Cort bass itself left me sort of cold but I can't remember the model no.....it was around $500 used USA.

Recently in my quest for a cheap Stingray type, I happened upon a Cort Stingray copy of sorts (passive)...it absolutely felt warm and resonant and plugged in sounded great too...probably the Mighty Mite type Stingray pickup...should have bought it......it felt very "alive".

Like 6 string guitars, its best to have the actual bass in hand or a good return policy.

 

[Etienne38]

Soooooo...
Several years later, I was doing so search on the internet to find some info about the Cort GB75 PFL and I found again this post xD

I guess that "again" I am a bit late to give some info, but at least a little feedback is always nice and who knows, perhpas the info will be useful for other visitors.

So, finally, I sold my house, and had the opportunity to buy a "real high end expensive woooow bass".

But I was soooo happy with my two twins (GB75P and GB75PFL) that I hesitated during a long time.

Then I went to a few stringed instrument makers (the word in french is "luthier" and I am not sure of the translation)
And I asked them if it would be a good idea to upgrade my two Cort instead of buying high end bass.

They tested and inspect the instruments and told me that they were very well made and it would not be a nonsense to upgrade the pickups and preamp if I enjoyed these basses.

So finally, I decided to do it (it was in 2017)
The fretless is upgraded with Bartolini pickups and Noll TCM3 preamp
The fretted is upgraded with Delano pickups and Noll TCM3 preamp

The Noll TCM3 preamp has a 3 bands EQ (instead of the 2 bands EQ originally on the basses)

Concerning the Piezzo, it was a bit difficult : it had its own Fishman preamp, but it was not compatible with the Noll preamp (the volume of the Noll preamp managing the magnetic pickups was far too low)
So we removed the Fishman preamp and add the Noll mixpot (to have a balance between the magnetics and the piezzo pickups), then the volumes were ok, but the piezzo pickup was producing an horrible sound with too much treble.
So, the guy found a hand made solution and put a resistor which act as a high cut filter.

So now, after so many years, I am still with my GB75 twins, very happy, with a very good sound, an excellent sensitivity and dynamics, and the three pickups permit a incredibly great palette of different sounds.
The jazz brings a warm round bassy sound
The humbucker is bringing the growl, funky if set to single coil or serie, dirty and powerful for rock when set to parallel mode
The piezzo is bringing an acoustic double bass colour (especially on the fretless)
And if you play the three together, you have a very rich sound which is great.

No regret to have made that upgrade and to have decided to keep my beloved twins !

And YES the upgrade of the pickups is a really great idea !