Cort X700 Triality Guitar Deep Dive Series 

So going off of my Squier Mustang, which was made by Cort at 37 inches, Cort in 50 years has made enough guitars to wrap around the Earth 18,003 times end to end

I’ve a Cort G200 found in a charity store, it must be 20 years old, one of the best necks of any guitar I’ve played.

Great overview of a great instrument! I have an X700 Duality and it's a beast of a guitar. Plays as nicely as my USA Jackson SL2H. Really hard to beat these Corts for the money.

Precision is up to the maker and they make some fantastic imports. But how did they get it to sound like a banjo? Now I'm really intrigued.

How much does it cost Phil???

Cort has come a long way since I got my first electric guitar in 1976. It was a Cortez Les Paul copy with a bolt-on neck. If my mind is not failing me, Cort was manufacturing in Japan at that point in time. Back then, Cort/Cortez was primarily a line of guitars aimed at students. It was below the lawsuit Ibanez copies, which were targeted at gigging guitarists. People have to remember that a new Fender Stratocaster cost $450.00 at that point in time. That figure adjusted for inflation is equal to $2,425.00 in 2024 dollars and seventies Stratocasters left a lot to be desired. I cannot get my head wrapped around Millennials and Zoomers complaining about the cost of Fender and Gibson guitars today. They have never been cheaper. A Les Paul Standard cost $700.00 in 1976. That figure is equal to $3,774.00 in 2024 dollars, which is pushing upwards toward the cost of a new Gibson Custom R7, a significantly nicer guitar than a 70s Les Paul. Most guitarists had one guitar and one amp. Guitar collections were for rock stars or older guitarists who collected and played them over a lifetime. I had at most two electric guitars and one amp the entire time I was a gigging musician. The second guitar was usually a cheap import that was used as a backup. To get a new guitar, one had to sell or trade one's old guitar. The fact that Niles Rodgers recorded $500,000,000.00 worth of music using a single guitar does not seem strange to older guitarists like me. If Cort offered this model with a Floyd and a locking nut, I would order one today. I have been looking for a replacement for the '92 HSS Ibanez Prestige S540 that I foolishly sold in 2019 after owning it for 27 years. Ibanez no longer offers a Prestige Saber series guitar in HSS format, which is shortsighted in my humble opinion. An HSS Super Strat is the most flexible platform in the world. I played everything from shred to jazz on that guitar. You should have seen the looks on the faces of blues lawyer wannabe guitarists when I pulled that guitar out of the case at a blues jam. They were priceless. It taught them to never confuse technology with technique.

Is it just me, or do the pickups and bridge stick up higher than normal from the body? Looks weird with the chrome bridge and stark white single coils against the beautifully stained body. They need to dial in the colors a bit. Some really great parts and ideas, but it seems a bit hodgepodge. Lots of potential there, if somebody could clue them in a bit on layout and specs compatibility. Can you imagine the unlimited parts available in that factory? Must be mind blowing. I just bought 2 inexpensive guitars built in that factory. PRS SE McCarty .594 singlecut standard in vintage cherry, and a Yamaha Revstar Element in black. Two of the absolute best values in guitars right now.

Banjo caught be off guard. Absolutely hilarious. Bravo!

They've been around a long time. Great quality for the money.

Cort had a Matthias Jabs signature model at one point

They make pretty good guitars. QC is awesome. Their factory also makes guitars for other brands too. Highly recommended. Cheers from NZ 😎🎸🤘

The first bass I ever played on was a Cort... I was the worst of three guitarists, so I borrowed our drummer's Cort bass, and that is what I learned on. It felt like a pretty nice instrument, especially to start on.

Yeah those multiple piece necks are def the star.of the show for me. Ive seen.those on newer Aria pro 2 guitars as well and its the way to go man, combined with a spindle trussrod.

Considering they build 'stuff' for pretty much 'everyone', I would be willing to bet more folks own one of their products than not. Quick inventory, I have two guitars built by Cort.

Around 5/64ths give or take 1 or 2 64ths. All electric guitars. Simpler to remember and 64ths rulers are sold at all hardware stores. No don't take the nut out of the equation when checking string height. But do capo first fret and were the guitar meets the body to check neck relief. You can do it with two hands . You want a little bounce off the 7th fret . Or you want it dead straight and need to worry about back bow. Tell my students "You want a dirt bike that can go off jumps or you cruising highways?"

The pickups sound great! So does the banjo! LOL I would have to do something with that finish. I'm really not that fussy, it just looks unfinished to me. For set up, I think PRS is the gold standard. Every one unboxed, checked/adjusted, sent on. For the rest, I give them a pass on minor adjustments. You just have to have your setup checked, check it yourself, or buy a PRS. I just don't think a guitar that has been inside a container on a ship for who knows how long can be expected to hold its perfect setup. I think Sweetwater checks setup on >$400 guitars too now that I think about it. The rest, it is what it is. 8) Peace --gary

Nice review Phil. How thick is the body? The light wood around the perimeter makes the body look very thick. Thanks for all u do!

I always try to get my neck perfectly straight with no string tension, then the tension will pull it in to give it the slightest bow, which is basically perfect imo

best banjo picking of the day 🙂

Great review Phil! I appreciate the amount of effort you put into these and your playing as well!

I believe, Phil, you have been practicing your chops! Excellent 5-position demo for all of us. And thanks for all your Know Your Gear knowledge! _R

Thats gorgeous . The headstock looks very Ibanezy .

I like those pickups!

That’s one of the nicest guitars I saw for a very long time. How much does it cost and where can I get it?

A .30-caliber ammo can as a toolbox... Phils Army side is showing through. 😎

Wow! I remember about 20 yrs ago, they got a bunch of signature guitars including Larry Correll and Hiram Bullock. Amazing they are offering same specs as a 3G Suhr!!!!!!

I have two Cort guitars but one of them has an LTD on the headstock and the other has PRS SE on it. Regardless of what name they put on the headstocks Cort makes great guitars.

Wow that guitar is so gorgeous!

Man, I respect Cort, but that looks like they forgot to finish painting it!

I bought a cort bass in 05. It’s pretty good. Did the truss rod recently and it all worked. It’s just active, which annoys me. But good construction, can vouch for that

Well I'll just be doggity. Phillip made that Cort sound like a banjo. 😀

Ive wanted a Cort Curbow bass for years . The mark 1 with the Bartoloni pickup . I had a chance to buy one for 100 bucks a few years back . The girl selling it said she would get in touch as she was going on holiday to Spain and would message when she came back . She never did , and never answered her phone .

I have to say Ibanez did an amazing job putting usable floating trem. systems on their less expensive guitars this last year. I just bought their SP3- the Kiko L. signature model that runs about 500-550$- and you can dive bomb it- and it holds tune. I usually stay away from floating trem. on anything under 1000$- because usually that's about what you had to spend to get one that wasn't a major headache. But I'm really impressed with this SP3- the fret work was bad- lots of fret sprout, no polishing, and the ends of the frets had burrs on them. But it intonates really well, the trem. works, it holds tune, and it sounds and looks great.

Love the new shop/studio setup. Makes the deep dives feel more organic.

I know this is a noob question, but what is the digital timer in the background? Great vid Phil. Love Cort guitars.

I slide an American quarter (1.75mm) under the last 2 frets. This is a great starting point. Depending on the radius, this is usually perfect action for guitars. For bass or extremely large 7th, 8th or 9th string on the guitar, sometimes an American nickel (2mm) is more appropriate.

Cort is such an underrated guitar. They are super cheap, and damn well made for a freaking faction of the price such as, say Ibanez.

I bought a g 300 raw and a razer blade … first thing I did was remove the logo From the head Stock … reason , well It has a mohogany Body , walnut top ( not a veneer ) 1/4 inch top i guess , chambered body , graphite nut , stainless frets , 24 frets , locking tuners , their replica of a gotoh trem , Compound radius neck 12-16 , as well that shape like music man uses on evh model .. watcha call it .. i paid $500 bucks new - has the vibe of Nuno s Washburn N4 - raw body and neck ow and Duncan pick ups … jb and jazz … I mean this is what you get on a 3k guitar like my music man Axis … hella guitar and all 5 positions sound fabulous

Cort's stuff is really good for the price, especially the lower midrange "sweet spot" priced guitars. Sometimes certain models are hard to find even on the internet though

What the story behind the PRs singlecut hollow body with piezo?

I've come to learn that roasted maple necks is a marketing gimmick. It's a cost savings boon for manufactures, whereas they can use higher kiln temps to drastically speed up curing time. As a result, they can get away with sourcing wood from younger trees and not have to let blanks sit stacked and stickered in a warehouse. Also, the finishing process is much simpler. I've A/B compared a lot of different guitars with different wood combinations over the decades. Roasted maple necks sit in the mix differently. To me, it sounds like the notes have less bounce and bloom.

Phil I know the video is about the Cort... But I couldn't stop staring at that beautiful tangerine Parker Dragonfly! Just watched the video about how you acquired it and as a fellow Parker fan/owner myself, congrats on finally getting it.

Ibanez was doing this look at least as early as the Iron Label series, which may have carried over into some of the Prestige models of 2020. Really reminds me of those, but five years later for some reason! These and the Duality are great looking guitars. I think Cort guitars might foster a greater appeal for these if they came up with their own branding that wasn't their name. Hard for me to get excited about buying a guitar called "Cort" with a boring logo that looks like it's painted on. Give me some MOP inlay with a cool sounding name! I know, it's trivial, but it's keeping me from adding one of these to my collection.

Awesome playing Phil. Great guitar too.

Thanks for the great review as always! I've owned several Corts and still have a G290 Fat. Great guitar.

How do you play so fast and what pedal are you using to make this guitar sound like a banjo? In all seriousness (and a little tongue-in-cheek), thank you for the great commentary. This seems like an interesting instrument... and it'll be interesting to see where Cort goes from here and how everyone and the market reacts. All the best!

1:25 Kiesel guitars don't rock veneers but yes you are correct about the Ibanez, Kiesel Aries has a full(wood of choice)cap.

Sure wish I knew the PRICE!!!

I had a Cort Flying V back in the day…It played well.

I tried a Cort Strat style guitar. It was really good, but felt like slightly cheaper materials. This one looks excellent.

24M guitars 😮😮😮

Philip could make an old Hondo sound swell😮

13:56 Better Call Saul

I wish you used that Supersonic for more demos. Such great sounding amplifiers!

I worked for Cort back in the mid 2000s with the Westheimer Corporation and we were never allowed to mention that we built guitars for other companies, now they brag about it. Funny how things change. 😝

I wondered, what happened to the kid Deliverance?

I'm amazed at the high's and how well it's built. I may have to have one now !

That mid pickup, and even more so the intermediate position of mid + split coil bridge pickup sound absolutely FANTASTIC! 👌🏼 The bridge pickup... hmm, not so much, for my ears, not chimy enough and no low end depth. And that trem system works GREAT! Not sure the shape, colour combination and headstock shape are up my alley, but would be curious to know the price of this one. Cort is an amazing value and often amazing instruments brand, have a couple of acustics, a bass and a Hiram Bullock signature open pore electric that are very good, and unbelievable for the price. 👍🏻

One of the best players I ever knew started with a nice Cort, all the way back around 1987. Wow 24,000,000. The population of Australia is 26,439,111 lol. That's a lot of guitar players for a less well known brand of guitar. I've never owned one but I do appreciate them. I really like the look of that one you're working with too.

Great review Phil, those Fishman pickups give some great clean tones but that finish is a big distraction and definitely not for me. It looks like it’s in the process of being sanded down for a refinish!

It almost seems like the push-pull pots and selector switch are disconnected; the guitar sounds nearly the same in every position.

Hello Phillip..just curious. If they're ACTIVE pups, WHY the shielding in the cavity? I was informed that with actives, shielding wasn't necessary (along with the ground from bridge to cavity). Reason I'm asking is because im building a LP style kit, and am using a EMG Heavy 73 RetroActive set, and have elected not to paint the cavity. Is there an advantage or disadvantage in this situation?

I forgot to mention that I love the new banjo fill lol. Well done

Absolutely love the music for the fret test!

Couldn’t they find a really bright white for those pickups???

I have a PRS SE made in the Cort factory it’s as well made and finished instrument as I have ever seen at this price point.

The volume is weird in the video, in parts when you're talking in the room, as in the first minute and 15 seconds. It's a bit quiet and the right side is clearly more quiet. Listening on headphones here. The voice-over is fine.

I got a Cort X-6 for $100 used a couple months ago. People were clearing some stuff out and it had been sitting in a corner because the guy won it at a raffle but didn’t play so was basically brand new. I bought thinking I would flip it and couldn’t turn lose of it.

Have you ever evaluated a Parker Fly classic?

I had a Cort strat 25 years ago- it was a great guitar

Does the push pull split the coil, or use the single coil voice 3? It would be odd to put a new set of open core in and use the push pull to split it.

Does the voicing push pull pot not change the voicing of the single coils as well?

Brutal guitar reviews 😮 😅😊

Great job Phil. Very interesting guitar. Thanks

Hey, Phillip. first of all, thanks for the video, and all you do to keep us informed on new guitar releases. Now the next thing: Where did you get that guitar? Directly from Cort, or from a shop? I think you're in Arizona, and will be in state this coming weekend (lived in Arizona most of my life...). If a shop there has it, I would really like to check it out if it is in the Phoenix area. Regardless, thanks again for your videos, and hope you and yours are doing great.

They finally updated their headstock logo!! I swear the old logo was holding them back!

I didn't know any manufacturer had ground out that many guitars.

How likely are you to play the note at the 22nd fret of the low E string?

The bottom end seems like it's muffled or muted with the slight distortion on it even when it's clean

That high 22-fret on the low-E string would be like if Cindy Crawford had a mole on her face -oh, WAIT . . . !

Phillip, thanks for all the great content!

WIDE neck baritone in the works, by any chance? i think i might need this more than a third of the new hooky viking bass ;-P

Such peaceful intro music 🎵🎶

GReat looking guitar! I have a Cort LP "style" guitar. Absolutely love it! Chose it over a Gibson LP for quality and playability!

Love the shop! Very organized! : - )

....what wall mount is that for the Strandberg?

How does the Fender 60s neck shape compare to the modern c?

Wow, SS frets. Hmmm, I'm interested.

So... 4 guitars per citizen in my country. Got it!

Is that the amp distortion from the fender? Thats pretty aggressive

Great review as always Phil

Beautiful instrument!

Just for reference, how many Gibson guitars were ever produced? I guess over/under 8 Mil

I hope Cort makes a headless guitar.

i own 3 guitars made by Cort Ibanez RG7421, When Cort was still in Korea Dean Avalanche 7(2002) Dean Evo Dragster (2006). Hey Do you know who making guitars for dean in india like my mdx?

Sounding good, Phil!

thats a thick fella - talkin bout the guitar

❓️❓️❓️Hi Phil and community. Does Cort make any Offsets and Short Scale guitars at this nice level❓️❓️❓️

Very nice looking, sounding and made guitar! Does it really get much better? Million guitars a year? So many guitars out there- the supply and demand is incomprehensible. I have no idea how music stores can make it? Cort is in competition with itself - makes more than 1/3 of all guitars and ghost builds how many brands? You could have 5-6 different branded guitars made by same factory? Used market is flooded with guitars. The supply is insanely high- how long can the industry survive? I see other materials superior to wood in the electric guitar sector. Eventually wood will become obsolete and alternative materials will surpass wood and tradition. Guitar as a musical instrument reached its peak?

They've been selling that body shape for neigh on 15-20 years, the x series has always been cool.