Cort G300 Pro review: Boutique tones and specs at a bargain price

Cort’s prodigious output of original models continues apace and the G300 Pro – the flagship model from the boutique-styled G series – provides further evidence that the company’s mastery of quantity has no detrimental effect on quality. Featuring a basswood body and maple cap, the G300 Pro’s shape bears more than a passing resemblance to the Suhr Modern but, priced at £749, it’s the market currently occupied by the Ibanez AZ and Charvel Pro-Mod Series that Cort is targeting, and on aesthetics alone it’s a worthy contender for your money.

Although the price pales in comparison to the sums commanded by boutique S-style builders, the build quality doesn’t. It’s difficult to describe it as anything less than flawless, and with a roasted maple neck and compound-radius ’board, basswood body and 6mm maple cap, stainless steel frets and Seymour Duncan pickups, the quality of materials and electronics used is unimpeachable at this price-point.

The roasted maple has a caramel hue so dark that it might be mistaken for rosewood from a distance, and the neck’s matt finish is so thin as to be almost non-existent, lending the neck a very natural, almost worn-in feel. There’s also the inclusion of glow-in-the-dark Luminlay side-dot markers to prevent you losing your way on dimly lit stages.

The most surprising feature however is the neck carve – a delicious handful that’s wholly unexpected and seldom found on a supposed 24-fret shred machine. If, like us, you don’t find that thin neck profiles provide any assistance to technical playing styles, the support from the Cort’s hefty shoulders will be ideal for quick trips and up and down the fretboard. Indeed, access to the upper frets is easy thanks to the extended lower-horn cutaway and sculpted neck join.

In use

Through our cranked Fender Bassman, the renowned pairing of Duncan SH-2N Jazz and TB-4 JB humbuckers is as punchy and articulate as we’d expect, and in conjunction with the even midrange response of the basswood body and brilliance from the maple cap, the sounds on offer cover a wide frequency spectrum. It’s positions two and four (two inner and outer humbucker coils respectively) that yield the most intriguing tones, however. Both positions provide the slap and spank of single-coils but there’s also a healthy dose of low-end frequencies to thicken up proceedings, and we have enough power for single-note sustain while remaining brash enough to poke through a dense mix. These positions thrive in clean settings especially, and perhaps demonstrate a level of savvy on Cort’s part as these are sounds favoured by a growing number of modern technical players.

When shopping for for souped-up S-types in this price range, established brands such as Charvel and Ibanez usually call first dibs on your wallet, but thanks to the exceptional build quality and commendable hardware specifications of the G300 Pro, this may be about to change. In addition, this instrument offers a combination that not many other brands can boast: boutique S-type stylings with a chunky neck. It’s a carve that works well for all playing styles but could be particularly desirable for technical players that don’t equate an instrument built for speed with a skinny profile.

The bottom line is that the G300 Pro is a formidable instrument by any standards, and one that proves beyond all doubt that Cort should no longer be considered a company that makes great guitars for other brands. Cort makes great guitars, period.

Key Features

• PRICE £749 (no case included)
• DESCRIPTION 6-string double-cutaway electric, made in Indonesia
• BUILD Basswood body with 6mm maple top, bolt-on roasted maple neck with 12-16” compound radius fingerboard, Luminaly side dot inlays, 24 stainless steel jumbo frets, Graph Tech Tusq nut
• HARDWARE Cort CFA-III 2-point vibrato bridge with six stainless steel saddles, steel block and baseplate, Cort staggered-post rear-locking tuners
• ELECTRONICS Seymour Duncan SH2N Jazz (neck) &TB4 JB (bridge) humbuckers, 5-way blade pickup selector, master volume and tone
• SCALE LENGTH 25.5″/648mm
• NECK WIDTH 42.2mm at nut, 52.4mm at 12th fret
• NECK DEPTH 21.6mm at 1st fret, 24.9mm at 12th fret
• STRING SPACING 52.9mm at bridge, 35.2mm at nut
• WEIGHT 3.5kg/7.72lb
• LEFT-HANDERS No
• FINISHES Vivid Burgundy metallic (as reviewed), Black
• CONTACT cortguitars.com

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