The first two digits in Cort’s numbering system is the year. So the A4 would be 2020. The Laguna, if it uses the same system (and it likely does) is a 2007.
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The first two digits in Cort’s numbering system is the year. So the A4 would be 2020. The Laguna, if it uses the same system (and it likely does) is a 2007.
Dear Cort Players,
I am looking at a Cort B4 FL Bass. I found some Threads here on tb. Just wanned to check, if anyone has actually something bad to say about that bass. I love the wenge-neck. But am not sure about the markbass pre-amp. Any suggestions?
Cheers
KARLI
The Markbass preamp is fine, a bit better than the old preamps Cort used; I am not a fan of active tone controls so I removed them from my B4FLs.
I didn’t buy four of them because they’re bad basses.
In general the first couple of digits are the year of manufacture and the rest of the numbers refer to mo/day/unit # in some order or another. Of
the TB70 looks to be a 2007 based on the 07 serial number - I believe they were available from musicians friend 2007-2009 for more info just search Laguna Ocean in the search bar and see what others are saying
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After a short stint with y’all my most recent Cort is gone (Jeff Berlin Rithimic V).
I wanted to like it but it is badly designed. Uncomfortable, doesn’t balance well, bad pickup choice. I haven’t played the 4 string but I’m guessing that it’s great and when Cort floated the idea of the 5 string, JB (a devout 4 string-er) said “sure, use my name” but had NO part in the body design. The neck feels superb though, too bad.
Anyway, pleasure spending time with y’all, bought a new 5-er and am going back to the Soundgear club
I wanted to like it but it is badly designed. Uncomfortable, doesn’t balance well, bad pickup choice. I haven’t played the 4 string but I’m guessing that it’s great and when Cort floated the idea of the 5 string, JB (a devout 4 string-er) said “sure, use my name” but had NO part in the body design. The neck feels superb though, too bad.
Anyway, pleasure spending time with y’all, bought a new 5-er and am going back to the Soundgear club
2 update on my GB74jj.
First, neck swap. Store agree me a bass swap, but the new one weight 10lbs+, mine just less than 9lbs. At the end , they give me just neck swap, so far, the new neck look better stable meanwhile the bass still keep under 9lbs.
The second thing is, I thought the passive mode are warmth enough to sound close to passive Fender jazz bass, but, it just sound blank along with thin G string and lack clarity E compare to active mode. Even how I tweak the bass amp EQ, still can't get the sweet classic jazz bass voice.
But, everything get better after I tweak the onboard preamp treble knob in active mode !
Here is the magic. 90 degree roll back from middle , overall tone sound much warmth, "Q" up the mid voice and the treble become rounder.
Meanwhile, to make it sound modern hi fi jazz bass tone, just raise the treble knob 45 degree from middle position, sparkling Hi, some mid scoop and solid low mid increase.
Really enjoy the bass tone after the treble knob tweak. Just ignore the passive mode....
Thanks for reading.
First, neck swap. Store agree me a bass swap, but the new one weight 10lbs+, mine just less than 9lbs. At the end , they give me just neck swap, so far, the new neck look better stable meanwhile the bass still keep under 9lbs.
The second thing is, I thought the passive mode are warmth enough to sound close to passive Fender jazz bass, but, it just sound blank along with thin G string and lack clarity E compare to active mode. Even how I tweak the bass amp EQ, still can't get the sweet classic jazz bass voice.
But, everything get better after I tweak the onboard preamp treble knob in active mode !
Here is the magic. 90 degree roll back from middle , overall tone sound much warmth, "Q" up the mid voice and the treble become rounder.
Meanwhile, to make it sound modern hi fi jazz bass tone, just raise the treble knob 45 degree from middle position, sparkling Hi, some mid scoop and solid low mid increase.
Really enjoy the bass tone after the treble knob tweak. Just ignore the passive mode....
Thanks for reading.
JB signature bass are nice, but I never prefer the tone and high price tag. If I spend same money, better I go with new Mim Geddy Lee or used mij Geddy Lee jazz.
Does anyone know where I could find a replacement neck for a Cort SB10. Truss rod is stripped on mine. Thank in advance for any information.
Try an A4 or A5. Neck through sustain, JB playability with decent Bart pickups. They have to be the best bang for the buck.
I've owned a Cort GB54JJ (jazz) bass for a few years. I love the bass, but had always been a little disappointed in the tone; I thought it sounded weak and lacking in character. For a while I was considering replacing the pickups.
Then it occurred to me that I had never checked the distance between the pole pieces and the bottom of the strings. When I did I found that the distances were roughly in the 4 to 5 mm range, i.e., too large.
I loosened the pickup screws but found that the pickups still would not pop up far enough. So, I removed the screws, tilted the pickups out of the body, and added foam weather stripping pieces (1/8" thick, 3/8" wide) to the bottom of the existing pickup foam, then re-installed the pickups. I was then able to set the distances to those recommended by Fender for jazz pickups - 2.8 mm on the bass side (E string) and 2 mm on the treble side (G string). By the way, when you measure the aforementioned distances be sure to depress the string at the highest (e.g., 21st) fret.
The improvement in tone is noticeable, and I think I'll stick with the stock pickups!
Then it occurred to me that I had never checked the distance between the pole pieces and the bottom of the strings. When I did I found that the distances were roughly in the 4 to 5 mm range, i.e., too large.
I loosened the pickup screws but found that the pickups still would not pop up far enough. So, I removed the screws, tilted the pickups out of the body, and added foam weather stripping pieces (1/8" thick, 3/8" wide) to the bottom of the existing pickup foam, then re-installed the pickups. I was then able to set the distances to those recommended by Fender for jazz pickups - 2.8 mm on the bass side (E string) and 2 mm on the treble side (G string). By the way, when you measure the aforementioned distances be sure to depress the string at the highest (e.g., 21st) fret.
The improvement in tone is noticeable, and I think I'll stick with the stock pickups!
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Count me in, guys!
B4 Plus Fl (2016) and B4 Plus RM (2019)
These are my only basses and I love them to bits! I've had the fretted one for just a couple of weeks had to repair a small ding in the lateral part of the fretboard on the treble side. Took some 20 minutes of work with a little sandpaper and superglue. Also, the neck wasn't properly cleaned but, again, a little work with Dunlop 01 cleaner and now it's nice and clean. I have just a little more work with some 3200 grit sponge to make it nice and sleek like on the FL, other than that it's an incredible instrument, not just for the money, but in general, just an outstanding bass.
Before I bought it, I ordered a Fender player Jaguar. It's 50% more expensive and not even close to the overall quality and feel of the Cort. Apart from the fact that the Fender's neck didn't need any cleaning/repairing, there isn't a single thing that I found better on the Fender. The moment I put it down to pick up my B4 Fl, I realized how much better it felt and I returned the Fender the next day and ordered the B4 RM. I'm so glad I did!
The only thing that really disappoints me about the B4 is the lack of a passive tone. Although I prefer, by far, active electronics/pickups on guitars, it's the opposite on bass, I far prefer them to be passive. I consider removing the preamp, maybe, in time, and switch to a passive volume/tone/volume/tone. I love how they sound with the EQ turned off and mostly play them this way. The bartolini's really sound nice and with a little tweaking, I found the neck (maybe I should call it middle) pickup can sound pretty darn close to a precision pickup. I can't stand roundwounds so I have GHS flats on the fretless and d'Addario chromes on the fretted, sound and feel on both is A++!
B4 Plus Fl (2016) and B4 Plus RM (2019)
These are my only basses and I love them to bits! I've had the fretted one for just a couple of weeks had to repair a small ding in the lateral part of the fretboard on the treble side. Took some 20 minutes of work with a little sandpaper and superglue. Also, the neck wasn't properly cleaned but, again, a little work with Dunlop 01 cleaner and now it's nice and clean. I have just a little more work with some 3200 grit sponge to make it nice and sleek like on the FL, other than that it's an incredible instrument, not just for the money, but in general, just an outstanding bass.
Before I bought it, I ordered a Fender player Jaguar. It's 50% more expensive and not even close to the overall quality and feel of the Cort. Apart from the fact that the Fender's neck didn't need any cleaning/repairing, there isn't a single thing that I found better on the Fender. The moment I put it down to pick up my B4 Fl, I realized how much better it felt and I returned the Fender the next day and ordered the B4 RM. I'm so glad I did!
The only thing that really disappoints me about the B4 is the lack of a passive tone. Although I prefer, by far, active electronics/pickups on guitars, it's the opposite on bass, I far prefer them to be passive. I consider removing the preamp, maybe, in time, and switch to a passive volume/tone/volume/tone. I love how they sound with the EQ turned off and mostly play them this way. The bartolini's really sound nice and with a little tweaking, I found the neck (maybe I should call it middle) pickup can sound pretty darn close to a precision pickup. I can't stand roundwounds so I have GHS flats on the fretless and d'Addario chromes on the fretted, sound and feel on both is A++!
I have two A4s. One technically is a '07 Laguna Ocean which was a past GC house brand effort but is identical to my A4 save for the headstock and the bridge. I inherited the Laguna when I picked up the bass a few years ago (I'm a drummer ... long story) figuring I would "upgrade" to a real Fender if I got serious. Well, I got good enough to consider the "upgrade" but when I tried a PB at GC I didn't care for the neck. I then tried a JB and was surprised to find it really played no better than my Laguna. So instead I picked up a real '20 Cort A4 off Reverb. I thought I would move over to the A4 and leave my Laguna as a backup but not so fast. The necks are identical and while I find the rounded body of the A4 a bit more comfortable than the bevels on the Laguna the latter is just a tad more playable (for me anyway, maybe just a minor set up difference). So I play them both. Right now I'd be hard pressed to pick a #1 for gigging.
Both have d'Addario flat chromes and play through a nifty little 1x10 Ampeg BA110 SS practice amp. Everyone raves about the Fender SS bass amps and I started with a 1x10 Rumble 40. Still, I am a logo snob so I reasoned that since I wasn't going to have a real "Fender Bass" in the practice/family room I wanted a classic Ampeg logo for the ascetics. Again I was surprised to find that when I tried the Ampeg I liked the tone better. This took a few comparisons as I was suspicious I was being swayed not by the sound but by the logo. In the end the Ampeg won out as it sounded a bit, lets say, better defined. So I sold the Rumble. I have a cheapo Behringer "Bass Overdrive" peddle with the distortion turned down that I use for quick volume control (I play mainly blues so distortion really doesn't matter to me). This set up sounds so good I play daily.
Both have d'Addario flat chromes and play through a nifty little 1x10 Ampeg BA110 SS practice amp. Everyone raves about the Fender SS bass amps and I started with a 1x10 Rumble 40. Still, I am a logo snob so I reasoned that since I wasn't going to have a real "Fender Bass" in the practice/family room I wanted a classic Ampeg logo for the ascetics. Again I was surprised to find that when I tried the Ampeg I liked the tone better. This took a few comparisons as I was suspicious I was being swayed not by the sound but by the logo. In the end the Ampeg won out as it sounded a bit, lets say, better defined. So I sold the Rumble. I have a cheapo Behringer "Bass Overdrive" peddle with the distortion turned down that I use for quick volume control (I play mainly blues so distortion really doesn't matter to me). This set up sounds so good I play daily.
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Hey guys, has anybody kept the Mk-1's but removed the preamp off of their Artisan bass to make it 100% passive?
More and more I am thinking of pulling the preamp out and wiring a 2 volumes/2 tones.
I am curious, though, if it would be possible to use just the volume of the preamp as a master volume while replacing the active EQ with 2 volumes/2 passive tones. Any thoughts?
More and more I am thinking of pulling the preamp out and wiring a 2 volumes/2 tones.
I am curious, though, if it would be possible to use just the volume of the preamp as a master volume while replacing the active EQ with 2 volumes/2 passive tones. Any thoughts?
I been try MK1 pup on my old Korean Ibanez SR705 in passive wiring, notable low volume output without the MK1 preamp. Exchange to Bart NTMB 3 band pre , need raise the Gain pot for better volume.
I love the split coil jazz pup on my Cort GB74JJ. Since i bought a cheap Bacchus BJB1RMS jazz bass(beefy tone ,but, noisy and hum.....) couple week ago, i have a luck to get a set of Cort VTB Split coil j pup for it.
Since i already knew this pickups sound brighter (on GB74JJ, even passive mode) than others passive j pup i been use before, but , she sound just a tab less bright compare to GB74JJ and still little brighter than regular single coil j pup. Maybe this cause by 500K volume pot on GB74JJ Vs 250K pot on Bacchus.
After try few different value tone cap, i found the .033uf are the best to control the bright top end. Dial back about 30%, this VTB j pup just sound like regular J tone without sacrifice the upper mid much compare to .047/.068uf cap use.
The big bonus on VTB J pup is hum-cancelling and sound wonderful.
Since i already knew this pickups sound brighter (on GB74JJ, even passive mode) than others passive j pup i been use before, but , she sound just a tab less bright compare to GB74JJ and still little brighter than regular single coil j pup. Maybe this cause by 500K volume pot on GB74JJ Vs 250K pot on Bacchus.
After try few different value tone cap, i found the .033uf are the best to control the bright top end. Dial back about 30%, this VTB j pup just sound like regular J tone without sacrifice the upper mid much compare to .047/.068uf cap use.
The big bonus on VTB J pup is hum-cancelling and sound wonderful.
Yes, stock pup are using EMG pickups size.
As a pre own of DLX V (frame maple top), i suggest try a preamp swap first, because i found the tone are not much different both pickups, the bridge pickups still sound deep and full as neck pup. Seriously suspect the preamp voicing and i not favor with Marbass onboard preamp.
When swift to passive mode, the output drop dramatic!!!!
The DLX V just weight less than 9lbs with zero neck dive issue.
The neck has similar profile as China Squier Claasic vibe 50's Pbass. Yes, 5 string neck has CV 50's 4 string neck feel. Even she has Round D neck shape, but still comfort to me.
Why i sell this nice bass ? Unstable neck !!!!!
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