I came close to buying a Cort a few years ago. I don’t remember the exact model, but it was from the Zenox series and I loved it. The reason I didn’t buy the guitar? The salesperson I was liaising with. He wasn’t telling the exact truth when I was asking about some of the guitar’s specifics. That annoyed me and I ended up shopping at another guitar store (that didn’t stock Cort Guitars).
Sometimes I wonder what my Zenox would have been like if I’d tried shopping for the same guitar elsewhere. Not today though. Today I wonder what owning the Cort Viva Custom would be like. I may have a new guitar Cortship to work on.
I love the stylish lines that Cort applies to its guitars. The Viva Custom is a great example of that. I love the shapes and contours on the body. For example, the access to the input jack is very beautifully done. The way the pickups and bridge all sit beautifully into the body shape is a huge selling factor for me. It’s just so perfectly clean.
I also love the headstock shape. I’ve mentioned before how a headstock design can make or break a guitar for me. The Viva Custom’s headstock has an Ibanez feel to it, but it keeps its own identity through small features like the natural wood finish peering through the top of the headstock design. It’s just so nicely laid out.
The guitar also has specs that any good guitar lover needs to look over before deciding if the guitar is good enough for them. Specs like:
- 24 frets (with simple but stylish fretboard markers aligned to one side)
- Double locking III tremolo bridge
- EMG 85 and 81 pickups
- Dark black nickel satin hardware
- Single volume and tone controls with a three-way selector switch
Well that’s good enough for me. My favourite feature? This guitar comes in black or white. Perfect.
Next time I’m in a guitar store considering buying a Cort I might make my mind up based on the guitar itself and not the sales pitch of the salesperson. In fact, I’m pretty sure that’s why guitar stores have amplifiers. So you can play the guitar and drown out the sales pitch.
Disclaimer: I’ve not played this guitar. I have not experienced the sound or feel of this guitar. That doesn’t matter. It looks awesome, it’s obviously played by winners and I want one.
