When it comes to fretless bass guitar strings, there aren’t any differences in the types available but some work better than others on a fretless neck. The good news is I’ve already put together a detailed article on bass strings with some recommendations, I highly recommend you check it out. The exact opposite is true here – it costs more, but it’s hard to debate the level of quality and craftsmanship that the CR5 has in its possession. Usually when you hear ‘you get what you pay for’ that means a cheap bass for a cheap price.
CORT BASS FRETLESS PRO
Overall the CR5 is a top tier, pro level instrument – there’s no mistaking that. That, coupled with an 18V preamp, provides a tonal range that may be beyond what most other basses can deliver. NS Design partnered with EMG to create a combination of magnetic pickups along with a piezo element (mounted close to the bridge). So how do you tune it, you may ask? The patented tuning mechanism is incredibly stable, and it’s integrated into the bridge assembly (think a ‘big brother’ version of the fine tuners found on a Floyd Rose guitar trem bridge and you’ll get the idea). The fingerboard is true ebony, and the headstock…wait – what headstock?!? As with most NS Design instruments, there isn’t one – the ball ends of the strings seat into an aluminum headplate. The neck is just as impressive, featuring a solid piece of maple with a super strong carbon fiber core. In my opinion, all of these features make the SRH500F simply out of the park when compared to competing fretless bass models, regardless of the price range. Further adjustments can be made via trim pots under the rear cover that let you tweak the gain for each individual string. That alone produces an atypical tone, and it can be shaped even further with single volume and tone control knobs. Not only does it have dot inlays to act as ‘fret markers’, but it has small black lines that are visual indicators of where to position your fingers to get the right note intonation.Įlectronics on the SRH500F are out of the ordinary as well, as it uses an AeroSilk piezo setup in the bridge (somewhat similar to those found on an acoustic guitar). You can tell that the SRH500F is geared to make fretless bass players out of any good bass player, and that’s thanks mostly to the unique design of the fingerboard itself. Considering how inexpensive they are, it's a no-brainer.The neck itself is made from a jatoba and walnut combination, and the fingerboard is made from Panga Panga (another rosewood alternative). The quality of the low-B string was good enough and the whole package was cool enough that I'd like to spend more time with one. Having said all that, I think I'll be adding one to the arsenal soon. Still, it might be a deal-breaker for recording. It wasn't 60-cycle hum, so I'm guessing it came from the on-board preamp. Much more hiss than I'm used to, especially with a humbucking pickup. The big issue (besides the poor set-up) was considerable noise from the electronics. The strings were so high off the board that I couldn't get any "mwah" at all, no matter how hard I tried. Although, like I said, the set-up was so terrible that it was hard to judge. But it does work when you hold it between your legs in a classical guitar position.
As others have mentioned, the lower cutaway is so small and so far back that it's tricky to balance the bass on your leg when sitting down. The balance is not as neck-heavy as you would expect, but it's still prone to neck-dive. In other words, exactly what you'd like from a fretless bass. Overall, lots of lows and some pretty sweet mids without a biting treble. Very impressive.Īs for the tone, the highs weren't overly bright, and the mids were nice and present. And I'm not talking just "good for the price." It was good.period. But it was very deep, tight, and controlled. Considering it was a cheap, imported, bolt-on bass I really didn't have high hopes for the low-B string. The thing that really stood out for me was how incredible the low-B string was.
I strongly prefer stainless steel roundwounds on fretless basses, but these weren't so bad.
CORT BASS FRETLESS PLUS
On the plus side, it had a on fresh set of D'Addario nickel roundwounds. It was hard to get a sense of the feel, since the set-up was horrendous: the neck pitch was WAY off. It was a 5-string, unlined fretless with Bartolini pickup and the older 1-piece neck. I played a used one at a local Guitar Center not too long ago.
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