SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA — Cort Guitars introduces the updated G290 FAT II electric, featuring several functional upgrades to an already stylish double-cutaway. Cort turns up the heat on the vintage aesthetic, with a new alder body and flame maple top, plus a roasted maple neck and maple fingerboard. Playing on the contrast of light and dark, the G290 FAT II features a new optional color finish of Trans Burst Black, plus Luminlay markers on the fingerboard sides. Beyond multiple playability enhancements that improve sonic character and sustain, the G290 FAT II retains key features, like the full-sounding Voiced Tone VTH-77 pickup set, that have made this model one of Cort’s most popular.
The first edition, award-winning G290 FAT was designed with higher-grade materials and hardware components, along with improved build processes for the 25.5-inch-scale bolt-on. The updated G290 FAT II retains many of these features while incorporating new materials. Cort starts with an alder body that provides a warm and full-bodied tone, paired with a gorgeous flame maple top. Together, these woods create an excellent combination for well-balanced sonic character, with bright and transparent highs and a strongly projected low-midrange. Topping it off, Cort adds an optional Trans Black Burst finish, which joins rustic Antique Violin Burst and eye-catching Bright Blue Burst to make it a trio.
To further improve the tone and sustain of the G290 FAT II, Cort adds a Graph Tech® Black TUSQ® nut (42 mm), made from an advanced polymer formed under high heat and pressure for uniform density. This innovation transfers string energy more efficiently, making the G290 FAT II come alive with enhanced harmonics and volume. On the headstock, Cort has added a string tree for the first and second string, which helps with string tension and stability while enhancing sustain. The Cort CFA-III stainless steel bridge is yet another sustain-enhancing feature that also allows for big, bold, and articulate sound.
Geared for a wide variety of musical genres and playing styles, the VTH-77 pickups return to the updated G290 FAT II, providing modern high output for today’s high-energy music and cleaning up nicely for classic rock and blues. The 5-way switch is custom-wired to provide glassy and sparkling single-coil sounds in the second and fourth positions, as well as full-bodied and powerful humbucker sounds in the bridge, middle, and neck positions. The control layout is simple yet versatile, allowing players to stay focused while making music.
Cort has taken a measured approach to the long-awaited roasted maple 22-fret neck on the G290 FAT II, treating these components in an oxygen-free oven at a high temperature. The process allows the wood to stabilize for a bigger, bolder tone, and a smoother, vintage golden-brown look. The black-dotted fretboard offers a compound radius (12 inches to 15.75 inches) as a deluxe feature for players transitioning from easy chording on the low register to high-speed soloing and enhanced string-bending on the upper register. Cort’s spoke nut hotrod truss rod allows the player to dial in the exact amount of neck bow depending on technique and playing style. Additionally, the Ergo-V neck profile provides greater comfort at any position across the entire neck.
Another neck enhancement appears with Luminlay side dots that make it easy for players to see the fretboard position markers while performing on dimly lit stages. The model’s vintage chrome hardware includes Cort’s Staggered Locking Tuners that enable superb tuning stability by eliminating string slippage at the posts while facilitating quick string changes.
Cort’s G Series was designed as a logical evolution of the term “vintage,” providing a modern take on the classic double-cutaway design in an aesthetically tasteful manner. The G290 FAT II carries on the tradition of this modern classic, now with even more options to meet a player’s specific needs and requirements.
Learn more about the G290 FAT II electric and get a closer look at www.cortguitars.com
MSRP: US$1,149.99
MAP(Street): US$799.99