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Yep.
I nearly bought one myself, but the last one locally was sold before I could raise the funds.
I have a cheaper NT 5 string bass that's going to get a Fluence PU set shortly.
Thanks all for the suggestions! The Fishmans are tempting, for sure. Though the price difference between the Ultra and FMMH is around double the price of the pickups... I wonder if there's a noticeable build quality difference between the A5 Ultra Ash and A5+ FMMH (or B5 Element)?
Can someone state the weight of their NJS4? Can’t find it anywhere. Seriously considering getting one in white, as a replacement for my blue Bacchus. The Bacchus in LIGHT.
Pulled the trigger on the Elrick NJS4 from Cort. Bought through Thomann as a B stock. Got a fantastic deal. Only thing I can find that makes it B stock are two dark spots on the back of the headstock. Otherwise, new in every way. And the weight!! Under 8 lbs. So happy....Anybody wanna buy a Bacchus?
Swapped in some lighter aluminum knobs with markings , which I prefer so I can actually see where the EQ and balance setting are, and a bridge with spacing adjustment ( I have a peeve that the strings should actually align with the pickup poles correctly , instead of just in the neighborhood of them. ) and lo and behold, now it’s 7lbs, 4oz. Officially the lightest bass I’ve ever owned.
I have one of these in black that I got as "Used" (customer return) from Thomann and I found no flaws. It's just an outstanding bass. I REALLY like the white, particularly the white pearloid pickguard.
Wow, she is so LIGHT ! I do believe she has no neck dive issue due to Hipshot light weight tuning machine set.
I am a tone snob. I’ve been spoiled by an incredible Sadowsky. What turned me onto the NJS4 was the Darric Bennet vids on YouTube. I really dig his staccato sound from that Elrick. Well, these Cort versions are excellent sounding. The Pre is the same one used in the US Models ( BONUS) and the pickups are noiseless single coils designed for this model. They’re nice and punchy. And the output is hot, even in passive mode. The pre gives you way more adjustment than you need, and the mid control is very present when you adjust it. And there’s 2 different mid frequencies to choose from if you lift the mid control knob. Im very pleased with the tone.
Roger Sadowsky states a bass that sounds good acoustically will always sound better amplified. This Elrick has a solid, clear tone unplugged. Crisp. Snappy. Cort did a good job on this one.
Now, if you’re thinkin this is a jazz bass, its only somewhat similar. The sound is definitely close, but the ergos are very different. Neck is a little thicker front to back, but gets very flat down by the body. Despite the deep cutaway, you still need to pivot your wrist to get to those “soloing” frets. The 24 frets are nice for chord work up top. The bridge is an ABM style that does not align to strings with the pickup poles. This is not the first bass Ive seen this on, and I prefer the strings pass thru the pickups aligned between the poles, so I installed a different bridge on the Elrick. Also, when I put the Elixirs on it that I use, the nut just fell off. I glued it. The neck set up easily, and it holds well. There’s so much fingerboard you’d think your playing a 35’ scale bass. But the 1st position is an easy reach. And the weight!! Fantastic.
So the short answer is….Tone is excellent, highly adjustable. Clean. Clear. Snappy. Not “Hi Fi” like an MTD or other boutique brand. Similar to Jazz Bass as you’d imagine, but very tweakable. I think most folks will like it.
Thanks for posting this detailed description. I have 3 basses (one of them an incredible Sadowsky PJ5) and really don't need a 4th, but the NJS5 is on my short list and has everything I'd be looking for. The tone in this video makes it easy to justify, especially at that price point.
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A little heads up if anyone buys a Cort Elrick NJS4 and the thing just sounds flat. I bought one and was completely underwhelmed with the tone. Turns out the pickups were wired incorrectly from the factory and were out of phase and were cancelling each other out. A simple test is to center the blend and if the sounds drops out, they are not in phase. The white and yellow pickup wires should go to the blend pot. On mine, the neck was pickup was backwards. If you take the back off and red wires are on the blend pot, it is most likely wired wrong. Here is the schematic from Cort: https://www.cortguitars.com/cortBBS/download.php?bo_table=Downloads&wr_id=194&no=0
Hi Guys, I've just dipped a toe into the ultra light bass world, by buying a Cort GB35J. At 7lb 4oz my back is applauding this decision, but my ears aren't! The tone is one dimensional. I put flats on it and that improved the sound but it's still quite limited. All I'm getting is an uninspiring "donk" noise or a woolly bass tone.
This bass is replacing a Sadowsky, so I suppose I could install Sadowsky pickups and pre amp, but a) I would prefer to keep it passive and b) that would double the cost of the bass. I'd prefer to keep the costs down and not throw too much money at it.
Has anyone upgraded the pickups on this model, or any Cort bass, and what did you choose?
This bass is replacing a Sadowsky, so I suppose I could install Sadowsky pickups and pre amp, but a) I would prefer to keep it passive and b) that would double the cost of the bass. I'd prefer to keep the costs down and not throw too much money at it.
Has anyone upgraded the pickups on this model, or any Cort bass, and what did you choose?
I'd recommend EMGs but they don't seem to offer any passive J set for 5 string bass.
You may want to try these "more expensive" Aliexpress pickups: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005004929642022.html
Or these cheapos:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32820790873.html
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/33051935488.html
Can you talk a bit more about that? I haven't seen an NJS in person, but I'm interested in the four-string version, and In the pictures I've seen online the strings seem to line up "reasonably" well with the pickup poles. Did you find it affected the relative volume of any of the strings?
And regarding truss rod access: is the slot big enough to allow adjustments without having to remove the pickguard or anything? (Lack of easy truss rod access is my pet peeve about American Fenders.)
The sound was fine with the OEM bridge. I just prefer a bridge with string spacing adjustment AND I’m a little obsessive about the details on my instrument. i.e I put knobs on it with lines to indicate position because…I like to know the position of my controls. It’s funny…Mixers,amps, effects, all have knobs with indicator lines to let you know where your settings are. Instruments….”aaah who needs it”….Wha??
The truss rod is completely accessible with the included wrench and takes adjustment easily, and holds it well. It’s a LOOOONG neck that goes all the way into the body right up to the neck pickup. And the headstock is not tiny either. Weather, temp will affect it, but you can get the action where you want it lickety split by a 1/4 turn on the rod.
One thing I noticed was the OEM bridge aligns the strings perfectly over the bridge pickup on the 5 string model. Odd.
I gigged the bass twice this past weekend, sending the DI from my Genz benz to the FOH system, vs the Zoom B6 I’d been using before. Both the sound man, and a bass player I’d never met, told me the bass sounded killer out front. The GB has a really great preamp section with three tubes, dual knobs for gain thruput for tube and non tube pathways, thru the EQ and out thru the master volume. I know it was the best bass sound I’ve gotten so far in my in-ear monitors. Much better than the Zoom unit.
I am VERY happy with this bass. And this is after trying a Cort GB75gig, a Bacchus, and an Ibanez EHB1265MS. The Elrick sounds better than them all and is light as heck to boot. It’s taking first position over my 7lb steinberger spirit, and oddly enough, my Sadowsky. The Sadowsky in fantastic in every way, but its a much warmer bass than the Elrick, and the gig I’m doing is an 80’s tribute, and a lot of the bass requirements are on the brighter side. The maple fingerboard on the Elrick makes for a very snappy response. I am really liking this bass.
If you’re on the fence, I’d tell ya to grab one. Thomann has em at great price. Once they become available.
The truss rod is completely accessible with the included wrench and takes adjustment easily, and holds it well. It’s a LOOOONG neck that goes all the way into the body right up to the neck pickup. And the headstock is not tiny either. Weather, temp will affect it, but you can get the action where you want it lickety split by a 1/4 turn on the rod.
One thing I noticed was the OEM bridge aligns the strings perfectly over the bridge pickup on the 5 string model. Odd.
I gigged the bass twice this past weekend, sending the DI from my Genz benz to the FOH system, vs the Zoom B6 I’d been using before. Both the sound man, and a bass player I’d never met, told me the bass sounded killer out front. The GB has a really great preamp section with three tubes, dual knobs for gain thruput for tube and non tube pathways, thru the EQ and out thru the master volume. I know it was the best bass sound I’ve gotten so far in my in-ear monitors. Much better than the Zoom unit.
I am VERY happy with this bass. And this is after trying a Cort GB75gig, a Bacchus, and an Ibanez EHB1265MS. The Elrick sounds better than them all and is light as heck to boot. It’s taking first position over my 7lb steinberger spirit, and oddly enough, my Sadowsky. The Sadowsky in fantastic in every way, but its a much warmer bass than the Elrick, and the gig I’m doing is an 80’s tribute, and a lot of the bass requirements are on the brighter side. The maple fingerboard on the Elrick makes for a very snappy response. I am really liking this bass.
If you’re on the fence, I’d tell ya to grab one. Thomann has em at great price. Once they become available.
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Great, thanks for that extra information @pb9717.
Yeah. Knobs without lines look prettier (arguably, though I think so), but pretty doesn't help if it also makes it harder to use. Some of my (non-bass) guitars have knobs with numbers which don't do me any good because with guitar I mostly just leave everything on 10, but with bass guitar I often change the pickup blend and tone settings for different songs so...
Thank you Sir! May I have another?!!!
Well, why have one CORT when you can have….. more than one.
I just picked this up on the cheap as a demo model from gear4music.com. Really beautiful bass, plays extremely well. Pickups are ….. let’s just say, not what I’m used to. Bridge is what I’d call the “opposite of quick release”? 9lbs 5oz . Not what I’d call… lightweight… but the deal was too good to pass up, And I wanted to try this model out. I thought I’d sworn off of five strings, but I was just too curious.
I wanted to change the look of the instrument to match my current gig , so I vinyl wrapped it. I’m thinking, should I choose to keep it, I’ll likely put nordtrand big singles in it or the Bart single coils that match this pickup shape. The bridge pickup solo’d is….meh’… and that’s usually the greater part of my favorite setting.
I’ll gig it a few times and see how I feel. Can easily bring it back to stock if I wanna sell it.
Well, why have one CORT when you can have….. more than one.
I just picked this up on the cheap as a demo model from gear4music.com. Really beautiful bass, plays extremely well. Pickups are ….. let’s just say, not what I’m used to. Bridge is what I’d call the “opposite of quick release”? 9lbs 5oz . Not what I’d call… lightweight… but the deal was too good to pass up, And I wanted to try this model out. I thought I’d sworn off of five strings, but I was just too curious.
I wanted to change the look of the instrument to match my current gig , so I vinyl wrapped it. I’m thinking, should I choose to keep it, I’ll likely put nordtrand big singles in it or the Bart single coils that match this pickup shape. The bridge pickup solo’d is….meh’… and that’s usually the greater part of my favorite setting.
I’ll gig it a few times and see how I feel. Can easily bring it back to stock if I wanna sell it.
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Curious what the percentage of bass players use rounds vs flats is.- Latest: 5StringBlues
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