Need advice, Cort GB-94 vs. G&L L-2000 tribute

[lostcontrol_]

Hi everyone, I'm currently trying to trade my G&L L2000 tribute for something lighter and nicer and need some advice on a possible trade I've been offered.

Originally I was thinking of getting a fiver, possibly an MTD Kingston Artist 5 or something similar. Unfortunately nothing interesting has come up on that area, so I've come to the conclusion that I'll just either sell the G&L or trade it for another four-string.

Today, a random person offered me a Cort GB-94 + some cash in trade for the G&L. I have absolutely no experience with Corts (except having always loathed the awful sight of the Gene Simmons axe-bass) and the local stores don't seem to have Cort in their selections (except for the damned G.S.-bass). It's a 4-5 hour drive for the guy offering the trade (and sending it by mail isn't free), any background info would be appreciated.

Basically, I'm trying to figure out if it's a good deal for me.

I'm getting rid of the G&L because
- the neck feels a bit too thick for my preferences
- I'm not totally satisfied with the sound I'm getting out of it, one of those "almost there but not quite" -situations

In the G&L I've liked
- the brightness of the sound and overall tone, even though there's "something" I don't like
- that's about it

For the replacement bass I'm looking for
- a good sound & tone
- a nicer neck
- suitability for slow rock, alt./melancholic rock, post-rock etc., so I'm a bit suspicious about "rock basses"

I don't do slap.

So far I've listened to these demos of the Cort GB94:
- Teste do Cort GB 94 - YouTube
- Top Guitar. Music Man Sterling VS Cort GB-94, Cort A5 - YouTube
- Top Guitar. Cort GB-94 (for puffek) - YouTube
- Cazuza Bete Balanço Cover Baixo
- Pick up the pieces - YouTube (GB74 on this one)

... and it sounds pretty ok to me, but as we all know, watching a random quality video isn't as good as playing the actual instrument or hearing opinions from people who've actually played the bass.

Any advice or experiences is appreciated, thanks

 

[Marihino]

I've owned the GB94 for more than a year and gigged with it a lot. I regret selling it.

The neck is very comfortable, jazz-style but with flatter fingerboard radius. Sound is top class, if you like this sort of sound. Bridge MM-style humbucker is ceramic and much closer to the bridge than in Stingray, gives loads of growly midrange. Mid-positioned Quarterpounder is smoother, has big round bottom and nice top-end. Sounds amazing soloed, very airy, and with just a bit of bridge pickup mixed in, pulls off a throaty precision tone convincingly enough. The humbucker has a higher output than the J, so in the mid position of the balance knob, it dominates a little. And that's a very good fingerstyle sound, very tight, full and focused.
I didn't care for the "slap" switch. Played with it in the initial period, then kept it in the "off" position. It makes the lows too boomy and the highs too brittle. One can get a much nicer mid-scooped contour by using the onboard 3-band EQ controls. It's actually a good preamp, I believe it's a rather accurate asian copy of the Seymour Duncan. My friend had a bass with the american SD 3-band preamp, and when A/B'd, they did exactly the same things. The pickups on the Cort are american SD Basslines. Hardware is good, Hipshot Lic. tuners and a massive bridge.
If I had one now, I would get it modified to be able to bypass the preamp, and would probably replace the slap switch with a series/parallel/single coil tap for the humbucker. Overall, it's a good bass, if not very traditional. I loved it and wish I can find another one soon.

 

[Fashion Phil]

Hello there. Marihino basically said it all. I can only add that both are made on the same Cort factory. The bass looks and sounds like more expensive bass. Neck is very thin indeed. You can get practically any sound with the combination of pickups and EQ settings. To my taste it is a little bit too modern and complicated for me. I love the Stingray sound, and this bass can do it pretty well, but i have stingray and i dont need to copy the sound with this bass. On the other hand, i have GL Tribute Sb-2 and love that axe.
P.S I am that {random guy} who offered you the trade )

 

[lostcontrol_]

Haha, awesome! I kind of guessed it from your nick, nice of you to reply here as well

Hello there. Marihino basically said it all. I can only add that both are made on the same Cort factory. The bass looks and sounds like more expensive bass. Neck is very thin indeed. You can get practically any sound with the combination of pickups and EQ settings. To my taste it is a little bit too modern and complicated for me. I love the Stingray sound, and this bass can do it pretty well, but i have stingray and i dont need to copy the sound with this bass. On the other hand, i have GL Tribute Sb-2 and love that axe.
P.S I am that {random guy} who offered you the trade )

 

[slapnthebass]

Can the Cort GB92 do a convincing Jazz sound too? Or does the humbucker dominate a little too much to get that sound?

 

[Marihino]

I think it would be easier when having it modified to be able to coil-tap the humbucker. But even without it, setting balance at 60/40 (in favour of the J) does the trick. Not 100% jazz-bass tone, but a similar sound, and a very good one in its own right.