Cort GB34A

$219 US at Adirondack Strings, Albany NY.

I was in the shop for another reason and
they just INSISTED that I check out their
new arrivals from Cort. They weren't kidding and I wound up playing for 45min
just because it played well and sounded
really good, and I kept finding more new
voices from 3 very simple controls.

It plays easy, reasonable weight, really
good tone and variety of voices, simple
controls and traditional styling. Also
price is low, it seems decently made and
has respected name-brand electronics.
Has a PU balancer knob instead of two
seperate PU gain knobs [easier for me].

The neck PU exhibits typical single-coil
susceptibility to external noise sources.

The knobs are on the pickguard instead of
a seperate metal plate

Adirondack Strings Albany NY US $219

Actually, much as I liked it, I don't need
another ax of this type. But I played it
for about 3/4 hr and feel it's the best
$219 bass I've ever touched, and want to
review it so people know this alternative
Squire and Ibanez. I was in the shop for
another reason and they INSISTED that I
check out this new bottomfeeder. They are
really right on it. Very cool for low $$.

Sounds great and offers several distinct and useful voices.

Reasonable weight.

Looks good in a Fender-like way, complete
with open-geared duck-foot tuners that are
very smooth-working.

Has pickup balancer and a single [master]
gain knob [instead of 2 gain knobs].



Stacked bass & treble knobs [personal].

Not an extreme problem, but the neck PU is
susceptible to environmental hum sources,
including the amp if you're close to that.

Neck appear to be 1 piece maple, rosewood
fretboard, Fender-style head & tuners.
An opaque metalic finish was well applied
to the body so I don't know the wood but
it's medium-light weight.

Setup [as shipped when I tried it] was a
bit high but still easy enought to play.
Neck relief was more than necessary so I
assume it's a climatic thing. The rod nut
is accessible at the head with no cover to
remove and no aesthetic problems with that
arrangement.

PUs are Might Mites, humbucker at bridge
and J-type at neck. Battery door on rear
says "Fishman". I think the great sound
you can get is due mainly to the Fishman
and Might Mite electicals, that seem to be
passive PUs with active EQ [2channel].

Except for the rear battery box, it's all
front routed, with a stylish pickguard.
The output jack is on the lower body edge,
a wise exception from the over-all Fender
styling of this ax.

I am amazed by the tones you can get from
such an entry-priced bass, and it seems
built well enough and with just enough
features that I think the buyer will wait
a lot longer into their bass progress
before wanting an "upgrade". It's a good
enough ax to carry you a long time, not
some "get-by" ax that you can't wait to
leave behind. You get sick of your SG or
Squire and you buy a $400-$700 ax next but
that range isn't special enough to replace
this ax. You keep this one until you've
got a really good idea why you want/need
something with a 4-digit price tag.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I wanted to learn bass with a guitar that I wouldn't have to trade up when I could play, and the music store dude suggested the Cort GB34A above the Yamaha 270 (which is much lighter by far).
List price was AUD$399 and I got 15% off that April 2004.

I've learned a lot since I bought this guitar, and I reckon it's design comes from the Music Man bass that Leo Fender made after selling Fender to CBS. It has the same bridge as a Music Man Stingray as well as a very similar headstock, pickguard, and trim pot locations. It also has a blend of StingRay and Sabre Bass pickup configuration with Mighty Mite humbucker at the bridge and PJ style at the neck.
The sound that it puts out is awesome, the active EQ excellent, especially given the price of the instrument, and it is well balanced, though I'm thinking that I'd like a Curbow 4 as well now! It has a 34" scale and any fret buzz I've had to date is fixed by adjusting my hands and is not a fretting fault.
The lead plug is located at the bottom side of the instrument which I reckon is far
better than leads that exit from the face of the body as is traditional.
The finish is beautiful and certainly the instrument is priced way under it's real value.

I reckon that even a basic manual should come with any instrument, and was very surprised that none either come with it or are available to download from www.cort.com. There are no tuning or care for instructions, and you've got to figure out the EQ knobs for yourself.
I was under the distinct impression that the instrument was made in Korea (as given at Cort website) but found that this one was in fact made in the Phillipines. Whether or not manufacture nation has any impact upon quality is debateable, given Squire's and Fenders being made in Mexico etc etc.

Solid is a good word here. The body is agathis (which is an Australina native pine commonly called Hoop Pine), and the neck is rock maple. The neck sits perfectly into the body and is held by four screws in recesses. The quality is genuinely excellent and stands pretty much in a league of it's own when comparing value for price.

In this day and age you can forget brand names, because all a brand name does is triple the price for a quarter the value. look past the brand and at what you get on the instrument, and you'll be amazed at this little beauty!

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

See specifications on the NET

UTILIZATION

I'm a guitarist and I wanted to open myself to the world bass ...
But which to choose?

I came across an advert offering this low, I tested and there, love at first sight ...
I was looking for a handle that does not make me regret my guitar too quickly and honestly the handle is just perfect for me.

Weight level, it is light and well balanced.

SOUNDS

Coupled with my Line 6 POD X3 Live, I can do just about any style.
But given my low level, I've kept the classic sound ... It's not tomorrow that I would do the Marcus Miller, or other engineering 4-string ...

I tried the Slap, that does not sound good, it "frieze" too much for my taste ... Each boost it feels to type on a charleston battery ... I think this problem is coming Me ....

OVERALL OPINION

6 months ago I've pretty ... but not intensively.

I tried a model that bassist buddy had lent me but the handle was too wide (my fingers not long enough ...)

It is a low Active, we must become familiar with this feature because the slightest deviation can change the sound completely.

Without hesitation, for beginners, it is a very good bass.