Review: Cort Artisan C5 Deluxe

Cort’s Artisan line, built in Indonesia, includes the Artisan A, B Elements, C Deluxe, C Plus, and headless Artisan Space models. The C5 Deluxe, the company’s mid-level offering, is a 34″-scale, 24-fret 5-string with a poplar body, bolt-on maple neck with jatoba fingerboard, die-cast tuners, MetalCraft M bridge, Bartolini MK-1 pickups, and Markbass MB-1 preamp. With its glossy candy blue finish and straightforward volume, blend, and bass/mids/treble controls, our tester had a distinctly old-school vibe.

How It Sounds 

Played unplugged, the C5 had strong tone, though the fresh set of D’Addario EXL170-5SL nickel strings was, understandably, on the bright side. Those impressions were confirmed when I plugged the Cort into a headphone amp, a tiny Ibanez BT10 combo, a Mesa Boogie Bass 800D and custom 1×10, and finally, a couple of powered Bergantino 1×12 cabinets with a MXR M81 Bass Preamp. The C5 had plenty of top end, but it was also warm. Tipping the pickup selector toward the bridge added focus; the front pickup was brawny, if a touch muddy when fully highlighted.

Knowing Markbass’s mid-forward reputation, I was curious to hear what the MB-1 preamp would do. The three-band EQ is voiced with a 100 Hz low shelf, a mid band centered at 800 Hz, and a high band around 2 kHz, each shaping a broad range of frequencies. With all three tone knobs at noon, the active C5 sounded like a louder version of its passive, burly self. Even when I turned the bass knob all the way down, the C5 was still beefy. Adding more bass made me think it’d be great at synth tones, reggae, and dance music. Subtracting mids made it far more slap-friendly; adding mids helped it cut through a mix. The treble knob shaved off high frequencies or introduced top end that bordered on brittle, but the C5 was never hissy, and the tone remained robust.

Turning the bass all the way up and removing mids and treble delivered insanely deep tone, as if I’d flicked a lowpass filter switch. This bass can definitely get clanky if that’s your thing, but it can be large and in charge, too. 

What’s Hot 

• The C5 arrived set up and ready to play, with no fret issues or obvious dead spots. 

• The hardware seemed built to last. 

• Having a separate battery compartment meant that I didn’t have to fuss with the preamp to change the 9-volt battery. 

• Its big, earthy sound rocked. When I played with a drummer, I didn’t expect to be heard through his tiny Fender Rumble 40 1×10, but the mids came through.

• It’s cool to have the option of putting the strings through the body, though when I restrung the C5 through the MetalCraft M bridge bridge, I didn’t notice a huge difference.

What’s Not 

• The MK-1s are decent, but Bartolini’s CBC pickups, drop-in replacements for MK-1s, would most likely add nuance and a sweeter top end to the C5’s big tone.

• The proximity of the master volume and blend knobs to the pickups didn’t stop me from being able to slap, but it did cramp my thumb-mute style. 

• If you’ve played a 35″-inch scale bass (or a multi-scale instrument), you might be slightly underwhelmed by the C5’s 34″-scale length B.

• If you like thin necks or are accustomed to typical Fender 19mm string spacing, the C5 will feel different. Another one of our testers, a Yamaha BBP35 5-string, also has 18mm string spacing at the bridge — but the Cort’s chunkier neck profile made the spacing feel tighter. 

• Although Cort’s website touts the C5’s “lighter, more player-friendly poplar body,” this bad boy weighs in at 10 lbs. The upside? The weight probably contributes to its burly tone.

How It Compares 

If you have $500 to spend on a new bass, there are lots of options, including the Yamaha TRBX305, the Sterling by Music Man SUB StingRay 5, the Ibanez SR305, the Squier Classic Vibe ’70s Jazz Bass V, and the Jackson Spectra JS3V. The C5 Deluxe isn’t Cort’s least expensive 5 (the Cort Action V Plus is closer to $350), but for the price, it holds its own.

Buy This If…

•You want thick, old-school tone

•You’re ready to spend a few extra dollars on upgraded pickups

•You think any bass under 10 lbs. feels like a toy

Wrap-up

Just like the Who’s heavyweight 1971 compilation Meaty, Beaty, Big and Bouncy, the Cort’s C5 Deluxe has lots to offer. It’s neither shy nor dainty, and it excels at ruling the low frequencies.

Cort C5 Deluxe

Price: $499

For More Visit: cortguitars.com