Cort NA5

This is a 2001 Korean made neck-thru-body five string bass with Bartolini active MK1 pickups and 3 band on-board EQ. I choose the natural finish. It has a 7-piece maple and wenge neck with a rosewood fingerboard. 24 frets, brass nut, solid tuners (? make) and a stable "Fortress" bridge newly designed by Cort.

Controls include master volume, pickup blend, and Cut/Boost EQ?s: Hi, Mid, Low. Takes a 9-volt battery.

The body shape sort of reminds me of Tobias. It came with a reasonably sturdy hard-shell case. I'll give it a "9" in this category - it's got all the necessary features of a high-end instrument, but not as many as say the new Carvin's are coming out with (eg. active, passive, piezo, etc)

I've had this bass for about a month and have played two club gigs with it (in addition to a lot of rehearsing) in my 8-member band. I've been playing for about 10 years (26 yrs old). My only other instrument is a Mexican Fender Jazz - which has been a good bass for me, it has a decent "growl" as most j-basses do... but this Cort blows my Fender away.

I've played rock, blues, country and the band I'm in now has horns and plays a lot of instrumental funk/groove (tower of power, H. Hancock, Deep Banana Blackout, etc) this Cort bass sounds great in this capacity.

All I have to do is boost the mid's via the on-board EQ just a touch and this bass has a great growl - I keep the on-board Hi and Low flat. Slap sounds clear and dry. Excellent sustain. There are a lot of tonal possibilities with this bass. So far I'm satisfied with the B-string... but it's probably not the world's greatest.

I use DR lo-riders and fat-beams only. I play through a Carvin R600-410 rig. This bass is very quiet (especially compared to my noisy-ass Fender). People report that this bass cuts through the mix nicely with great definition and clarity.

I'd like to give it a 9 for sound, but I'll be conservative and give it an 8. NOTE: This bass has a GREAT sound for $600!!

I had it fully set up (truss-rod, action, and intonation) by a local dude the first time I changed the strings and it plays great. It buzzed some from the factory. The truss-rod just needed a slight adjustment and the neck is dead flat now. No buzz whatsoever.

I didn't realize how nice the action was on this until I picked up my Fender again.

I wish the 9-volt compartment was a pop-up like Carvin's have (you have to unscrew two screws to change the battery) and the control cavity is not made for frequent access (no thread inserts on the control cavity, but the battery compartment has inserts).

One Gripe: the string spacing is closer than I would prefer, but I got used to it faster than I thought.

The finish is flaw-less; I haven't run across any flaws in over a month of steady playing.

I'll give it a 7.

All the hardware seems solid. Again, MUCH better than that of my Mexican Fender (if I may continue to use it as a comparison).

All the knobs / tuners have this cool brushed-aluminum finish.

The neck feels like a tank thanks to the neck-thru design.

I keep my Fender with me at gigs just because I get nervous about the 9-volt giving out on me (irrational fear)

I think an 8 (I'm trying to be objective).

Comes with a limited LIFE-TIME warranty against defects. This includes the electronics, fretboard, etc. To my knowledge that's superior to the likes of Fender and Carvin.

The Music Go Round guy (owner) was very nice and suggested I contact him if I EVER had any trouble.

I haven't needed to contact Cort so I won't rate this category.

I HAVE TO give this bass a 9 for overall rating/value. It only cost me $660, and I feel it's quite a find.

While I haven't yet owned any high-end basses (Warwick, Fodera, Ken Smith) I have had the opportunity to play a few and I think this bass is a GREAT value.

I'm told that Cort hasn't been making this model long. I think they've got a good thing going.

When in doubt do what I did - GO PLAY ONE, and you be the judge.