

The pickups are the superb Fishman Fluence Modern humbuckers. This requires a much more pronounced bridge and pickup angle compared to 12th fret neutral models, which drives costs up, so kudos to Cort for not cutting any corners here. This makes the fan much less pronounced across the majority of the fretboard compared to the typical "12th fret neutral" necks found on other "affordable" musicale guitars. While some more affordable multi-scale guitars can feel very alien, the adapting to playing KX508MS is very easy thanks to the 9th fret neutral position (meaning the 9th fret is "straight", with the other frets fanning out from there). The Cort KX508MS is just such an instrument, and an excellent example of one at that. This way, every string gets it's own "optimal" scale length. A multi-scale guitar uses a shorter scale on the treble strings and a longer one on the bass strings, with frets that fan out from the treble side to the bass side. Assuming you can get it there without breaking the string, it'll be so tight that it'll be deeply unpleasant to play (and to listen to). 010 gauge E string on a bass guitar and tuning it to pitch. So we need a longer scale length to accommodate low tunings then? Yes, but not so fast. This is a problem for 7 string guitars, even more so on 8 strings, where the low F# string is only a tone higher than the low E on a 4-string bass (typically 34" scale). You can remedy this with really heavy strings, but the results might be darker than you'd like. This works perfectly well for standard tuning, but downtune more than a few semitones and things start to get very loose and flabby. A typical 6-string guitar sports a scale length (the distance between nut and saddle) of 25.5". Whether you're playing some ambient, clean music or tearing through metal, this dynamic and responsive instrument will show you what a guitar can really do.Įxtended range guitars pose a number of problems to builders. You'll be shredding through songs with ease, with the ebony fretboard and pristine neck allowing for incredibly fast access to each fret position. Designed to make your playing experience the best it can be, the frets feel entirely natural - how they were always meant to be.


With some huge sounds matched by incredible playability, the Cort KX508MS 8-String multi-scale loaded with Fishman Fluence pickups brings some serious thunder when you pick it up and play. The preamp also provides a switchable active/passive mode for a robust, modern active sound or an organic, traditional passive sound.Cort KX508MS 8-String Multi-Scale MSRP (UK) £799 (US) $1199 Guitar Interactive star rating: The natural liveliness of the bass transfers through a flexible 3-band equalizer. The MK-1 preamp provides a powerful yet transparent boost along with a trademark crisp high-end. The MK-1 delivers plenty of punchy and warm mids along with transparent and brilliant highs for a superbly balanced sound. The Bartolini® MK-1 pickup and preamp have long been the go-to electronics duo for Cort’s Artisan Series, and Cort carries on the tradition with the Artisan A5 Beyond. Meanwhile, the Hipshot® Ultralite machine heads (classic 20:1 tuning ratio) are made of cast zinc with aluminum string posts and mounting nuts, resulting in 30 percent weight reduction over other regular tuners and improving balance and tuning accuracy. The dedicated hardtail bridge unit greatly improves string separation and reduces crosstalk for enhanced articulation and definition. Players will enjoy grooving along the 24-fret multi-scale, which produces more tension for the low strings and subsequently tighter, more focused lower register sounds.Įach string on the A5 Beyond has space to shine thanks to Cort’s use of innovative hardware. Panga panga offers the characteristics of wenge and produces a tight, coherent sound that mates extremely well with the instrument’s multi-laminate neck. The brightness of the maple is ideally balanced with the warm midrange of panga panga for excellent tonal definition. Strength balanced by beauty is another key theme of the A5 Beyond that carries over to the five piece maple and panga panga neck.
