Cort

Peavey 20w, Jazz Brazil Funk music Hard to precisely time it since there is no serial anywhere, after a search I would say late 80s early 90s. Top craft, finishing is uppermost, great amazing acoustic power (not plugged in), tone and balance are superb from top to bottom, the guitar just projects loud crips and beautiful It's definitely a Jazz guitar. Because of its age "Select by EMG" pickups have a wonderful warm round nice sound, similar to a Gibson PAF 57. For some the output level lightly on the low side might not suit. In that case because of the great sound quality of the EMGs due to aging, and only if you have to, I suggest replacing them with DiMarzio humbuckers from the 80s.For my taste those EMGs mics are just great. The neck is also perfection and quick, you just cruise up and down and back. The craft has no cons and on the overall comparison to a Gibson 335 (me playing a red 335 on my cover pic at a NY gig), for a fraction of the money, there's no comparison the Cort is the big winner. The source performer is not a beginner guitar it's a player guitar. A rare superb instrument and if you stumble on it, I would suggest to grab it. Cort never stops impressing me.

I use the guitar primarily for picking, as I dont use a plectrum. However, like everyone, I also need to strum a little. I play up and down the neck in a variety of styles, but this little beauty loves, and I mean loves, playing blues style. The shape is lovely, once you get used to it. The finish is plain, and IMO much the better for it. It was the neck that I fell in love with: I was in a music shop looking for a slide, and I picked this guitar from the wall to try a slide with. In seconds I was struck by just how much this neck wanted to be played. I had never had that feeling before. Up and down and in and out...it really inspired me. The body is comfortable to hold, much more so than a jumbo or dreadnought. the sound is dark and mature, and has definitely become more so after playing steadily for a couple of years. I own a couple of different guitars, and this has become very much my go to axe. There are no electronics, but I purchased a simple, cheap, passive pick up and it sounds great going through my ( admittedly very expensive AER ) amplifier. There is just something special about this guitar. Buy it if you love to play. Buy it if you are a beginner. Buy it if you want something a little different and buy it if you are a pro.

(Originally written by motteherbeuse/translated from Audiofanzine FR) Bass guitar made in Korea with two great Bartolini pickups, passive/active operation, five controls (master volume, tone, low, mid, high) and active/passive switch. Great natural wood finish considering its price range. Accurate machine heads. Slim exotic wood neck. UTILIZATION Ergonomic neck and good access to the upper frets. A real delight! Weight and playability are very subjective things depending on the bassist. Given that I'm small, I carry the bass quite high with a short and very wide strap to avoid any backbone problems. That way I can easily carry the bass for three or four hours straight without getting tired (I haven't tried to play longer). The bass sounds good in active mode with the following EQ settings: few highs and mids and more lows. At first you'll have to play around with the controls and memorize their layout (from right to left: lows, mids, highs). Once you've done that you'll get the sound you're looking for, if you have a good amp (which doesn't necessarily mean an expensive one). SOUNDS It's perfect for me because I play Breton folk music. I play it with a 35-watt Hartke DE (used for monitoring). It allows me to play a lot of glissandi like with a double bass. I also use it with another band as support bass to play country music with an Ampeg B50 (for monitoring), though I usually play my US Jazz Bass. The NB4FL is good enough on its own and it doesn't need an effect pedal for the music styles I play. The only pedal I own is a Boss TU2 tuner I always take with me, especially when I tune double flat (DGDG) to play country music, which would normally require a 5-string bass. It sounds great like a double bass. I get a deep, round and clear low D sound when I set the low control to max. OVERALL OPINION I've been using it a lot for eight months and I didn't try out any other fretless bass guitars. I only read several forums and I don't regret my purchase, especially because the value for money is very good! I recommend fretless beginners to learn by heart all intervals from one point to another (points are placed on the neck) to avoid pitch problems. More so considering that notes are not always exactly between two points. With a fretted neck, frets are always narrower so use your ears. There have been times at the end of live gigs when people come to me and ask about my bass, even people who are not musicians. And it looks wonderful. I wouldn't hesitate to buy it again and I recommend it to every bassist. Have musical fun!

It was my first bass and I've still got it today. I must say that choosing this bass was really a no-brainer because it is great value for the money. The PJ pickup configuration is imho the best to begin with the bass as you get the punch of a Precision Bass and the honkyness of a Jazz Bass. I gigged a lot with it plugged in good amps and I can say that I was not ashamed of its sound. The playability is great and having 24 frets is nice at this price. Of course, do not expect to have a boutique instrument and very clear sounding pickups - they can sound quite muddy sometimes - but it is a very good sounding bass to start with. I often recommend it to people who want to learn how to play. The only thing I find a bit deceiving is the knobs. They're not very precise and it can be a hassle to mix and match the different configuration you want - especially the tone knob. But a lot of bass players leave everything full on so it's not a problem for them.

- In What Country was it made? (USA, Japan, Mexico, France...) - How many frets, Pickup Type and Configuration? - What type of Bridge(Floyd, Wilkinson...)? - What are the setting controls (volume, tone, pickup selector position)? - What type of neck?... Made in Korea, 22 frets, two mighty mite humbuckers, tune-o-matic bridge, 3 positions pickup selector (bridge, both and neck), one volume knob and one tone knob with that push-pull thing that makes the pickups sound like single coil ones, pretty cool. Neck is not too thick, not too thin, very comfortable in my opinion. UTILIZATION - Easy access to the top notes (last frets)? Easier than in any les paul, tele or strat, just have a look at any picture of the guitar and you'll see it. - Is it's design ergonomic(in terms of the shape, weight...)? I really like the shape, its a bit heavy compared to guitars made out of other types of wood, but nothing that will kill you. The playability is a bit like a les paul and the instrument's weight is evenly distributed (if you ever played some SG's you know what I'm talking about, the neck heavier than the body, you have to keep pushing it up all the time...). - Can one easily get a nice sound? Plug and play, man! SOUNDS I really see it as a les paul-like guitar, for the construction type and hardware. I play my Cort with .011 strings and the guitar likes marshall amps (and the likes) for overdriven rock n' roll stuff the most. I can't really say that is sounds bad in a certain amp or pedal, to me it's all about how you set it up... but it never took me too long to find a tone that I like. Have to say, though, that if you have an pedal eq with 7 or 10 bands its even easier to find your sound. Cutting a couple dB at around 200Hz always helps to 'clean up' the sound, specially if you're using the neck pickup, that can get a little muddy with some distortion. Also, splitting the pickups is a nice resource, but won't make it sound like a strat. You also lose some gain in single coil position, so its kinda cool to quickly have less drive and less low end by just pulling a button. :) There's a lot of styles you could play with it, I think it goes well with rock n' roll (any setting), blues (any setting), jazz (with the neck pickup and the tone closed a little... even better if you have heavy gauge strings), some old school metal. If you want to play really have stuff, though, I think there are better options around, with active pickups and stuff. OVERALL OPINION I've played lots of guitars and think that the Cort MGM is a great model for it's price, I would say as good as the epiphones that are 40%, 50% more expensive, so absolutely worth it. If you ever have the chance of buying one, know that you'll have a solidly constructed, versatile, good sounding, good looking instrument, with some useful features and great playability. :)

(Originally written by the12/translated from Audiofanzine FR) Where was it made? I believe the first Cort models were made in japan... 21 frets, two single-coil pickups, each with a volume control (no toggle switch) Master tone control UTILIZATION Pleasant neck but it's not very fast!! Good access to the upper frets thanks to the SG-like cutaway Very light guitar (6.6 lb. max.) Short scale for small guitarists... It gas the typical problems of a vintage instrument (tuning stability, machine heads, hum, knobs, etc.) SOUNDS The sound is perfect for my music style. I play it with overdrive or distortion using the neck pickup. I turn the tone control fully down... The sound is incredible between the 12th-14th frets... The guitar sounds very nice for blues because it has strong mids I own two, one with a standard tuning and the other one with open tuning in either A or E... They sound amazing with a bottleneck. I sometimes add a compressor for solos (but watch out for hum noise...) Forget about playing hardcore with these guitars. OVERALL OPINION I've been using them for over one year I bought them on ebay at a very low price They sound very good and are quite rare Strong vintage character Based on my experience I would buy a third one. But I don't have any information about this model. I asked in several music shops but nobody knew a thing about them. If you own one or you have some information about them please get in touch with me

I've been a semi-professional guitarist for over thirty years, playing a multitude of styles. I have the gray model. I acquired it in 2012. The distinctive cosmetics caught my eye, but I was skeptical of the low price. I started playing it and immediately fell in love. It has everything I need - three pickups, HSH configuration with a coil tap, great workmanship, light weight, wide radius fingerboard and more. Playing this guitar is effortless for me. It compares favorably with an American made Stratocaster in the US $1500 - $2000 range. I immediately replaced the knobs with slightly larger Gibson speed knobs - my personal preference - and just recently replaced the worn Graph-Tek nut with a professionally installed brass nut, but otherwise it's the same as it was when i bought it. This is my primary guitar. I often bring only this guitar to gigs. I play in several bands, performing everything from pop to heavy metal. I play with .010" strings, with and without a pick, very low action and a very low and tight vibrato bar (4 springs). I have several amps, but my 1965 Super Reverb is my go-to. My pedal board has all the usual - compression, delay, distortion, chorus, etc. - but I primarily depend on the guitar for the multitude of sounds I need. The Gotoh/Wilkinson vibrato is light, fast and dependable. I use the (floating) vibrato bar - A LOT - and this guitar stays in tune. PROS: Flawless cosmetics, light weight, great balance and comfort, excellent design and workmanship, especially for the price. CONS: The black chrome finish on the Gotoh/Wilkinson vibrato has tarnished significantly over the years. I'm perplexed that apparently this guitar is out of production, but I will likely buy another if available. Highly recommended.

mail order 2001, $350, Mar Music The sound of this bass is great, it has a strong tone, deep bass,and nice mids. Mighty Mite Pick, before Bartolini Pick-up the neck is thin and fast Body to small for tall players, hard to play sitting down cause of the short lower hook. The weight is to light, and body is to thin 1-1/2 inch thick, Man-Made wood or plastic body. Drink up battery juice fast chip when turn all the way up. Plastic paint on body can crack if dropped, fret broad made of plastic. The bass is great for a beginner, or studio work. Or back up Bass. Not for live show. Too light to play live. To small body for tall players. love the neck, But not the fret broad. Make the bass sound light ended. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

Gene Simmons is one of the most famous bass players around. He is the bassplayer and one of the frontmen for Kiss. He is known for his unique axe shaped basses. He also plays some more traditionally shaped basses. This is one of the more tradtional basses. The specs other than the shape are pretty much the same. With this bass you get a mahogany body. The neck is made from maple with a rosewood fretboard with 24 frets. The inlays on the neck are a cool diamond shape. The neck has a medium profile to it and has a 34 inch scale. The bass has a covered bridge which some people may not like. Up top you get 4 heavy duty tuners. The body is a pretty small double cut shape. It is painted black with a white pinstripe around the body to break it up. The controls are simple with 1 volume and 1 tone. The switch is a 3 way toggle. UTILIZATION This bass has an alright feel to it. The factory setup on the bass was garbage though. This bass was Indonesia so by the time it go here it had to travel half way around the world. We had to really crank on the truss rod to get the action down. The neck had way to much relief in it. Once setup you can get a decent action on the strings. The bridge cover means its kind of difficult to adjust the bridge but you can remove it. After major truss rod adjustment and some minor adjustments on the bridge the action can be pretty good. The body is pretty light. This means the bass likes to neck dive. You will need a good strap for this bass. SOUNDS The factory sound of this bass is not that good either just like the setup. The bridge pickup w the jazz pickup was way to high and gave a way too harsh sound. You can do a good bit to improve the sound by lowering both pickups a bit. Once you do that you can get a good typical bass sound. You can go from a really high end funk sound to a more traditional super low end sound. Having passive electronics and simple controls limits the amount of tone shaping you can do on this bass. But if you are looking for a simple bass to get the basic tones this can do it. OVERALL OPINION I figure most likely Gene Simmons fans will go for this bass. Otherwise there are better basses out there for the money. especially used. From the factory this bass played horribly and sounded just as bad. You need a major setup to get this bass in a playable condition. If you are able to do this you wont mind picking up a bass like this. If you are looking for a good out of box bass at a good price then you should look elsewhere.

Presentation and Context After my previous partscaster became unplayable, I decided to get myself a Cort G200SE SRD for two reasons: 1) childhood memories linked to a Cort G100 that a cousin lent me and that I loved, 2) the perceived quality of the craftsmanship gave me confidence, making this guitar an excellent base for my mods. Technical Specifications - Body: Poplar - Bolt-on neck: Roasted maple - Fingerboard: Roasted maple, 305 mm radius - Scale length: 648 mm - 22 frets - Original pickup configuration: HSS Cort Powersound (1 humbucker, 2 single-coils) - 1 volume, 1 tone, 5-position selector - 6-point tremolo, chrome hardware - Color: Scarlett Red Mods performed - Pickup configuration changed to SSS: Squier Classic Vibe 50s style, Alnico V - Off-white pickguard replaced with a tortoise - Electronics replaced with CTS - Full cavity shielding (even though the original shielding is already very effective) Attention when modding: Cort pickguards are not standard, which can leave a small screw hole. The selector position sometimes requires adjusting the cavity (Dremel recommended, never use a chisel to avoid cracking the finish). Build Quality and Ergonomics The guitar is fantastically set up from the factory, and even almost in tune. The neck is ultra-comfortable, offering more precision and speed than my beloved Samick JAD-25. The stock electronics and pickups are decent, with a very powerful bridge pickup. Factory shielding is solid, minimizing buzz and interference. Pros - Excellent playability and neck ergonomics - Powerful pickups and reliable stock electronics - Effective shielding - Easily modifiable, great base for SSS / Alnico V conversion Cons - Non-standard pickguard and selector slightly complicate mods - Neck screws are fragile; care needed to avoid finish damage Build Quality: 8.5 / 10 Good finish, solid hardware, comfortable neck. Minor details (neck screws) could be improved. Ergonomics: 9 / 10 Fast, precise, comfortable neck, ideal for long sessions and technical playing. Sound Quality: 8 / 10 Original pickups are serviceable; bridge pickup is powerful, but neck and middle are somewhat dull. With SSS mods, the sound gains clarity and versatility. Versatility: 8.5 / 10 Very good base for mods; original HSS is sufficient for rock/pop, but SSS allows for more tonal variation and styles. Value for Money: 9 / 10 For the price, the guitar offers excellent comfort, good craftsmanship, and high mod potential. Overall Rating: 8.5 / 10 Conclusion The Cort G200SE SRD is a well-set-up and comfortable guitar with decent electronics and reliable craftsmanship for the price. Mods are almost essential to fully exploit its potential, but it is an excellent base for turning a partscaster into a personalized instrument. Neck, ergonomics, and finish make this guitar a solid choice for anyone looking for a modifiable platform while retaining very good initial playability.

I've been using this guitar for a longer period of time now. I bought this red baby to start playing & I also got an IBZ 10G for a cheap price. The latter i gave away, though. Now I use a 85W Hy-X combo with 40W RMS, I keep it not loud, though, I use it at home and I don't want the neighbours to come over to complain. The tone of the LP style guitar is good. The guitar is light and it's easy to play on. The ergonomics are superb. The wood is mahogany, with maple neck (easy to play like an Ibanez) & it has a rosewood fingerboard, like what a classic rock guitar should be. The passive medium humbuckers are cool, they sound great. My plan is to heavily modify the guitar in the future as I learn more and more.

Bought it second hand from a friend, used for a few years and sold it. It's a good bass I just have others that I prefer, just my personal feel, this could be your dream bass. Very playable, 24 frets and and extra few frets and the lower strings, which adds more timbrel options for playing a few notes on the highest frets. Although I think I would prefer having three extra frets on the G string to add more tonal range to the bass. Tone is solid, and has a quite a few knobs to adjust that with that all work well. Most features are good but nothing fancy, but that is the price range. Spacing and action are okay, neck thickness is okay, etc. For the price range, its a good bass. Need to try one out for yourself. The cut into the body that adds extra playability to the highest frets also creates a strange looking small hook, visual aesthetics or non-aesthetics depending on your tastes aside, it makes it very uncomfortable to hold it on your lap and play. If you only play standing up that wont be an issue, but if you want to sit down and play it can be uncomfortable unless you have a small thigh. From what I have seen using it I never had any issues with it, but I only used it for a few years and do not know the long term durability of it. A good bass, pick it up and play it at music store and see if the feel is right for you. If you like it go for it, you wont be disappointed. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com