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These appear very reasonably priced for the spec. How is the neck, any dead spots?
Also, how is the fret work? tia
I just realized I only posted 1 of the 2 Cort basses I bought last month. This was the other.
From a Cort wiki page : "In the '70s and '80s, Cort often used serial numbers on a sticker that began with the prefix "W.O.". If you see that it was made by Cort - and sometimes the switches and/or pots may also have dates on them which may be worth checking out , I think 1983 may be correct just cross reference the internals for dates also - Also not sure if WO is for the Korean World factory ? ,,,,carry on
How do they compare? I know the GB modern is lightweight and the pickups in the NJS4 are probably darker voiced than the Nordstrands. Any preference?
Both great basses! Their electronics and controls are very different. I played the. Both in rehearsal this evening and they were two different flavors of awesome.
Sure. Gigged them both yesterday and they did not disappoint.
Cort GB Modern - It has a traditional VVT + Bass Mid Treble preamp. It's super light weight, but sounds great. The roasted maple neck is just so smooth and comfortable. I played the bass with both pickups 100%, Tone - 50-60%, Bass centered, mid 50% cut, treble, centered. I'm usually a "put the controls in the middle" guy, but at the outdoor gig, the mids seemed a bit more forward than what I wanted.
Cort Elrick NJS4 - It has volume + blend + Bass Mid Treble preamp. It is also SUPER hot. I had to drop the gain and master volume considerably compared to the GB modern. It wasn't a problem. It was like built-in headroom.
This knob arrangement is simpler to deal with. I love having a blend knob on a jazz bass. I roll the blend just slightly in favor of the bridge pickup for my preferred voicing. I ran the controls w/ Bass centered, mids centered, treble 80% cut. This neck is 1 piece of maple and super comfortable. It feels a bit chunkier that a traditional jazz, but that actually made it really comfy.The overall construction of both basses is superb. They are definitely professional level quality.
Hey guys, I wanted to write about my experience with my new Cort GB-Modern 5er, since when I tried to find some info before bying there was (and still is) very little or nothing.
It will be a longer, detailed write-up, but I will include a conclusion at the bottom for those that can't bother reading trough it all.
A bit of background: I'm playing since November 2021., I bought this bass as my birthday/1 year anniversary of playing gift. The instrument I will compare it to is Sire Marcus Miller V7 2nd Gen 5er.
First of all, the bass is visually beautiful, pictures don't do it justice. I really like the pattern of my piece. It's also considerably lighter than my Sire, but it has the same amount of neck dive, despite having Hipshot ultralight tuners.
Neck is wider at the nut, 47.6 mm vs 46 mm, also, the string spacing is 19 mm at the bridge magnet, compared to Sire's 18 mm. This is totaly fine by me, since my muscle memory isn't built up as much as some of you guys that play for decades. I also like this spacing A LOT more for slapping, it's like a meter difference! I practiced "Forget me nots" on my Sire and attempted it on the Cort after it arrived and couldn't believe how much easier it is to slap. Picking is also a lot easier. Fingerstyle playing is mostly the same, I just need to practice 8th and 16th note octaves, sometimes I'm a tad "short", but it will resolve itself in a week or two of practice. Babicz bridge is also marvelous, it's really a high quality product, massive, stable and comfortable for palm muting. I didn't do any adjustments on it now, since it's set up just fine and the intonation is perfect.
Neck build and feel is insanely good. The texture of the wood is perfect, smooth but not slippery. Fretwork is literally perfect, there's not a single fret that's sharp, sticking out, uneven, buzzing etc. The binding is done masterfully. Neck shape is a bit wider, but shallower than on the Sire, which suits me just fine, but I also like Sire's neck shape. Texture, feel and quality-wise, there's no contest, Cort is a level above in every aspect.
There's also scale length difference, which was my biggest concern, since I never had the chance to try a 35" scale bass. I can say that it's completely natural, but the benefits are immense, at least for me. I really, really like the higher string tension. For example, I played Chic's "Le Freak" on my 1st attempt with this bass, better than I ever did on the Sire, because I pluck a bit harder and with higher tension, the strings react "snappier", they're back in place as soon as the note is played, if you understand what I mean. B string on the Cort is dead center on my Boss tuner, while Sire's B is muddy and wiggles sharp/flat when played. Another thing, that I've never read someone write is that with more tension on B string, it's a lot more stable as a thumb rest, which increases playing precision, at least for me. Until I try a 34" bass that has the same performance, with the same string gauge and brand, my opinion is that 5 string bass has to be a 35" scale, because the difference is simply too big to ignore. I've started actually using the B string as the other 4 strings, because there's no difference in character, clarity and tone. I am really happy about this, since I wanted to go back to 4 strings because of B string muddiness, which made me reluctant to use it. The difference is also evident in the E string as well, it's a lot more authoritative, especially open E. D and G string are a bit different, the higher string tension makes them a bit "thinner" but it can be sorted out with EQ. When slapping, the pops have to be done with more force, because of string tension, which isn't an issue for me. I have no issues playing in the 1st position, I can play 1 finger per fret with no issues. Sliding is a bit imprecise, but it wasn't exactly perfect on the 34"
Tone and EQ: I am not experienced enough to explain this in detail, but I'll give it my best. Cort sounds a lot more modern, agressive, compared to Sire's vintage, warmer sound. Main issue is that I have old strings on the Sire (I dislike zingy sound) and Cort has brand new D'Addario NYXL Nickels, which are VERY bright for my taste. So a direct comparison is not possible. What I can say is that the Nordstrand magnets are a lot more sensitive, they pick up everything, muting has to be on point, Sire's magnets aren't that clear. Other thing is that the sound is just "fuller" on the Cort, you can hear that it's a higher class instrument. That being said, I prefer the mellower sound, so I might try flatwounds in the future if these strings don't mellow out enough in the future. I have to say that tone wise, the basses are tied, I like Sire better for some stuff (Motown, disco, soul) and Cort for others (pop, rock). But both of them can fit any genre EQed properly.
EQ is a weak spot for me as well, I mostly play passive, on both basses, and form the tone by pickup volumes/blend and tone knob. For me, both basses have good EQ and many different tones can be dialed in. Volume/volume vs blend: At the moment I'd say I prefer the blend option on the Sire, it's just easier and straightforward.
To conclude: Cort is an incredibly high-value instrument: Babicz bridge, roasted maple neck, Nordstrand magnets, new Markbass preamp, luminlay side dots, binding, Hipshot ultralight tuners, poplar burl top... I don't think it can be found on any instrument remotely close to this price. Someone on TalkBass said that it's hard to justify the pricing of this Cort when Maruszczyk exists. I made an Elwood Lightweight with almost the same specs (selected maple burl instead of poplar for the top) on their site and the cost is 2890 euros before tax, so I don't understand the comparison.
I am very happy with the purchase, great playability, looks, tonal versality, insanely good B and E strings, fretwork, design... I have no complaints at all, besides slight neck dive, but that's the price of such a light instrument and will be solved when I buy a normal strap.
Is it worth twice as much as my Sire V7? Yes, 100%, even more than that. I'm going to sell my Sire now and didn't have a thought of playing it after my Cort arrived, they aren't in the same league.
I'll try my best to respond to questions about the instrument if I'm able to give a proper answer.
Here are some (not to great) pictures:
It will be a longer, detailed write-up, but I will include a conclusion at the bottom for those that can't bother reading trough it all.
A bit of background: I'm playing since November 2021., I bought this bass as my birthday/1 year anniversary of playing gift. The instrument I will compare it to is Sire Marcus Miller V7 2nd Gen 5er.
First of all, the bass is visually beautiful, pictures don't do it justice. I really like the pattern of my piece. It's also considerably lighter than my Sire, but it has the same amount of neck dive, despite having Hipshot ultralight tuners.
Neck is wider at the nut, 47.6 mm vs 46 mm, also, the string spacing is 19 mm at the bridge magnet, compared to Sire's 18 mm. This is totaly fine by me, since my muscle memory isn't built up as much as some of you guys that play for decades. I also like this spacing A LOT more for slapping, it's like a meter difference! I practiced "Forget me nots" on my Sire and attempted it on the Cort after it arrived and couldn't believe how much easier it is to slap. Picking is also a lot easier. Fingerstyle playing is mostly the same, I just need to practice 8th and 16th note octaves, sometimes I'm a tad "short", but it will resolve itself in a week or two of practice. Babicz bridge is also marvelous, it's really a high quality product, massive, stable and comfortable for palm muting. I didn't do any adjustments on it now, since it's set up just fine and the intonation is perfect.
Neck build and feel is insanely good. The texture of the wood is perfect, smooth but not slippery. Fretwork is literally perfect, there's not a single fret that's sharp, sticking out, uneven, buzzing etc. The binding is done masterfully. Neck shape is a bit wider, but shallower than on the Sire, which suits me just fine, but I also like Sire's neck shape. Texture, feel and quality-wise, there's no contest, Cort is a level above in every aspect.
There's also scale length difference, which was my biggest concern, since I never had the chance to try a 35" scale bass. I can say that it's completely natural, but the benefits are immense, at least for me. I really, really like the higher string tension. For example, I played Chic's "Le Freak" on my 1st attempt with this bass, better than I ever did on the Sire, because I pluck a bit harder and with higher tension, the strings react "snappier", they're back in place as soon as the note is played, if you understand what I mean. B string on the Cort is dead center on my Boss tuner, while Sire's B is muddy and wiggles sharp/flat when played. Another thing, that I've never read someone write is that with more tension on B string, it's a lot more stable as a thumb rest, which increases playing precision, at least for me. Until I try a 34" bass that has the same performance, with the same string gauge and brand, my opinion is that 5 string bass has to be a 35" scale, because the difference is simply too big to ignore. I've started actually using the B string as the other 4 strings, because there's no difference in character, clarity and tone. I am really happy about this, since I wanted to go back to 4 strings because of B string muddiness, which made me reluctant to use it. The difference is also evident in the E string as well, it's a lot more authoritative, especially open E. D and G string are a bit different, the higher string tension makes them a bit "thinner" but it can be sorted out with EQ. When slapping, the pops have to be done with more force, because of string tension, which isn't an issue for me. I have no issues playing in the 1st position, I can play 1 finger per fret with no issues. Sliding is a bit imprecise, but it wasn't exactly perfect on the 34"
Tone and EQ: I am not experienced enough to explain this in detail, but I'll give it my best. Cort sounds a lot more modern, agressive, compared to Sire's vintage, warmer sound. Main issue is that I have old strings on the Sire (I dislike zingy sound) and Cort has brand new D'Addario NYXL Nickels, which are VERY bright for my taste. So a direct comparison is not possible. What I can say is that the Nordstrand magnets are a lot more sensitive, they pick up everything, muting has to be on point, Sire's magnets aren't that clear. Other thing is that the sound is just "fuller" on the Cort, you can hear that it's a higher class instrument. That being said, I prefer the mellower sound, so I might try flatwounds in the future if these strings don't mellow out enough in the future. I have to say that tone wise, the basses are tied, I like Sire better for some stuff (Motown, disco, soul) and Cort for others (pop, rock). But both of them can fit any genre EQed properly.
EQ is a weak spot for me as well, I mostly play passive, on both basses, and form the tone by pickup volumes/blend and tone knob. For me, both basses have good EQ and many different tones can be dialed in. Volume/volume vs blend: At the moment I'd say I prefer the blend option on the Sire, it's just easier and straightforward.
To conclude: Cort is an incredibly high-value instrument: Babicz bridge, roasted maple neck, Nordstrand magnets, new Markbass preamp, luminlay side dots, binding, Hipshot ultralight tuners, poplar burl top... I don't think it can be found on any instrument remotely close to this price. Someone on TalkBass said that it's hard to justify the pricing of this Cort when Maruszczyk exists. I made an Elwood Lightweight with almost the same specs (selected maple burl instead of poplar for the top) on their site and the cost is 2890 euros before tax, so I don't understand the comparison.
I am very happy with the purchase, great playability, looks, tonal versality, insanely good B and E strings, fretwork, design... I have no complaints at all, besides slight neck dive, but that's the price of such a light instrument and will be solved when I buy a normal strap.
Is it worth twice as much as my Sire V7? Yes, 100%, even more than that. I'm going to sell my Sire now and didn't have a thought of playing it after my Cort arrived, they aren't in the same league.
I'll try my best to respond to questions about the instrument if I'm able to give a proper answer.
Here are some (not to great) pictures:
Sure. Gigged them both yesterday and they did not disappoint.
View attachment 4838439
Cort GB Modern - It has a traditional VVT + Bass Mid Treble preamp. It's super light weight, but sounds great. The roasted maple neck is just so smooth and comfortable. I played the bass with both pickups 100%, Tone - 50-60%, Bass centered, mid 50% cut, treble, centered. I'm usually a "put the controls in the middle" guy, but at the outdoor gig, the mids seemed a bit more forward than what I wanted.
Cort Elrick NJS4 - It has volume + blend + Bass Mid Treble preamp. It is also SUPER hot. I had to drop the gain and master volume considerably compared to the GB modern. It wasn't a problem. It was like built-in headroom.
The overall construction of both basses is superb. They are definitely professional level quality.
Very nice! Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I'm planning to get one of the two, but I haven't decided which. Where I live, I don't have access to either to do a hands-on. Would you say the NJS neck is also chunkier than the GB Modern's neck? Also, which do you consider to be the better "allrounder"?
I decided to order mine sight unseen. I ordered mine from Thomann. Yes, the NJS neck is chunkier than the GB standard. They are both great all-arounders.
Hello,
Recently I bought an A5 Beyond - its a great bass with sheer endless sustain and wonderful to play - no problem with the transition to multiscale!
It came with Daddario XL nickels
(EXL 170 SL); I want to change strings to a steel set with a B string 125. I got two questions:
- Cort used the super long strings, but why? Scale length is 35,5 to 34 and the normal daddario nickel covers 36,25
- Please make suggestions which steels you consider suitable
thanks a lot
Frank
(I forgot to mention the Beyonds pretty sister)
Recently I bought an A5 Beyond - its a great bass with sheer endless sustain and wonderful to play - no problem with the transition to multiscale!
It came with Daddario XL nickels
(EXL 170 SL); I want to change strings to a steel set with a B string 125. I got two questions:
- Cort used the super long strings, but why? Scale length is 35,5 to 34 and the normal daddario nickel covers 36,25
- Please make suggestions which steels you consider suitable
thanks a lot
Frank
(I forgot to mention the Beyonds pretty sister)
DR hibeam and Fatbeam.
But I found both Beyond and A5 SCMS sound lacking warmth to my ear, if I own one, will consider DR Sunbeam .
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Thank you, Yahboy
I like to accentuate the modern sound of the Beyond by puttin steels on it; the warm and traditional sound will be delivered by the other singlecut I got. Its swamp ash body combined with the string through concept of the bridge means even more sustain and growl. Maybe the Sunbeams are the right on for this bass. Do you know if they are long enough for 34 scale plus string through ?
I think the DR string able fit your another Cort single cut bass.
Last edited:
I just got my GB modern 5 a few days ago. Did practice last sunday with my band with it. It's just great. Sounds fat and as bright as you want. Fits in perfectly with the sound of the band. We play progrock in style of symphonic hardrock. Take a bit of Floyd, Purple and Riverside to imagine what we play. Didn't notice any neckdive at all. Very happy with it. Sold my also very beautiful and great sounding Sire V9 5-string for it. Way to heavy.Hey guys, I wanted to write about my experience with my new Cort GB-Modern 5er, since when I tried to find some info before bying there was (and still is) very little or nothing.
It will be a longer, detailed write-up, but I will include a conclusion at the bottom for those that can't bother reading trough it all.
A bit of background: I'm playing since November 2021., I bought this bass as my birthday/1 year anniversary of playing gift. The instrument I will compare it to is Sire Marcus Miller V7 2nd Gen 5er.
First of all, the bass is visually beautiful, pictures don't do it justice. I really like the pattern of my piece. It's also considerably lighter than my Sire, but it has the same amount of neck dive, despite having Hipshot ultralight tuners.
Neck is wider at the nut, 47.6 mm vs 46 mm, also, the string spacing is 19 mm at the bridge magnet, compared to Sire's 18 mm. This is totaly fine by me, since my muscle memory isn't built up as much as some of you guys that play for decades. I also like this spacing A LOT more for slapping, it's like a meter difference! I practiced "Forget me nots" on my Sire and attempted it on the Cort after it arrived and couldn't believe how much easier it is to slap. Picking is also a lot easier. Fingerstyle playing is mostly the same, I just need to practice 8th and 16th note octaves, sometimes I'm a tad "short", but it will resolve itself in a week or two of practice. Babicz bridge is also marvelous, it's really a high quality product, massive, stable and comfortable for palm muting. I didn't do any adjustments on it now, since it's set up just fine and the intonation is perfect.
Neck build and feel is insanely good. The texture of the wood is perfect, smooth but not slippery. Fretwork is literally perfect, there's not a single fret that's sharp, sticking out, uneven, buzzing etc. The binding is done masterfully. Neck shape is a bit wider, but shallower than on the Sire, which suits me just fine, but I also like Sire's neck shape. Texture, feel and quality-wise, there's no contest, Cort is a level above in every aspect.
There's also scale length difference, which was my biggest concern, since I never had the chance to try a 35" scale bass. I can say that it's completely natural, but the benefits are immense, at least for me. I really, really like the higher string tension. For example, I played Chic's "Le Freak" on my 1st attempt with this bass, better than I ever did on the Sire, because I pluck a bit harder and with higher tension, the strings react "snappier", they're back in place as soon as the note is played, if you understand what I mean. B string on the Cort is dead center on my Boss tuner, while Sire's B is muddy and wiggles sharp/flat when played. Another thing, that I've never read someone write is that with more tension on B string, it's a lot more stable as a thumb rest, which increases playing precision, at least for me. Until I try a 34" bass that has the same performance, with the same string gauge and brand, my opinion is that 5 string bass has to be a 35" scale, because the difference is simply too big to ignore. I've started actually using the B string as the other 4 strings, because there's no difference in character, clarity and tone. I am really happy about this, since I wanted to go back to 4 strings because of B string muddiness, which made me reluctant to use it. The difference is also evident in the E string as well, it's a lot more authoritative, especially open E. D and G string are a bit different, the higher string tension makes them a bit "thinner" but it can be sorted out with EQ. When slapping, the pops have to be done with more force, because of string tension, which isn't an issue for me. I have no issues playing in the 1st position, I can play 1 finger per fret with no issues. Sliding is a bit imprecise, but it wasn't exactly perfect on the 34"
Tone and EQ: I am not experienced enough to explain this in detail, but I'll give it my best. Cort sounds a lot more modern, agressive, compared to Sire's vintage, warmer sound. Main issue is that I have old strings on the Sire (I dislike zingy sound) and Cort has brand new D'Addario NYXL Nickels, which are VERY bright for my taste. So a direct comparison is not possible. What I can say is that the Nordstrand magnets are a lot more sensitive, they pick up everything, muting has to be on point, Sire's magnets aren't that clear. Other thing is that the sound is just "fuller" on the Cort, you can hear that it's a higher class instrument. That being said, I prefer the mellower sound, so I might try flatwounds in the future if these strings don't mellow out enough in the future. I have to say that tone wise, the basses are tied, I like Sire better for some stuff (Motown, disco, soul) and Cort for others (pop, rock). But both of them can fit any genre EQed properly.
EQ is a weak spot for me as well, I mostly play passive, on both basses, and form the tone by pickup volumes/blend and tone knob. For me, both basses have good EQ and many different tones can be dialed in. Volume/volume vs blend: At the moment I'd say I prefer the blend option on the Sire, it's just easier and straightforward.
To conclude: Cort is an incredibly high-value instrument: Babicz bridge, roasted maple neck, Nordstrand magnets, new Markbass preamp, luminlay side dots, binding, Hipshot ultralight tuners, poplar burl top... I don't think it can be found on any instrument remotely close to this price. Someone on TalkBass said that it's hard to justify the pricing of this Cort when Maruszczyk exists. I made an Elwood Lightweight with almost the same specs (selected maple burl instead of poplar for the top) on their site and the cost is 2890 euros before tax, so I don't understand the comparison.
I am very happy with the purchase, great playability, looks, tonal versality, insanely good B and E strings, fretwork, design... I have no complaints at all, besides slight neck dive, but that's the price of such a light instrument and will be solved when I buy a normal strap.
Is it worth twice as much as my Sire V7? Yes, 100%, even more than that. I'm going to sell my Sire now and didn't have a thought of playing it after my Cort arrived, they aren't in the same league.
I'll try my best to respond to questions about the instrument if I'm able to give a proper answer.
Here are some (not to great) pictures:
View attachment 4838617 View attachment 4838618 View attachment 4838619 View attachment 4838620
Hi all, first-time poster, and coming from guitars, first-time bass buyer here. I hope I'm posting to the right thread! I've been looking into buying a 5-string Cort, and am having a hard time choosing between Cort A5 Plus FMMH OPN, Cort B5 Plus MH, and Cort B5 Element OPN. The A5 is some 200 EUR more expensive where I'm at than the others but that's not a biggie. Coming from electric guitar, the B5 Plus seems tempting because of the tighter string spacing. I'm *guessing* the A5 Plus is a bit heavier than the others, maybe the B5 Plus is the lightest...? On the other hand, the somewhat better specs on the A5 Plus seem tempting. The thing is that I don't have the option to try out each of them, so any further insights into the differences of these basses and any (biased or not) opinions between the three would be great to hear!
I own the A5 Plus, B5 Ash and C5 plus. Honestly, I would suggest the C5 plus. Mine is SUPER light, very well constructed and a joy to play. It's the least expensive option of the bunch. But honestly, you can't go wrong with any of them.
