VIDEO SECTIONS: 1. What is this guitar made of? (specs and features) 1:20 2. Let's check out some tones! - 5:25 3. The teardown! - 9:16 Considering Cor-Tek (Cort) has probably built half the guitars on the planet (they make guitar models for almost all major brands) I shouldn't be surprised how good this is!

2 years ago I watched a video from you and I decided to start a youtube channel. Now I am about to reach 20.000 subs. Thank you Darrell for the motivation. Keep up the good work! If you ever come to Chile, dinner´s on me :)

Let's clear this up: Cort makes guitars for many brand: PRS, Ibanez, Squier, G&L, Fender acoustic, some Greco's, Tokai's, MusicMan basses. List is long. So for me, it's not a surprise that Cort guitars are really good. I think some parts of Cort guitars you can easily find in other brands, but the name is diiferent. Pickups, tremolos, tuners etc. I noticed that few years ago. The question is: Is it worth overpaying for a logo?

Just when I thought I didn't need another guitar.. it never ends.

As a Cort player myself, I really appreciate when someone reviews any Cort. Most people have a misconception that Corts are cheap, so is their quality. But I find this hard to accept. The hardware, the electronics everything is at par with other brands' expensive stuffs. Sometimes I feel sorry for Cort. TYSM ❤️ for your great review. And for your justice to Corts. Happy Strumming!

I'm owner of two cort guitars. A les paul (Cort CR 280) and a super strat (Cort Viva Gold II) and in my opinion they're the best intruments on the market for their price. When i bought my les paul, i compared it directly against a Epiphone Les Paul Standard in black. Not only the Epiphone was boring looking, but it also sounded much darker, muddier compared to the Cort, and it was 2 times more expensive. I bought the Cort without hesitation and one day after opening up the cavities and taking off the pickups to check underneath, i saw that it has a real and very thick maple cap. Though i'm not sure if the flame is a veneer or not, however im sure that it dances along with the light and it looks amazingly beautiful. The Viva Gold i bought used recently for a quite cheap price. The bridge has some issues since its made of cheap materials and the knife edges had been worn out, however once i sharpened them, the guitar was perfectly stable. The finish is decent but satin isnt my favorite one, as its used, has gotten glossy in some areas. The neck took me by surprise, as i expected some kind of thin wizard type neck, but it's a thick as strats, quite comfortable for me since i'm used to them. Tone wise both of them are amazing, the CR280 sounds incredible and when you play classic rock stuff with it, it shines. While the Viva Gold is a versatility machine, handling metal to clean tones like a champ. For the price that they go for, there's no better alternative. Cort makes amazing instruments.

Wow. That's is a very exotic looking guitar... damn, Cort has really stepped it up.

Great sounding guitar! Love the additional tonal options with positions 2 & 4!

Cort G250 was my very first electric guitar and I still have it and I'm still lovin' it.

Man all of the guitars you showcase sound awesome! They definitely do them justice and make them really high quality! A great video as always!

Just waiting for delivery. Thanks for this. It was excellent.

God that sounds absolutely brilliant! Very round cleans and the pickup positions all sound great. Great sounding trem too.

Every one of his guitars is absolutely beautiful to me, seriously man. Wow.

My first new, electric guitar was a Cort it had built in effects, this was back in the mid 80's, that guitar was a mailorder thru Sears, it also had highly impressive sound ability,🎸🎼🎶 especially for metal/rock tones.

My goodness, what a stunning guitar!!! You’re right, the specs and details are incredible.

Awesome review Darrell, thank you mate. Got my Wants & Needs T-shirt today as well. So stoked! Cheers again brother! Pauly D 🇳🇿

After watching this video went out and bought this guitar, the best thing I done, this is a keeper. So nice to play.

Come on Darrel, Cort has really good guitars. I had 6 different Cort guitars and basses over the years. Now i have 2 and they are amazing. They produce cheap, affordable and high end instruments. G290 is one of my favorite since it's first release 💜

Still making excellent demos and showing cool gear after all this time! Thanks man!

Thanks for the review. I love the tones on the guitar and how versatile it appears to be.

Man, this has to be one of the nices sounding HH Strat styles I've heard

Man that sounds clean. Also you're a better guitarist than most that do demos.

Thank you Darrell! This is an excellent review. And, your channel is my absolute favorite Gear review Channel! I was not in the need or the market for a new guitar - but this review convinced me that I must get one of these beauties! Keep up the good work!

I just bought this G290. It's my first and probably only electric guitar. Can't wait until it shows up! Thank you.

Man, Cort's house brand stuff has some serious flair to it these days. Their stuff has always been respectable quality, but this is just nice and unique in a lot of little thoughtful ways.

Cort makes great guitars at very reasonable prices, nice review and playing.This guitar would make just about any player happy !

Never played one, but my cort bass will be with me forever. I love everything about the build quality, the tone, tge way it plays. This very well may be my next purchase.

Awesome guitar. Loved that truss rod adjustment system. Thanks Darrell

Nice to see you review Cort guitars, they don't invest in advertising but they usually make a good quality/price product, my fav non USA guitar is actually a Korean Cort m600t that I bought as a beginner, turned out to be a great guitar.

I’ve owned 2 of these. (I currently own the Bright Blue Burst.) It is pretty much my go-to guitar. Plays great. Versatile sound. And good looking. All I could ask for. And amazing at this price!

Bought one after watching this review and I love it. Cheers Darrell! Amazing playing experience, sounds great and didn't break my bank

Once again top shelf review - you make the best videos Darrell - now I need one of these Corts and since I am single do not have to ask anybody for permision.. building my collection slowly and you have helped me a lot with that - thanks bud !!! I also am a Canuck !!

I've had a bit if swamp ash myself ...been very warm here. Nice guitar.

Your guitar playing and reviewing skills are *SHOCKINGLY* good!

Your amp (and your fingers, of course) make all the guitars sound so well!... Good video with good recording, good playing, making it an excellent review!...

Great Video - Very good detail and excellent way of demonstration and the instrument definitely sounds good value.. I will look forward to more vids

I'm shocked that you're shocked! :D Cort is an excellent brand that does things that more reputable brands should offer long time ago. I own their bass guitar and I can tell you it's excellently constructed. 3 piece walnut and some African wood neck, Hipshot tuners, Ash open pore body, rock solid bridge, Bartolini pickups, active passive switch, B/M/T. And on top of it, almost all of their models come in left or right-handed orientation which is the most important to me since I'm left-handed.

Sounds great mate! 👌 Will have to try to get my hands on one of these beauties

Excellent way to present the guitar. Thanks!

I dont know why but I've never been a fan of Darrell's playing until this vid. Great playing dude!!! I think it's because I've started recording my own playing that I can appreciate this more. Love yall

MY GOOD GOD THE FINISH ON THIS THING

The high end models of Cort are really good. I have a top of the line bass with Seymour Duncan pickups & active preamp, Hipshot bridge & turners in an unbelievable price.

Great review, very objective and fair. It is really worth while to watch your program. I always learn something. Thank you from Indonesia.

Love the binding and the wood back.. gorgeous

My first ever electric guitar was a second hand Cort G110 HSS, and my only complaint is the wobble in the whammy bar. Otherwise it was great value for money. I have a lot of respect for their acoustic guitars as well.

Lol if PRS or Fender had their name on this it would cost 2000 easy..

Hello Darrel from Spain. I have a Cort-Strat model since 1997 and it's a fantastic guitar and well made (two pieces body): woods (ash, maple, rosewood...), good electronics, nice hardware... Sometimes I thought on a pickups change... but they sound so good.., even it has two ceramic singles, they are built like p90's, bridge one is a Gotoh humbucker (with single/double switch)...., definitively I didn't change nothing... I bought instead a Mexican-Stratocaster..., and I've never regretted. * Cort is working hard on guitars for decades... ->> Nice Channel Darrell

Wow! That's absolutely beautiful and for the price! OMG! Good find man! Never really looked at Cort although I know they build for a lot of decent brands.

“That swamp ass at the back is just beautiful” - why did I mishear that 🤢

If you are in love with Cort, try this: Cort CR 300 with EMG Retro-Active Pickups. The Pickups sound really oldschool !

Because of your video, I just bought this same guitar from GC. Interestingly they only had two used G290 Fats in the entire country. I found one in Oxnard. There were actually two there, one not listed online that had Seymour Duncan upgraded pickups. Extremely excited for it to arrive. I'll leave another comment about its design as you recommended and the upgrades it magically comes with that I have not even seen yet. I really like your videos. I like to look at lower price level guitars because of affordability for me plus when performing, if stollen or damaged I won't be devastated.

I just picked up a 2005 Cort-made Ibanez AR300 and it is really great, beautiful to look at and a joy to play. Great review, thanks!

Got myself a second hand Cort, 2 years ago, for 150$CAD, I had Gibson SG, Fender Strat USA, and honestly preferred the feel, action and tone of EMG Hz of my cheap Cort. So definitely, it's not about brand, it's about a guitar.

Could've swore that it was a Ernie Ball Sabre lol. Keep up the good work, bud !

Saw your review and went out and got myself one .. Brilliant Thanks for doing the review

That guitar is a beauty, your playing was fantastic too! Thanks for the review.

When a Mayones guitar? Great Channel my friend

Cort has never been “out of my radar”. I have many demos and comparisons of Cort guitars on my channel. They are getting some much deserved attention. I just hope they keep their prices reasonable after all this great press!🐰🎸🎶🤝✌️

Good job Darrell! Very enjoyable and inciteful review. I was already hedging on buying one of these but now I'm gonna go for it.......

I have a custom built handmade cort guitar and it's amazing! When people play it they can't belive it's a cort. I payed $750 for it and it can definitely take a round with the high end guitars. It's so easy to play, well built, it's beautiful and it sounds amazing. Which other manufacturers can offer that for $750?

A really good guitar for under 400 USD guitar. But I'm still divided between this and Pacifica 612, about 50 USD difference. The Pacifica has Duncans and graptech parts. Unfortunately none is available in my town to try it out.

Thanks Darrell. Just letting you know how much I appreciate your videos. Always informative, always professional, always easy to listen to and understand. I know Canadians have a reputation for being nice😁, and you are right up there! Awesome job. Pop on ‘Down under’ at some stage and check out my Country too! 🎸🇦🇺Cheers Graeme in Oz.

Awesome guitar, I loved that binding against the veneer, pin straight

Electrically and mechanically speaking, there is absolutely nothing wrong with dime-size pots. They work identically to larger pots. Literally the only difference is the size. The only reason people still mistakenly assume they're less desirable is because when cheap import guitars became common in the 80's, the cheap pots inside often just happened to be dime-sized. But the size means nothing with regards to quality, and these days even most cheap imports tend to come with decent pots. It's a complete myth that small pots = lower quality.

I noticed there was a dowel in the neck pocket. I also recently restored a Laguna LE400 which also had a dowel in the neck pocket. I imagine it stabilizes the joint between the two body halves and/or stops any crack that may develop in that area? Any thoughts? Thanks

Hi Watched this review and went out and brought absolutely it Thanks Darrell

I've been a fan of Cort for over 12 yrs! I LOVE THEM! My #1 guitar is a 2008 Cort Yorktown in vintage burst, gold hardware. My go-to solidbody is a TS250 back when it first came out (now the CR250) in transparent amber. Not much of an acoustic player, but I have the L100F parlor acoustic w/Fishman preamp, and MR500e dreadnought cutaway. (Yeah, I guess I really DO like the quality of the brand!) I don't own one, but I sold many KX1q's at a music store, too...KILLER! Love the channel!!!!

I had always thought Cort made entry level instruments seeing as they're Cor-Tek's own line. The few I have seen were frankly unimpressive. Although I don't like seeing holes around pickups and I'm pretty sure no one was surprised about the top being a veneer, the overall quality made me interested in seeing the rest of their lineup. Great video!

This is what happens when you follow a North American KZfaqr. It is 4.50 am

That is one of the nicest looking guitars I’ve ever seen! It sounds great also.

Always look forward to your content.

You make every guitar sound amazing 😓

"My guitar collection is getting out of control" said no one, ever! Lol

So pleased to see guitars priced sensibly being given some promotion

As always, your content is inspirational... Just like how you inspired my man Isak Steele to purchase an awesome Epiphone semi hollow body blues/classic rock guitar!

A guitar tech told me once... "Since Cort manufacturers an enormous percentage of other guitar manufacturers' guitars, you cut out the middle man when buying a Cort branded guitar directly and get the best bang for your buck." He too said Cort guitars are undervalued, and would be twice as much if they had a "name brand" on it. Not sure as to what degree of truth there is to that, but there does appear to be some...

Biggest take away for me was the superior tremolo design over the strat. How many have you have monkeyed around with the strat tremolo to eliminate it's looseness? With this tight tremolo, one doesn't need to reach for it and there is little to no mechanical play.

Mine was unspectacular and due to get moved on until I changed the pickups, _now_ I really love it.

Good job. Love the teardown. A unique niche in a crowded market...

I have been stocking this model for a little over a year now. It is one of my best sellers. Also available in blue. I even have one in my personal collection. Great guitar no matter the price range. Tops can fluctuate a lot though. Some have a lot of flame and some very little.

I saw a comment telling that this guitar is smart man's Suhr.

nice review without bias!. look forward more non main stream brand. Thanks man.

Nice job, great breakdown and explanation.

The blue one on their site is gorgeous! I'm telling ya... when Schecter, Godin, Yamaha, and companies like Cort and others can put out such quality and so many features are such a great price point, the big boys need to watch out. This will become more and more true as a lot of us nostalgic 40+ people age out. :)

Wow Darrell thank you so much fo the review and teardown. I was considering to get this guitar (the blue one to be exact) last year, since the price is good. It is around IDR 5,600,000.00 (USD. 385) here in Indonesia. Btw, for those who don't know. CORT is a big brand/factory, it has factories in Indonesia and China. PRS SE, Ibanez, Squier, G&L, etc are some brands made by the Cort factories.

Thanks Darrell for such a great review video. I bought a Cort 290 FAT after watching this video and I love it. Soon I will probably upgrade to stacked pots to give individual control over each pickup, then later upgrade pickups. Possibly to Seymour Duncan 59's but I am still considering options. It's a beautiful guitar and after taking the time to set it up properly it plays as well as any guitar I have ever owned, including the American Deluxe Strat in my profile pic.

I like that you took it apart , some people may not want to take a guitar apart but seeing this made me realise I could too.

Holy sh*t... that's immaculate. I remember Corts being this trash brand. Not anymore

Man! What is it with brand names anyways? I find myself doing it even though my collection would state the opposite. I own a squier classic vibe 50s p bass, a partscaster strat with a homemade ash body (we named our brand “Shaky Hand Guitars (our logo is a jittery hand holding a coffee cup lol)), a fender classic player jag (refinished by me!) and a Japanese lawsuit SG made in the 90s by El Degas. The jag is the only “elite brand” one and even then, it’s just a Mexican mid-tier fender. And yet, I tend to feel a scoff come on every time we see these lower priced brands. It’s awful. I never thought I was a snob about it but I really find myself looking at the big names later and feeling that weird desire to have the genuine thing. I do badly want some of the boutique brands also Lol, but when it comes to say, a strat, I have little-to-no interest in anything non-Fender. How do I reform?! Lmao

I just ordered this guitar based mainly on this review. It's a stunning guitar. It will be my second Cort. I have some other high end guitars (PRS and a Custom Shop Fender) and I can say Cort does a great job and the value is outstanding.

Interesting coil split arrangement. First time I've heard something useful for me. Digging those clean tones. Thanks for the review and I'm off to rewire one of my split coil 'bucker strats.

I have a Cort CR100 Les Paul, Cort AD880 dreadnought and a Cort G200DX Stratocaster Swamp Ash. For me, the latter (strat, only costs $240) beats the Yamaha Pacifica, and it competes against the middle range Fender guitars. For me it has better twang then Fender, which is 4x the cost.

"Triple the price if it was an American maker". Translation: Triple the price if it were a PRS.

That’s why I love your channel bro u showcase the underdogs

This solo was amazing, man!

I so agree with that it so could have been a Ernie Ball

Sounds and looks amazing, nothing more to ask for a guitar... Btw I would really appreciate advise on my guitar videos ;) thx

Literally got mine yesterday, I feel so validated. Beautiful machine indeed. ❤❤❤

I just added this to my Amazon cart. Comes with stand , cable and gig bag. For my son who’s is learning guitar.

Darrell, if you've never had problems with smaller pots, why the disappointment? Do the bigger pots offer something that the alphas don't?