- Beautifully crafted semi-acoustic electric guitar with piezo system
- Looks, feels and plays wonderfully
- Extremely versatile, can be used as a psuedo acoustic guitar as well as a full blown electric guitar
- I suggest you thoroughly check the inner structure of the instrument
- As this is a semi-acoustic guitar, you may have feedback problems with higher gain settings with normal pickups
Hello there, back again with another guitar review article for you. This time, we will be looking at one of the best Piezo-equipped electric guitars, the Cort M-Custom. I will briefly attempt to explain Piezo pickups and also provide you with the Cort M-Custom review as well as an unbiased guitar review video we made back in the day! Ever heard of Piezo pickups? Here is how I found out about Piezo pickups. If you are ever shocked by an electric guitar player on stage who switches to acoustic guitar sounds without changing his guitar and you are blown away by the sound quality, it is probably an onboard piezo pickup that they control with a selector switch.
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I remember having watched John Petrucci during Dream Theatre’s tour, probably when they were touring for the Scenes From a Memory album. And the song was probably The Spirit Carries On. I was just speechless about how he was able to switch to an acoustic guitar sound without changing guitars.
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If you also want to upgrade your guitar or buy an electric guitar with Piezo pickups, you are in the right place. I will be posting my review of one of the best and most affordable piezo-equipped guitars, the Cort M-Custom electric guitar!
About Cort Guitars
Cort Guitars is a renowned South Korean guitar manufacturer that has established itself as a prominent player in the musical instrument industry. Founded in 1973 by Jack Westheimer, an American entrepreneur, Cort initially focused on building guitars for other brands. However, it soon gained recognition for its own line of instruments, becoming a trusted name among musicians worldwide. Cort is known for producing a wide range of guitars that cater to different musical genres and player preferences. The company’s lineup includes electric guitars, acoustic guitars, basses, and even classical guitars. One of the key factors contributing to Cort‘s success is its commitment to quality craftsmanship and innovation. The company collaborates with acclaimed luthiers and employs cutting-edge technology to create instruments that meet the demands of both amateur and professional musicians. 
Over the years, Cort has gained popularity for offering high-quality instruments at competitive prices, making them accessible to a broad audience. The brand has also collaborated with well-known artists, further enhancing its reputation in the music industry. Whether you’re a beginner looking for an affordable and reliable instrument or a seasoned musician seeking professional-grade gear, Cort Guitars has a diverse range of options to suit various playing styles and preferences. With a blend of craftsmanship, innovation, and affordability, Cort continues to be a significant player in the global guitar market.
Cort Guitars probably manufactures a lot more guitars than you would ever imagine! Whether those guitars are made in South Korea or Indonesia, chances are they are made by the Cort company. Cort Guitars operates its own factories and is known for manufacturing guitars not only under its brand but also for producing instruments for several other well-known guitar brands. Many of these partnerships involve the production of guitars at different price points to cater to a diverse market. Some of the guitar brands that have utilised Cort’s manufacturing facilities include Ibanez, Schecter, PRS, etc 
As an example, I have a Schecter Hellraiser Hybrid PT-7 as well as an Ibanez AR300, which is made in South Korea by Cort Guitars and also the subject guitar, Cort G300 Raw, and one of the best guitars ever made, Cort M600, made in Indonesia by Cort!
Check out my Cort guitar reviews here (more reviews will be added!)
Let’s see the guitar in action first. It’s a pretty long video because I wanted to show every single humbucker and piezo combination, direct, blended with the microphone signal, split ones, etc. Here you are: the longer format video that we recorded with a Marshall JVM205C valve amp + Shure SM57 microphone.
Sound Demo (no talking)
OK, if you are still here, let’s have a look at the tech specs, and then I will talk about the guitar and its availability. 
Tech Specs
| Cort M-Custom | Tech Specs |
|---|---|
| Construction | Set Neck |
| Top | Carved Quilted Maple Top |
| Body | Semi-Hollow Mahogany |
| Fretboard | Rosewood - 350mm Radius |
| Pickups | Seymour Duncan JB (Bridge), Seymour Duncan '59 (Neck) |
| Bridge | Fishman Power Bridge & Tonepros Licences Tune-O-Matic |
| Tuners | Die-cast |
| Frets | 22 Frets (Large) |
| Electronics | 1 Vol + 1 Tone 3-way Toggle Switch | 1 Piezo Volume + Tone and 1 Mini Toggle |
I remember when this was bought by a customer; I was really happy because you’d rarely have a chance to see these types of guitars. The first one that arrived in our store was perfect, but I detected a crack when I looked into the F-holes.
I was also able to spot one serious crack in the control cavity.
If you ever bump into this guitar, please check. The crack seemed to be a naturally occurring crack along the backside of the guitar’s body.
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This is another reason why you should trust my guitar reviews here! 🙂
Fortunately, the distributor had more in stock, so we asked for a new one and did the tests again. This one is the guitar you have watched above. First of all, this guitar is a semi-hollow body guitar, which enables it to produce really nice acoustic sounds. This naturally translates into a high natural acoustic sound, which might give you some feedback if you turn your amp up loud. For the electric part, I really loved the Duncan pickups on it, as the JB model is my favourite pickup ever on the bridge. You’ll be able to get loads of gain out of this pickup. Plus it is still very powerful when split, so you’ll have great single-coil sounds on a single instrument like this.
When combined with the Fishman Power Bridge piezo system, I think you’ll have so many options to choose from. If you are ever planning to play on stage, you can easily double your guitar signal with an A/B Box and have your piezo sound on a let’s say PA system and your normal guitar signal on a guitar amp. By using your volume, tone pots and switches, you can have loads of options at your disposal, and you’ll be able to surprise your audience!
If I were to buy an electric guitar with a built-in piezo pickup, I would definitely consider the Cort M-Custom. It’s not an entry-level guitar, nor is it a low-quality instrument despite the fact that the Cort brand is considered to be an entry-level guitar maker. I don’t think Cort is a bad brand; they make great instruments, but you have to choose wisely and always have it checked if you buy online. 
Pricing & Availability
As explained, this guitar was long discontinued. Sadly, this kind of progressive guitar design is no longer actively manufactured by most companies. There was a similar guitar by the Schecter company, which was also not so popular: Schecter C-1 E/A. Basically the same guitar, made by the same company, but with Schecter aesthetics! So, as an alternative, you may go for this. Or you can check out Reverb for used Cort M-Custom guitars.
Check out Cort M-Custom on Reverb here
There are also other alternative models by Cort, which usually pop up rarely on the used market. But you can actually check out the M-900 series, which features pretty much the same specs.
Check out Cort M-900 on Reverb here
In case no options provided are working out for you, you can always search Thomann’s electric guitars with piezo pickup subcategory! 🙂
Check out Electric Guitars with Piezo Pickups on Thomann here
Thanks for visiting my blog and supporting me so far! I will hopefully see you in the next review here!
