Guitar - Blue Cort G210

Today, I went back to Guitarworks and purchased my newest musical companion. She is a blue Gort G210 electric guitar and cost $379 (set up by Brian in store, 3 year warranty). I went to six other music stores and looked at all of their guitars. I tried several to get the feel of them.

I did a crash course (internet) last night, after looking around a few music stores in town, on guitar makes, manufacturers, styles, electrics, pickups, materials, etc. I then did the rounds again this morning with my newfound knowledge.

I ended up back at Guitarworks, looking at what had been the cheapest guitar ($200) I had looked at the day before. I finally sat down with a guitar and amp, and then played several others which were within my capacity to pay. The Chinese guitar I played first DID hold up pretty well - but I liked one other better.

She is deep ocean blue stratocaster shape with three pickups, the closest to the bridge being a humbucker. Her machine heads are diecast. Her neck is maple, with a rosewood fretboard, and has 22 frets. Her body is alder (same wood combination as many Fenders). She has five pick up selections, and two control knobs (volume and tone). The jack is at the bottom of the guitar, and her upper strap 'button' is placed on the rear of the body in the upper corner, rather than the more usual side. She is strung through the body, and has a white 'tap' plate.

Her action is relatively low, and quite comfortable on the neck. The humbucker give a more meaty sound at the 'lead' end of pickup selection (so I probably won't use it much), the single coils middle and neck pickups give a fairly bright sound. Even sparkly - which could certainly never be said of the Squire and Fernandez!

She is made in Indonesia. Initially, this gave me the shudders. After I bought it I thought of the cheap wages which probably keep the labour force at subsistence level and shudder again (too late). I can't help the later now.

As for the quality issue of instruments built in Asia, it seems that a lot of the world's guitars are built here now. Even five years ago, quality was dicey (the infamous 'Monday and Friday guitars' which were an inevitable consequence of then production methods being a source of angst).

Now, by all acounts, there has been a massive improvement in quality as the industry tooled up with computer and robotic gear, to more closely replicate the manufacturing of the 'traditional' sources. Many 'name brand' guitars are being built there now. Ibanez guitars are built at the same plant my Cort came from. Be that as it may, too me she felt better than comparably priced american, chinese, mexican or japanese guitars.

I am looking forward to working with this instrument, it will be exciting to develop my relationship with this guitar.