Cort KX508MS II Marina Blue Burst

This cort guitar is by far one of the best sub $1000 guitars I’ve ever played. The appointments are all top notch, from the locking tuners to the pickups (which are roughly half the value in and of themselves). Action can be very low, feel of the neck is superb especially for an 8 string. Plays great! The wiring is possibly the only minor gripe, as cort uses their own wiring and parts, instead of Fihman’s click system. But it works well, so who cares? I’m convinced that any player will benefit from this guitar, beginner, intermediate or pro. Starting on 8 string or as a second or third instrument.

This is my first 8 string multiscale. Until now I've always played a standard 6 string but this time I figured maybe try something new.

Pros: Pickups are great sounding in all voices, really crisp tone. I'm not sure how long the battery lasts, but hopefully it will stay for a while.
Fretboard is quick, kind of like an Ibanez, but has a contour on the neck for which follows your the actual movement of your hands which is great.
The tuners are very stable even at really low tuning.
Very light guitar for an extended scale.

Cons: The surface of the body has very small imperfections, but nothing that worrisome. But I still like a full clean, clear coated smooth body.
Output jack gets really sticky sometimes and I have a hard time getting the cable out, but otherwise the wiring feels stable even while playing heavy.

Overall a good guitar for the price, especially with the electronics it offers.

My first 8-string, my first multiscale, my first active pickups, and a lot of "my first" other things.
Transition from 6 string to this was actually pretty easy, and I really appreciate the new compositional possibilities that come with this extended range.
Finish is a lot darker and less saturated than the pictures they give, which I really like. But that's all subjective. Here are some slightly more objective points:
Hardware is on point:
- Locking tuners do their job well
- Pickups are fantastic. Incredibly versatile
- Neutral fret is at a great position, unlike the ridiculous Ibanez 12th fret
- Spoke wheel is SO convenient. Life changing.
- Overall relatively light for an 8 string.
Cons:
- Pretty severe neck dive, but may be a common problem among 8 strings. And that's a sacrifice for the lighter body,
- Plastic nut and nickel frets... though you can't expect much else at this price point.
- Frets are a bit small (medium jumbo), but that could be a pro if you're into it.
- No Luminlay. But again, the price.
- Finish flaws seem to be a common problem. Consider that if it REALLY matters to you - but they're barely noticeable.
- It's a bit hard to change strings since the saddles are angled from the actual string holes. You have to bend it after poking it through with some small apparatus.

Ultimately if you factor in the price you really can't complain about much. Incredible guitar for its price.

as i already own an ibanez universe with 7 strings i thought what could be even more fun? of course owning an 8 string guitar with wonky frets to make guitar playing even more confusing! the guitar was delivered in good time, in perfect condition thanks to thomann, the guitar itself is a stunner, the color looks beautiful, the finish perfect, the action set to my liking, the fishman pickups sound superb and give excellent clarity on the low strings, adjusting to the fanfrets was suprisingly easy, the extra strings enable me to replicate meshugga and baby metal riffs to annoy my neighbours perfectly. i chose the cort over other well know brands as it is known they are built in the same factories as some of the other big name brands, quality materials, great build quality and sound fantastic, i would not hesitate to buy another cort guitar, if your on the fence give them a try, super guitars