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I was impressed by this Cort 'hiram bullock' signature model sometime ago but gave it a miss and went for a Jap Strat. I did'nt really take to the Strat and sold it recently.
So, up came one of these on ebay in mint condition well under 200 quid. I had to go for it. I've had gas for a while for something a bit different in new condition and with plenty of sonic flexibility.
It arrived yesterday and i've hardly put it down since.
I never thought i would own a Cort lol, but the spec on this is very good. If it were a more desirable brand it would be 10 X the ammount i'd paid.

Its H/S/H, with a 5-way switch, so you've got plenty of different sounds.
Features:

Birds eye maple neck
Swamp Ash body
Mighty Mite pickups
Wilkinson Tremolo
Sperzel locking machine heads
Graphtec nut

Its fairly light to hold, the frets are vintage F type and the neck is bolt-on. The hardware is 'distressed silver' that has a steampunk look about it which i like.

I also learnt Hiram Bullock (jazz-rock/session guitar player) recently died. Apparently he had battled with cancer, got clear then went on a world tour. Whilst on tour he overdosed on Crack and died partly due to post illness fatigue.

Here are a few pics..

I think if I were dying, I would be taking whatever meds I could scrape together.

Esp. if my name were Hiram or Bullock.

As the card that dubbed the original Bullockstrat the Mexican Restaurant first time around, I feel duty bound to point out that it doesn't look half bad in these pics - I like the stretched-out strat look, and the kind-of ice hockey headstock. Reckon it'd look better without the middle pickup, but that's because I'm a tart. Nice one Fran - just stay away from the old glass briar, eh?

Looks like a nice axe Fran.

Does that knob piss you off though? I can't tell if it's tone or volume but it looks real close to the strings. Maybe it's just me tho :p

It does look pretty close. (I tend to strum farther away from the neck so I rarely notice things like that.

I like the heavy figured wood. I used to practice in the rehearsal space at the Overwater Jam Factory, they had some amazing customs with the craziest wood you've ever seen.

mellowlogic wrote:Does that knob piss you off though?

it's the same knob location that a normal strat has. strat knobs are rather small so it's not really a problem and you can quickly access it while playing, especially for the old pinky on the volume knob shtick.

That saved me from having to spend £ on a volume pedal when I started playing.

Thanks guys, good point with the knob.
At rehearsal thursday night i noticed two things bothering me, on palm mutes the knob gets in the way of resting the rest of my hand but on the flipside, volume swells are easy to pull off. The knob is closer than on a Strat btw, i checked alongside my MIJ Strat.
Also the middle pickup height got in the way, they are staggered pole pieces and the pick catches them depending where you pick.
So i lowered the middle pup and it does'nt seem to have affected the balance of volume.

Tone wise, funny thing here. We have recently dropped all out set down a wholetone, so the guitars are tuned DGCFAD. With the Cort you would'nt really notice, its quite bright and bouncy. With the BC Rich everything appears darker and moody. There was only one song that has'nt benefitted from tuning down, it totally changed the feel but with the Cort it was okay again.

hmm, that guitar is growing on me. it kind of has it's own unique thing goin on.

it's on the front page of the cort website: http://www.cortguitar.com/

Its certainly worthy of their flagship model. Like i said if you bought a Fender with this spec. you would be looking at £1,000.
I'd considered PRS, Hamer and other stuff for something different but you dont get much for your money in comparison to this. Also, Patrick Eggle is too expensive and Gordon Smith has a blandness about it that i dont like. I'd also looked at Schecter too. Its nice to have a brand new guitar that does'nt need modifying as well.
Its all very well owning vintage guitars but you feel nervous to gig them because of the value and there is ongoing small issues like a noisy pot, crackling switch or an iffy ground.

I'd say that was a very, very good buy.

I played one of their cheaper strat type thigs a few years back and was very impressed. Solid construction and all nice appointments, like willkinson hardware and such. I think that looks great, is kinda different, and I also think that in terms of branding, playing a Cort is a lot cooler than a PRS or anything, because you've paid for a guitar, not a badge.

I'd imagine it'll make an excellent workhorse guitar.

BacchusPaul wrote:playing a Cort is a lot cooler than a PRS or anything, because you've paid for a guitar, not a badge.

oh I would much rather have a cort than a POS. I really like that sleek modern look they have with the finish and hardware. ibanez's are like that too. it reminds me of japanese electronics, all hyper modern and everything; it really makes you feel like you have some up to the minute technology in your hands. like boss pedals still look modern today.

I just wish they all weren't so pointy.