"My sole disappointment lies in its inconsistent tuning, which overshadows an otherwise amazing playing experience: Cort Space G6TR review."] - Guitar | Technique

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What is it?

Having been building guitars for Strandberg since 2017, South Korea’s Cor-Tek is well positioned to bolster the malnourished, more affordable end of the headless guitar market.

The popularity of sans-headstock guitars has changed dramatically since Cort produced its maiden headless model in 1984. Today, headless guitars are more popular than they’ve been in years, enticing Ibanez to resurrect its Q series and for Schecter to decapitate its electrics for the first time. Strandberg’s $1,000 Boden Essential, has set the bar for in the mid-priced market, now Cort is looking to plant its flag in the turf for less.

(Image credit: Lucy Robinson / Future)

Alongside the hardtail G6MS, Cort’s Space series sees the G6TR separating itself from the competition with a Floyd Rose-style tremolo system and a more atypical HSS pickup configuration, while the series-wide Ergo V neck promises uncompromised comfort.

Price: $879 | £599 | €696

Made: Indonesia

Type: Six-string headless electric guitar

Body: Okoume, flamed maple top

Neck: Roasted maple/walnut Ergo V Neck

Fingerboard material/radius: Roasted maple, 12-15.75-inch compound radius

Scale length: 25.5″

Nut/width: 42mm

Frets: 24 tall medium jumbo stainless steel frets

Hardware: Cort Headless System bridge with tuner knobs

String spacing at bridge: 58mm

Electrics: Cort-voiced Tone VTS63 & VTH77 HSS pickups, Volume and Tone controls, five-way pickup switch

Left-handed options: None

Finishes: Semi Gloss Lava, Semi Gloss Lagoon (as reviewed)

Case: Cort gig bag

Cort

Build quality

Cort Space G6TR — (Image credit: Lucy Robinson / Future)

Build quality rating: ★★★☆☆

Broadly speaking, the craftsmanship here is on a high level. But there are some bugbears I need to raise. The biggest issue here is one I also experienced with the G6MS, but it is actually more troublesome in this case.

When turning the tuning knobs, there’s a pitch-wavering that causes chaos with my tuner. Not only does it struggle to hold the pitch as it’s being adjusted, but the floating trem is so touch-sensitive that it’s hard not to move it while tuning, which further exacerbates the issue.

whammy bar, but using it quickly displaces the tuning, and changing the guitar’s tuning altogether, like with a Floyd Rose, requires a lot of patience and some careful adjustments of the spring claw screws in the back to keep it level with the body.

Cort Space G6TR

(Image credit: Lucy Robinson / Future)

The open-pore finish on the back and sides is really lovely

The open-pore finish on the back and sides is really lovely, and I quite like the semi-gloss lagoon finish, but the carved-in Cort logo less so.

I also appreciate the control knobs being well away from where my hands will swing while playing, and the glow-in-the-dark side dots are a pleasant surprise for the price. Plus, the truss rod wheel is easily accessible, and, unlike Strandbergs, it can stand up on the floor without a stand, and without a funky lean.

Playability

Playability rating: ★★★★½

There’s no resistance; it wants to be played fast, but its sustain encourages slower, moodier playing too

Like its sibling, the G6MS, it’s hard to criticize the playability of the guitar, because its thin and finely crafted Ergo V neck really punches above its weight. The neck carve is really smooth and feels natural in my hands. There’s no resistance; it wants to be played fast, but its sustain encourages slower, moodier playing too. Some guitars feel like they’re made for a single niche; this doesn’t.

No fret is a chore to access, either. The treble horn carve is very generous. My only frustrations are with the unstable tuning on this test guitar, which dampens an otherwise fantastic playing experience from the G6TR. Otherwise, I’m splitting hairs to find discussion points. I’ve had a lot of fun playing this instrument.

Sounds

Sounds rating: ★★★★☆

There’s a balance to it that stops highs becoming too trebly, and lows getting too muddy

The Cort bridge pickup is the same VTH77 humbucker as the G6MS – a guitar I found tonally limited in comparison with its double humbucker configuration, but here the HSS setup maximizes the guitar’s versatility, and the middle position of the five-way switch, especially, is wonderful with cleaner tones. There’s a balance to it that stops highs becoming too trebly, and lows getting too muddy.

The humbucker and VTS63 single-coil pickups here are, however, pretty low output, so you really need to boot them up the rear end if you’re chasing cut and thrust. Thankfully, their inherent neutrality means it’s pretty easy to manipulate your amps and pedals to get the most out of the guitar.

With the twin humbucker spec of the G6MS, I struggled more to find the best pickup positions for certain tonal choices, whereas here, each position excels at the things it should, meaning that, lack of output aside, I can play with confidence knowing the guitar won’t let me down.

Sure, the fourth pickup position isn’t too dissimilar from the fifth; that’s a minor blot on an otherwise clean rap sheet, but it has sustain for days, and the pickups are cartainly dynamic. They respond to my pick attack surprisingly well.

Strandberg is still tweaking its tremolo recipe, it’s easy to see why the Floyd Rose-like trem on this test guitar is what lets it down somewhat. The G6TR plays incredibly well, has great versatility with its atypical HSS configuration – at least for modern headless guitars – and the glow-in-the-dark side dots and stainless steel frets which also belie its price.

Those assets conspire to make the bridge issues I found on this review guitar look even more glaring. The quality on the whole is high, but when an issue like we found with this test guitar impedes day-to-day playing, it’s going to be an ongoing frustration unless a tech with experience can give it attention.

Guitar World verdict: With smooth playing, plenty of tonal scope, and a pleasingly small real estate, the G6TR gets a lot right. Tuning and tuning stability issues with the bridge blemish proceedings, though, and, as a result, it falls short of blowing me away.

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Ratings scorecard
Test	Results	Score
Build quality	Generally impressive, however, the temperamental bridge is a significant issue on this test guitar. I’m not a fan of the etched body logo either.	★★★☆☆
Playability	Plays well, with a welcoming neck and fret access aplenty	★★★★☆
Sounds	I can get a lot of mileage out of the HSS pickups, but their output is quite low	★★★★☆
Overall	It offers excellent performance for the price, but the floating trem on this test model is its biggest drawback.	★★★½