Cort Artisan (A4, B4, C4) plus basses, what is the difference ?

I don't have an answer, but that's a good question

 

It's hard to tell, but here's a place to start at least: Artisan Series > Cort Guitars and Basses | Electric Guitars, Basses & Amplifier

 

The only way to know is to find a dealer that stocks them and play them. Your profile doesn't say, but I'm guessing you're not in the U.S., so playing these basses might be difficult. Have you checked YouTube for video reviews?

 

I suppose I can help. I have Artisan A5 plus, B5 AS RM and C5 plus basses.

* All have Bartolini MK1 pickups.
* The B5 AS RM and C5 both have Markbass preamps.
* The A5 has a Bartolini preamp.
* The A5 is a neck-thru and the B5 and C5 are both bolt-on.
* The A5 and B5 have Hipshot tuners.
* The A5 also has a hipshot bridge.
* The B5 and C5 both have Cort high mass bridges.
* The C5 has generic tuners, but they are very good.

 

Well, the A5 is the only one of the 3 that does NOT have a Markbass preamp. It does sound a bit different. For that matter, all 3 seem to have their own voice even if they are all quite similar sounding/playing. I think the A5 sounds pretty similar to my Lakland 44-01, probably because the electronics are exactly the same.

As for the quality, all 3 are excellent. They are all quite comparable. Sure, the A5 and B5 have fancier finishes and tuners, but the C5 has exotic woods and excellent hardware as well. They all arrived perfectly setup and ready to gig. The action on these is the lowest of my 14 basses.

For the A5 you're paying extra for
- 5 piece neck
- Neck-thru
- hipshot tuners
- hipshot bridge

For the B5 you're paying extra for
- 5 piece neck
- Markbass preamp
- roasted maple fingerboard
- hipshot tuners

 

No problem. Let us know what you decide to purchase. If you are in the US, I highly recommend the Reverb Seller "Wire Meets Wood" for Cort purchases. I've ordered 4 Cort basses thru them and they were fantastic and accepted my reasonable offers.

 

Skip the C, go with B or A.

C has same one piece maple neck and tuning machines use on low price Action bass .

The B also available in Roasted neck.

Cort Artisan bass has serious punchy tone.
Both pickups placement more forward to bridge side compare to Ibanez SR bass.
The good thing is better B string clarity on 5 string model, but the D and G sound thin to my ear.

I own B5 previously, but I play Cort Action Dlx V currently. This cheap 5 string has warmer and thicker tone even both pup close to bridge side. The B string sound better than same price range bass like Squier Affinity J5 , VM 70J V and ibby GSR 205.

Even Cort are Great value of money(Hipshot tuner, Bart mk1, adjustable bridge saddle, preamp with passive/active , nice looking natural swamp ash body..... ), but I highly recommend you Yamaha TRBX304/305. Pretty close QC but I prefer Yamaha tone ～ wide range of nice bass sound.

 

Man, ya gotta love TB!

 

I've owned a TRBX305 and I prefer my Corts to the Yamaha. The Yamaha had a more vanilla sound.

Sure the A5 and B5 are a step above the C5 but don't sleep on the C-series. They are an exceptional value. Tremendous basses for the money.

 

C4/C5 is nice, but the neck are not as stable as B and A neck. My local seller also recommend B and A rather C, since they get lot neck issue from buyer.
My current Action dlx v neck has neck stable issue , include my previous Cort Arona 4, but still better than Ibanez SR300 which has banana neck even small amount temperature/humidity change.
Both my Squier CVP and Sub ray 4 neck are solid and stable.

 

I have a 2 year old cort B4 plus MH. Sounds fantastic. Awesome, full tone and very versatile. It's my gigging bass for a 90s cover band. Only complaint is that when I go hard I've scratched into the finish above the E string. See the picture. Still a beautiful bass if you like the natural dark wood color.

 

I recently purchased a Cort C6...never player another bass since...it's great!!!!

 

Cort, Fernandes and Tokai are generally overlooked instruments, but the quality of all three are outstanding.

 

While not an Artisan, the 2019 Cort GB74 Gig I purchased in November is an incredible instrument. My first Cort and zero regrets. Cort GB74 Gig | GB Series Electric Bass

Now I am on the market for a Cort 6 string , hence coming across this thread.

 

Thanks for this! I just bought a B4 AS RM. They stopped making them so they are sending me the new B4 Element, which is essentially the same guitar only with a mahogany body/ash top, Bartonlini Pre-amp, and a Metal Craft M4 bridge. I really can’t believe the specs on the Cort products at this price point.