Cort guitar -- your opinion

Subject: Cort guitar -- your opinion
From: GUEST,MAG, computer having problems
Date: 10 Apr 06 - 09:07 PM

Recently I needed to replace the beater stolen from my office at work, where I keep it for programs there.

I cruised my social networks for awhile, but finally bit the bullet and went shopping. I ended up with a parlor guitar with the Cort label, which I can easily carry back and forth. Naturally I ended up spending more money than I planned. It sounds just fine for the size.

I know that's all I really need worry about; I like it and so far it meets my needs. Still, I am wondering about this apparent Korean-made offshoot of Fender.

What you think?

MAG, computer barely hanging with baling wire and duct tape

Subject: RE: Cort guitar -- your opinion
From: Dave (the ancient mariner)
Date: 10 Apr 06 - 09:42 PM

I am not familiar with the parlour model, but did play one of their accoustic basses at a shop once. They are reasonable value for the money in my opinion.

Yours, Aye. Dave

Subject: RE: Cort guitar -- your opinion
From: GUEST,guitar bloke
Date: 10 Apr 06 - 11:55 PM

cort are one of the top quality korean factories
that manufacture for a lot of the well known 'American' names..

you should be very safely satisfied with this guitar

Subject: RE: Cort guitar -- your opinion
From: Leadfingers
Date: 11 Apr 06 - 06:42 AM

If a Cort is good enough for El Greko (his 12 string ) then it should be OK for ANY one who doesnt want to spend a couple of grand on a fancy name ! I have a Tanglewood as a second guitar (similar price range) and that is perfectly adequate , though NOT quite as nice sounding as my D35 ! (YET - its not fully played in yet)

Subject: RE: Cort guitar -- your opinion
From: Grab
Date: 11 Apr 06 - 07:11 AM

The ones I've played in shops are not at all bad. DDW (who isn't here very often now) has one which is a very nice bit of kit indeed. Obviously at the price it's not a Collings, but it's as good as anything else in the mid-price Seagull/Takamine/Tanglewood kind of area - good value-for-money instruments.

As always though with cheaper instruments, make sure that the shop has done a proper setup on them. Our local shop has a 5-string Cort bass that I was very tempted by, but they've left the truss rod so low that the strings are practically brushing the frets, which suggests that there may be other problems caused by bad storage/setup which aren't as obvious. Caveat emptor.

Graham.

Subject: RE: Cort guitar -- your opinion
From: Dharmabum
Date: 11 Apr 06 - 07:37 AM

I've owned a Cort parlor (I believe it's called the Earth 800) for about 3 years.
I love it.
The solid cedar top & smaller body produces a good amount of volume.
Mine's been very stable.Other than the initial setup to slightly lower the action to suit my preferences,it's required no other maintenance.
& I've had mine out in all sorts of climate.
So far, it's held up very well.

   DB.

Subject: RE: Cort guitar -- your opinion
From: GUEST,DonMeixner
Date: 11 Apr 06 - 08:10 AM

Dittos on the Cort Bass.

My son has one, a Fender P clone that is both playable and tuneable. Important qualities in any guitar, cheap or not. It also sound good, lots of sustain with little or no buzz.

Don

Subject: RE: Cort guitar -- your opinion
From: The Barden of England
Date: 11 Apr 06 - 08:22 AM

I'm pretty sue that Cort and Tanglewood are from the same factory. I have an SJ10X Tanglewood, which is exactly the same as a Cort SJ10X. Solid Sitka Top, Laminate Rosewood back and sides. Sounds pretty good (especially plugges in), but nowhere near my Fylde Oberon - however the Tanglewood was a quarter of the price. Set-up is important on guitars at this price though and as always it pays to play before you buy.
John Barden

Subject: RE: Cort guitar -- your opinion
From: GUEST,MAG
Date: 11 Apr 06 - 10:42 AM

Oh I wouldn't dream of buying a guitar I had not actually played. I just can't imagine buying through the net, though I know a lot of people do.

Guitar shopping to me means going out and hitting the shops. I had already checked out everything in my area and did serious shopping on a trip to Portland (OR).

Subject: RE: Cort guitar -- your opinion
From: PoppaGator
Date: 11 Apr 06 - 11:34 AM

Grab ~ do you really consider Takemine as part of this low-price/decent-quality category, or was that a typographical error?

I'm not a Tak owner or "fan" myself, but I've seen and heard enough of them in the hands of very serious players that I've concluded that this Japanese guitar has become a true premium brand, and assumed that their instruments are priced accordingly...

Subject: RE: Cort guitar -- your opinion
From: GUEST,MAG
Date: 12 Apr 06 - 02:18 AM

I had to sell my old Tak dreadnaught because of shoulder problems, and got about what I paid for it new. That's rare.

Subject: RE: Cort guitar -- your opinion
From: Grab
Date: 12 Apr 06 - 07:25 AM

Takemine are like Yahama - they cover a large spectrum of quality. Looking on gak.co.uk, the cheapest Tak is £189, the most expensive is £1339. Probably should have added Yamaha to that list too, but it was just a few names off the top of my head who do good mid-range instruments.

I wouldn't buy one myself - I'm quite happy with what I've got. :-) What I've read though, Tak electronics are very good so they're popular road guitars.

Graham.

Subject: RE: Cort guitar -- your opinion
From: GUEST,Jim
Date: 12 Apr 06 - 10:51 AM

Although he plays a Guild now, Canadian singer/song writer Aengus Finnan played a Cort until about five years ago. It sounded fine and I heard Rick Fielding praise it when Aengus played on his radio show.

Subject: RE: Cort guitar -- your opinion
From: breezy
Date: 20 Apr 06 - 09:54 AM

good value, economical but not special.

Sorry El G

Subject: RE: Cort guitar -- your opinion
From: Aaron Aardvark
Date: 20 Apr 06 - 10:11 AM

I have a Fender Precision Cort clone too and am very satisfied with it. The Cort acoustics I have tried have appeared to offer good value for money but naturally are not up to the quality of a good handbuilt guitar (which are several times the price of course!)

Aaron

Subject: RE: Cort guitar -- your opinion
From: mandotim
Date: 20 Apr 06 - 10:11 AM

Cort are another of the Korean clones; which is not to say anything derogatory about their quality; brands like Washburn, Johnson, Ozark, Crafter etc generally have a number of different specification levels, and the high end (but still medium price) models can be very good indeed. I build instruments as a hobby, and it seems to me that 'cheap' used to mean 'unplayable' as far as guitars were concerned, but no longer. There are many good, solid top guitars with ok actions and precise intonation out there for tiny money. Put it down to computer control of the manufacturing process I suppose. It's no longer so difficult to make a consistent product, thanks to CNC machines and ultra-precise measuring technology. This control of the basic process cuts down waste and cost, and we now see some effort to spend the money saved on ornamentation, with lots of abalone and nice binding everywhere.
I'm speaking from experience; I've just sold a Crafter six string acoustic, bought for £230, and it was a cracking guitar, a copy of a Taylor of some description. Loud, played sweetly and in tune, with great electrics. I only sold it because my wife has me on a strict 'one in, one out' policy, and I've just bought a Rainsong. Incidentally, Maartin Allcock (ex Fairport and Tull) is using Crafters as stage guitars, and he thinks they are great. Cort are in the same class, especially their top models.
Tim from Bit on the Side

Subject: RE: Cort guitar -- your opinion
From: clairerise
Date: 20 Apr 06 - 11:19 AM

yes you have to play it first. when you get the right guitar it feels magical in your hands. and when you dont get the right guitar, you know, it feels awkward and cold in your hands and on your fingers.

dont buy without paying

Subject: RE: Cort guitar -- your opinion
From: clairerise
Date: 20 Apr 06 - 11:23 AM

oops that was supposed to be. dont buy without PLAYING. not paying makes you a thief. or a lucky devil

Subject: RE: Cort guitar -- your opinion
From: GUEST
Date: 20 Apr 06 - 06:36 PM

"I only sold it because my wife has me on a strict 'one in, one out' policy," mandotim Date: 20 Apr 06 - 10:11 AM

That is sad... I know its none of my business to comment on your domestic arrangements...., but if a husband was to lay such strictures on his wife, I think it could quite rightly be called 'oppressive'
As I say, I'm sorry about picking out thatpart of your post, but to me my guitars are my life, and could never dream of suggesting to my wife that she only go to the Bingo once a week...

Having said that, I bought a Cort (must find out the model no), for the purpose of playing finger-picked open-tuned songs and melodies. I needed something 'light' that would respond well with power-chordy strums too, when needed.
Gorgeous instrument!
I was nevr one that bought purely because of the instrument's make, and today,as you say, with CNC machinery more widely used, standard is much more easily attained.

All the best

Subject: RE: Cort guitar -- your opinion
From: GUEST,The Beast of Farlington
Date: 21 Apr 06 - 08:45 AM

Re Takamine, I seriously considered buying an EG523SC (Jumbo electro acoustic, solid flame maple top, back and sides) for a number of months. The electrics were great but unplugged, which matters most, different examples of the model varied a lot. The worst sounded like rattling cardboard, so I was put off. The Yamaha CPX had the same issues. I plumped for a Tanglewood TW58 Nat in the end and have not regretted it.

You can't tell that much from a label. You have to play the ACTUAL guitar you are going to buy to really know.

So in answer to the question, is the Cort any good? If it sounds good to you, then it is.

Subject: RE: Cort guitar -- your opinion
From: mandotim
Date: 21 Apr 06 - 09:28 AM

Hi GUEST; you may have been a little hasty in judging the power structures in my home without any real evidence; I've been happily married to the same woman for nearly thirty years, and the thought of real strictures has never come up; as it happens, I agree with my wife's position on this. She is a musician, and so are both my daughters, and between us we have 138 instruments in the house at the moment. It's really a question of space, you see, and it's not sad at all. Perhaps you would like to reconsider your comment, which sounded to me a little like an unreconstructed chauvinist bemoaning the existence of any sort of power in the hands of women? If your guitars really are your life, I suggest you try to get out more. Mandatory thread-relevant comment; none of my twelve guitars are Corts, though I've played a few and liked most of them.
Tim from Bit on the Side

Subject: RE: Cort guitar -- your opinion
From: rhyzla
Date: 21 Apr 06 - 10:06 AM

LOL - nice one Tim!!

Subject: RE: Cort guitar -- your opinion
From: Grab
Date: 21 Apr 06 - 04:49 PM

Blimey! If you've got 12 of the buggers, no wonder there's a "one-in-one-out" policy!

Me, I'm up to 6 (if you count the electric) plus two mandolins and a fiddle, and a lack of any more wall-hanging space or floor-standing is pretty effectively preventing me getting any more without disposing of others (or chucking out the sofa).

Graham.

Subject: RE: Cort guitar -- your opinion
From: mandotim
Date: 21 Apr 06 - 06:08 PM

Hey Grab;it's not just the guitars, its the pianos, banjos, mandolins, saxophones, flutes, clarinets, percussion, basses, mandocellos, fiddles,amps, PA gear etc etc...the sofa went years ago, I've built a climate controlled lock-up in the garage...the only reason for the girls to go to University is to make more room for instruments! I think my Better Half has been pretty tolerant, all in all. It's nice to be able to wander round the house and just reach out for an instrument whenever the mood takes you though...there's always one within reach!
Tim from Bit on the Side