Cort A6 Artisan

Stock
Stock active Bartolini pickups with vol, fad, 3 tone controls

Would be nice if it had passive switch, but for the price I can't complain.

I'd give it a 7 or 8 normally, but w/ the pickups, I have to go w/ a 9

While the Bartolini pickups might not be the best grade they make, they're certainly way better than most bass pickups even on more expensive models.

Super heavy maple construction likely adds to the tone and sustain.

I was suprised by the quality of the workmanship for the price. Everything was finished well--not necessarily made like you would expect from say a $10,000 hand made Andersen guitar, but good.

The action is great, frets well files and polished, and the tuners are great.

Built like a tank.

In fact, this is it's biggest flaw: overbuilt. This thing is heavy. I'm 5"9 150 lb, so not a big guy, and I'll tell you that even w/ the best strap you can't play a 4 hr gig on this until you've worked up to it. I need back workouts, shoulder presses, etc to keep up w/ this thing.

Never used

I'd like to have an Alembic or some other extremely sought after masterpiece, but for the price, this thing is wonderful. It will suit the needs of all amateurs and many professionals in my opinion. It's difficult to give it an overall rating, because based on price, I'd give it a 10, but that might be misleading to someone. Compared to all basses, it's probably a 6.5, which is really good because a stock american made jazz bass is probably a 5.

My A6 is the same vintage and specifications as reviewed by Felix in '03. The finish is natural and the maple body wings are a first rate , deep and sharp flame which goes through to the back. A PRS "ten top" is a joke compared to my A6. Really. It is just gorgeous and suggests an axe costing several times as much.
The weight issue mentioned by Felix is significant. My A6 sat in the shop for two years before I bought it in '03. It was a "sword-in-the-stone" scenario; only he who is mighty enough to wield her can be worthy. Felix must be one strong dude. Since I'm disabled and can't play any guitar standing, the weight issue was not a deterrant. During the two years she sat there I saw many a man pick her up, only to just say, "Whoa! No way!", and put her right back down without so much as a note. When I got the idea for a giant low-guitar (I'm a guitar player) the A6 came to mind since the string spacings are very close and guitar-like. When I went in to finally check her out I knew from the first notes. She was alive. Chet Atkins once remarked that you could go into a guitar store, play every instrument, and not find one that "had it". The feel, the vibe, the responsiveness, the "life" that breathes and pulses in perfect harmony with what you play. When you feel it you know.
The bridge is a weak point, as previously mentioned, however, the instrument sings and sustains like a dream, so it is hard to criticize the bridge for it's function. It works. It has all that you need to get any sound you want so addittional features would just be preference items and not crucial improvements so I don't deduct for absent bells and whistles.

As I mentioned, I use the A6 as a giant guitar, tuned as such at the third fret, making the lowest open string a C#. I only use the A6 in my home studio through processors and preamp so I can tell you that the A6 is dead quite and tonally balanced. When I monitor it's through PSB satellites and a REL subwoofer that goes down to 20Hz flat. If Bill Bartolini actually did design these pickups for this base then he is gifted indeed. This guitar can produce the piano like tones which bloom and ring with impressive beauty. It can also do distortions, choruses, reverbs and so forth that will make your jaw drop. When I play heavily processed tones each note retains identity and distinctness, even in chords. I mostly play riffing, melodic stuff so the very low action permits guitar runs a la Frank Zappa, Michael Manring, Billy Gibbons, Jeff Beck and so forth. Tones are limitless and palpable. The sustain is excellent and the neck is extremely playable (fast). I like to play chords higher up the neck with droning open strings ringing. Magnificent. You can sound like angels singing or rumble with seismic depth that can cause landslides and shake foundations. Very intoxicating.
Also, once you set the string intonation the harmonics will leap out of the strings in very lively but controllable fashion. Rich tone. I have listened to innumerable "test drives" of $2000-$3000 basses at guitar center and I've never heard anything that compares to the A6
(except maybe a Modulus or a Zon).

Fit and finish were ideal. I had to set intonation and string height, but I expect to do that on every guitar.The thick hard gloss finish is far more durable than the satins or light oiled types. The tuners look like Gotohs but have no name. They work perfectly. The brass nut required no work and the neck relief did not need to be set. The neck-through design and neck heel are functional artwork. Beautiful contours.

No problems in 2 years of use.

I've had no dealings with the company.

This instrument beckons, inspires and delights. It is a satisfying playing experience that would be hard to find in another bass. I would certainly buy another if this one were lost. A special instrument for the price.

It must be a 2001 or early 2002 model without the a/p push/pull switch of the newer models.Made in Korea.24 frets,six string.Neck-through-body construction with natural gloss finish.Controls are master volume,pan pot,3-band eq.It has two passive Bartolini MK-1 humbucker soapbar pu's and an active Bartolini MK-1 eq.The neck is a five piece maple/wenge neck-through-body construction.The body wings are made of excellent figured maple.The bass is available in two finishes,natural and orange sunburst.The body style is quite unique.The bridge is a so called Fortress bridge with six individual saddles and two piece construction.It is top loaded.Six standard cheap Korean tuners,not the best quality,but they keep the bass in tune for a long time,could be more precise.The neck is quite thin.Easy access to all positions,34''.Fretwork is very good.As accessoire I got only a use-and-throw-away cheap cable.

I play everything from Jazz to ethnic music.I have to play every style and the A6 fits perfect for every kind of music.I don't use effects on stage.I use a small Marshall B65 combo,because I'm playing at the roof bar of a 5-Stars hotel and can't turn up the volume very high.The electric system of the hotel I'm working at is nearly perfect and I never used the bass outside the hotel,because I have four other basses that I can use for other jobs.At the hotel it doesn't produce any ground noise.It's totally quiet.This bass can produce any sound from deep bottom fat swing lines two popping Jazz-Bass tones.The eq is very versatile.As an old Fender user I'm only missing the warm and singing mid frequency of my Jazz Bass,but I can live with it.The A6 has a very large spectrum of tones.I'm using it for 14 month now in a seven-days-a-week job (that means I played the bass every day in the past 14 month!) and I can say that I never disliked the tone.It fits just everything.I never used it in the studio.I like the sound and the wide tonal spectrum.Maybe it could be a little warmer in the upper register.

The setup was ok.The action was very low.Pickup adjustment was standard.Not too high,not too low.I experimented with different settings and found the one that fits my style best.The only flaw I found on the bass were the mounting srews of the tuning machines.They were loose,but I think that's a minor problem.The finish and overall workmanship of the bass is perfect.No defects,nothing that needs to be changed.

This bass has already withstood 14 month of hard stage work.Except of run out batteries and broken strings it never caused any problems.The woods are made for eternity,but the hardware is not the best on the market.The tuning heads can be changed.But the bridge is not replaceable because of its unique construction.The finish is good and hard.I don't have even one scratch on the bass yet,but I take very good care of my instruments since I smashed my Jazz Bass against the back wall of the stage four years ago and ruined the poor instrument (ok,I was totally drunk).The strap buttons are solid.I never dropped the bass.This is a miraculous fact because I'm dancing and moving around constantly while playing and holding the bass in impossible positions for show effects.The strap never hooked off the buttons BUT:I'm using a 50 Dollar strap with very tight holes.I think you shouldn't try artistic numbers with this bass if you are using a 2 Dollar strap!The A6 is absolutely dependable.Just keep in mind that you should change the battery every 6-7 month.The eq just sucks them dry!I only had to adjust the truss rod when I replaced the original 0.45 strings with 0.40's.It is a quite complex procedure and shouldn't be done if your not familiar with double truss rod basses.Better bring it to a qualified person.I'm professional since 1989 and use never a back up bass.If you have to think about a back up when you use a bass,it means you bought the wrong instrument!

Oh,yes.I send one mail to Cort that was never replied.Very nice customer support indeed.It is under a lifetime warranty but the conditions are bullshit.In the case of a major problem you have to send the bass to the Cort factory somewhere in the States.I live in Turkey and for the shipping costs of sending a A6 to America and back I could buy another A6.Forget about the warranty.In case of problems I would bring it back to the dealer and smash the bass against his head.Fortunately nothing happened!

I'm playing guitar and bass since 1987,professionally since 1989.Besides the A6 I have a Cort B5 FL,a highly modified Fender Jazz Bass (not the one I smashed against the wall!) and two handcrafted 4-string basses.I love the A6 and would never sell it or change it with another 6-string.I played the Yamaha TRB6 II of a friend on stage and I can definitely say that the A6 is much better in every way although it costs 500 Dollars less.If it were stolen I would probably buy the same bass again.I love the sound and the flexibility of the electric circuit.I can produce nearly every tone I want with simple adjustments of the eq system.The bass has a very deep resonance and incredibly long sustain.It's really great when my band mates turn around with that "yeah,this is it,man,this is BASS" look on their faces.The A6 changed my musical concept in a very positive way.I was always trying to play that fast and percussive Jaco patterns.After the A6 I realized that playing fat and lazy patterns can be much more fun if you have the right tone inside your instrument.The only thing I really HATE about this bass is the bridge.Get an A6 and try to adjust string action and intonation at the bridge,you will understand why!For every adjustment you have to loose the strings.The bridge consists of 1550 tiny little small microscopic pieces.Everywhere are little srews that get loose and have to be tightened in short intervalls.The bridge is a pain in the most precious.The worts thing about it is that it can't be replaced with a proper bridge because of its unique construction.Cort should really find something else.The second negative point is the weight of the bass.This is one heavy monster!I'm playing it every night four hours for 14 month now and believe me : I know what I'm talking about.If your looking forward to buy an A6 you have to keep in mind that you will need strong shoulders!A friend of mine plays the A6 5-6 hours on stage 7 days a week in a restaurant.I have at least the chance to sit on my amplifier from time to time and get a rest for a while,but he is not allowed to sit and the weight of the bass caused a major problem at his left shoulder so he needed medical treatment!I wish the bass was a little lighter and had a simple but solid brigde.The point where the headstock joins the neck is very weak.Take off the truss rod cover and you will see that there is a relatively big cavity for the truss rod heads.I've seen a broken A6 at a Luthier who built two basses for me.The owner was carrying it in a gig bag and smashed it slightly against a car.The headstock just broke off the neck!So be very careful with an A6.Always carry it in a solid hardcase!Last point:All you Slappers out there,stay away from the Cort A series,the string intervalls are too narrow for slapping!