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Cort GMP1 Electric Guitar |
Cort are currently producing their new Masterseries, a range of guitars which feature a classic US style design. With trademark hand finishes on Cort guitars and basses, I have found a lot of thought always goes into the visual planning and this guitar is no exception. The components are entirely complimentary to each other resulting in a very refined and stylish looking instrument.
This particular guitar has a Birdseye maple neck with an appealing silky finish that is comfortable to handle and will suit those who prefer the feel of wood to gloss. The rosewood fretboard has 21 medium sized frets, which are finely tapered and set well. The maple precision dot markers are a good design choice as they contrast well with the rosewood board. The body is made from American Basswood and is finished in a light vintage burst with an unusual honey blonde, Birdseye maple, scratch plate and it is all set off well with a faux binding which is really just clever body shaping and finishing.
The GMP-1 has a bolt on neck and I found it particularly comfortable to play in the higher registers, as the area where the heel of the neck and body join has been thoughtfully crafted to allow access without any restriction. Being so well contoured and accessible it seems a shame that the designers did not add that extra fret.
The headstock, which is also light vintage burst in colour, houses Gotoh - early kluson style tuners. A chrome Cort logo also adorns the headstock As with most strat style guitars there are two string retainers. The truss rod is accessible at the base of the headstock, under the nut, which is graphite - a good choice to help keep the guitar in tune.
The GMP-1 carries Seymour Duncan pickups with one SSL single coil in both the neck and middle positions. An SH4 humbucker has been chosen for the bridge position. The bridge is a US style setup with a tremolo which has a brass block. It has a master volume and one tone control, with a
5 position pickup selector switch.
The guitar is of a medium weight, with an innovative feature being the strap holder on the back of the horn. This does take a bit of getting used to but it does provide for a good balance.
I played the guitar through a Tube Screamer and JMP Marshall Head and Quadbox loaded with Celestions.
The SH4 humbucker has lots of output which is ideal for soloing and when switching to the fourth position on the selector switch which incorporates the middle pickup with the humbucker I found a smooth roll off of the highs into a nice jangly rhythm tone and from there into the middle or third position applying just the middle pickup there was a more open tone that would be suitable for quite a variety of uses. At the second position, being the middle and neck single coils the guitar produces a smooth rhythmic quality, great for blues. Finally, using the neck pickup only there is slightly more bottom end to the tone but the variance is not particularly significant. This can however be augmented with the tone control to find some good bassy tones. The tone control has a nice sweep from low to high and provides some really good variance.
I took the GMP-1 through a variety of different styles and found that it handles most things well. It is a good all rounder that probably appeals mostly but not exclusively to rock/ blues players as it does translate well across the board.
The retail price of $2,295 puts it in the slightly high end category but for this money Cort have added quality components and high grade woods, teamed with thoughtful design, high standard craftsmanship and great playability. Whilst I didn't find any uniquely outstanding features to the GMP-1, neither did I find any real drawbacks so I believe it will compete well in its market. I can imagine that this is an instrument that would easily fill all requirements for the professional user as a main guitar. To my knowledge Cort always produce reliable guitars that travel well and carry a limited lifetime warranty. I have said it before and I am still convinced that Cort are making all efforts to strengthen their position in guitar manufacturing and I believe they stand alongside the major players in this industry.