MGR/Golem « Cort GB 34 A »
Published on 11/03/04 at 15:00Adirondack 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
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