AlexDelores Posted July 18 Posted July 18 My First Ever Five!Ā Ā Iāve been wanting a 5 string for about 15 years but have never got around to it. Well, as Iām fairly set with my main gigging bass now and recently sold my Mustang, I decided that rather than putting the cash back into the mix to get spent on everyday stuff or ābits and bobsā I was going to put it towards finally getting a 5.Ā Ā I was shopping around and nearly pulled the trigger on a Ray35 when this popped upā¦ If money was no object, Iād buy an Overwater Jazz and in honesty, i think Cort Jazzās have that kind of aesthetic (IMO) so I think this is why Iāve always been drawn to them. The finish on them is gorgeous to my eyes and Iāve seen so many good reviews, i thought it would be as good as any to make my first. Ā I bought it Monday and it arrived Tuesday. Iāve not had loads of time with it yet but so far, Iāve got to say, Iām well impressed!Ā Ā OVERALLĀ Ā The fit and finish on the bass really is superb. Especially given the price point. The birdseye maple neck is stunning (my first ever maple neck too).Ā Ā THE B Ā The B string seems pretty solid, and not floppy, or clangy. But, Iāll caveat that with saying Iāve not got a huge amount to compare it to other than friends 5erās Iāve played in the past. Ā TONE Ā Again, not really got stuck in too much. But, well it sounds like a jazz bass. Itās a very clean/transparent sound I would say, and itās only really when I boost the mids and roll off the neck pickup a bit that Iām getting a little growl. But, itās a very nice sounding instrument without much colouring to the sound, which I sort of expected. Albeit not the loudest/hottest bass Iāve ever played (could just need pickup height adjustment) But to my ears it seems nice and balanced across the strings and Iāve no complaints as i wanted something versatile, which it is. Ā One little annoyance is that it doesnāt appear to have any eq control when switched to passive. It just seems to make it flat. Kind of defeats the object other than as a battery failsafe. Ā WEIGHT Ā Compared to a lot of 5ās Iāve picked up and played on in the past, itās pretty darn lightweight. Iām not sure on the exact weight. But, I was concerned when the box arrived that it was even in there! Ā WAFFLE Ā Iāll likely change the knobs out to black metal ones, as the stock Fender style, feel a bit cheap and look unappealing. Iāll also probably remove the clear pick guard for now. Might potentially look at getting a custom black pearloid one cut but for now I might just leave it off. Ā Itās also another first for me. Itās a bass Iāve bought myself, purely because I wanted it. I didnāt buy it to fill an imaginary gap in my live set up or because Iāve got a few gigs Iāll need āXā for. In fact, Iāve no immediate plans to gig it at all.Ā Ā Iāve just bought it to play, learn on and enjoy. Which feels like a very nice/fortunate thing to be able to get to do. Ā ROSE MORRIS Ā ANDā¦. Big shout out to Rose Morris in London who were superb to deal with and got it boxed, shipped and delivered in just over 24 hours for free. Iād seen it online and had a few questions and David was really responsive and friendly. I ended up getting it for a really good price and even after Iād paid, he kept me updated with getting it shipped (Which was about 1.5 hours after buying it š) Ā CONCLUSION Ā Overall, a very happy bass player so far. My ādaily runnerā is a 30ā passive 4 string, so itās a bit of a jump up. Almost feels like learning to play all over again. But, a few hours in the den and Iāll be fine i think.Ā Ā If youāve made it this far. Thanks for reading my waffle. Hereās what youāve clicked on to see (Not the best pictures but i was in a rush to play it!) ā¦ Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā 20 Quote
ezbass Posted July 18 Posted July 18 51 minutes ago, AlexDelores said: Iāll also probably remove the clear pick guard for now. Might potentially look at getting a custom black pearloid one cut but for now I might just leave it off. The beauty of a clear guard is that you can try out different looks just by cutting and inserting thin card or paper behind it to check out the effect. I have an all black āinsertā, one with a paisley pattern made from and old bandana (stuck onto card) and a tort one, where I bought a small sheet of stick on tort (for acoustic guitars) and trimmed it up.Ā 3 3 Quote
HeadlessBassist Posted July 18 Posted July 18 That looks very nice, Alex. Especially like the clear guard. Looks very sophisticated. Enjoy! Ā 2 1 Quote
itu Posted July 18 Posted July 18 If the balance of the pickups is fine, simply turn up the gain of your amp.Ā Ā B string may sound similar to other strings or not. But when you change strings, you can try different ones to find the right for you. I had a MG Quantum 5 that sounded best with a 120, so thicker is not automatically better.Ā Ā Congratulations, you seem to have bought lots of bass. Now go and play a lot!Ā 1 Quote
AlexDelores Posted July 18 Author Posted July 18 33 minutes ago, ezbass said: The beauty of a clear guard is that you can try out different looks just by cutting and inserting thin card or paper behind it to check out the effect. I have an all black āinsertā, one with a paisley pattern made from and old bandana (stuck onto card) and a tort one, where I bought a small sheet of stick on tort (for acoustic guitars) and trimmed it up.Ā Thatās a flippinā good idea! Thank you šĀ 1 Quote
velvetkevorkian Posted July 18 Posted July 18 That's a pretty thing! I have one Cort instrument and a couple made by them for other brands and they're always great quality. 1 Quote
Terry M. Posted July 18 Posted July 18 I played your bass in Rose Morris on Denmark Street when they first got it in,maybe 3 months ago give or take. I really liked the fit finish and general feel,and I mean a LOT! Sound is subjective but it did at least sound like a Jazz to my ear. Job well done Cort. Visually I don't get on with clear pickguards but ignore that as that's only my personal taste speaking.The maple fingerboard and matched headstock look great in person however to me. Enjoy your new bassĀ āŗļø 1 Quote
AlexDelores Posted July 18 Author Posted July 18 7 minutes ago, Terry M. said: I played your bass in Rose Morris on Denmark Street when they first got it in,maybe 3 months ago give or take. I really liked the fit finish and general feel,and I mean a LOT! Sound is subjective but it did at least sound like a Jazz to my ear. Job well done Cort. Visually I don't get on with clear pickguards but ignore that as that's only my personal taste speaking.The maple fingerboard and matched headstock look great in person however to me. Enjoy your new bassĀ āŗļø Ah thatās good to hear. Thank you.Ā Ā Yeah, itās definitely quite a middle of the road, un offensive kind of tone. But, it works for what i need. I was looking for something like that, that I can eq to fit in a variety of things, and it does that well I think. Thereās also a wide variety of Pickups/preamp options down the line if i want to make it sing a little more. Ā Quote
Terry M. Posted July 18 Posted July 18 7 minutes ago, AlexDelores said: Thereās also a wide variety of Pickups/preamp options down the line if i want to make it sing a little more. You're spoilt for choice in that areaĀ š 1 Quote
lemmywinks Posted July 18 Posted July 18 Cort's slimmed down J body is extremely comfortable IMO, good to see these still have the Ultralites and Luminlays. Ā If you still want to scratch your Overwater itch on a budget there's an Aspiration Deluxe (Tanglewood built) 5 string in a Hiscox Liteflite case on eBay for a low start bid: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/197513973505 1 Quote
AlexDelores Posted July 18 Author Posted July 18 Just now, lemmywinks said: Cort's slimmed down J body is extremely comfortable IMO, good to see these still have the Ultralites and Luminlays. Ā If you still want to scratch your Overwater itch on a budget there's an Aspiration Deluxe (Tanglewood built) 5 string in a Hiscox Liteflite case on eBay for a low start bid: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/197513973505 Very nice that. Thanks for the heads up. I definitely think Iām done for a bit now thoughā¦.I think š Quote
Terry M. Posted July 18 Posted July 18 3 minutes ago, lemmywinks said: Cort's slimmed down J body is extremely comfortable IMO, good to see these still have the Ultralites and Luminlays. Ā If you still want to scratch your Overwater itch on a budget there's an Aspiration Deluxe (Tanglewood built) 5 string in a Hiscox Liteflite case on eBay for a low start bid: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/197513973505 I bought one of these Tanglewood made Overwaters used from Richtone a few years back and was very impressed. I sent it back however as it was insanely heavy.Shame production on them is no more. 1 Quote
tauzero Posted July 18 Posted July 18 In passive mode, you may find that the treble control works as a treble cut, just like a passive bass. It's not a certainty though. 1 Quote
lemmywinks Posted July 18 Posted July 18 (edited) The only Cort built bass I've had on which the active treble control doubles as a passive tone is the Ibanez EHB with its Vari-Mid preamp. The GB Modern has the Markbass MB with a separate passive tone but I don't think other Corts offer that, even the ones using that preamp. Edited July 18 by lemmywinks 1 Quote
MichaelDean Posted July 18 Posted July 18 That looks lovely! I went from mainly playing my Mustang to a SBMM Sub Ray 5 quite a few years ago now. I think I prefer 5s these days, but it's fun going to my Mustang from my Dingwall. Totally different beasts. Enjoy discovering it! 1 Quote
crazycloud Posted July 18 Posted July 18 I love my Corts (2 BG and an AG) and really want one of these, but can't justify adding another instrument to the collection. I'll live vicariously through you in the meantime. Enjoy! 1 Quote
crazycloud Posted August 4 Posted August 4 Out of curiosity, how is the body size on these? Is it closer to the Ibanez SR or to a Jazz bass? Quote
Stub Mandrel Posted August 4 Posted August 4 Tbh the clear guard is spoiling a lovely bass imho. Ā It looks as if the protective film is still on it... peel it off and it could look much better. Ā A pearloid one could look good on that. Quote
AlexDelores Posted August 4 Author Posted August 4 6 hours ago, crazycloud said: Out of curiosity, how is the body size on these? Is it closer to the Ibanez SR or to a Jazz bass? Canāt comment on the SR but itās not far off my Jazz. Took a few side by sides for comparison.Ā Ā 1 Quote
AlexDelores Posted August 4 Author Posted August 4 2 hours ago, Stub Mandrel said: Tbh the clear guard is spoiling a lovely bass imho. Ā It looks as if the protective film is still on it... peel it off and it could look much better. Ā A pearloid one could look good on that. Agreed, itās definitely coming off, I just havenāt had chance yet. Although personally donāt mind it terribly as is but I do think Iād prefer it off. Or, I quite fancy a black one in the future to match the hardware.Ā Ā Just havenāt had chance yet. Flat out with gigs and itās school holidays. So if Iām not running around after the kids or gigging, the odd practice time with my bass is spent playing it! š Ā Ā Ā 1 Quote
crazycloud Posted August 4 Posted August 4 1 hour ago, AlexDelores said: Canāt comment on the SR but itās not far off my Jazz. Took a few side by sides for comparison.Ā Ā That's awesome. Thanks so much for doing that. It's smaller than a J and looks closer to the SR, maybe about the same as my A6. I'll make it a point to try one when I'm in the area near the dealer soon. 1 Quote
crazycloud Posted August 4 Posted August 4 5 hours ago, Stub Mandrel said: Tbh the clear guard is spoiling a lovely bass imho. But if there must be a PG, then I'd rather it was clear over a woodgrain.Ā 2 Quote
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