Cort HBS2

Modified Strat - C-shape neck w/21 frets, lightweight premium swamp ash body, 5 way selector, H-S-H pickup configuration (Mighty Mites all), Birdseye maple neck and fretboard, smoked natural wood grain body, black pickguard, self-locking tuners, Cort CFA Tremolo. All hardware oxidized to give a well broken-in, comfortable look.

As you might expect from the pickup configuration, it's covers a lot of ground. I play through a Tech 21 Trademark 60 and Trademark 10. I use a few pedals too: Boss Blues Driver, Boss CE-2, TS808, Homebrew compressor, Guyatone TD-X (among a couple of others). The HBS 2 is good in terms of additional versatility - a lot of tones come through this guitar. There are pleasing out of phase tones in the pickup configuration as well as straight ahead Strat and Gibson sounds. I've never played through Mighty Mite pickups; they're quite versatile and full.

This guitar is designed and put together well. The birds-eye maple neck is substantial and plays well. The neck is well tooled - even, straight, balanced, and good fret work. The fret wire is thinner than my other guitars and easy to play. The body is comfortably contoured. I actually rate this section an 8.9 and not 9 as the guitar came set up with light gauge strings. I thought since Hiram Bullock uses medium gauge strings his signature guitar should've been factory set up with 10s on top (which is my preference). I had to have the guitar set up additionally - problem solved and now it plays superbly. Anyone buying a guitar sight unseen should get a pro setup anyway, so perhaps it's not really a problem in the strictest sense. I've never purchased an instrument via website before and the set up it shipped with was "factory default" - translated: bupkis, junky. For the extra running around, 8.9 it is (still, that translates to an A-). The luthier who set up my HBS2 commented very favorably on the quality of the guitar comparing it to several USA made guitars - I don't think Cort instruments cross his threshold all that often (and he's a real luthier, not a guy 'in the back' calling a set-up restringing and polishing guitars). The guitar is comparatively light in weight but quite resonant. The HBS 2 falls in the vintage category looks-wise (it is, after all, a strat style 'geetar') but the smoked finish combined with the oxidized nickel hardware gives it a unique funky edge (that's my editorial comment).

A solid instrument. It's not a museum piece; you can play this thing. It stays in tune well; I tend to use the whammy bar and consequently the Graph Tech trem nut is a good touch. I haven't detected any of the pot/switch problems mentioned in reviews of the previous incarnations of this guitar.

I called the company to find some dealers and after negotiating a non-mystifying automated system spoke with actual human beings - one returned my call from a voicemail - imagine that! Both guys I spoke with were very cordial and helpful. Also, they were genuinely enthusiastic about this instrument and gave me more than 'the time of day' so to speak, which I much appreciated.

Over the years (I've been playing for about 18) I've put my hands on several instruments ranging in price from a couple of hundred bucks to just under a couple of grand. I own a USA Hamer Diablo and and a '97 USA Strat Plus; these are my reference points. Are there differences? Sure, but the HBS 2 definitely compares very well with both in terms of sound quality and surprisingly (to me anyway) construction. It's produced by Cort (Westheimer Corp.) in Micronesia (Korea?), and I think it's reasonable to to assume that if it was built in the US the going price would be half again as much but I doubt there would be an appreciable difference in the actual manufacturing quality. After looking things over closely (milling, joining, frets, wood, finish, hardware, etc.), it's apparent that a lot of care went into the design and making of this guitar. For the record then, I think Hiram Bullock is a great player. I saw him in a trio at a club called 'Mikel's' in NYC, early-mid 90s. At that time he played a Strat that appeared awfully well used (might even say beat up - look on the cover of the "Way Kool" cd). The finish was worn off, the back cover was who knows where... he used that guitar for the entire night - his performance was superlative as he covered quite a variety of genres and styles (as was and still is his custom). I think Cort had this in mind when they designed/manufactured this affordable guitar. It definitely covers a lot of ground sound-wise (the pickup configuration is the same HB uses and frankly more versatile than my other guitars - which is why I bought it.) It's reasonably priced for what you get, especially compared with some of the competition signature guitars currently on offer from other manufacturers. There are some tremendous instruments available, make no mistake, but with all due respect I just can't see a $1K+ difference in actual quality (I was looking at USA factory run guitars not custom shop editions). No, it's not elaborate as far as inlay goes, active electronics, other "bells and whistles" etc., but I think this guitar is well worth consideration in terms of cost-value ratio. It's got real nice feel. I also think it's musically sensible considering the various sounds you can get from it. I hope the HBS II doesn't get overproduced and lose some of its very decent touches. Oh yeah, did I mention it's FUN as all 'get out' to play this guitar? Jeez, that's got to count for something too, right?!

HIRAM BULLOCK SIGNATURE STRAT-2006-21 VINTAGE FRETS-2 PIECE CENTRE-JOINED LIGHT SWAMP ASH-5 WAY SELECTOR-V AND T-H/S/H CONFIGURATION-MIGHTY MITE PICKUPS-BIRDSEYE MAPLE NECK AND FRETBOARD-SATIN 'BURNT OPEN PORE' FINISH-MODIFIED STRAT BODY-CORT 'CFA' TREMELO-SELF LOCKING TUNERS-VINTAGE 'C' SHAPE NECK-WITH CORT GIGBAG AND ALLEN WRENCHES

A VERY VERSATILE ALL-PURPOSE GUITAR-I'M USING IT WITH A M.B.MARK1 REISSUE COMBO THRU A YAMAHA MAGICSTOMP AND A MORLEY VOLUME/WAH PEDAL-
WIDE RANGE OF SOUNDS-POSITIONS 2 AND 4(SINGLE AND HUM TOGETHER) ARE CLASSIC SRV-THE NECK HUMBUCKER IS WARM BUT NOT MUDDY-I'M VERY IMPRESSED WITH THE MIGHTY MITE PICKUPS-

I HAD THE GUITAR RE-CROWNED BY JANFLONE'S GUITAR STUDIO IN WASHINGTON PA,WHERE I BOUGHT IT-THE HEIGHTH OF THE CROWN IS .038, A RATHER SMALL FRETWIRE-NOW IT PLAYS PERFECTLY-NO FLAWS WHATSOEVER-CORT MAKES AN EXCEPTIONAL INSTRUMENT FOR THE PRICE-I WOULD EASILY COMPARE THIS(REALLY)TO AN ANDERSON, SUHR,TYLER IN TERMS OF FIT AND FINISH-

SOLID CONSTRUCTION ALL THE WAY THRU-THE TREMELO WITH THE GRAPHITE 'TREM NUT' STAYS IN TUNE REMARKABLY WELL-THE HARDWARE HAS A DISTRESSED(I CALL IT PRE-BEAT UP) LOOK THAT IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE SATIN COAT ON THE BODY SCREAMS VINTAGE-

I HAVE CALLED CORT ON OCCASION, AND THEY ARE COURTEOUS, HELPFUL, AND PROFESSIONAL-AND HAVE MET MR.JEFF HUBERT AT THE NAMM SHOW A FEW YEARS PAST-AS A COMPANY, THEY REALLY HAVE THEIR ACT TOGETHER-

I TRADED A CORT G290 FOR THE HBS-NOTHING WRONG WITH THE 290, JUST A BIT HEAVY, AS I AM DEVELOPING BACK PROBLEMS FROM 39 YEARS OF PLAYING AND SIMPLY NEEDED SOMETHING LIGHTER-MY ONLY COMMENT WOULD BE TO HAVE A HUM-CANCELLING SINGLE COIL IN THE CENTRE SLOT-I'M NOT SURE IF THE HUMBUCKERS HAVE 2 OR 4 CONCUCTOR WIRING-IF 4 CONDUCTOR, A SIMPLE CHANGE TO A QUIET SINGLE COIL WOULD WORK-AS FAR AS COMPARISONS GO, I OWNED THE CORT G290 WITH EMG PICKUPS, A 22 FRET ROSEWOOD NECK AND BIGGER FRETS-THE DIFFERENCE IS THAT THE HBS IS MORE VINTAGE-FEELING AND SOUNDING-WHEREAS THE G290 IS THE 'HOTRODDED' SUPERSTRAT(AN INCREDIBLE GUITAR IN ITS' OWN RIGHT)-I LIKE THE LIGHTER WEIGHT-AND EVEN THOUGH I AM A BIG FAN OF EMG PICKUPS, FOR A PASSIVE PICKUP,THE MIGHTYMITES ARE SERIOUSLY UNDERRATED!!--THE HBS CONFIRMS MY BELIEF THAT YOU DO NOT HAVE TO SPEND $1000-$3000 ON A BOLT-ON NECK STRAT-I THINK THAT MORE GUITARISTS SHOULD CHECK OUT CORT'S INSTRUMENTS-