Cort Flying V

22 frets, generic dual-coil pickups (2), No idea what woods, no model numbers (that I've found), tobacco sunburst finish, 2 volume & 1 treble knobs, built-in effects (trem, phaser, flanger, distortion) run off 2 9-volt batteries in back, no trem bar, have lowered action as low as she goes. I'd have given the features a 10 with a trem, even non-locking variety.

Thick lows, twangy highs. Sound is really great across a wide range of styles (very much like the Gibson it was modeled after). Never had any reason to change out the factory pickups.

Finish is beautiful, the two strap nuts (one on each wing) are a great feature.

Got this guitar from a guy I was in the navy with in 1985. Played live with it on the road from coast to coast for about ten years. Everything has held up great (although I do need to replace the first volume pot, but after almost 25 years what do you want?)

Never dealt with the company. It does appear that they no longer support this model, as I was trying to find a manual for it to demonstrate the functions of this bizarre array of six push-buttons doen the front (they control the built-in effects, as well as the pickup configuration, but I'd like to see a schematic to insure there's no functions I missed after all these years).

I've been playing for about thirty-five years, and had a wide variety of guitars in that time. The only instrument I ever owned that I might have loved more than this one was a 1971 Gretsch Super Chet Deluxe that I lost in pawn about ten years or so ago(Iknow, don't say it!). I've never had any regrets with this guitar, and if I weren't afraid of losing it I'd make the one last modification that it needs, and have it fitted with a Floyd Rose locking trem. Amazing quality for the price range it was produced for.

I got mine as a gift back in 1986 from my folks, when I was 15. It had gold-colored hardware (tuners and bridge). It was a stop tailpiece design with height adjustable blocks. Just 1 vol and 1 tone knob. It had a pre-amp with a little LED light, took a 9v in the back. Two humbuckers, black/creme, I replaced the bridge p/u with a Dimarzio Distortion- OMG that thing rocked hard. I used it onstage and in practice for the next 3 years as my main rig. Would have been nice to have a Floyd Rose type tremolo on it.

Sound was pretty weak without the pre-amp on, they could have removed the switch and just had full time pre-amp. With the Dimarzio in it, it sounded awesome. I could hit pinch harmonics like it was nothing. Sounded like I had a tube amp on extra overdrive. I had a Crate G60 and later a Crate G150 half stack. Virtually no humming and every fret rang clear. The higher register got a little cramped, hard to get between the frets up in the 18-22 range. Oh yeah, neck thru body too.

Action was fast and easy to play. Pickups were o.k. but it shined with aftermarket coils in there. It was a metallic cherry red with creme trim. The brass truss rod cover rusted almost immediately, but I lived in Miami, so everything rusted at some point. Nice paint job. I eventually got a 2nd one and stripped the paint to re-paint it. LOT's of layers. Burned out my dad's belt sander trying to get through it quickly. Did get some superficial cracks in paint around neck/body joint.

I played many gigs live, and practiced every day for hours, for 3 to 4 years. Never had a problem. Had to add strap locks or that thing would drop like a rock. Got some sctratches but no chips, even on the ends of the V. They cleverly had strap buttons on both legs, kept it from hitting the floor.

Never dealt with them.

I miss this guitar bad. Have been looking for a similar one for years. I've been playing 22 years now. Have an ESP and '74 Les Paul
but always had a thing for V's. V's cost so much now, and these were bargain greats.

I had a shop add a 3rd pickup, (dimarzio SD) and moved the factory to the middle,- the mid did very clean sounds, adding more styles playable

Wasa set up at the store, and re-adjusted by shop that added pickup. Probably one the best playing I have owned.

I only posted for this- my headstock broke also! Was leaned aginst couch, and fell over. Glued it back on- works like new, and has a small scar.

No other problems.

Case is nice, but cover tears easy.

Playing for years, but switched to bass a couple of years after buying this guitar, so it was just used for 'fun' not work.

This is a Flying v copy AKA the "Cort Arrow".Mine is semi metallic red with creme binding around the top of the body,neck & headstock.It has 2 zebra humbuckers 2 vol and 1 tone controls,3 way pu swtich and a mini toggle switch with an LED for the onboard preamp."Triple Brass Inlays".I have "GuitarPlayer" magazines from 1983 with ads for this guitar so I'm guessing thats when mine was made.Plywood body and what looked like mahogany neck(the poor thing fell on it's face on a hardwood floor and split the back of the headstock at the volute.Luckily the repair guy at a nearby shop fixed it.Thanks,John).MIJ? MIK? I don't really know.Through body stringing.

This guitar sounds great.I play classic hard rock(ufo,y&t etc.),so.rock and blues and this guitar is very inspiring.I can get a killer BluesBreaker sound through my Marshall Lead 12 half stack,killer M.Schenker tone with a crybaby and my Peavey Studio Pro 112 and everything a HB axe can give it seems with my first gen Cyber-Twin.In a band setting though I found the pickups prone to feedback between songs with a crunch type preset on the cyber-twin and for some reason the guitar would get a spongy feel when I would hit the lead preset for solos.The tone would still be good.

I bought this guitar used but it seems to be stock. The bridge saddles are almost all the way flush with the bridge plate so the adjusting screws stick up like crazy but I don't care. The action is great. A bandmate who is also really good at guitar refins and knows quality playabilty surprised me when he said the arrow played great.I had to replace the pu sel switch recently but otherwise the stock brass nut and die cast tuners are fine.The gold plating is even holding up well considering this guitar is almost 25 years old and spends downtime hanging on the wall.

Like i said before,stage volume could get interesting so I would always bring a spare guitar but I would do that anyway for tonal options(strat copy,HB br pu).Everything else seems solid.

I've been playing for over 25 years .Other axes include an Ibanez Rocket Roll Sr. 58 v copy(outstanding guitar),a US made Peavey Predator(2 single coil br pu that can be used together like a HB),Epiphone LP std +,Squire fat tele, Arbor strat copy,Ibanez as-73 335 type and even with all this stuff the arrow gets alot of playing time. When I bought this guitar I was actually going to buy an acoustic I had seen at this store on a previous visit.When I saw the arrow for $150.00 I thought I scored big time.I've had it now for almost exactly 10 years and we've been through alot together so its like a family member now.I almost cried when it fell that time. I'd probably try to replace it if anything happened to it.

Alright, I no longer have this guitar as it was my first and I dropped it one day (no strap locks) as a teenager and broke the headstock clean off. It was a mid-80's woodgrain laminate (neck through believe it or not) with built in distortion and other effects. It was cheap but frigun' ripped and I would like to find one again some day but not likely.

Was a GREAT metal rythym guitar. Left the effects off of course and it still screamed but the effects were fun to play w/.

Not the greatest lead guitar but probably due to the lack of knowledge on how to set it up at the time.

Can't comment. Don't know of any guitar that could have withstood the damage I did.

N/A

Playing for 23 years. I have a Gibson V now which has the same toughness and speed to boot but I do miss that Cort V. Anyone know anyone with same?

Someone will have to date this for me, I'm guessing mid-to-late 80's. Fist letter is a "W", next two characters are partially gone. Maybe the next one is an "8", "4", or a "G"......

Body is made out of the finest Korean plywood. No scratch plate. Set neck (how they do this into a laminate body must be interesting, but it sure works), unk. neck material (neck is painted on the back), rosewood fretboard, flat radius, 22 small gauge frets, brass neck plate and nut, fixed string-thru bridge, two volume and one tone control, possibly replaced pup's, it has zebra humbuckers (there is a "Powersound high gain super distortion" decal on the inspection plate), two holes near the controls where I believe micro-switches used to reside, 3-way toggle switch for the p/u's, all powered by a 9v battery inside the control cover. There is also a round circuit board with an adjustable pot in there as well.

It is pretty heavy, (must be some stout plywood, or heavy glue) has gold hardware, unmarked gold tuners, really nice binding around the top and entire neck and headstock, very pretty almost candy red color, nicely finished. Came in as ill-fitting case, but a case is better than no case.

Neck had a serious back bow when I got it, but a truss rod loosening and a set of 10's brought it back to a perfect posture.

Of course, it is a little neck heavy, but if you use a "Jimmy Page" strap and hook it into the treble leg, it balanaces perfectly (I wondered why it had another button there, so I tried it--works great).

Hit the strings--this thing rips. It is way loud. Has great resonance and sustain (must be the set-neck and hollow body working together). The pup's magnets were so powerful I had to lower them substantially to keep them from pulling the A and low E down (the previous owner probably thought this buzzing was all just good distortion).

A really nice twang from the bridge, darker, slightly muddy tone from the neck, and a really nice tone combined (I usually don't like to combine pup's, but on this guitar it sounds great). Tone control really changes the tone (like it should, but usually doesn't). Shred-o-riffic, I think. I'm betting this will work for Rock and Blues as well. I know you could do Country (and Western) off of that twangy bridge......

Beautifully constructed, this had to have been as well put together as much more expensive guitars back in the day. Almost 80's Ibanez in quality, almost. I don't think you could complain, especially when you factor in this was a bargain priced guitar. Very high quality for almost no $$. Strings are dead-straight running down the neck (good thing, you couldn't adjust it other than to move the nut over). For what this cost new, ya hafta give Cort a 10.

This thing looks almost brand new. The electrics have been breathed on, I think, but it seems to all work. Be interesting to see how long that battery lasts, and what happens when it quits mid-set....

Still waiting to hear back from them to see if Cort can date it. Not a lot of info is available for these older Corts--they probably thought they'd all be in the scrap heap by now.

Ok, bottom line, for a cheapo Korean Guitar, this is amazing. Looks great, built well, sounds killer, no tarnish or rust (well, just a little tarnish on the truss rod plate). I have not compared this to any other V's, but I am impressed. How they put this much quality into a bargain priced guitar is astounding. Nice job, Cort! If you find one at a reasonable price, buy it!

Solid body guitar, laminate (plywood) body, set neck. Guitar was made in the late 70's, with humbucker pickups and boost switch that runs on 9 volt battery. Two volume controls, one each for pickup and one tone control which is actually linear, it works! Three way selector that works in reverse, up is treble, down is neck pickup. I believe the guitar was made in Japan, and may have used mighty mite parts.

Here is where the surprise is. I have owned both a Gibson and Epiphone V and this one blows them both away. The clean sounds are just incredible and when distorted this thing rocks. Great for rock, blues and just about anything else. The sound has some spank, in that besides bright and booming there is midrange which is great. The preamp (boost) switch is great, in the clean mode it gives the sound a little dirt, like the sound of Georgia Satellites in their song "Keep your hands to yourself)

The pickups and set up were done by the store I traded for it at and is good. I raised the action a bit, but that is my preferences. Overall, the fit and finish are excellent

The reliability is excellent as this guitar is over 20 years old and still in great shape.

I have been playing 20 years plus, and this guitar is rapidly becoming one of my favorites. I also have a Epiphone Genesis and a Fender Strat. I normally would be a prude when it comes to a laminated body, but the way this guitar sounds, it doesn't hurt it at all.