Cort Curbow-4

-Carved-top body is made of luthite

-Features an extended upper horn for strapped balance

-Deep lower cutaway provides unrestricted access to all frets

-Rock-maple neck extends into the body all the way to the pickup for maximum vibration transfer

-Neck is fastened securely by 5 bolts

-Electronics include a single slim Bartolini passive pickup

-Active 9V tone circuit features a 3-band EQ and a "slap" contour switch with adjustable bass and midrange boost (accessed from the rear) plus volume, treble cut, mid boost/cut and bass boost/cut knobs on the front

-The fingerboard is made of Ebanol and polished to a mirror finish
Cutting-edge, premium-quality bass for a very affordable price

.....Not to mention mine ha s a custom bright yellow finish

Sounds great! i dont know what these other people are talking about.Its a profissonal low-end bass

I'd like to think of this as a slap-happy bass. And with the EQ it has, you can make alot of soudns with it.

Great for studio or on stage

Dispite the fact about the slight fret buzz, its still a great bass

It has great action for all types of music.

But I think it shou;d be slightly Lowered. Maybe its because i have sensitive fingers, or i dont know. but its set pretty good

I'd use this for on stage or in studio, or just to jam around.

I bought this off my uncle, he used it as his main bass, and the way iv'e seen him paly it o nstage....yes...you can say it can with stand almost anything

Havent contacted the factory yet. So far so good

Iv'e had this for exactly a month now.This is my first bass i have ever owned, and i have only been playing a year or so. and its great. If i lost this or if it got stolen, i'd Literaly cry.

Im mostly a guitarst, but i had to buy it with the deal i was getting.

If anything could change about this, i'd say put a Kahler Tremolo system on it, But im not as good as Les Clay-pool from Primus, so i doubt i would need it.

This is an outstanding bass, beginer or advanced playing. i suggest getting it.

I got this bass in '99 and thought it looked great and when I played it in the music store, I thought "WOW!". That surely changed though...

It was the basic set-up as afore mentioned reviews.

I wish this bass sounded like it looked.

Let me see...muddy as hell. The bogged down sound gets even worse when you turn on the slap option. Who wants a feature you have to keep turned off all the time? Maybe to chomp down batteries?

Through an EQ pedal it sounded better, but there seemed to be nothing to be done about the muddieness of the sound completely.

As far as I could tell, this bass was flawless in the way it looked, which is part of the reason I got it in the first place. It did go through a bit of abuse with me during a few gigs too.

I really liked the fact the fretboard had no fret marks on the face, only on the top of the neck, which made it even prettier to me.

The only thing I hated about the factory settings was the sucktacular bridge! At the body the strings were comically high and at the head they were borderline buzzing. There wasn't a lot you could do about adjusting it, unless you are a slap-n-popper exclusivley.

Despite the way it sounds, I have to admit it's solid as a rock, though during season changes I might have had to tweak the truss rod a bit.

I did have to have a back-up a couple of times whenever we covered Tool songs or something; this isn't a bass you can be very quick with despite how close the strings are together.

Also, eats batteries like it's going out of style. Just plugging in starts the drainage. Had to buy batteries by the gross.

Never had to deal with Cort customer support, only changed strings a couple of times.

I played this bass for about 4 years and WISH I had asked to play it clean for a bit with no EQ or anything, and a on a smaller amp, because if your playing on something that's not pushing at LEAST 50-75W your going to break this thing out of frustration.

I'll never own another Cort product.

Aside from the looks of it, it's an over-priced POS. Unless of course you find one used for under $200.00 and are really into blues music. And I wish that when I still had it it was stolen, because I did have it insured.

This is one of the later models with a Bartolini pickup stock. Otherwise specs the same.. Tuners are great...stays in tune almost as well as a Steinberger.

This bass feels, looks, and (most importantly) sounds great. However, I kind of don't like the sound so much as my other instruments running into an amplifier...but it sounds superb through a high-end DI (especially through Avalon 735, Great River, and Summit preamps). Has a very warm tone attributed to it. When I bring this into the studio everyone wants to try it, many of my friends can't resist the way this thing plays. This bass is a bit on the muddy side...but only for the E string...it just seems to lack definition without EQ. My style requires lots of definition. I've used this on goth (parody) projects as well as for lead bass style, more suitable as a "straight DI" bass rather than one designed for heavy distortion, though some distortion sounds ok.

I didn't play this setup from the factory, I had it setup before I received it. See I bought it and then had a third party put a custom finish on it...lemon souffle. I didn't care too much for the stock colors anyway. This bass is absolutely without obvious factory flaws...not even a ding. It does eat batteries more than my other active bass. Bartolini pickup is great...I would have liked a dedicated bridge pickup, which I suspect would have made this bass ideal for lead work. I like the action on this bass...it doesn't feel "floppy" like a lot of basses I've tried.

I'd probably use this bass live given the opportunity, though not without a backup. I can rely on this bass to sound great and stay in tune...but this thing eats batteries, and does not give off obvious warning signs when they are dead (except that suddenly there is no sound!). I am a recording engineer, so if it was audible, I would notice this. For this reason...I would not trust this live as much as my Hohner B2V (headless 5 string with active EMGs). Battery usage is above average I think...especially considering my B2V can go months without a fresh battery.

I emailed once about getting a hard case (didn't end up getting one) for it and Greg Curbow himself called me up (long distance). I've never had to deal with them otherwise, and I didn't buy it from a dealer or Greg himself, so I can't say anything about it.

I have been playing guitar and bass for almost 4 years...gone through several low-end and high-end models. This bass still has the best feel to it for a 4-string that I've encountered..and my friends agree with me on that. If it were stolen or lost...I would prosecute because I am confident there are no other "lemon souffle" finished Curbows out there, especially with my artwork under a couple layers of clear coat on top of that. I probably wouldn't buy another one stock...I would probably get one from Greg and get some custom features, like maybe an 18v mod. I love the tuners on this bass...this thing hardly ever goes out of tune. Electronics are great, but maybe I should pop an EMG in there. I wish it had a bridge pickup. And I wish this thing didn't eat batteries so much. But for this price especially? I have yet to see better.

Luthite body(really bad, i'll explain later), maple neck, ebonol fingerboard, korea made.

It's got a really nice sound with the "slap switch " turned off, the EQ is really responsive, here it's ok...

I had to adjust the action a little bit, but the problem is that now I cannot adjust anything anymore!

Now you'll understand why I want to sell it now! The F****n Luthite body really moves a lot every day, you can see it with your eyes, it cannot stand up to the string tension and now I'm not able anymore to adjust the action, don't buy this piece of crap!
And then I tried to adjust the truss rod tension, but the allen nut came loose!
At the first impression it seems a well made bass, but now I understood why it costs so less than other basses...

If you wanna see it just go in a musical intruments shop and look to a curbow5 body, you'll notice how arched it is...and mine is a 4 strings!

Never dealt with Cort, but I'll send them an e-mail suggesting to change materials, probably plastic will be much better than Luthite.

I've been playing for 13 years, and if it were stolen I would buy anything else but this bass...

I suppose ive got the exact same, series 2 (by the sounds of other models specified on here) model 4string Curbow with the Bartolini Mk1 Pickup and preamp and active electrics. As for the exact year, i dont know.

I play everything from, rock to jazz to funk to fusion to death melodic metal to rnb and blues. Basically what evers put in front of me, i'll learn. I actually got the bass because of one of my lecturers pesturing me to get a 4String and put my BTB406 6string away, now whenever i leave the room to go have a drink, He's always playing it when i come back and he, like me, loves the bass and its sound. I've played it through numerous Head/Cab and Combos, i like the sound i get really, as well as a multi effects pedal. Its really up to how you set up the amp as well as the bass to get the sound you want, for RnB type stuff, i whack on a lot of bass and low mid to try and get the nice sound, where as for jazz and funk, a lot more high mids and treble - as well as the slap switch on. I've found it hard to come back from 5+ years of playing only on a 5 and a 6string, but, its definately a fun bass to play.

Only real dislike is the small body - started to suffer from tendanitis and RSI from a change in technique and basses, mainly from wrist breaks on my right hand - playing bass constantly with this can be a worry, but it is a nice change to have an obscenely light bass to put on towards the end of a gig compared to the weight on the BTB6

Umm, Bass setup from the factory and the shop is quite shocking - getting truss rod and action fixed up this week - harmonic tuning is a nightmare. Only other problem was a missing mid knob - but that was due to shop error and got a new one fairly quickly within saying I was going to purchase the bass.

This bass has withstood my beating of it - play a lot of slap and fast finger/tapping rhythms on it. The hardware seems to look like it will last, apart from the obvious oxidising from weather and sweat. Everythings solid on the bass and never really had to get my truss rod adjusted on my 4 basses that ive owned. I take both basses to most gigs I play with at my bands, so they're both main and backup basses. Where as at waapa, i prodominately use the curbow - unless when doing solo recording.

Never had to deal with Cort in anyway, just music shops for new strings.

Ive been playing for 6years now and have tried out numerous basses at shops, Yamaha's, Spectors, Warwicks, Rockbass By Warwick, Ibanez, Fender, Ernie Ball's and this has only been beaten by a Fender jazz and a Series 1 Yamaha TRB 4string, well, to my ears and comfort for playing. I'd like to actually buy the 6string version of it, actually prefer it to the 4 but it has been setup properly. I would buy the Curbow 4 again because its unique, theres bugger all in Perth and it suits my playing to an extent. I just love the bass's versitility over what you can do with it. I'd probably prefer if it had a larger body and maybe a J Pickup as well plus a few other fiddly bits and pieces, but, cant always be completely satisfied.

Probably done in Korea in 2002 or 2003 done in body luthite and hard rock maple neck with pickup and pre-amp bartolini mk1 and mk2 are very good , with four knobs and a key for slap nut graphite fingerboard in shiny ebony...beautiful

Very good for any sound type from heavy to jazz, it is very good for slap, fingering is good, potent pre-amp is incredible.

it is incredible, with a different and innovative design he adapts very well with a strap, incredibly light

I have it makes very little time but it seems to last a lot because the material is of first

I never needed

The best instrument for the value

Not sure of the year. This is the newer model with the Bartolini pickup and pre-amp. The other reviews have all the features I won't go into them. I couldn't ask for anything more then what this bass has to offer(other then maybe some piezo pickups, but that's not really necessary).

I will say that this bass is made for slap. Not that you can't play any style on it(I play fingerstyle/pickstyle/slap/thumbstyle). The contoured neck heel(with 27 frets on the E, 26 on the A, and 25 on the D and G) is ergonimic to thumb slapping and finger popping(so you can easily slap on the fretboard and have ample room to get your fingers under the strings to pop). The extended upper horn allows the bass to hang on you the way you naturally position your hands for slap(atleast how I do). Also, it of course has the slap contour switch.

I love the sound of this bass. You can dial in any sound you want from the pre-amp, however I play with the slap switch on most of the time as it gives a great, punchy sound. I thought this bass was a little too bright with roundwounds, though it sounds perfect with flatwounds(plenty of bass but lots of high end as well).

The bass was set up well from the factory. I have the burgundy without the satin finish(the satin finsihed ones are kind of flashy for my taste, I like something a little more low key). My bass has a chip in the finish of the neck inset(I bought it as a factory second).

I've been using this bass about six months now and I've never had a problem with it. The neck stays straight, the tuners stay in tune, and it always does what I want it to.

Never dealt with Cort.

I love this bass. Out of the ~15 basses I've played(ranging from $300 to $1500), it is the overall best. The electronics are good and quiet with plenty of output, but the really beauty of this bass is the playability. The way the bass balances, the feel of the neck, the string spacing-it is all as I would have it on a signature bass(hats off to Greg Curbow for the design). When I play one of my other basses and then go back to my Curbow, it feels so effortless and natural(especially for slap). It's not for everyone, but it's definately for me(the only way I would give it up is if I got an actual Curbow bass with a similiar design).

Far east kinda stuff. Very classic finish, average 4 string, slight buzzing on the G. Its got a slap switch which boots the signal out a bit more, lovely finish, bolt on neck, great looks. Volume, blend, treble and bass knobs. All in all pretty average.

I play a lot of slap, Victor Wooten, Marcus miller, all the masters, so it souted my playing a bit. I used an old Trace Elliot cab (no Idea, but sounded okay through it). It was a flimsy, weak sounding bass. It really lost marks here. Nothing really solid. It would suit slap, but harmonics, walking style, pick style, whatever, just not good enough.

It seemed well set up, but the setup can be altered anyway. Just don't waste your money. As I said, a buzz on G, but nothing major. Pickups were weakly put together, the bolt on neck seemed firm enough though.

Reliable enough, just very basic sounds. Hard ware was chrome, so it'll last. Strap buttons were seroiusly weak, I had to jam a match stick down there and screw in again. Don't gig it without a backup.

I've played for 4 years now, and just sold this bass, to get a Warwick Corvette standard, a much, much finer bass, and better value for money. Very full sounds! I didn't like it. It was typically far east made, (not like the Warwick rock bass, very well far east made with german pickups and electronics, buy that bass!). Not my cup of tea.
Don't play slap? Don't buy this.

Features schmeatures. The same as other reviews. Mine does have the latest pickup. I did not come with a case, but more on that later. I'll give it a seven because of the active electronics.

First off I should say that I am a guitar player and have been for about 10 years. I bought this bass because I needed a decent bass to record with in my home studio. I play a mix of rock/blues/jazz. I have used this to record for the last nine months or so and have finally gotten a sound I am OK with. I always DI the bass into my mixer sometimes with a digitech bass preamp for a little color. I play with my fingers, with a pick, and I even slap it around sometimes when I want to show it who is boss. I was really looking to get a few somewhat specific sounds when I bought it. I really wanted something along the lines of John Paul Jones and something like you?d here on a micheal hedges album. While this bass doesn?t nail the early zeppelin sound it gets close enough for my tastes. As far as the hedges thing I haven?t got anything even remotely close, but I was fairlt sure I wouldn?t when I bought it. I can get a fairly thick sound with some fiddling with the EQ on both the bass and the mixer, but it usually ends up a little muddy. I can get it to sound thin and trebly with out even trying. The plastic body doesn?t really lend itself to those big woody tones, but it isn?t really supposed to. One thing I have noticed is that as with guitars having a quality tube amplifier makes this thing sound it?s best. I have played it through my fender hot rod deluxe guitar amp hooked up to a 2X15 cab and it sounded OK, but through a vintage fender bassman (they were made for bass originally) it sounds good.

Well the finish is perfect I guess, and everything is in order as far as fit. The intonation is absolutely perfect, and the action doesn?t bother me. It doesn?t fret out anywhere and it isn?t to high to play. I'll give it an eight because the satin finish is kinda cheesy.

I?ve never had it out of the studio so I can?t say much about reliability, but I can say that I haven?t had a single problem with it in the nine or so months I?ve had it.

I have no idea how there customer service really is. I do know that I got this thing at mars a week before they closed their doors. They didn?t have any cases for them and I haven?t been able to locate one. The body design may be advanced but doesn?t allow it to fit into traditional cases. I have heard that I can get one from greg curbow?s website, but I have a feeling it will cost half what I paid for the bass. I have also heard the greg is top notch in customer service.

Like I said I have been playing guitar for about ten years. I have owned more gear than I care to admit. My friends actually make fun of me for constantly buying and selling gear. I have owned high end PRSs, low end epiphones, and everything in between. When I bought the bass I was torn between it and a Mexican fender jazz bass, but I went with this because I have owned enough foreign fender products to know they aren?t always the best quality so I thought I?d give another manufacturer a try.I have actually come to enjoy playing the bass quite a bit and it has gotten me interested in learning more theory and things that I got bored with on the guitar years ago. While this does the job I wanted it to I would not buy it again. Since I enjoy playing the bass now I would upgrade to something nicer if I had to. This is a great first bass, but I am ready to move onto something a little nicer. Since I am over my PRS and Gibson period (tired of paying high prices for average gear) I would probably either get an American fender or order a gecko bass from warmoth. I like warmoth?s guitars and I really like the idea of getting to custom order it exactly the way I want it without paying thousands of dollars. For now it does the job.

this is a 98 korean model with active pickup (single mightymite) and circuitary. it has 4 knobs (bass, mid, treble and volume) it also has a 'slap switch' which controls a boost of treble/bass depending on where you send it (although the difference is minor , it can definately make a difference to your ocerall sound when slapping or playing straight). the body end of the neck is curved so it has 27 frets on the E string but 'only' 25 on the G. i find that the bridge is one of the best features on this bass because it allows you to simply slot the ball into its groove at the end instead of having to thread the whole length of the string through every time it/they need taking out/putting in. the bady is made of luthite - not a material i would usually go for but it impressed me with its light weight. the finger board is made of ebanol(again,a plastic substitute - presumably cheaper than wood) but allows fast playing and doesnt really feel too much different. it has no forwardly visable fret markings. the body is fantastically balanced but the lower horn takes a bit of getting used to when playin sitting down.

the fault here is that when the slap switch is set to bass the G string is hardly picked up and when the switch is on treble the bass is very thin. this takes a little sorting out on your amp's eq settings but after that the problem is minimal. i used to use a multi effects unit which seemed ideal for the bass. the sound was awesome when the two were in action but now i dont use the effects the clean sound is great - this bass probably isnt ideal for those who want growl from their bass - its more suited to soloing and lighter work - although having played in more bass orientated bands with it, it does cut through the mix nicely when needed. i mainly play jazz with this bass (for which it is probably intended and is best suited) but i have used it when playing funk, rock, metal and (dare i say it) punk. its great for all techniques as long as you have all the settings write - the dependancy mainly being on the bass and treble ends to be kept in line.

there were no major factory setup faults when the bass was bought although small adjustments to the truss rod and saddles have got me almost perfect playing from it. the neck is a (machine crafted) perfect fit and the hardware is incredibly sturdy, although some of the electronics have needed repairing on a few occasions. the finish is the biggest flaw of this instrument - minor bumps meant flaking paint and major dents - resulting in me having to have a respray

with its new finish (see above) this bass can probably withstand anything short of armaggedon. if i wasnt so paranoid about all of my equiopment i would definately gig without a backup - as it is i still have my trusty p-bass on standby (though i have only ever had call to use it as backup once). i dont have straplocks but i doubt these buttons would ever fail.

nothing their website couldnt handle

i've been playing for 6 years . when buying this instrument it was between this, an ibanez ATK and a fender jazz. if this was lost or stolen i would exact my revenge accordingly and then save my money untill i could afford a proper Curbow edition of the instrument - this is because, although i do love the shape , feel , and playability of the instrument, i think that it would definately benefit from better(if a lot more expensive) build quality. for the price though , i wouldnt change it for the world.