NBD (but it's going back) - Cort GB Modern 5 - ** Now with bonus added GuitarGuitar buffoonery **

[Obrienp]

3 hours ago, BassAdder60 said:

My chosen place now will be Peach Guitars where I visit, see, try it and purchase  

 

Dangerous place to visit! I went there 10 years ago looking to PX my Martin D28P for the (then) recently released Martin 00018 with the performance neck, which was about £1,700. I walked out with a Taylor 712 Fall Limited Edition 12 Fret, which was way north of £2K even then. Reality hit me on the drive home when I started to think about credit card interest! I have hardly played the Taylor for fear of marking it and would never dream of playing it live. I don’t think I would have had the same qualms with a 00018. Good salesmen are dangerous for your wallet!

[Supernaut]

Why not go to a shop and inspect the bass you're going to buy?

[lemmywinks]

17 minutes ago, Supernaut said:

Why not go to a shop and inspect the bass you're going to buy?

 

Because the only two stores that had the 5 string version of this bass at the clearance price were Edinburgh and Newcastle, neither of which are close to my house.

 

So let's say I made the 8hr round trip to Edinburgh and found out the bass had dodgy binding, then the next day make the 6hr round trip to Newcastle and find the second bass isn't actually new and is in well used condition. I've spent two days and a decent chunk of diesel money yet have nothing to show for it and the store has no obligation to make sure I get the bass in the condition it was advertised, whereas at the moment I've enjoyed my free time and the customer service at guitar guitar are making the effort to reach a suitable outcome. Which is hopefully me having a nice shiny new bass with Nordstrands in it.

 

My way makes more sense IMO.

[neepheid]

But... but... you're buying basses wrong! 🙄

[NickA]

On 10/09/2024 at 16:54, lemmywinks said:

You would think with basses that are around a grand (well outside of the sale anyway) they'd at least open the box and give them a cursory glance,

Probably nowhere near a grand to the factory that made it and far far less to the people who did the work.  But the shop should have checked.

 

One reason an ACG or Shuker would be 3-4x the price, despite no middle men.

[lemmywinks]

Just messaged GuitarGuitar today to check if there was any update, unfortunately there's no stock for a replacement and the next shipment is due at the end of january 2025 which is a bummer.

 

So I've asked if they can send the charcoal grey colour instead and this should be with me tomorrow.

[PinkMohawk]

1 hour ago, lemmywinks said:

Just messaged GuitarGuitar today to check if there was any update, unfortunately there's no stock for a replacement and the next shipment is due at the end of january 2025 which is a bummer.

 

So I've asked if they can send the charcoal grey colour instead and this should be with me tomorrow.

I was literally an hour away from messaging them to get it sent to Birmingham so I could try it before I bought it 😢 Going to have to go with one of your cast-off's haha

[lemmywinks]

11 minutes ago, PinkMohawk said:

I was literally an hour away from messaging them to get it sent to Birmingham so I could try it before I bought it 😢 Going to have to go with one of your cast-off's haha

 

 

Ah was it the last one? Hopefully their last remaining stock isn't all customer returns, I think our DPD guy is getting sick of bass shaped boxes!

 

There's the one with the binding issue (but otherwise new) for £30 off here:

https://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/product/230420404130008-15927925--cort-gb-modern-5-open-pore-vintage-natural-ex-demo-ie2

 

And the one which looks fairly well used for £709:

https://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/product/230420404130008-16020257--cort-gb-modern-5-open-pore-vintage-natural-ex-demo-ie2

 

 

Not exactly masive discounts really, if they'd have offered me £50+ off that first one I'd have probably just kept it tbh as it played well and sounded great. The other one needs new strings so isn't worth buying unless they've stuck some on, it's basically a second hand instrument so £650 ish from a shop or £550-£600 on here.

 

The pictures also aren't showing the issues on either bass, I think there's a bit of a communication issue between their customer services and the shop floor guys.

[PinkMohawk]

15 minutes ago, lemmywinks said:

 

 

Ah was it the last one? Hopefully their last remaining stock isn't all customer returns, I think our DPD guy is getting sick of bass shaped boxes!

 

There's the one with the binding issue (but otherwise new) for £30 off here:

https://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/product/230420404130008-15927925--cort-gb-modern-5-open-pore-vintage-natural-ex-demo-ie2

 

And the one which looks fairly well used for £709:

https://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/product/230420404130008-16020257--cort-gb-modern-5-open-pore-vintage-natural-ex-demo-ie2

 

 

Not exactly masive discounts really, if they'd have offered me £50+ off that first one I'd have probably just kept it tbh as it played well and sounded great. The other one needs new strings so isn't worth buying unless they've stuck some on, it's basically a second hand instrument so £650 ish from a shop or £550-£600 on here.

 

The pictures also aren't showing the issues on either bass, I think there's a bit of a communication issue between their customer services and the shop floor guys.

Unfortunately it was haha, no bother, I like both colours just fine. I'm probably going with the binding issue one, that's the serial number 23 I believe. The binding issue isn't a big enough deal for me to kick it back (Though I'd definitely have been looking for a discount for it too), I do notice that they don't really highlight the issues on the pictures online though, so I might be able to knock them down a bit more. Plus I'm trading in some old pedals so I'll not be spending too much. 

 

Yeah, the 20 quid I'd save on the other one would immediately disappear into a set of strings for it. I'll be going over it with a fine tooth comb either way, see how much of a discount I can squeeze haha. Here's hoping that the charcoal one is up to snuff for you when it shows up though, I don't know if I'd have had the patience you've displayed throughout all this haha. 

[lemmywinks]

5 minutes ago, PinkMohawk said:

Unfortunately it was haha, no bother, I like both colours just fine. I'm probably going with the binding issue one, that's the serial number 23 I believe. The binding issue isn't a big enough deal for me to kick it back (Though I'd definitely have been looking for a discount for it too), I do notice that they don't really highlight the issues on the pictures online though, so I might be able to knock them down a bit more. Plus I'm trading in some old pedals so I'll not be spending too much. 

 

Yeah, the 20 quid I'd save on the other one would immediately disappear into a set of strings for it. I'll be going over it with a fine tooth comb either way, see how much of a discount I can squeeze haha. Here's hoping that the charcoal one is up to snuff for you when it shows up though, I don't know if I'd have had the patience you've displayed throughout all this haha. 

 

 

They do mention the binding but don't show it, instead the only pic is of a small ding (may just be a natural depression in the top and not damage) which is weird.

 

 

Their customer services is excellent but they do need a bit of a prod, the 2nd bass arrived back with them last week and if I hadn't reminded them today I'd still be waiting!

[PinkMohawk]

39 minutes ago, lemmywinks said:

 

 

They do mention the binding but don't show it, instead the only pic is of a small ding (may just be a natural depression in the top and not damage) which is weird.

 

 

Their customer services is excellent but they do need a bit of a prod, the 2nd bass arrived back with them last week and if I hadn't reminded them today I'd still be waiting!

Just got off the phone with the lad at the shop, paid my deposit to get it sent over to the store, now I'm just waiting for an email when it arrives and I'll be able to head to the store, give it a go in person and walk out with it if it's right for me. 

 

Yeah it mentions the binding very vaguely, you can just about see the 11th fret issue, but it doesn't show the 5th fret side binding issue from what I can see. Ah well, looking forward to getting it in my hands and finding out if it's the one for me. 

[Kev]

3 hours ago, lemmywinks said:

Just messaged GuitarGuitar today to check if there was any update, unfortunately there's no stock for a replacement and the next shipment is due at the end of january 2025 which is a bummer.

 

So I've asked if they can send the charcoal grey colour instead and this should be with me tomorrow.

Just out of interest, are they holding your money or have they refunded you?  As it sounds like they had information to give but didn't bother reaching out to tell you about it...

[lemmywinks]

3 minutes ago, Kev said:

Just out of interest, are they holding your money or have they refunded you?  As it sounds like they had information to give but didn't bother reaching out to tell you about it...

 

 

No refund, they've only had it back since last Thursday but given I've had to return two basses over the course of a fortnight I would have appreciated an update RE a replacement.

[Supernaut]

What a mess. I know I mentioned it earlier, but I do believe checking an instrument out in person is the way to go. Hope you get it sorted soon. 

[lemmywinks]

Yay, I got a good one!

 

 

Cosmetically looks great, the best top out of all three and also the lightest being 8.2lb/3.7kg.

 

A little bit too much relief for me at the moment but that's easily sorted.

[BassAdder60]

That’s a beauty for sure 👍 

[eude]

57 minutes ago, lemmywinks said:

Yay, I got a good one!

 

 

Cosmetically looks great, the best top out of all three and also the lightest being 8.2lb/3.7kg.

 

A little bit too much relief for me at the moment but that's easily sorted.

Really glad it all turned out well!
I prefer this colour too

[lemmywinks]

2 hours ago, eude said:

Really glad it all turned out well!
I prefer this colour too

 

 

In the pictures I thought the other finish had the slight edge but in person they both look equally beautiful I think.

 

Now I have a suitable lightweight alternative to my blue EHB I'm considering sanding that bass back to a natural finish, just need to pluck up the courage!

[lemmywinks]

Just got home and plugged it in, active levels were very quiet (passive fine) so guessed the battery was dead and changed it for a new one. Played through a few songs with it and a couple of times the sound from the preamp went quiet for a second then came back up to full volume. After engaging/disengaging the push/pull pot a few times it seemed ok.

 

Will give it a bit more time later to see if the issue repeats itself and it isnt just a bit of flux or coating somewhere, the passive option works fine and output is about the same.

[lemmywinks]

Played it for about 40 minutes and not had that issue again so hopefully all is well, I'll most likely be playing it a fair bit over the weekend as I'm struggling to put it down at the moment!

 

 

Btw @PinkMohawk if they have the 2nd bass I received when you go to demo yours hold it up to your ear and see if you can hear the pickup rattling! I have no idea if that one even works as it just went straight back in the box.

[lemmywinks]

So just gone to play this bass now and the new battery is dead, same low output in active mode so it looks like it's draining the battery when not in use.

 

I think these basses at GuitarGuitar are all customer returns with issues.

 

 

If anybody has a fully functional GB5 Modern in either colour for sale let me know please!

[Kev]

Tell you what, I wouldn't stop at a refund with GuitatGuitar, put a formal complaint in and target compensation for all this ridiculous messing around!

[lemmywinks]

I'm probably just going to contact Cort about it tbh.

 

I've had a ton of Cort branded (and Cort built) basses over the years going back to the Korean factory and always had confidence in them due to consistent quality, my current main gigging bass and my fretless are both made by them. This is just poor though and has made me wary of the brand. Seeing as Spacecowboy has also sent his A5 back I think their sale is just customer returns, at least at this stage when stocks are low.

 

 

I still want one as they sound brilliant, at some point I'll score a good one and stick a Uni Pre in it!

[tauzero]

2 hours ago, lemmywinks said:

So just gone to play this bass now and the new battery is dead, same low output in active mode so it looks like it's draining the battery when not in use.

 

I would suspect an issue with the wiring of the jack socket, maybe a strand of wire shorting the ring and sleeve. If you have a multimeter and a stereo jack plug, you could check the resistance between ring and sleeve without doing any dismantling.

[lemmywinks]

36 minutes ago, tauzero said:

 

I would suspect an issue with the wiring of the jack socket, maybe a strand of wire shorting the ring and sleeve. If you have a multimeter and a stereo jack plug, you could check the resistance between ring and sleeve without doing any dismantling.

 

 

Had a quick look earlier (was the first thing I checked as it's an easy fix) and there's nothing shorting, possibly an issue on the board.