Cort G290, G260 and KX-1Q: Three Takes on the Modern Electric

*Oscar Garrigues, Cort KX-1Q demo

The evolution of guitarists, their techniques and their needs has demanded changes in how guitars are built. There is a segment of musicians who empathize with vintage gear. But many others need more modern, streamlined instruments with electronics geared toward new sounds and styles. Today we look at three instruments that differ from one another but share an interest in offering evolution.

Testing the G-290
Although this was the last of these three Corts I tried, it's without doubt the one that caught my attention most. Since it was the most expensive, I preferred to leave it for the end of the tests. You know, it's like wine. If you taste the most elaborate one first, it's harder for the less flavorful ones to catch your attention afterward, since you've fixed the charms of the first on your palate and nose, which takes the spotlight away from the next.

Even so, the idea that “the most expensive is the best” isn't fixed in my head at all. So I set about examining each model carefully.

As I mentioned at the beginning, I like the manufacturer's concern for making sleek, current instruments with powerful electronics. All at competitive prices. Let's look more slowly at the reasons that lead us to think so.

Quality of Materials and Finish
In this case, we're talking about a guitar with a solid ash body and a maple top and neck. It seems sensible to think it brings together attractive building materials, and that shows in the sound and playability.

Electronics
Regarding its electronics, we'll find good dynamics and flexibility. EMG USA pickups (89 and SA), combining a double-coil (humbucker) format in the bridge with two singles in the neck and middle. As if that weren't enough, it adds a coil-switching toggle: from double to single. This set of electronic tools, handled by a five-position pickup selector, gives us great versatility. We can cover practically any sonic scene that crosses our minds: sparkle, attack, thick sounds, low, muted, screeching, and so on.

Sound
Thanks to this flexibility, we have more than enough ingredients to tackle bright/thin rhythms, metallic sounds, “jazzy”/chubby tones, and so on. Entering the realm of distortion, this versatility lets us set up an endless range of tonal colors. That opens up the possibility of running from the most screeching extremes to the heaviest, lowest, most crushing metal tones.

Feel
As always, and without preconceptions, when you pick up an instrument in a slightly higher range than the previous ones, you notice things such as a smoother feel, greater playing comfort and a general sense of greater reliability (tuning, intonation, results when hunting for harmonics, etc.).

Conclusions
This is an attractive option, considering its fairly reasonable price for the materials and finish on offer. This guitar pleasantly surprised me. In its sound, for offering everything from powerful attacks (in the purest style of other well-known prestige brands) to modern colors for current high-gain tones. Also for its playing comfort and hardware quality (tremolo system, locking tuners and locking nut). In short, an instrument to try when we're looking for quality, versatile, sleek and current alternatives.

Testing the G-260
In line with the previous one in philosophy. Sleek, modern body at an attractive price. We're talking about a guitar that costs around €389 and has eye-catching building materials for its cost.

Materials and Finish
Ash (open-pore) was used for the body and extra-hard maple for the neck. On the neck sits a light maple fretboard with 22 frets (2.4 x 1.0 mm).

Hardware and Electronics
I like how Cort takes care of these aspects. Both the tuners and the bridge have a modern, current concept. We find an interesting locking system on the tuners, a self-lubricating black Graph Tech graphite nut and a Wilkinson WS50II tremolo system.

As for the electronics, like the previous one, it has a coil-switching toggle (double to single) that gives it good versatility. This time, the pickups chosen are three Might Mites: singles in the neck and middle; a humbucker in the bridge.

Sound and Feel
Thanks to the presence of both humbuckers and single coils, in addition to the switch, we get a fairly wide tonal palette. We find creamy tones when we use the humbucker for the lows. At the same time, we get sharp responses with the singles. Overall, the guitar struck me as somewhat harsher than the previous one (with more crystalline highs). Its feel came across to me as a bit “drier” than on the G-290.

Conclusions
I'm talking about a less comfortable feel (to my taste) and perhaps a sound with less power in attack/thickness compared with the previous one. We should consider that the G-260 costs a little less than half as much as the G-290. Given this price difference, I have to confess the gap in quality isn't that wide, although the G-290 clearly stands out to my ears. G-260: in short, a modern, well-finished instrument with an interesting arsenal of electronics and hardware. If you're looking for a sleek, flexible guitar with sharp sounds at a pretty reasonable price, this could be your pick.

Testing the KX-1Q
The spec sheet describes a rock electric with a solid double-cutaway body and a set neck. 25 ½" scale. Let's see what our senses tell us.

Materials and Finish
Its mahogany neck, glued to a body of the same material (with a figured maple top), will have a lot to do with the final sound. We'll talk about that shortly. It has an Indian rosewood fretboard with 24 frets (2.7 x 1.1 mm).

Highlighting the excellence of the maple top, the material chosen for body and neck is the same used in many Gibson models, such as their Faded series.

It has an eye-catching finish whose look is tied to the sound the instrument produces.

Electronics and Hardware
Powerful EMG-HZ pickups are responsible for the instrument's electronic life. Once again we find care in assembling the circuits and attention to versatility on the part of whoever designed it. The push-pull coil-switching knob, from single to double, again gives us a rich tonal range, from low to high.

Among its hardware, the standout is the TonePros C-TPFP locking bridge, with strings through the body.

Sound
Given the construction (set neck), the building materials (mahogany) and its double-coil EMG-HZ pickups, a thick, powerful and rather aggressive result was to be expected. With appetizing sustain, perfect for handling heavy distortion.

Conclusions
The instrument struck me as tasty, considering its suggested retail price of €449. It's an option that fights bravely against other brands, with similar intentions but at a more accessible price. And having seen all three options, I'll wrap up here with this model, priced between the other two, versatile and modern, though more oriented, if anything, toward thick, heavy tones.

Three alternatives for different budgets. Three characters. Choose the one that best fits what you're looking for and try it, along with the other options, before you buy.