Cort GB64JJ Revisit! - Is This Cort Still a Good Value in 2021? - LowEndLobster Review

Looking to snag one of these basses? Use my Reverb affiliate link!- reverb.grsm.io/lowendlobster
DIY Fender P Bass: • Let's BUILD a FENDER P...
Hey everyone! Today we're going to revisit the Cort GB64JJ and examine whether or not it's still a good value in 2021. We originally reviewed this bass in early-mid 2020, and back then the spec sheet was unheard of! We have an active two band preamp, two hum cancelling passive J style pickups, a roasted maple neck, and a price tag of $450! However, the playing field has shifted significantly since we reviewed this bass. Sire has released their 5 series basses with the V5, P5, and D5 with roasted maple necks and roasted maple in general has made its way into budget/intermediate tier basses. Does this Cort GB64JJ still hold up? Let's find out!
Info on my signal chain, setup and more: • FAQ: My Signal Chain, ...
Discord: discord.gg/dzrFMzD
Facebook: LowEndLobster
Instagram: LowEndLobster
Reverb Shop: reverb.com/shop/lowendlobster

[@guyviola5359]

That bass sounds and looks great! I would buy that bass without hesitation if there's some pictures of the actual instrument you buy on the website to make sure it's in perfect aesthetic, keep up the good work LowEndLobster!!!

[@jpdabass]

Hey! I actually bought one of these because of your first review. At the time, I guess the V5 was starting to show up, and there was also the Squier CV JB 70s. I went to this one, because it sounded really amazing on your video. Probably would have liked a Sire V5, as well but I never had the chance to try one out; I've been told it is a great bass. My Cort GB64JJ is definitely better looking than yours. And it sounds incredibly well. One of my favorite bass sounds ever is the JB 70s sound and the Cort nails it, for a relatively small amount of money. I would rate mine a 4/5 specially considering the price point. Who knows a Sire would get a 4.5/5? Thank you for your review, once again.

[@Idontlikethisever]

Great video lobster 👍🏼

[@jasonbenford3427]

Thank You!🙏🏾 I've been looking at a couple of Cort basses. There was a couple of these on Reverb! (One has a humbucker/jazz PUPS)

[@KosmoBurns]

One of those might be mine! GB75JH :)

[@jasonbenford3427]

@@KosmoBurns My Man!✊🏾 One was a beautiful blue!🤗🔵💖!! Also,☝🏾a gorgeous,😘, I MEAN GORGEOUS,😳 64JJ !!! 🤗 These aren't priced too, too bad!?😌

[@MuddButters]

Have had this bass over a year now, it's my goto bass for most things except hard rock where go for the Pbass. Super Jazz sound on the bridge coupled with just the right bass boost frequency it's killer. The only bad thing about this bass is the weight... it may look compact, but it is a back breaker at close to 11lbs.

[@thebassbuilder]

I do agree with you for the most part about the look of the base but I would take that over the sire personal opinion. It sounds good too. Great video no make it a giveaway

[@danfango1333]

I've subscribed because you're entertaining and play slick. In this video you mention the truss rod skunk stripe on a 2 wood neck. I also scoffed until I checked my 2015 Mexican Jazz. Whaddya know??!!🌴

[@LowEndLobster]

My MIM has one as well! Interesting haha

[@chriscuthbertson]

I have a older GB35 as my main passive flats bass. and It works really well. I'm thinking of buying a GB75 next but looking for one of the earlier JH models with the humbucker in the bridge.

[@fs3684]

This bass sounds very good with a pick 😃 !

[@revlewisrees9880]

I love the grain pattern. MOP inlays would look great.

[@AJbassist]

Black on maple and pearl on dark :) so it would pop

[@johnniedelong9322]

Great test drive, today we have so many choices for 4-5 hundred bucks. That bass is a no-brainer, what keeps it interesting is your tight noodling on all vids, What's next?

[@TheCrusader1099]

i was at my local musicstore near by today, and handled the exact bass ! overall i am more of a passive p bass guy now, but it was indeed a good bass! also handled a Cort gb 74 (jazz and humbucker version) in trans. black... very nice and highly build ! also tried a couple fenders and squiers...i tried player p basses from fender before, this time i ended up buying a arctic white fender player p Bass! after handled a couple player series before this one was very nice! the others i played were a 'meh' ...also it was new but had a small 'ding' on the front ,was 200€ off :) ... my brain said:" dude the cort sounds full and rich and is high quality build, and its only 400 bucks!" my heart said :" man take the fender p! rock and roll classic and an original fender which has no fancy active stuff no body needs!".....i ended up listen to my heart:)

[@badmonks]

I like it. The bass, imho, sounds way better than it looks. Too bad about the fingerboard because a less over-roasted board would probably make a big difference. I'm always happy to see mods done to inexpensive instruments.

[@l7funk]

Leave it alone every Bass does not need to be mod just because we can it sounds beautiful it sounds better than some Bass guitars that cost more.

[@chrismorris3897]

Nice Bass!

[@emaheiwa8174]

Beautiful 👌🏻

[@rickrolli7091]

Hey Lobster. That's actually not a bad bass for the money and the tone is great. I do think since Cort was one of the first basses to offer roasted necks, there was probably a learning curve with that. Although I don't know what their new ones look like either. I would probably still rate it 4 claws for what it is and what you get. I don't know how you could compare it to current technology because it wouldn't be a fair comparison, being that it was a forerunner on the neck. With the wood grain. You do get what you pay for but, "if the shoe fits, wear it". If you were to mod the bass. I'd say maybe pickups, tuners and swap the inlays out. If you wanted to throw an extra in it. I'd say a new preamp setup.

[@beneast4006]

Hi! Thx so much! I am a Guitar Player, doing Home-Recording. This Bass will suit my work. Never mind the roasted neck ... I prefer a roasted duck!

[@LowEndLobster]

Enjoy!

[@stefanosalmaso1073]

Hello LowEndLobster , you know I like your reviews ... you are able to deliver the real tone. I hope I will have a chance to play this bass : I can understand the quality check on the roasted neck (only aesthetic issue) and the passive tone miss (I would add it by myself with a 10€ cost). But honestly my feeling is that this bass is much better than a SIRE V5! personally I am really not happy about sire basses .. if you want to have a good sound you need to push down the action and the buzz will be always at the background. Even the GLOSSY finish destroy the sound of the wool allowing strong coat down in the finish. Is SIRE delivering money for this review? 😉

[@generalcrush1397]

That red bass with Aguilar pickups, PLEASE make a video on that

[@thefriendlyfreddychannel48383]

I bought this bass after watching your review last year. It’s been a terrific bass. And my neck and fingerboard all match. I would really like to see a Cort a4 or b4 review, I’m also considering a Warwick rockbass streamer. Any chance of reviewing these?

[@BenD_Bass]

Hey Lobster, have you ever thought about reviewing the Cort B4 FL MHPZ? Its that fretless one with the F hole. I can't find many reviews and at this point i trust your opinion more than anyone. Its less than 700$ and it has Hipshot ultralite tuners, a Bartolini Mk-1, Fishman Piezo bridge, preamp(not sure what kind), 26 fret lines 😮, etc. It seems pretty premium for the price point.

[@scorpioscots9692]

Can you please do a vid on the tunes you play when test out the Basses many thanks Awesome 👌

[@glenndjubilee]

I like the body wood! Neck over roasted. Sounds great though. 3 claws.

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Glenn! I find it interesting how the playing field has evolved over the past year. This Cort was definitely the 'first' in many aspects for the price point, however other models have definitely surpassed this in terms of overall value and presentation.

[@danroberts3585]

Great sounding bass! I don't remember if you mentioned any neck dive problems with this one. Doesn't seem likely that problem exists for this bass as the tuners don't look heavy and the head stock isn't huge. Cort does need to lighten up on the roasting AND put brighter inlays in the fingerboard.

[@joerausch5756]

I've really been wanting to build a jazz bass with MEC pickups and a darkglass pre amp. I might just have to mod one of these corts instead.

[@duartebriz]

They should have white/beige inlays at the factory to put when the necks arrived over roasted.

[@TheChrist117]

Personally, I would liked to have seen a tone control when in passive mode but certainly for the price (the body wood and over-roasted neck inc.), these shortcomings wouldn't have been a deal breaker. That being said, I'm more of a p-bass fan and would therefore, go for the Sire D5 (since I don't have a 50's-style p-bass).

[@jamesmarkham7489]

I think the skunk stripe with this configuration is due to the process. If they're set up working on one piece necks it might be easier to attach the fingerboard and process it like a single piece neck/fingerboard neck. No tooling change that way. My rosewood fretboard mim jazz has this and i thought about it for years why the heck it was included

[@abouc]

I'd pick this over a Sire for the headstock alone

[@sandz9b]

I would like to know what do you think about the artisan A5 series (the standard one or the multiscale version, or maybe the one with the fishman) :D

[@michaelblaney4461]

Lobster this is a nice bass for the $400 range . looks like your neck is lighter in color then the fingerboard . I really have not seen any Cort or FGN instruments in any store near me.

[@mackslovelace]

Mods! Because of the fretboard… ummm issues? Yeah, issues. Try some fretlook inlay stickers! Also would be fun to use this bass for a sustain mods test! Go black hipshot kickass bridge and a brass nut! Have fun with it!

[@countzero1972]

I don't know if you have tried felt picks, but I find they have a nice muted tone in between fingers and a hard pick. I get the cheap thick ones from Amazon and take an emery board/file/sandpaper to the edge in order to fashion a rounded or better yet (for me) a more knife like edge on the pointy end of the triangle shape. Once I am happy with the edge profile I put a few drops of Krazy Glue on the edge and general business end area where it will take abuse. After a light sand of any hard rough spots I find it perfect with any bass but especially my rubber stringed Ukulele bass. Paul McCartney wouldn't steer you astray mate! Short scales and felt picks.. who knew?

[@LowEndLobster]

I used them on the channel for a while but ended up moving to plastic

[@marcusroute935]

@@LowEndLobster Do you know the weight of this bass?

[@sekretlowrider4046]

change volume nob to stack nob with tone ,add a dpdt on and on toggle switch for passive and active ,

[@sekretlowrider4046]

or change entire electronic to sire v7 ,

[@frederickdoyon]

I would like to see this bass with EMG J or Bart with all black hipshot hardware lol

[@benoitsoucy7643]

Hey lobster! Are you still going to do that mod video for the Sire P5? I am especially interested in knowing what pickup you're going to use.

[@LowEndLobster]

Heyo! Yes! I am waiting on the bridge

[@benoitsoucy7643]

Ok Thanks

[@sicilianmammalian]

Mod this bass!!

[@SQuaresma]

A Paint job and mother pearl inlays, could it be a option for that. Cheers Lobster

[@Savvier]

lets mode it!

[@thebassplayification]

This thing sounds waaaaay better than those Sadowksy Metro Express jobbies Bit awkward for Roger...

[@LowEndLobster]

... right? lol I may revisit the ME again next year to see if things have gotten any better (if they model is still around)

[@mikarage3677]

How much would you rate it with a better wood grain and not overcooked neck?

[@totomoyap8648]

Cort make some parts change on GB series in Jan 2020.

[@marcusroute935]

Does anyone know how much the 4 string weighs?

[@PushSueAside]

If you say Sassafras one more time...i think I’m going to pee my pants!!! Not because it’s that funny.... But because i think that is the appropriate (and possibly the only) word a grown man uses, when he pees his pants!!! “Ahh SASSAFRAS!!!!!! I JUST PEED MY BRITCHES!!!!!”

[@LowEndLobster]

LMAOOOOOO This made my morning

[@PushSueAside]

@@LowEndLobster awesome

[@kevmac1230]

Not a total loss but there's a lot of compitition in this price range today.I was expecting a bit more from Cort.

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Kev! Indeed the playing field has shifted dramatically in the $500ish price point

[@marcusroute935]

@@LowEndLobster Hey lobster can you tell me how much this bass weighs?

[@leesbassment6393]

I probably said this on the first video featuring this one, but if Cort did a 5 of that bass, they'd sell a ton of them. I know I have an older GB-75, and I can't fault it.

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Lee! I agree, wish there was a 5. The 70 series does have it's benefits though with the hipshot tuners and more finishes though (for some models). Great comment!

[@leesbassment6393]

Thnx, Cort has been making really nice basses for a long time. I think they've taken what they learned by making things like the Lakland Skyline series, some Ibanez, etc, and rolled that knowledge into their own branded instruments. In other news, I am REALLY looking forward to getting my EHB, which is also made by Cort. I know yours is one of your faves.

[@BahasaDrum]

$450??? Shoot! Here in Indonesia it’s $320

[@LowEndLobster]

Very interesting! I think it's neat to see the different prices in different regions. Thanks for sharing!

[@BahasaDrum]

@@LowEndLobster Yes i am aware of that. Probably because it’s made here. I notice that in Indonesian factory, they also made PRS SE (and probably Sire basses as well)

[@katelynseng8341]

Mod it with better bridge and pickups only, or bridge and tuners only

[@anpcm]

Is the Cort as heavy as the Sire V3?

[@marcusroute935]

Did you ever find out the weight of the cort bass? I can't find anything online.

[@jamesmarkham7489]

Mod! Nordstrand blade j's

[@Barry101er]

Seems like good value. But, to buy in new? Where’s the fun in that. ;)

[@brentheathersimons7042]

Sassafras! :)

[@sherlock4791]

i would take sire over this just because of marcus miller and the logo :) cort logo looks weird on the headstock

[@philipmcadam5339]

Hey Lobster, not a bass for me, if you were to mod this, I would first consider a refinish to up the aesthetics. Because I am not really interested in this bass, value being what it is, I would not do too much modding.

[@mikarage3677]

There are some crazy offer right now , i just bought one for 290 euros! If it's as good as you Say, i will buy another one! I dont Care of the aesthetic.

[@GinoS1994]

I don’t see why Cort doesn’t make their models in more than one finish… this would be a worthy contender in its price range if it wasn’t so ugly lol

[@LowEndLobster]

Right? Gloss black and problem solved lol

[@AJbassist]

Do you play with 3 fingers?

[@LowEndLobster]

Not really, usually play with two but will occasionally use three if there's a need

[@ramshaar2597]

Cort is cort goos bass

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Ram!

[@JustK009]

Mod 🦞 Mod

[@russellzauner]

[inserts comment about Cort/Cor-Tek human right violations and isn't it time to really get that kyle kim interview rolling] *still personally boycotting Cort and won't watch but will click like because the video is probably helpful to someone and LEL is a channel that needs to exist to the algorithm*

[@russellzauner]

also this Honey Cone - Want Ads (1971) | TV Appearance 607,695 views Nov 20, 2019

[@mikechecka292]

🙄

[@LowEndLobster]

I appreciate you Russell!

[@emaheiwa8174]

🤣 like we will stop buying their AMAZING stuff. And everyone will stop buying the things they make for other brands

[@griiseknoen]

Punchy.

[@whamni]

I hate a J shaped body no matter what make it is, do they make a P version ? Yip the neck is over cooked lol and it's crying out for inlays. Man I hate J shaped bodies aghhhhhhhhhh !

[@nathanchalcraft6919]

In my opinion, the bass looks off. It's like when you look at a gibson flying v and an ltd flying v. There the same, "technically". But; the small changes make a big aesthetic impact. So yes, I would probably not buy this purely bassed on the looks 😅