Cort Curbow 4 Fretless

Everything as told by the others, I just want to emphasize the fact its Bart Mk1 is PASSIVE, with active electronics/eq.
I do admit that due to its rather noble appearance, the bass would hardly harbour two humbuckers (hence just one, in the sweet spot) but I give it only 7 because of this.

Well, I think anything fretless armed with D'Addario flatwound Chromes would sound lovely, if not outstanding.
When plugged straight into mixing console - no amps concealing flaws and/or adding their own colours - this bass is nothing really special. No wonder, we have only one PUP here. Yes, it does have this fretlessish nasal tone but if there were two PUPs, I think you could tweak out a bit more of tonal possibilities.
I don't get the idea of the Slap Switch that kills presence. In fact, I think that it's more designated for slapping when it's not activated; thus you can have your EQ shaped with more hi-mids. THAT is slappy, I think, and definitely NOT what Cort offers with its Slap Switch which kills clarity and makes the tone darker.
Overall, the tone is neither warm nor sterile, just something in between. And, as said before, no Jaco, either. Extremely low noise, I'd say NO noise.

I can't give it 10 because:
1) the lowest position of the bridge is not low enough for me, I wish I could adjust action even lower;
2) the pick up does not face strings in the straight manner, it has a several degrees offset, its bridge side being a bit closer to strings than its neck side. I am sure Bartolini did NOT design its Mk 1 to work in such a way. It's like singing into wrongly positioned microphone.
3) the bass sure has killer looks, mostly due to this great disproportion between its dorsal and ventral horns but in that case it's a nightmare to balance it when playing seated. Unless, as in my case, you cunningly insert the bridge strap lock into a hole in your sofa's arm. Of course, if you have proper holes in your furniture :)
There are, however, no visible blemishes or failures of craftsmanship in this bass.

Maybe I am a bit spoiled by Steinberger's graphite, I don't know... I just can't stand it when it comes to flexible necks with a piece of wire which is supposed to be the truss rod. The neck literally waves in time, on a permanent basis. You have to adjust the truss rod nearly every month, and that really sucks. I keep the trade mark plate which conceals the rod's cavity removed at all times, and that's just because I need to adjust the rod so often.
I haven't used this bass live, I don't know if it is able to stay in tune for 2 hours, outdoors, in varying temperatures but I think it surely wouldn't be yet another Steinberger. The hardware however seems to be very solid, the finish is very nice.
Overall it's all right but I give it only a 5 due to its weak neck.

I am a guitar player, 17 years, bass being sort of part time pleasure and sometimes studio recording for me. I have these lovely basses: Steinberger XL, Steinberger XM, Steinberger Synapse Fretless and an SRX series Ibanez.
I wouldn't bother myself trying to find another Cort Curbow if this one is lost, I'd rather at last find myself a fretless Steinberger XL.
But let's end up on a brighter note: this bass, being only 400-500 $ new, is really a good bargain, its seems to be well built, it looks really great, it sounds decent enough to compete with 1000 $ instruments, and someone was absolutely right saying that this thing could go for twice or even more money. This bass deserves warm words, even from people like me, geezers spoiled by Steinberger's graphite to their guts.

I bought this bass 2nd hand because I fell for it's looks and it was only a few miles from where I live. The bass is active, has a 3 band eq, equiped with a mighty mite pickup. This bass has a slapswitch to switch instantly between bright punchy tone to boomy dark tone.
Body is made of luthite which makes it's weight very comfortable.
Unfortunately some wear on the fretboard, due to use of roundwound strings. I use it with flatwounds.

I play blues and rock with this bass and it suits well. The 3 band eq gives you a lot of possibility to shape your tone, from bright to dark and warm. I use it with an ashdown mag300-115 combo and sometimes with a bass overdrive and a flanger for an alternative touch to the music.
I used it a few times on stage whnich is allready a succes to the audience because of the looks of this bass! I always get positive reactions.
No dislikes.... maybe one: it gets out of tune rather quick compared to my other bass i use (ibanez atk500). After a session of 45 minutes, the cort needs to be tuned a bit.

Set up was okay, the guy I bought it from, adjusted it well. Needs however "periodically maintanance". Neck had to be adjusted after 6 months when I changed the stringd. But that's most of the time when changing strings to another type (thickness).
Volume knob was a bit loose, repaired it myself, no problems at all. As mentioned before, some wear at the fretboard (fretless board!). Pickup is quiet, bridge is firm and stirdy

Bass feels solid in any way, withstands liveplaying. Its the only fretless bass I have no backup available. But I do not think I will need one.
As stated before, neck needs adjustment one a year, that's all.

Never dealt with them.

Great bass for the price, very good and comfortable to play with, many sound adjustment possiblities. Last but not least: very good looks, on stage with this bass you're the man/woman!!

When stolen I would try to get a new one.

Probably made around 2003/4
Fretless, 4 strings, 24-28 'frets' (goes a little further at the E-string)
Volume, Treble, Mid, Bass.
Luthite body, Maple neck with Ebonol fretboard.
(Luthite is synthetic wood, Ebonol is a type of plastic.)
Blue shiny finish, looks kinda funky.
Big toploading bridge, looks like it weighs over a pound.
Good tuners, die cast, won't de-tune.
Not too thick neck, but about a milimeter more stringspacing then regular at the bridge, feals really good.
1 humbucker somewhere between neck and bridge position. Bartonlini MK-1 with MK-2 electronics.
Bought it secondhand with a flightcase, can be ordered at Cort, i think, mine is not made for this model.

I love this sound, with the EQ flat (and a little bass boost on my Ibanez soundwave amp) it sounds a little upright-bassy (that is, with flatwound strings).
My music style varies from (alternative) rock to blues, for faster pieces and a rougher sound, I use my precision bass. But when I don't need that, I use this bass as much as I can, because it feels and sounds perfect to me.
It only gets noisy when i turn up the treble all the way, off course.
It has a really warm sound, because its fretless it offcourse has that typical sound, not really the Jaco sound, if you are looking for that. But with the EQ it can make a lot of variations. But off course it wont sound really like a fretted bass.
It can also sound pretty boomy and bright, with the slap switch, wich sounds pretty nice with a fretless.

I bought it secondhand, so I don't know about the factory settings, but a shop near me always sold the basses un-adjusted after factory settings, and Every bass and guitar settings sucked when it came right from the factory, so I assume like all the other guitars this sucked too, when it came out of the factory.
When I bought it secondhand it was set up pretty good.

Off course this bass will withstand live playing, I trust anything with the name Cort or Ibanez (pretty much the same brand actually).
The hardware sure seems to last, the finish is great, since.. there is no finish, the color you see is the color of the 'Luthite' which is a synthetic kind of wood, with (apparently) has pretty good tonal characteristics.
Off course, like on every other bass or guitar, you should replace the strap buttons with Strap locks, I bought a pair yesterday, since I almost dropped it.
I have only once adjusted the truss rod, I don't think i will have to adjust it quickly, but I haven't had it for a long time. A bass in this price range should have a decent neck.
If I could, I would always have a backup at a gig, you never know when you are going to break a string, and since its active the battery could go dead, but you'll hear that coming and you can change it in 2 seconds.
This bass is very reliable, like any bass above 200 dollars should be.

Have not dealt with them, don't see a reason why I should need to soon.

I have been playing guitar for about 2 and a half years and bass a little over a year.
I also have an upright bass, a Farida Precision Bass and at home I use an Ibanez SW25 amp.
I am very pleased with this bass, this is THE bass for me. It's a perfect solution if you are wondering whether to buy an electric bass or an upright bass. (I already had one of boath, so I just had to have this bass)
I have only compared it to fretless Jazz basses, but they're not really my cup of tea.
I love the bass, for the money (I spent 275 euro's including hardcase) it's great!

is a korean cort-curbow 4 fl fretless bassmade in korea it cam with roundwound string luthite body a single bartolini mk1 pickup, includes volume control,bass control,mids control and highs control and a boost switchand bartolinni mk2 preamp..fretlees neck with ebonol fingerboard, no position markers only side dots..the neck is a bolt on made of maple diecast tuners and bridge gotoh style, included only 2 allen screwdrivers,,it spots a fishman battery holder that can be changed in seconds its been there for more than a year and i have even replaced it

the bass will sound so good for pop or latin rythms,,i only use it at home since my gig is close to the sea so i have it at home for a while , i have a ab box resy to use it when i can,,the sound is amazing kind of michael manring tone.. the bass sound incredible even unpluged with that super whoomp we fretless lovers like to hear in a bass. i saw it on display in a music store i just slide my finger and i said to my self this bass can sing! and i proced to plug it to an amp and its sounds amazing .i have tried other fretless before(a cheap rbx yamaha a fender precision and aibanez btb 5 string) and they dont have that sustain that makes this bass sing beautifully. not noise very quiet bass

the actionb was fine, not flaws is like a soundgear bass neck that im not in love with but it was the only choice, the finish is blue satin i didnt notice till sometime it was a composite body im not a lover of this type of material but i dont care at least with this bass is a radical anb beautiful shape and looks great..

well its a cheap bass. but the construccion seem ok for a hundred bucks paid the neck nedd to be tweaked in a year like three time not so bad compared to my other basses.
of course id have as a back up if i had somemeone to handle with all my gear..

i think its a year warranty but i havent need help or support

ihave been playing for 15 years got a kubicki, a rickenbacker and aria pro sb600.. and i wong get rid of any of my basses including this one..i was asking for a good sounding and cheap fretless and i found it, i would replace it right away with other ,, i love this bass .. i love the sound mainly and well the radical curbow design since i can not a fford a real curbow right away...with total access to high register of the neck.. i would preffer i wider neck and a 5 string version of this version is only available fretted version.what a shame...!! hey curbow guy please we want a five string.. people who have hear. played and seen my bass fell in love with it and one more thing it sounds like if u play in tune!!or maybe im becoming a better pleyer buy one and enjoyed it11
i wouldnt recomend it for big or very fat person since is kind of small it wouyld look like if were wearing a tinny speedo for swiming..

Mine is brownish. Standard colour. Fretboard with no fretlines, just side dots. Plays rather easy anyway. Ehm...bass got a 3-eq. Very respnsive, low noise. Also a slap switch. Well, you CAN slap this bass, but I don't. So I'll just leave that switch on for a rounder sound. Overall a great set of features.

This bass sounds a bit like a contra bass. Not much low end, also cause by its extreme light weight. Very warm and smooth. Nice fretless actually. Not a single spot of growl (compared to say a Warwick). No Jaco tones here either. The pickup is rather centered, so you'll get a rounder, warmer tone. I actually LOVE the sound! This is not a killer bass for you metal heads, but does an awesome job in light combos or pop music.

No complaints here. This bass is made of durable materials and can be setup very well.

Sturdy bass. A lot better fit than most cheap basses. I'd rely on it any minute. Electronics funtion great too. Too bad there's no passive option though. You have to unscrew the cover plate to replace the battery. But a battery lasts for more than a year anyway, so not a lot of worries here either.

No clue.

I got this bass at a fair price. This is one piece of equipment that will stay with me a long time. It's not as great as a Musicman fretless or any other high(er) end fretless bass, but it's got a great sound and feel of its own. Get one if you need a warm sound and a contra bassy feel. You can hardly go wrong for this price.

2001 Korean Model
27 fretless
Black Luthite
Bartolini MK1,MK2

I play a broad spectrum of musical styles, and this bass seems to do it all. My only complaints however on the sound is how the active EQ mixes. I can't seem to get an "in-between" sound on any of the knobs. Its almost like there's all on, all of , or half-way.

I got mine second hand, so I have no opinion on the factory setup.

I played this bass live for a year and it gave me no onstage problems. My only issue was that it seemed to "eat" batteries even if you left it unplugged.

I've been playing for over 10 years and had never owned nor really frequented a fretless until I bought this one. I'm not really sure I want to own a bass with frets again. I've heard that they stopped producing the fretless Corts, so I'll be SOL if I lose this one.

Made 2004 in Korea(I believe)
Fretless with one pickup/preamp
Black "Luthite" body, maple neck and
Ebonol fingerboard

Harsh and edgy compared to my 78'Fender P/J!
Took some getting used to.The preamp has great range
with a high/mid/low band and volume but is rather noisy.
The "slap switch" is very clever (eq/vol boost) but
not useful to me as I don't slap on fretless.

The first neck had a big hump in the fingerboard at the F# under
the E string - Cort replaced the neck promptly but the replacement
is only marginally better. Guess this is where the price shows
as it is a very affordable bass!

Nice looking but the neck needs constant truss tweaking! I have
5 other wood basses( Kubicki X Factor, Fender Jazz, two Fender P/J's
and a Hagstrom 8 string) and none of them need tweaking nearly as
often.

Did replace the neck fast! But replacement wasn't so great either.

Very playable and has a striking design - but proves "you get what
you pay for" when compared to basses of 2 or 3 times the price.
Makes a great "gig bass" since it is cheap and lightweight...
Which is why I got one :) Cannot compete with the old Fender on
playability and tone but that is just my opinion.

Year: 2002
Neck: Hard Rock Maple
Fingerboard: Ebanol
Body: Luthite

My bass has the Bartolini pickup which sounds much better than the Mighty Mite.

The bass is super light. The luthite body really sounds great.

Very Loud and very full. I love the Bartolini Pickup and active electronics. A very rich tone with no 60 cycle hum.

Great neck. The fingerboard is like butter. Very smooth and easy to play. I use the Rotosound Steve Harris flatwound strings and they sound amazing.

No problems.

Great value for the bucks! I love the bass.

This is a 2002 Cort-Curbow with an active Mighty Mite pickup. The bass has a 34" Canadian hard rock Maple neck with an Ebanol fingerboard. The fingerboard is extremely easy to play. The body is made of Luthite which surprisingly sounds great. Very light bass and rich tone. The Mighy Mite pickup is excellent. This bass also comes with the Bartolini MK1, but even Greg Curbow himself said he actually like the Mighty Mites better (I spoke with him).

A really great value for the money (I paid $500). Great tone, lightweight and stays perfectly in tune

Beautiful tone. I have a set of flat wounds on there because the rounds tend to chew up the fingerboard. I have used on several recordings and the bass is very quiet going into the board.

The action is great and the finish is nice. I have the Burled Walnut.

Absolutely durable. No problems here. I have only had it about 6 months, so perhaps this is too short of a sample, but no problems so far.

I haven't needed customer support, but I did e-mail Greg Curbow before purchasing one and he got back to me quickly with answers to some questions. Pretty impressive considering I didn't own the bass at the time.

Awesome value for the money. Absolutely the best bass under $500 that you can buy.

It's a very unusual instrument, and totally remarkable for the money. The body is some pressed artificial wood product, but it has the tone of really good wood. The fingerboard is another artificial wood, emulating ebony, and just as good. The neck itself is maple with a satin finish. The small body and deep cutaway provides access well over two octaves, and the neck is held in place with an incredibly sturdy five-bolt joint. The bridge is solid and well-machined (FAR better than a Fender bridge!). Electronics are a Mighty Mite passive soapbar with active three-band EQ and a "slap switch". The voicing is great and there is absolutely no noise. Electronic cavities are painted with shielding paint. The battery cover uses threaded insets rather than plain screws! If i didn't know better, i would think it was a $2000 instrument.

My wife used to play cello, and wanted a smooth, round, melodic sound. This bass nails her desired tone perfectly. It's growly and rich-sounding, not at all boomy or snappy. It's more like a cello and less like a piano, if you get the distinction. She sometimes uses a Big Muff to rock it out, and still gets a great tone. But this isn't the only sound the Curbows have! Her brother, who plays funk-metal bass, tried a fretted Curbow and got all the slap and pop and piano tone he wanted.

I do have a couple of minor gripes here. First, it shipped with roundwound strings. They chewed up the fingerboard and were uncomfortable for fretless playing. We changed to Fender strings wound with nylon tape, which are smooth and quiet and sound better in general (they look cool too). My second gripe is that the shielding paint used in the electronics cavities *smells*. This gripe is significantly offset by the fact that this means all electronics are fully shielded!

On a more positive note, the instrument was set up perfectly from the factory, and extremely well built. There was no stray glue or paint, bad sanding marks, neck warps, or any of the other things we usually expect from cheap Korean instruments.

It seems well-built. No, more than well-built... it's a tank. The bolt-on neck joint is the best i've seen on any instrument. Electronics seem fine as well - the output jack is good quality. I'd trust it as much as i'd trust any instrument.

Haven't dealt with them yet.

This is a fantastic instrument and a fantastic value. It's not just a knockoff of an old Fender or Gibson design - it's unique in its price range. It has genuine character, something rare in factory-made instruments. If it were stolen, it would be replaced with one exactly like it. I can't think of a single thing i'd change about this bass! (Unless i were Cort's management, in which case i'd sell it for three times as much). I