A More Mature View on Cort | Cort Bass Guitar Reviews

A More Mature View on Cort

Few months back, I uploaded a post in which I was very angry about how the Cort's owner, Park, moved his guitar plant from Korea to Indonesia ignorant of the plight of the Cort workers in the Korean factories. Since then, I have developed a more mature view of the events, and although I am very unhappy about the plight of the Korean workers, I faced reality and accepted that Park's decision was a rather unkind, but a sensible one. In fact, there are lots of bass guitar companies which don't produce bass guitars in their home countries, so Park's decision is more acceptable to me now.

The main reason I just said this is because... I recently bought a Cort bass guitar myself. *blush* *blush*

Although I'd rather have bought a bass guitar from some other company, there were no other bass guitar which had the qualities that I needed(lightweight, non-jazz bass guitar, and of course good sound quality) that met my budget(around $500). As a consolation to my embarrassment, I bought a Cort B4 bass guitar that was made in Korea not in Indonesia(luckily there were few Korean Cort bass guitars left). And... what can I say, my bass guitar sounds great, just as I expected. The only hitch is that the battery connection for the pre-amp is a bit unstable, but on the whole, I'm very pleased. If I have time, I'll try to upload some pictures of my new bass guitar later.

Cort's darker side | Cort Bass Guitar Reviews

Cort's darker side - why Cort bass guitars repel me now


I used to be a fan of Cort bass guitars, mainly due to the fact that Cort is a Korean company and I am a Korean, and also because Cort bass guitars seemed to be the best bass guitars for beginners, being cheap but with quality. If you've read all my reviews on Cort bass guitars, you would have seen that most of the reviews are favourable(Cort bass guitars ARE actually good). However, I came to know something about Cort which made me dislike it since.

Cort started as a very small company with little capital. The workers had to work in windowless factories, under the constant risk of getting their fingers cut in machines and getting respiratory diseases. They also always received minimum wages($1000 a month). Some worked in Cort bass for more than 20 years withough ever having enough money to own a Cort bass guitar. However, they kept on working hard because they were simply happy at the fact that the acoustic, electric and bass guitars made with their own hands were being distributed all over the world. They were hopeful that someday, their hard work will pay out, that they will work in better conditions and receive higher wages.

However, Cort's owner, Park Young-Ho, who meanwhile became one of the richest man in Korea thanks to the workers, had other thoughts. He thought that the minimum wage he was giving to those Korean workers were too high, so he started moving the guitar plants from Korean to Indonesia, where wages are cheaper. Recently all of Korean plants were shut down, leaving the Korean workers jobless. They received hardly anything in compensation. Obviously, the workers were very very angry; they have now been protesting for 2 years, even following Park all the way to Germany to make a deal with him. However, Park remains stubborn.

We all know that the world is more and more affected by consumerism, where people are looking for cheaper products. Park responded to this consumerism and moved his plants to Indonesia to bring down prices. As a result, Cort bass guitars remain very competitive. Park's decision may have been rational in the business world. However, I find his actions to be a violation to humanity. If it wasn't for those Korean workers who wasted their life for Park and his Cort bass, he would not be where he is now. If Park had any morsel of humanity in him, he would be treating those workers with thankfulness and respect. But he has chosen to be rich over to be human. If those workers were given enough care, they may have turned into professional luthiers and possibly Cort could have been a high end bass guitar company like Warwick.

I always had wanted to buy a Cort bass guitar, especially Cort bass A4. Now I'm supporting the Cort boycott movement, and I'm spreading the word to persuade other people to support it as well. If you want a cheap and a good bass guitar, Cort is one of the best choices. But think about those rejected workers before buying a Cort. I really don't like the idea that music is becoming corrupted with money and consumerism. What about you?

Let's all boycott Cort bass guitars for the workers!

Cort bass Curbow Series | Curbow 4, Curbow 4FL, Curbow 5

One of the best selling series of Cort bass : The Cort Curbow series.

This is what the Cort bass's official website has to say about the Curbow series.

"Bass Evolution
Curbow series has a distinctive design developed in collaboration with Greg Curbow. With a resonant Luthite body, Ebonol fingerboard and Active Bartolini System with built in "Slap Switch," the Curbow delivers an origianl bass tone."

Also some more word about the Ebonol fingerboard on Cort Curbow bass:
"The Ebonol fingerboard is a composite material that is sturdy yielding a bright oval tone. The Curbow's distinctive tone with sturdy Ebonol fingerboard has found its way into many studios and gigs with its reliability."

And here we have the different bass guitars from the Cort Curbow series:

Curbow 5








Curbow 4FL








Curbow 4

Artisan C4 | Cort Bass Guitar Review

Cort Artisan C4 review - A 'gig-able' bass guitar at its cheapest

Why do we all play bass guitars? I mean, we want to play in front of people, right? But if you want to play in a gig, your bass guitar needs a minimum standard to make sure that the bass guitar won't let you down.

Cort C4 is just another typical Cort bass guitar - cheap but excellent quality. If you want to play in a gig, but your bass guitar is not up to the task, maybe you should consider upgrading it to Cort C4. Compared to its quality, Cort C4 goes as cheap as you can go, around $300.

Cort C4 has a 2 band EQ pre-amp on it, so during a gig, you can change how your bass guitar sounds with ease. Also, when playing in a gig, its horrible when your bass guitar goes out of tune - Cort C4, with its solid tuners, won't let you down. Maybe you aren't happy with the fact that there's no control for middle frequency - Cort C4 instead has a mid-boost switch to take care of that.

Although being in the lowest of the Artisan bass guitar series, this bass guitar is far from having low quality. If you are rather short on cash, but have a burning desire to play in a gig, go for Cort C4. This bass guitar will not let you down.

Did you find this Cort bass guitar review useful? Please leave a comment!

A good guitar lesson site

Check this out:

GuitarTools.co.uk!
Visit GuitarTools.co.uk and join our growing guitar community! We offer free guitar, lessons, forums, products and galleries all designed for the guitarist. We aim to make you a better player!

Artisan B4 | Cort Bass Guitar Review

Cort Artisan B4 review - under rated Korean "gem"(so cheap but so good)

Many bassists love the growl and the power of Warwick bass guitars. The only problem is that Warwick bass guitars cost a fortune - usually $4000 plus. Cort B4, which is almost 10 times cheaper than Warwick bass guitars - at around $500 - is really a wonder. Although Cort B4 doesn't manage to equal Warwick bass guitars, it gets somewhere close. This is incredible, as Cort B4 is so so cheap.

Specs are identical to that of A4, except that B4 doesn't have a neck through construction. You can see my review of Cort A4.

Being an active bass(it has a preamp in the guitar), Cort B4 is able to produce really powerful sounds compared to other bass guitars, and it is only beaten by Warwick bass guitars really. But just compare their price tag... B4 is simply amazing. The reason for this cheap price is that Cort bass guitars a mass produced in factories, but despite this, Cort bass guitars all have flawless quality with excellent factory settings.

As with Cort A4, Cort B4 is able to produce a variety of tones thanks to its Bartolini 3 band EQ preamp. Just fool around with those knobs and you will find the tone you want. This bass guitar is suited for any type of genres of music.

Cort B4 is a great bass guitar. At such a cheap price, the bass guitar manages to almost flawlessly copy Warwick bass guitars. At this cheap price, no bass guitar can beat the Cort B4.

Artisan A4 | Cort Bass Guitar Review

Cort Artisan A4 review– the only bass guitar that you will ever need

Every bass guitar player has their own style of playing and their own taste of tones. So they look for a bass guitar which is able to produce the “best” sound for him/herself. Often, one bass guitar is not able produce all the type of sounds the he/she wants, which is why they have more than one bass guitars.

Cort A4 may be a good solution to those bassists out there who’s constantly searching for the right bass guitar with the right sound and tone. Cort A4 is known for its ability to cover almost all types of music genres – pop, jazz, rock, funk, blues, CCM – and Cort A4 covers them brilliantly.


Few comments on the super quality of Cort A4’s hardware:

1. Neck-through construction – gives the bass guitar a long long sustain. By the way, you simply cannot find a bass guitar with a neck-through construction at this cheap price(because neck through bass guitars need bigger pieces of wood)

2. Bartolini MK-1 Electronics – has 3 Active EQ controls(bass, middle, treble), allowing you to experiment with the tones until you find the right one. It also has a active/passive switch, allowing you to switch off from active mode(and save the battery)

3. Hipshot machine heads

4. Brass nuts

5. Platinum hardware


All these super quality hardware allows Cort A4 to make a super sound. If you search on the internet, you will find nothing but praises for this bass guitar, because it produces such a wonderful sound despite its relatively cheap price(around $800). Even some pro musicians admit that they prefer Cort A4 over Fender, Musicman, Warwick. Why waste money on branded bass guitars? Cort A4 gives you everything that a bass guitar needs!

Curbow 4 | Cort Bass Guitar Review

Cort Curbow 4 Review- A "different" bass guitar, but with a cheap price.

Cort Curbow 4 is definitely not a normal bass guitar. It is designed by a famous bass guitar designer, Greg Curbow. If you’re looking for a one of a kind bass guitar, while looking for a cheap price as well, consider Cort Curbow 4.


How Curbow 4 is different(whether for better or worse)

1.Luthite body – a very unusual material to use for a bass guitar body. This reduces the sustain, but produces a great tone for slap and pop.

2.27 frets – a breakaway from the conventional 20 or 24 frets – allows the Cort Curbow 4 to produce notes.

3.A tiny body – Makes the Cort Curbow 4 ever so light, allowing players to play all night long. However, because of the bass guitar’s unusual shape, it’s difficult to play while sitting down.

4.A sharp, extended upper horn – actually allows Cort Curbow 4 to produce a “sharp” sound.

5.A deep, deep cutaway – making those high frets accessible

6.Single Bartolini amk-1 pickup – Usually bass guitars have two pickups(except Precision Bass)

7.A very very thin neck –Good because it makes the movement of the hand along the neck easy and slick. Makes it look sexy too. Bad because it reduces the distance between the strings, which makes it difficult to slap and pop.

8.A “slap” switch – this has mixed reviews from users. Some say it makes the tone “beautiful”, while others describe the switch as “a joke”. It is said to make the tone “as if the bass guitar is connected to an effecter”.


Well, there’s a very exotic and a special bass guitar for you. All this for a very cheap price – approximately $350. Cort Curbow 4 is a killer bass guitar for a cheap price, which shows off exceptional quality and features for this price range. If you’re looking for some unconventional, special, sexy and decent bass guitar for a cheap price, you should be considering Cort Curbow 4.


Did you find this Cort bass guitar review useful? Please leave a comment!

Action Bass | Cort Bass Guitar Review

Cort Action Bass Review- "The" bass guitar for beginners

If you want to start to play bass, there's no point buying expensive bass guitars, you won't be able to make a full use of it. Therefore you should be looking for some cheap bass guitars. However, the bass guitar should also have reasonable quality, or otherwise you would get used to playing something which is "not quite a bass guitar". You need a bass guitar which actually has some decent quality to be classified as a bass guitar, while having a reasonably cheap price. There are lots of cheap bass guitars out there, and only a few of them guarantee quality.

Cort bass guitars are renowned for their quality despite their cheap prices. This is because Cort is able to mass produce their guitars, while using top notch technology to ensure quality.

Some reasons why bass beginners should choose Cort Action Bass:

1. It's really cheap.
2. Despite having decent quality.
3. It Looks sexy.
4. Lots of people use it already. It's popular for good reasons.
5. It's got PJ(precision-jazz) pickups, allowing the player to play a diverse range of genres.
6. It's got 24 frets, allowing the guitar to produce higher notes(as opposed to Jazz Bass which has 20 frets)

To all the beginners out there: don't make a mistake by buying a cheap and unbranded bass guitar(that's what I did). Cort IS one of the biggest guitar manufacturers in the world, so you don't need to suspect their quality or reliability. Well, another way of getting good cheap bass guitars is looking for used musical instruments online.

Looking for a cheap and affordable but a decent bass guitar? Cort Action Bass is what you need.

By the way, if you want some guitar lessons, go to BLGuitar.com

Free Guitar Lessons Online


Did you find this Cort bass guitar review useful? Please leave a comment!

Cort Bass Guitar Reviews: Policies

Welcome to "Cort Bass Guitar Reviews". This blog provides information and reviews on bass guitars made by Cort, which is one of the biggest guitar manufacturers in the world, based in Korea. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email me at bakjewel@gmail.com!