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NBD: Cort is kinda incredible now?

VincentGrim

VincentGrim

Aug 17, 2008
1,009
470
#1
Snagged this from my local guitar shop. Kinda one of those "I've been playing it for two hours and can't leave without it" type situations. Anywho. Not prepared to do a full write up or anything, but I am utterly stunned at the quality and features. The roasted maple neck nearly looks like rosewood and I didn't even notice the black blocks and binding at first (I really like that). The pickups and preamp sound just really, really good.

How did I live without contoured neck heels for so long? And if Cort can do it at a $500 price point, why can't everyone else? These are the questions that keep me up at night.


Anyways:
IMG_20210111_150926381_MP.jpg

IMG_20210111_150937323.jpg
 
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#2
I keep reading this, and I dunno, it's gonna take quite a bit to shake the bad associations I have in my mind in relation to Cort. They were like the Harley Benton brand of the early '90s, but they didn't do it well. A whole slew of my friends played horrible Cort stuff starting out, like my buddy's "Cort Reed Smith" that never stayed in tune and weighed a ton.
 
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#4
VincentGrim said:
Snagged this from my local guitar shop. Kinda one of those "I've been playing it for two hours and can't leave without it" type situations. Anywho. Not prepared to do a full write up or anything, but I am utterly stunned at the quality and features. The roasted maple neck nearly looks like rosewood and I didn't even notice the black blocks and binding at first (I really like that). The pickups and preamp sound just really, really good.

How did I live without contoured neck heels for so long? And if Cort can do it at a $500 price point, why can't everyone else? These are the questions that keep me up at night.


Anyways:
View attachment 4124700
View attachment 4124701
Click to expand...

Never seen black blocks on such a dark fingerboard - almost invisible. Cool! Where can you buy Cort guitars? Honestly if the don't show up at the big stores I probably won't see them. Enjoy your new bass!
 
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#6
I saw Jeff Berlin at NAMM and he did a little seminar on bass playing. The thing that really impressed me was he didn't bring a bass with him. He is sponsored by Cort and he just sat down, turned around and grabbed a Cort bass that was hanging on the wall.
No special setup, no high end bass, just him and a Cort bass and he was amazing.
That really changed my opinion on Cort basses!
 
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#8
Cort and Samick have been making more guitars and basses than all the other manufacturers combined. They've both been making guitars and basses for other companies as well as 'store brands'. The Fender Jazz 24 was made by Cort for Fender is an example.
They seem to be associated with cheap instruments, and maybe that is true more so for Samick, but not Cort, except that when Cort made instruments in the distant past rather than recent past under their own name it was more entry level offerings.
But make no mistake, if you had a Korean or Indonesian made bass (many Ibanez' and others) it was very possibly made by Cor-Tek which is Cort. It really shouldn't be surprising, but since they're making more and more instruments under their own name you're seeing more and more Cort instruments.
That is a great looking Jazz style bass. The Artisan models are also supposed to be very good basses.
Enjoy your new Cort bass.:thumbsup:
 
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#10
The GB64jj is really solid, especially for the price. The guy running the oven at Cort has been drinking heavily or something- the roasted boards/necks I've seen from Cort recently have been a bit... overdone. (They build Ibanez premium too, same thing). My TMB505 and EHB1005 were earlier batches, but newer ones I've seen are much darker. At the end of the day, that's just an aesthetic preference and definitely doesn't take away from the quality of the instrument. Was impressed with the electronics (especially hum cancelling PUs at this price!), the build, and value overall. Congrats!
 
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#15
I’ve had a Cort Jade6 acoustic guitar for the last 12 years and played a couple of hundred gigs on it. Incredible value for money, good sound through the fishman pickup, and indestructible (trust me...this was thoroughly tested by me, my bike, and a pedestrian on the way to a gig).
 
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#16
hmmm yeah i saw a persona artisan bass in lavender (purple) that had barts in it and looked real nice but at 1400 USD I don't know that I could pay that kind of money for a cort...I can't get the stigma of the guitars of the early 80s out of my head and back then, that brand was garbage. However I would play one in a store if I saw it just to see..I think if I had 1.4k to spend I might save more and get a purple kiesel zeus tho..but that's my own personal opinion which means nothing to anyone else..
 
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#17
People have long memories, and when Cort had a lot of US distribution many years ago, they were rank, cheap instruments lumped in with Hondos and other bottom feeders of the day, back when you'd see those awful Les Paul copies in plywood with a bolt-on neck.

They certainly are far from that these days, but without their new stuff being out for sale to show how nice a lot of their axes are, people hear that name, and there you go.

Personally, I'd love to test-drive a Rythmic Five: On paper, it's a whole lotta bass for the money, but not the slightest idea where I could go to see one.
 
#18
There is no doubting that Cort were at one point total rubbish. That era is a long, long way behind them now.

They undoubtedly had some sort of a reckoning a good few years ago, when they asked themselves 'if we build great guitars for other brands, who not for ourselves?'. They had the expertise, undoubtedly, and simply decided to lift their brand up. I remember playing an Artisan 6 a good few years ago, when they first started doing the brushed metal hardware like the Ibanez BTB line, and I was blown away by the quality of it. These days, I have a Cort Jeff Berlin Rithimic model because I am a huge fan of his work and his sound. That is another stunning bass, as good as any I've owned and has one of the best tones I've ever heard. I've owned, and continue to own, some great boutique stuff and it Rithimic is able to stand alongside that.

If you want to see what Cort can really do, check out some of their limited edition acoustic builds that they present at NAMM. They are sensational. I'd be happy picking up a Cort off the rack for any gig.
 
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#19
I've been looking at Cort for awhile, but 2 things are keeping them off my list, the 5 strings seem to weigh more than 9.5lbs and I haven't found any with 18-19mm spacing at the bridge. They definitely seem to have raised their game.
 
#20
They’ve indeed definitely upped their game, and no doubt they’re fine instruments.... but as shallow as it may sound, I can’t see myself rocking a Cort bass on stage. I know it’s not just about the looks or the attitude, but a Cort bass just doesn’t cut it... I mean, I know it’s a silly argument, but can you name... 5 famous bassists playing Cort?
 

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