*NEW* Cort A5 Beyond (fan-fretted)

[Richard_P_Harve]

I stumbled into a really good deal one of these and it arrives next Wednesday. I'm hopeful to be sure, never even played a fan fret bass. Not 100% sure on the case, some places seem to sell it with a hard case but this vendor thinks it will be a gig bag, no big deal either way.

 

[Les BeeBee]

I stumbled into a really good deal one of these and it arrives next Wednesday.

I have envy for you, getting your new bass

I'd be interested if you can post back and give us a review of what you think about your new Cort Artisan A5 Beyond.

It's a slightly radical bass, which makes it interesting. I'd be interested to know if it meets your expectations. How is the feel. The tonality. What types of music it's good for. What you think about the close string spacing, and if there are advantages or disadvantages with that. And how long it takes you to get used to the multiscale fan frets.

On the other hand, if you post about your happy new bass day, you probably won't have had much time to get used to those things.

I hope it is exciting and enjoyable for you.

 

[A9X]

Sorry, I hadn't noticed these replies until now.

Hi A9X. Do you not like single cut basses because of the appearance?

Yes. They look like whales, and make me want to search out my harpoon.

I like the look of the Cort A5 Ultra bass that you mentioned.

I actually meant the A5 Ultra Ash, not just the Ultra.

I got an A4 Ultra Ash several months ago, and it's a magnificent instrument. The neck is as stable as my German Warwicks or US Fenders, while being significantly thinner in profile than either of those other brands. It's actually a better bass, in my opinion, than the top-end Ibanez SR models: I have an SR2600 and I prefer my Cort, on account of better sustain, better harmonics and tonal richness up and down the neck, and the frankly amazing Fishman Fluence PUs (which are truly noiseless and have a much better - and more nuanced - dynamic range than every other wound PU I've ever used; I suspect that many other PU manufacturers will be augmenting/replacing their current wound range with these sorts of solid-state models within a few years).

They're not solid state, they just use many very thin PCBs instead of copper wire.

I strongly advise you to get one as soon as you can afford it, even if it means you have to sell a couple of your current roster of basses.

It's going to be my Christmas present to myself.

 

[Richard_P_Harve]

Mini Review - The delivery was delayed by two days due to weather so it arrived yesterday. It came in a quality hard shell case which was an unexpected surprise. Build quality overall is very good, fret work is also very good. The fanned frets are really not a big deal and I felt comfortable quickly. Tight string spacing at 16mm, I came from an F-Bass that was 19mm so this will take a little time. I think my only concern is the pickups and the preamp, sounds a little too bright and thin to me. I expected that the electronics could be the challenge, may be an upgrade to Aguilar's soon. So far I'm very pleased overall.

 

[5StringPocket]

If these were available with 18mm spacing I'd buy one...

 

[Aidil]

If these were available with 18mm spacing I'd buy one...

Cort has another model with similar single cut body styling, but without the multi-scale/fanned fret. The string spacing is 18mm.

Cort A5 Plus SC

 

[5StringPocket]

Cort has another model with similar single cut body styling, but without the multi-scale/fanned fret. The string spacing is 18mm.

View attachment 4330463
Cort A5 Plus SC

Nice, it looks like a close cousin to the Ibby SRSC805 but with different woods and a little better balance. I can't find any specs on the MK-1 preamp but wonder if the bass/mid/treble frequencies are 30/250/10k like the NMTB?
Maybe if the MK-1 setup doesn't quite check all the boxes it could be upgraded to a Bart HR-5.4AP/918 Active/Passive pre and a set of MK5 pickups? The demo videos sound pretty good though.
https://bartolini.net/wp-content/uploads/Docs/NTMB_Wiring.pdf
5-String MK Soapbars - Bartolini Pickups & Electronics

 

[Richard_P_Harve]

Having now lived with it for several days I'm pleased to say I really like it. Fit and finish is way better than expected for this price range, the nut however is a hunk of black poorly shaped plastic. I have played it through my main bass rig and I'm now sure the pickups and pre need to be replaced. I'm thinking of just replacing the pickups with legit Bart's as some have suggested but I fear it won't get me where I would like to be which is why I'm thinking about Aguilar pups and an OBP-3 pre, I'm very confident that that combo will sound awesome. String spacing is still a learning curve in progress, thankfully I do little slapping as I'm finding that more difficult with the close strings.

 

[walbassist]

I've just picked up a new SCMS (basically the same model but with a different top as far as I can tell) for a good price and really like it.

For the money it's an amazing bass - just shy of 9lbs, balances perfectly, really resonant, fit and finish is great with perfect fret finishing. Every note rings out clearly on every string, and the tension really is very even from B to G. The neck is a flattened D profile. The string spacing is quite narrow, but as I only play fingerstyle it's an easy adjust, in fact I was surprised how easy it was to adjust to fan frets!

The only things I don't like are:

a) the nut was horrible when playing the upper strings in first position as it hard straight edges. This was an easy remedy though, as I just rounded them off with a file and then buffed it back to a shine.

b) The E string bridge unit has a nearly threaded screw in one slot and the other is clearly from a different batch, which is weird, but I've been in touch with Cort and they will be sending me a complete set to replace them all. Nice.

c) I can't see how the upper horn strap lock will hold a strap, so I'll be fitting Dunlop straploks today. The aged nickel versions go really well with the matte silver hardware.

d) The pickups and active circuit are fine, and I could live with them, but like others I will likely upgrade to the US-made Bartolini MK5CBC pickups and HR 5.4AP/918 preamp in due course. This pushes the cost up quite a bit, but the basic construction of the bass is so good I think it's a worthy upgrade.

I've attached some detail pictures so folk can see what you get for the $.

 

[Aidil]

d) The pickups and active circuit are fine, and I could live with them, but like others I will likely upgrade to the US-made Bartolini MK5CBC pickups and HR 5.4AP/918 preamp in due course. This pushes the cost up quite a bit, but the basic construction of the bass is so good I think it's a worthy upgrade.

I hope you haven't ordered the MK5CBC's just yet. The pickups are installed slanted on that bass, so there's a possibility the MK5CBC's sensing area wouldn't be wide enough to read the vibrations from all of the strings, especially the 2 outer (B & G) strings. Although, there's also a probability they'd be just fine since the string spacing is narrow thus the width from B to G would still be in the sensing area of the slated MK5CBC's.

In any case, the MK6CBC's should be the safer pair to choose, as these have wider sensing area.

 

[walbassist]

In any case, the MK6CBC's should be the safer pair to choose, as these have wider sensing area.

That is a very good shout! I haven't bought anything yet, so will research some more. Cheers!

 

[walbassist]

That is a very good shout! I haven't bought anything yet, so will research some more. Cheers!

According to the website, the MK5s have a sensing widith of 71mm and the 6s are 84mm. Just mocking them up with a piece of paper shows the 5s wouldn't be big enough with slanted pickups, so a great save @Aidil !

 

[walbassist]

I've completed the install of Bartolini MK6CBC pickups and an HR 5.4AP/918 preamp and I must say it's a definite upgrade on the original MK1 pickups and harness, at least to my ears.

I was expecting a three screw setup on each pickup but they are actually just held secure by two, which is the same as the MK1s. This is a bit of a disappointment, but with some strategically placed foam and better quality screws it's all good.

 

[Aidil]

I've completed the install of Bartolini MK6CBC pickups and an HR 5.4AP/918 preamp and I must say it's a definite upgrade on the original MK1 pickups and harness, at least to my ears.

I was expecting a three screw setup on each pickup but they are actually just held secure by two, which is the same as the MK1s. This is a bit of a disappointment, but with some strategically placed foam and better quality screws it's all good.

The MK6CBC could only have 2 screws, instead of 3 as on the MK4CBC and the MK5CBC, cause the 2 coils width inside the MK6 are wider than the other 2, thus they go until where the 2 top screws of the MK4 and MK5 are positioned.

 

[walbassist]

The MK6CBC could only have 2 screws, instead of 3 as on the MK4CBC and the MK5CBC, cause the 2 coils width inside the MK6 are wider than the other 2, thus they go until where the 2 top screws of the MK4 and MK5 are positioned.

That makes total sense, thank you for clarifying.

Also, sorry to the OP for hijacking their thread, but I hope the info I've added has been useful.

 

[primussucks9126]

Can anyone tell me the nut width and the width at the last fret?

I'm finding my current 5 string cumbersome for my hands, and tight string spacing on these has me hoping the dimensions are a bit slimmed down

 

[bebass]

Can anyone tell me the nut width and the width at the last fret?

I'm finding my current 5 string cumbersome for my hands, and tight string spacing on these has me hoping the dimensions are a bit slimmed down

Did you get an answer? I assume you are speaking of the A5 Beyond? It is not listed on the spec sheet but we have one incoming and I can measure for you if you want.

 

[primussucks9126]

Did you get an answer? I assume you are speaking of the A5 Beyond? It is not listed on the spec sheet but we have one incoming and I can measure for you if you want.

That would be great! I'd guess they're the same as/similar to Ibanez, but just wanted to confirm.

 

[scottfeldstein]

I'm not yet "in the market," but I think my next move will be to swap my Ibanez BTB745 for a multi scale fiver. This Cort has really got my attention. I love the neck through design and the single cut. Gotta make the neck super stable. I'm not crazy about 34" to 35.5". Other MS basses usually go to 37". But maybe that's not a deal breaker. I don't ever intend to downtune or anything. I think it's either this or an Ibanez BTB or SR mutliscale in my future. A Dingwall or a Spector would be more than I've ever spent on an instrument and I'm not sure I could pull that big of a trigger.

 

[Les BeeBee]

The Ibanez [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] is now on the market, and now I'm no longer looking at the Cort multiscale.

This new Ibanez features the T1 pickups, which have a greater tonal range than the Bartolini BH2s. I'm not a fan of those Bartolinis. Too dull.