The only concern I have is with the adjustment screw backing out from vibration. Clarity and note definition was obvious and balanced. I really feel this bridge contributes to the sonic character of this bass in conjunction with these particular Bartolini pickups. The design allows for considerable surface area coupling from the string to the bridge and then the body utilizing a unique cam style design rather than a saddle perched on two setscrews.
Cort bass nut full#
As it claims on the bridge itself: full body contact. Speaking of note separation, this is a good time to mention the slick design of the Babicz bass bridge. They’re not as aggressive as a set of J bass pickups, but plenty of definition and attack and note separation. There’s bite and mids to be had if you want, but that is not the tonal center for these. But these pickups are full, punchy and warm. So sometimes to my ear, passive sounds lacking because many times it is. I like active for lots of reasons, and mainly it’s my preference. Onward to the pickups, which are two Bartolini dual coil passive pickups with a generous spacing between them, giving a nice tonal separation. That was the first and most impressive feature. Money well spent in any case, but you won’t need to have you favorite luthier do the finishing touch on this affordable bass. It’s the most time consuming aspect of bass production, hence the price tag of custom high end basses. Usually only the high end basses attempt to send out a bass with this kind of set up, because… well, they can take the time to do it because you’re paying for it in the sticker price. This flat neck/low action set up can be a real mess if the fingerboard and fret work are the least bit “off’. The neck was damn near flat, and the action low – not stupid low, but right where it should be for a player with decent right hand technique, and without squelching string tone. I was really impressed at how well the bass was set up.
If you like thin profile Jazz bass necks, you’ll like this one. I liked the lower, flatter frets and the smooth feel they provide when moving across the length of the fingerboard. This makes it easy to play – it feels good, easy to navigate. There’s a typical Jazz bass taper to the nut, but very thin in profile with a satin finish on the back of the neck. The neck is Hard Maple with Rosewood fingerboard and bolt on construction. The finish was smooth and glossy, no issues with fitting and details.
The body styling is comfortable, contoured and balances well. I personally like lighter weight wood in basses, and Alder has a smooth warm tone that helps keep midrange harshness under control. It’s been a time tested wood for electric guitars for many a decade. Alder is a lightweight, resonant, warm sounding and oh so not exotic wood. Lets start with the body and the wood, which is an Alder core, with Padouk and Spalted Maple face veneers. The “something” is the straight forward simplicity with little tweaks to the tried and true and the superb attention to set up. In fact, superficially speaking, for a production bass, it seemed a tad high in price for the $1,400.00 retail range. No obvious attempt at esthetic recognition in body shape. In fact I had to wonder at first glance what’s the angle here? No fancy active electronics. My feeling after examining and playing the bass was that this is a fine bare bones bass. I can say he appears sincere, and after checking his new bass out, I can’t really add much more to his comments. Berlin describes it in many of the YouTube clips about his signature bass. Then, I weigh my opinions against my biases and other reviews and see how it shakes out. Or at least spare you wasting time running around with a mind full of marketing messaging. Listen and look closely and all that sort of thing and then formulate an opinion and write it down in hopes of helping others find a bass that suits their needs. I did my usual approach, which is to play the bass to look for what I like or dislike. The same reality check applies to the new Jeff Berlin “Rithimic” bass made by Cort, visual elements aside. Just as I’d love to have a Tesla for my transportation, but to be honest, I love my Toyota. I admit my bias for funky exotics and the latest forward thinking in contemporary bass construction and design.
Not saying that Cort doesn’t want you to buy this bass, because there are others like it it’s more about keeping things stripped down to what really matters and forgoing the latest trend or hype. Kind of refreshing since most new basses to hit the market usually make strides to separate themselves from the herd, and then ask us to believe it, then buy it at a premium.
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