Cornwall Steve

On 20/02/2024 at 14:59, tauzero said:

Went to Bass Direct today for a play on the Cort and a chat with Mark, who I haven't seen for ages. There was both a green and a black one in there, the black had just arrived so I had a play on the green. Knobs and tuners seemed fine, the MK-1 Barts sound clean and clear. The treble control on the preamp didn't seem to do much but the amp and speaker I was playing through didn't have a lot of treble itself.

 

The obvious comparison is with the Ibanez EHB series. The EHB's 1005 and 1265 only have multiscales or fretless (there was a single-scale EHB1005 but that has disappeared from Ibanez's current lineup), the EHB1505 is available as single or multiscale. Neck profiles are very similar. Quality is similar. The MK-1 Barts are superior to the BH-2 Barts on the EHB 1005 and 1265, and similar quality to the Nordstrands - they do sound a bit different so listening is advisable. However, as the Cort Space is £700 from BD (RRP is £750), and the Ibanez EHB1505 is £1370, there's £670 available for changing the pickups. The EHB1005MS is £1120-£1200 depending on finish, and the pickups are inferior.

 

One trick that Cort have missed out on is putting a second strap button below the tuners, as per Status, Sei, Steinberger, or Hohner. This allows you to stand the bass up without worrying about damaging the finish. Still, it's something that's easily done at very little cost.

 

Conclusion - if I'd not already got the EHB1265, my 2024 gear abstinence may have come to an abrupt end. If you want a multiscale headless, it has to be an EHB (or a Boden for £3k). If you want a single-scale instrument then the Cort offers similar quality and a similar feel for half the money, and no irritating locking jack socket. I might yet get one when they start popping up on the second-hand market for £400.

I'll be looking out for a used one too, though it'll be interesting to see how they stand the test of time 🤔

On 16/02/2024 at 09:55, Linus27 said:

They just need to release an unlined fretless model and I'd be all over this.

I quite agree. I think this model looks and sounds terrific. I like it in black or green but so disappointed there appears to be no unlined version.

I've found myself in the same prediciment that Paolo did when he wanted to explore a 5 string option for a Fretless. I already have two 4 string versions but wanted to try a 5. My budget is the same £400 Paolo was working with. And he's right - there is very little out there. Harley Benton offer a choice of different fretless models but I've read so many reviews where buyers have suffered various issues 'out of the box'. I'm clueless when it comes to set-ups and just about every one of the 22 basses I currently own end up visiting my local Luthier so I'm expecting that regardless of what I choose but I didn't want to buy something the Luthier ends up telling me its going to cost a small fortune to correct manufacturing flaws and imperfections. What I do like about the HB is it really does look different. It's instantly recognisable and possesses a character all of its own. In the on line videos it appears to sound pretty decent too with a nice range of mwah that I strive for from my fretless. Perhaps like Paolo I should just bite the bullet and go for it, after all what other choice is there other than boring old cheaper models of Ibanez, Yamaha, or endless Squiers and all the other hundreds of used P and J copies that dominate the bass market - and I'm talking used models within this price range. At least the HB looks different. Just hope the quality is better than the usual inferior mass produced rubbish we normally expect churned out by the PRC.