Cort KX507MS Pale Moon Ebony

So first things first, lets not take into consideration that the guitar came shipwrecked from the shop ! cracked body on neck, big gap on neck joint, scratched body, damaged nut etc. Also note that it seems folks are selling used guitars as new. This came from their local distributor ( Music Mayer ), without QC tags, rusted strings and some additional padding in the box which is 100% not from factory..... Anyways this was an instant return/RMA.

ok now about the guitar.

This model is supposed to be a new version of previous kx507ms

What's new:
- stainless steel frets (previous model had nickel)
- 8 string Fishman Fluence (previous model had 7 string ones)
- pale moon ebony finish ( previous poplar burl top )
- Hardware colour ( previous chrome black )

What's the same:
- terrible fretwork (high/popped frets all around the neck)
- claiming they use Fishmas Fluence v2 with voice 3 - unfortunately those are the same old Fishmans, where Single coil needs to be soldered on => which provides 30% lower volume on Single coil, bummer
- neck dive
- bridge saddles not aligned with holes so re-stringing is very inconvenient
- razor sharp body edges / without long and padded wrist band you might cut your veins ! a true death metal guitar indeed


side note: Cort youtubers showcase the guitar that it includes a gig bag - that's total fake !

I was looking for a 7 string with the perfect balance between price, wood and hardware. In my research I found that round this price point, this is the only guitar with fishman modern fluence pickups which are my absolute favorites. Not to mention that the guitar comes with locking tuners too.

I wanted the the perfect 7 string to use both live and to track in the studio. Fishman pickups needs no introductions, they sound amazing and super clean in studio recordings and keep in mind that pickups are primary to sound quality when it comes to electric guitars. So a green flag.

However researching further I found mixed reviews about the set up and the fret work of the guitar varying between different people that bought the guitar (some satisfied, some disappointed). The conclusion is that the guitar neck quality varies.

I thought “hmmm if I get Thomann to set up my guitar at the point of purchase then I eliminate the chances of getting set up flaws or even fret defects” and that’s exactly what I did.

Inquire about the process to do so via the chat and they will talk you through it; I think I paid approximately €37 for Thomann to do the set up, took a bit of time which is normal but it was worth the wait!

I absolutely love this guitar and big shout out to Thomann’s team that worked on it. Aside from sending a detailed list via email of the work done on the guitar, they actually delivered a perfect setup!

My Cort feels flawless to the touch, so well done that makes it feel like it’s punching way above its price point.

I love this guitar, and the finish is absolutely stunning!
Maybe one day Cort can work on a signature model for me, am putting out there in the universe 🤷🏽‍♂️👀

Cort is definitely stepping up their game, I saw a couple of promising releases since then and they are definitely paying attention to what is happening in the modern guitar world. Cort if you get to see this review, keep pushing in this direction.

I have been looking for a 7 string for quite some time. One with fishmans. They are not easy to find if you don't want to bust the bank. From my research this is the cheapest 7 string with fishmans. The next cheapest one is the Ibanez RGD71ALMS-BAM (what a mouthfull). It's a bit more expensive though. But I ended up going with this Cort. Why? Cheaper, has stainless steel frets (the ibanez doesn't) and for my preference it looks better.

I have heard that Cort guitars might have QC problems. I also wanted to put heavier strings to play in drop F#/G, so the nut had to be filed (and I have no tools for that). So I ended up asking and paying Thomann to inspect for QC issues and to make a full setup in F# with other strings. I ended up paying like 50€ for these services.

The guitar came in PERFECT condition. It's an absolute workhorse, it's an amazing instrument.

If you are not a brand geek, why not buy this guitar instead of other "established brands". Even if you do care about brand, Cort makes pretty much all of the guitars you currently own. If you are worried about QC, pay Thomann a bit for an inspection. You'll still end up paying far less than for a branded guitar, with pretty much same specs ot even better ones.

I guess the only weird things could be the neck, it has wide shoulders, and the fact that the neck width is wider than others. But I got used to those pretty quickly, so I don't mind them.