Neck-through 5-string, looking at Cort A5. Anything to be aware of?

[toughluck]

I have a Harley Benton BZ-4000 II (Deluxe series) bass. It's simply glorious. It's gorgeous, comfortable, it intonates perfectly, it has good tone.

But I tried out a 5 string in a shop and want to switch up. I find them a very good fit, the dimensions are just right, they're just what I expected and a fairly easy switch for me.

It must be a neck-through. I got used to the comfort and every time I play my old bass, I'm loving the sound, but can't get used to the neck.

I don't want to spend too much, so the budget choices are rather limited. Basically, I'm down to:
- Harley Benton BZ-5000 II
- Cort A5 (new or used)
- Cort A5 Ultra

I know the weaknesses of the Harley Benton — they're basically the same as my guitar: noisy treble. As soon as treble is cranked up just a bit, it gets stupid hissy. The pickups are fair, but considering the replacement cost, I'm looking at replacing them with a set of Fishman Fluence pickups. I'd reuse the Graph-Tech ratio tuners that I got for my bass (just get the extra B0 tuner) and I'd be set.

Cort A5 Plus have Bartolini MK-1 pickups. User reviews say that the pickups are good, but the electronics are just as mediocre as on the HB with the same treble problem. Fishman Fluence set doesn't fit the pickup cavities, however, so the only option is replacing the onboard preamp. Which is okay, since Taurus, a local Polish company, makes an excellent preamp set for bass guitars that doesn't break the bank.

I have three used options for Cort A5: two older models with a standard bridge and a newer model with a through-body bridge. The latter is a store demo model in excellent/like new condition. The older models are in excellent condition, too (at least from the pictures, and the sellers are very forthcoming).

Of course, adding/replacing electronics and hardware in any guitar will bring the cost up, which I why I also mentioned the Cort A5 Ultra. It's equipped with a Fishman Fluence set from the factory and I wouldn't have to bother replacing the electronics. Cort also uses Hipshot tuners which are considered among the best, which is another point where I could save some money.

Overall, at today's prices:
Harley Benton (new)+Fishman+Graph Tech tuner: 1999+1255+~150≈3400 (~€800)
Cort A5 (used/newer version)+Taurus preamp: 2200+600=2800 (~€660)
Cort A5 (used/older version)+Taurus preamp: 1900+600=2500 (~€590)
Cort A5 (new, from Amazon)+Taurus preamp: 2800+600=3400 (~€800)
Cort A5 Ultra: 5200 (~€1225)

As I was typing that out, I realized that Cort A5 is the more reasonable choice. I love the look and feel of my Harley Benton and the 5-string would be more of the same that I like so much, which is why it's on the list.

Any pitfalls I should be aware of buying a Cort A5?

 

[BassMan-101]

I personally love the Ibanez BTB series, they range from around $1000-$2000

 

[crazycloud]

Any pitfalls I should be aware of buying a Cort A5?

No, they're awesome. I have an A6, and an A5 Ultra Ash.

Lot's of people like to whinge about the MK1 PUs, but they're not that bad. Linked below is the A6 demo'd by the excellent Bonedo Bass and another by Dan Veale.

One of the PUs that will fit the A5 are the new EMG E5W. Online tests sound great, and I'm getting a set for my Ibanez GVB36.

With the A5, the different bridge between the new and old models will make zero practical difference. If the used are in great condition and at a good price, I'd look at them strongly if I were you.





Really, you should get the A5 and the A5 Ultra Ash.

 

[mokl]

Just chipping in, I wouldn't fear the MK1 pickups either. I had a positive experience with them on a Lakland 55-01, although that did have a proper NTMB preamp. Honestly, it sounded extremely good with the band.

No experience of the Cort, I'm afraid, but looks a strong proposition to me.

 

[toughluck]

No, they're awesome. I have an A6, and an A5 Ultra Ash.

Excellent. How do pickups compare between the default Bartolinis in A6 and the Fishman Fluences in A5 Ultra?

Lot's of people like to whinge about the MK1 PUs, but they're not that bad. Linked below is the A6 demo'd by the excellent Bonedo Bass and another by Dan Veale.

I'm aware of the main concern that the electronics are noisy, especially in high frequency if you crank up the treble. I bought an aftermarket preamp since it was on sale and I intend to use it if I get the A5.

One of the PUs that will fit the A5 are the new EMG E5W. Online tests sound great, and I'm getting a set for my Ibanez GVB36.

I was unaware of them, but they're on my radar now. I wonder how they compare to Fishman Fluences, considering that Fluences have much more processing done right in the pickups.

With the A5, the different bridge between the new and old models will make zero practical difference. If the used are in great condition and at a good price, I'd look at them strongly if I were you.

I see the new bridge can have strings mounted straight, not through the body, but the mounting mechanism looks clunky. OTOH, I played a PJ with a classic bent bridge, no quick change, and I didn't mind it much.

 

[crazycloud]

How do pickups compare between the default Bartolinis in A6 and the Fishman Fluences in A5 Ultra?

Listen to some review videos to try to get a better handle on it - here's another couple of Dan Veall videos of the A5 UA, and the A4 UA. I find trying to describe tone in words worthless, and haven't found anyone better than me.





Bass The World



and Bass Musician Mag



Plenty of others too. I think you'll get the idea.

I'm aware of the main concern that the electronics are noisy, especially in high frequency if you crank up the treble. I bought an aftermarket preamp since it was on sale and I intend to use it if I get the A5.

I don't find mine noisy, but I don't have the need to crank the treble especially as I tend to favour brighter and / or SS rounds and I prefer a brighter sonic profile from my instruments.

I wonder how they compare to Fishman Fluences, considering that Fluences have much more processing done right in the pickups.

I've had other people who own the new E series and the EMG DCs, that they're 'closer' to the DCs. I'll know sooner or later as another of my 34" 6's is getting a DC set.

 

[toughluck]

@crazycloud The tone is really good, obviously, and the pickups are very capable. Fishman did a great job and I really like the concept of those — that one set of pickups can cover virtually any genre.

However... I haven't seen any direct comparison to more pedestrian bass guitars with ordinary passive pickups and active electronics, Most pertinently, I haven't seen a direct comparison to a Cort A5 equipped with Bartolini pickups.

I am well aware why — professional reviewers would get immediately blacklisted for a comparison that would necessarily highlight the shortcomings of one product or another rather than comparing them with a set of objective measurements.

But you're not constrained by this, so I'm mostly after verifying this from the Fluence manual:

There are several things you should notice as you spend time with Fluence. There is a sense of immediacy in response to your playing, unlike traditional pickups which have the feeling of a slower response time by comparison. Listen for the fundamental in relationship to the overtones, and individual notes within chords to come through more clearly.

The volume controls behave in a more usable manner.

Reducing your volume control doesn’t degrade the tone of the pickups. You may be more inclined to allow higher signal and headroom at the amp or pedals and control the gain structure with your volume knob.

Fluence pickups are very low noise, even in single coil mode.

They made those four claims, and I'd just like to check with you how true are these claims?

 

[toughluck]

About the closest I found to an actual comparison:


Obviously the tone is different, but that's something that can be dialed in. I'm still curious about the response and other usability angles, though.

 

[crazycloud]

The claims;

1 - marketing bumpf.
2 - active buffered PUs typically behave this way.
3 - same as last, not seeing much difference to other actives like EMGs,
4 - true.

I'm still curious about the response and other usability angles, though.

Dunno what this actually means.

 

[toughluck]

(Replying to my question about response and usability angle of Fishman Fluence pickups)

Dunno what this actually means.

Exactly what you said.

Response — whether it's obvious that the guitar plays differently, as in that "sense of immediacy" way. Marketing.
Usability — "usable" volume and no tone change when changing volume. To be honest, I'm always annoyed that ordinary volume pots, going down from max, have almost no dropoff at first and then drop off a cliff, making precise changes all that more difficult. But that's something to be solved with a quality log pot, not inherent to active pickups. No tone change is trickier, but I noticed that playing at lower volume, I usually want a different tone anyway.
Low noise — it's easy to quantify, but I don't find ordinary pickups to be that noisy in the first place.

Thanks!