Any experience with Cort basses?

[Juancarlin]

Well, to make a long story short.. I will travel on Sunday to Spain to play a couple shows there. For very unfortunate timing reasons, I will not be able to buy one of the three lovely basses I have spotted at www.todobajos.es, a Spector euro a Warwick Streamer I and a Warwick Corvette proline . The thing is... I will have not enough Euros to buy any of those, and will have to resort to a cheaper option.

 

I've found the Cort Artisan series quite easy on the eye. Bart electronics, one of the models is neck-thru (which is something I'm looking for on my next 5er), and there are several of those for secondhand sale on Spain right now. I am contacting the sellers beforehand, since I have very little time on transit until I get back here (will have barely a week, considering the show is not in Madrid, the capital city, but in Vigo, way up north, and we'll probably spend the day before and the day after the show in there before returning to Madrid, before coming back to venezuela on Saturday).

 

So... besides going shopping (which I hope to do in the company of a cousin of mine, also a musician, who lives in Spain -although not in Madrid- who could probably guide me ... those Cort basses have been in my eye for a couple days already.

 

What do you think about those? I've had good experiences in the past with not-so-famous-or-top-of-the-line brands such as Hondo, Samick et al, and my other instruments, while not being top of the crop brands (as the ones I wanted to get ahold of), have given me good results (The Fernandes and Hamer slammer jazz ones, for an instance, have proven wonderful both )

 

The most expensive one is on sale for 600 euro, an Artisan A5 with Barts and Aguilar OPB3 pre. Then prices vary from 550 euro to 375 euro for a bolt-on B5 with barts, and 400 for a Jazz-Bass-like 5er with an MM pup on neck position.

 

 

How would you compare, if you have had the experience, with other basses? Craftmanship, sound, easyness of playing, blah blah blah..?

 

TIA.

[picker]

If you get it set up right, it should do you proud. Keep an eye on the neck, especially going from Madrid to Venezuela, with the changes in climate, humidity, etc. That is where structural problems will show up first. And, if the electronics aren't original factory installed equipment, get 'em checked out by a pro.

Beyond that, you oughta be just fine.

[jlrush]

I recently traded a Cort5 for a Yamaha BB4. The neck was wide but not overly so, not as wide as Ibanez SR5 or Schecter. I traded it off because in the end it just wasn't right for me. But I can't say what would be right for you.

What are Fenders going for comparatively?

BTW, check your PM.

[Juancarlin]

That's a nice point. I've traveled a lot, toured a lot, but mostly as a keyboard player, and my experiences touring with a bass are limited to (mostly) traveling with my trusty Kramer Duke (Which I intend to take with me this time as well), which has an aluminum-core neck. Therefore, I've had very little to worry about neck warping and similar changes when going between different climate/pressure zones. Since I plan to bring my new bass back with me on the interior of the plane's cabin, I guess during the travel there would be little to worry about, but once we land back in Venezuela, I am afraid there would be certain things to worry about.

 

I am somewhat proficient on adjusting and doing setup on my own instruments so far, so I am thinking on loosening the truss rod and detuning half step before entering the plane, and adjusting it all back once I get home again. Would this be alright? I knew of a friend, Nicky, some years ago, who traveled with a Charvel/Jackson bass on a plane, to a different city of the country. When he got to his destination, the neck of the bass was twisted, and the fretboard separated from the rest of the neck, leaving it unusable. For a while he'd put the neck of a Fender P he had around on the Charvel body, and in the end I think he managed to get the bass back at normal, but each time I remember it, I get scared.

 

Is there any kind of advice you would give for traveling with a newly bought 5er on a plane from Europe to Latin America?

[The Geoff]

I played a bunch of Corts, both basses and guitars when I was in the Middle East recently visiting an old friend.

 

Generally I was impressed. The higher grade instruments (Korean built) were very well fitted/finished and I played a 6 string bass I really liked. The lower-priced instruments were built in another factory in Indonesia and although excellent perhaps didn't have the finish of the Korean.

 

The instruments made in Cort's old (now closed down) factory in Soutg Korea were of a very high standard. They made instruments for many well-known brands there (including Squier and Epiphone).

 

Certainly my Hohner B Bass was made there and I am very happy with the fit & finish of that.

 

Cort closed down the Korean factory & moved to Indonesia and I can't speak for the quality of that as I don't have one, but from what I've read, it seems to as good as previous Korean products.

 

If the instruments you are looking at are Korean built I'd certainly look at them.

 

Incidentally, many of the Bartolini pickups and preamps fitted to these instruments are 'Mk 1' which are items made on licence abroad and are not up to the quality of 'proper' Barts, hence, perhaps the replacement of one of the pre's.

 

Good idea to find out if the pups and pre's are original.

 

Good luck with it.

 

Geoff

[Danzilla]

Some old Corts were pretty good; back in the 80's I lusted after a double neck 6/12 guitar of theirs that was very nice (but beyond my student income). Certain recent instruments I've seen were just "ok", but the Artisan models seemed to be quite good. I thought they were comparable to some Schecters (and being built at the same factory would explain that). FWIW, Pete Trewavas of Marillion has been using some Cort basses recently. I'd definitely give one a quick spin while you're over there.

[Paul K]

I've a Cort Curbow five string. I love the bass, but would not recommend it for travel. I had to glue the fretboard back onto the neck, and it needs very frequent truss rod adjustment. But when it's playing well, I love it. The licensed bart's and the MK-1 thing I like very much. Dunno how that relates to the other Cort basses.

[picker]

I am somewhat proficient on adjusting and doing setup on my own instruments so far, so I am thinking on loosening the truss rod and detuning half step before entering the plane, and adjusting it all back once I get home again. Would this be alright?

 

You should loosen the strings completely, and loosening the truss rod some isn't a bad idea either. Take as much stress off the neck as you can, as the changes in temperature and atmospheric pressure in the cargo hold can cause problems like your friend had if you don't. I left a Les Paul Goldtop tuned to pitch and in a hard case when it went into the cargo hold of the plane I flew from St. Louis to Seattle on. When I got there, the headstock had cracked about halfway off. Never did that again...

[RHINO_ROB]

I have played the neck-thru series of that bass(Korean Manufacture) before. They are excellent basses.

 

If you ever look at a Korean Ibanez and the SN starts with a C it was made by Cort.

[Juancarlin]

I have played the neck-thru series of that bass(Korean Manufacture) before. They are excellent basses.

 

If you ever look at a Korean Ibanez and the SN starts with a C it was made by Cort.

 

Therefore Some Ibanezes= Cort???

 

For several years I've withstood an anti-Ibanez policy. Not so much for the policy in itself, but for some uncomfy-ness I've found when playing Ibanezes. Seems like I'll have to check twice before buying.. (of course I will!).. or either throw the fences off and open my arms to the Ibanezeness...

Will I?

Do not miss the next chapter...

 

News update: The best offer has been already sold (The one with the Aguilar pre). Another seller manifested his unwillingness to propitiate an encounter, cince I am somewhat short on time and therefore it's a little bit restrictive to arrange a meeting at MY convenience to see and buy the instrument. There are still 3 Cort Artisan owners pending for response, and the Jazz-V like one, which also looks good (And thanks to our fellow colleague jlrush I've been properly briefed on that model, pics et al!).

 

In any case (there is still the go-shopping-pawnshop option) rest assured that anything I may end up buying in Spain, will show up in pics here at The LowDown.

 

I'm leaving in two days. The contractor has not given us yet further details on exact schedule, planes, timings, daily expenditures's payment ... We'll see, we'll see...

[RHINO_ROB]

The basses were designed by Ibanez and built by Cort. Cort's own basses differ from Ibanez basses.