Got this one last year, I am pretty happy with it but it's not without it's faults - 1) "high-cost" single rail bridge is in fact rather mediocre and metal is soft to the point that in first couple of months 8th string imprinted string winding into the contact point on saddle. And that is on 0.65 gauge. Produced highly annoying buzzing sound. But just changed it out with 1st string saddle, and no problems from that point. But still will change bridge to something more robust and higher quality down the road. 2) Nut is not self-lubricating. That was rather annoying as all my previous guitars (not that expensive i must say) came with Graphtech TusQ nuts, and i never had any problems with string friction because of that, but on this guitar I need put graphite in slots during each string change otherwise, it will go out of tune from bends etc. 3) String ferrules were not properly glued in to the body, and all 8 of them decided to fall off the same moment, a dab of super glue and it's fine, but still, i even saw were they were supposed to be glued to, but it seems Cort provides only highly watered-down super glue :) But at 700 bucks that i paid for it, in comparison the most affordable Ibanez 8-string with no-name pick-ups, smaller scale (27.5) and boring white or black color costs ~1000 bucks around here, it is really great bang for the buck. So when I saw this model (and I hated Cort with a passion my whole guitar-playing life) with Fishman's onboard, I decided to give it a go. And was not disappointed. BUT you will need to take it for a full setup including fret leveling, as these guitars tend to sit in warehouses a year or two, so a fret job is a must otherwise you will have high spots here and there due to inadequate climate conditions. I also re-did all the wiring, not that it's bad, just that cables were really long and by cutting down on unnecessary cable length, it cleaned up some of the noise that you can get depending on how crappy is the wiring in your place of living. Otherwise I highly recommend this guitar, BUT beware that it requires some TLC to fully open up it's potential. And as Nick said in the video, you need to ditch that 0.65 8th string that it comes from the factory, it's floppy spaghetti even at 28 inches. I don't know what D'Addario were smoking when they cooked up that string set for 25.5 standard scale.
Man thanks for writing such a good review! Really, it helps a lot, because you are being honest, showing all the pros and cons that you get IRL. Still playing?
@@my_name_was_stolen yup, still playing, aside the issue already outlined in my initial comment, no other nasty surprises. I tend to go back and forth between my 7-string Schecter and Cort. Just for the sound difference (passive Invader in bridge) but still Cort rips it good.
Any reason why you decided to go for Cort instead of what Schecter has to offer?, just wondering because I too own a Schecter diamond 7 and I'm fairly happy with it, and I've been considering getting the Hellraiser C-8 or the demon 8.
Is there a problem with your specific one? If you got it for $700, it must be used since new ones go for $1050. Even with fixable new guitar setup problems, it seems like your specific issues might come from the previous owner.
@@Matthew_Klepadlo I got mine new in Oct. 2019, (made somewhere around in the first half of 2019) long before current price hike. So no previous owners, just cheap hardware, and fret sprout due to wood shrinking further since leaving the factory. And that price hike is really brutal, bought Cort A5 Beyond bass in May, for 1200$, price in January was around 900$, same bass, same dealer, just so happens a war happened next door and due to local shenanigans in currency conversion from USD to local you get a 1/4 price hike overnight. But that bass is great - no sharp frets, great hardware. and BTW right now KX508MS (not the new version, the old "loopy logo" one) costs around 1800$ (with a discount!) at the same dealer I bought mine in 2019. Prices on guitars are seriously messed-up globally, but here in Belarus it's a whole another story.
A good trick with 8 string fanfrets, using standing on a strap, is to eyeball the low 23rd fret when playing the 24th fret top E string. The angle makes the top 24th fret look 'parallel' with the bottom 23rd fret, so if you aim for where you'd expect a non-fanfret 23rd fret, you'll more likely hit the actual high 24th fret.
I bought one, If you're not comfortable with doing alot of work on it to make it good, then find something else.. The frets were loose, so I needed to fix that along with leveling, crowning and polishing. The nut needed to be cut properly, and of course a proper setup. The fit and finish is not that great. It's like a fancy Harley Benton. But after a bit of work it's fine, you're paying for the electronics, tuners, nut, multiscale neck and hardware basically. Not suitable for a beginner who just want's to play it. But if you're willing to put a couple hours of work into it, then go for it. You don't have that many alternatives in this pricerange.
I have the same Cort, saddles maxed out on the high E and B strings, and also in the opposite direction the F#. Still, I'm not getting perfect intonation at the 12th fret, any hints? Are all the KX508 the same?
@@brunohenriques8481 the .65 8th from factory is just ridiculous, a .74 helps a lot but I'll suggest so you use the Ernie Ball 9-80 set, its just perfect for this guitar and will really help with the intonation
I almost bought the 7 string version but due to a clerical error my order was cancelled, which I ended up being happy about, since I noticed this parallel fret problem only after placing the order.
Playing more single notes & scales on string 7 & 8 would be good to demonstrate their tone. But you're spending most time on the usual strings. We know what an E to E sounds like !
Ah, take the plastic off those pups. That drives me nuts lol. That is nice looking guitar for a cheapo and with Fishmans even. It's worth it if you are not afraid to put some work into it. I end up modding all my guitars anyways but this is so cheap it is not so worrisome for an armature to be messing with it. This can be made into a working guitar for stage or studio. What is important is playability, sound, and feel.
Certainly not overrated by any means. Blackouts are amazing some a few EMGS are great too, they're all really good, The fluence def have some major pro's over EMG, but the Barenucks and Blackouts are pretty damn comparable and just as good. Depends on what you're playing too honestly, it's not a massive difference for metal between these pickups but if you play anything other than that the Fishmen and some SD's start to be objectively better than most EMG's. Saying they're overrated is just being contrarian for the sake of it. The word you really should have used is over-represented because that is a fair statement. Saying they're overrated however is just objectively false, they are undeniably amazing pick-ups, and just because everyone and their uncle is using them right now doesn't mean they're overrated... It's just hype, they're somewhat new still, things like this always fluctuate, but the pick-ups are insanely high quality and certainly deliver a lot for the price. And also, the number of people using EMGs compared to these fishmen is still absurd lol The fishmen are just getting a lot of attention because bigger names are using them and it's influencing the community. But that doesn't make them overrated lol They'd have to be flawed or somehow objectively lesser in quality to comparable pick-ups.... And they're not, that is not a matter of opinion. It's fucking bullshit seriously. Just because a lot of people are using them doesn't make them over-ratted, that makes them currently popular or trendy. But in no way lessens their quality or performance. If they started costing quadrupled the price of pick-ups which were literally and objectively just as well made and did the exact same thing * or close as possible without infringing patents.* THEN that would make them closer to being "over-rated*, This situation with these pickups is and has not in any way reached something like the quality difference lets says the Fender Strat Player Series, compared to a higher quality Squire, or a Yamaha Pacifica, or a few Schecter models that give better quality instruments which have a comparable sound and feel to the Fender player series but are actually better in every sense of the term objectively but lack the word Fender stamped onto it's the stock. That is an example of something being literally OVER-rated. What we see right now with these pick-ups has the potential to go in that same direction, but it's literally NOT there yet and literally far from it still. But I mean I'm some random dude on YT with the fucking handle " POOOPPANCAKES* trying to leave a serious reply urr comment and just proves how little of a fucking life I myself have lol. So all in all, I'm the one who lost here... God... Damnit... I'm overrated! I'm a legit loser... lol to hide the pain
@@pooppancake8750 Yeah, just began using the Ibanez Aurora Burst 7 string multiscale with Fishmans and they are awesome. Super articulate, since I'm playing in FCFA#D#CG
@@pooppancake8750 here’s my crazy, wild, extremist opinion: most humbucking guitars sound pretty much mostly the same and they all sound awesome. Most, if not all guitars sound awesome. Strats, tellys, guitars with different types of pickups sound a little different, but they all sound great and very similar. I know: crazy, right?
Got this one last year, I am pretty happy with it but it's not without it's faults -
1) "high-cost" single rail bridge is in fact rather mediocre and metal is soft to the point that in first couple of months 8th string imprinted string winding into the contact point on saddle. And that is on 0.65 gauge. Produced highly annoying buzzing sound. But just changed it out with 1st string saddle, and no problems from that point. But still will change bridge to something more robust and higher quality down the road.
2) Nut is not self-lubricating. That was rather annoying as all my previous guitars (not that expensive i must say) came with Graphtech TusQ nuts, and i never had any problems with string friction because of that, but on this guitar I need put graphite in slots during each string change otherwise, it will go out of tune from bends etc.
3) String ferrules were not properly glued in to the body, and all 8 of them decided to fall off the same moment, a dab of super glue and it's fine, but still, i even saw were they were supposed to be glued to, but it seems Cort provides only highly watered-down super glue :)
But at 700 bucks that i paid for it, in comparison the most affordable Ibanez 8-string with no-name pick-ups, smaller scale (27.5) and boring white or black color costs ~1000 bucks around here, it is really great bang for the buck. So when I saw this model (and I hated Cort with a passion my whole guitar-playing life) with Fishman's onboard, I decided to give it a go. And was not disappointed. BUT you will need to take it for a full setup including fret leveling, as these guitars tend to sit in warehouses a year or two, so a fret job is a must otherwise you will have high spots here and there due to inadequate climate conditions.
I also re-did all the wiring, not that it's bad, just that cables were really long and by cutting down on unnecessary cable length, it cleaned up some of the noise that you can get depending on how crappy is the wiring in your place of living.
Otherwise I highly recommend this guitar, BUT beware that it requires some TLC to fully open up it's potential.
And as Nick said in the video, you need to ditch that 0.65 8th string that it comes from the factory, it's floppy spaghetti even at 28 inches. I don't know what D'Addario were smoking when they cooked up that string set for 25.5 standard scale.
Man thanks for writing such a good review! Really, it helps a lot, because you are being honest, showing all the pros and cons that you get IRL. Still playing?
@@my_name_was_stolen yup, still playing, aside the issue already outlined in my initial comment, no other nasty surprises. I tend to go back and forth between my 7-string Schecter and Cort. Just for the sound difference (passive Invader in bridge) but still Cort rips it good.
Any reason why you decided to go for Cort instead of what Schecter has to offer?, just wondering because I too own a Schecter diamond 7 and I'm fairly happy with it, and I've been considering getting the Hellraiser C-8 or the demon 8.
Is there a problem with your specific one?
If you got it for $700, it must be used since new ones go for $1050.
Even with fixable new guitar setup problems, it seems like your specific issues might come from the previous owner.
@@Matthew_Klepadlo I got mine new in Oct. 2019, (made somewhere around in the first half of 2019) long before current price hike.
So no previous owners, just cheap hardware, and fret sprout due to wood shrinking further since leaving the factory.
And that price hike is really brutal, bought Cort A5 Beyond bass in May, for 1200$, price in January was around 900$, same bass, same dealer, just so happens a war happened next door and due to local shenanigans in currency conversion from USD to local you get a 1/4 price hike overnight.
But that bass is great - no sharp frets, great hardware.
and BTW right now KX508MS (not the new version, the old "loopy logo" one) costs around 1800$ (with a discount!) at the same dealer I bought mine in 2019.
Prices on guitars are seriously messed-up globally, but here in Belarus it's a whole another story.
A good trick with 8 string fanfrets, using standing on a strap, is to eyeball the low 23rd fret when playing the 24th fret top E string. The angle makes the top 24th fret look 'parallel' with the bottom 23rd fret, so if you aim for where you'd expect a non-fanfret 23rd fret, you'll more likely hit the actual high 24th fret.
I'm gonna need to get this guitar. I am mind-blown by the features this guitar has. Everything i've ever need for my music.
This review is fantastic and very thorough. Ordered mine today!!!!
Thanks for this great review 😎🤘
I bought one, If you're not comfortable with doing alot of work on it to make it good, then find something else.. The frets were loose, so I needed to fix that along with leveling, crowning and polishing. The nut needed to be cut properly, and of course a proper setup. The fit and finish is not that great. It's like a fancy Harley Benton. But after a bit of work it's fine, you're paying for the electronics, tuners, nut, multiscale neck and hardware basically. Not suitable for a beginner who just want's to play it. But if you're willing to put a couple hours of work into it, then go for it. You don't have that many alternatives in this pricerange.
Thanks, Obviously a pile of shite. I think I'll opt for a Kiesel 8 string
I have the same Cort, saddles maxed out on the high E and B strings, and also in the opposite direction the F#.
Still, I'm not getting perfect intonation at the 12th fret, any hints?
Are all the KX508 the same?
what string gauges are you using?
@@dhzugadhzent4650 09-074 which is a bit larger than the factory one and helped a bit on the F#
@@brunohenriques8481 the .65 8th from factory is just ridiculous, a .74 helps a lot but I'll suggest so you use the Ernie Ball 9-80 set, its just perfect for this guitar and will really help with the intonation
Did you find a solution to this? I'm currently running into the same issue.
@@euronymous6520 Diego in the comments was right, up the F to 80...or the only way is to drill and move the saddle
Is cort going to make the 7 string version with the parallel fret NOT at the 12th??
I almost bought the 7 string version but due to a clerical error my order was cancelled, which I ended up being happy about, since I noticed this parallel fret problem only after placing the order.
Does anyone know the neck profile on this? I like thin necks but i have read that this one has a baseball neck :(
It has a pretty thin neck for an 8 string.
I'd like to try this with D'Addario's .009-.080 set
I use 09-80 on mine, works great. I would not put anything heavier than a 9 on 26,5 scale
The fishman single coil voice isn’t a split, it’s a separate voicing and it over-rides the modern voicing. But the video was still good.
Playing more single notes & scales on string 7 & 8 would be good to demonstrate their tone. But you're spending most time on the usual strings. We know what an E to E sounds like !
OMG if Jesus Christ plays an 8 string guitar maybe I should
🤣!
10 to 75 strings for sure
Ah, take the plastic off those pups. That drives me nuts lol. That is nice looking guitar for a cheapo and with Fishmans even. It's worth it if you are not afraid to put some work into it. I end up modding all my guitars anyways but this is so cheap it is not so worrisome for an armature to be messing with it. This can be made into a working guitar for stage or studio. What is important is playability, sound, and feel.
Кто Джигурде гитару дал?
Fishmans are so overrated.
Right?! I'm fine with EMG or Seymour Duncan
Certainly not overrated by any means. Blackouts are amazing some a few EMGS are great too, they're all really good, The fluence def have some major pro's over EMG, but the Barenucks and Blackouts are pretty damn comparable and just as good. Depends on what you're playing too honestly, it's not a massive difference for metal between these pickups but if you play anything other than that the Fishmen and some SD's start to be objectively better than most EMG's. Saying they're overrated is just being contrarian for the sake of it. The word you really should have used is over-represented because that is a fair statement. Saying they're overrated however is just objectively false, they are undeniably amazing pick-ups, and just because everyone and their uncle is using them right now doesn't mean they're overrated... It's just hype, they're somewhat new still, things like this always fluctuate, but the pick-ups are insanely high quality and certainly deliver a lot for the price. And also, the number of people using EMGs compared to these fishmen is still absurd lol The fishmen are just getting a lot of attention because bigger names are using them and it's influencing the community. But that doesn't make them overrated lol They'd have to be flawed or somehow objectively lesser in quality to comparable pick-ups.... And they're not, that is not a matter of opinion. It's fucking bullshit seriously. Just because a lot of people are using them doesn't make them over-ratted, that makes them currently popular or trendy. But in no way lessens their quality or performance. If they started costing quadrupled the price of pick-ups which were literally and objectively just as well made and did the exact same thing * or close as possible without infringing patents.* THEN that would make them closer to being "over-rated*, This situation with these pickups is and has not in any way reached something like the quality difference lets says the Fender Strat Player Series, compared to a higher quality Squire, or a Yamaha Pacifica, or a few Schecter models that give better quality instruments which have a comparable sound and feel to the Fender player series but are actually better in every sense of the term objectively but lack the word Fender stamped onto it's the stock. That is an example of something being literally OVER-rated. What we see right now with these pick-ups has the potential to go in that same direction, but it's literally NOT there yet and literally far from it still. But I mean I'm some random dude on YT with the fucking handle " POOOPPANCAKES* trying to leave a serious reply urr comment and just proves how little of a fucking life I myself have lol. So all in all, I'm the one who lost here... God... Damnit... I'm overrated! I'm a legit loser... lol to hide the pain
@@pooppancake8750 Yeah, just began using the Ibanez Aurora Burst 7 string multiscale with Fishmans and they are awesome. Super articulate, since I'm playing in FCFA#D#CG
I personally don’t have or use any fishman fluence guitar, but man I love the palettes of clean tones available.
@@pooppancake8750 here’s my crazy, wild, extremist opinion: most humbucking guitars sound pretty much mostly the same and they all sound awesome.
Most, if not all guitars sound awesome. Strats, tellys, guitars with different types of pickups sound a little different, but they all sound great and very similar.
I know: crazy, right?