1980s Cort Strat (alike)

lfc1892

I bought a white Cort Strat from my cousin in 1986 and I still have it. It's a bit beaten up and I'm wondering if this is worth refurbishing (Pickups, temolo and body all need a bit of work)?

It is early 1980s and I understand that Cort went out of business in the mid 80s (before returning recently to the market).

Is it worth doing? (used to have a sweet sound)

Johnny Storm

A detailed, high-resolution photo-study would help us to determine if its worth doing, man.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cort_Guitars

Now that I think of it, my Fender Lite Ash Strat was made in Korea by Cort.

lfc1892

Hi, thanks for that. No, still cannot find it.

The body is almost identical to a Strat, 5 way selector and three knobs. There are three single coil pickups and a Cort style head with the tuners in a line. Maple neck with dot inlays

I have only seen one other of these being used by a Wedding band in 1993.

Oh yeah, it weighs an absolute ton

Doctor J

The Strat is probably the most cloned guitar in history. The quality of the clones range from better than the real thing to absolute **** not fit for burning. They all have three single coils, a five way switch and three knobs. If you can get some pics together, we'd be able to tell you what end of the scale this guitar is on. If it's heavy it would suggest an ash body, which is good.

However, going on your first post, if you like the guitar and enjoy playing it then it's monetary worth or percieved level of quality in the grand scheme of things is irrelevant. If you think it is worth bringing it in and getting it set up, if you'll get value from this guitar being playable again, then just do it. I do my own setups so I've no idea what it costs to get a guitar set up in the stores here. I don't think it's that much though. If you're feeling brave there are plenty of comprehensive setup guides in the Instruments Resources sticky in this forum. Read through them and see if it makes sense to you what is involved in setting a guitar up to play well.

steveland?

If it used to have a sweet sound (or at least sweet to your ear which is really all that matters) then I can think of no good reason to not get it properly set up and enjoy it again

Gaspode

If you're going to actually play it, then why not fix it up a bit. If its going to sit in the corner looking cool, then just give it a wipe with a clean cloth and keep your wallet in your pocket!

lfc1892

Thanks for the replies fellas.

The guitar has sat in a wardrobe for about 12 years with no strings on it. I'm pretty competent at setups already although i haven't tried repairing pickups as yet.

I doubt I'll ever play the guitar again as I'm more of a gibson man now myself (this was my first electric) but if I were to refurb it I wanted to know if there was any possible value to it due to its vintage etc but can't find any reference to the model on google or with Cort themselves.

As for pictures, it isn't in my current posession, it's at my fathers house so can't provide the pictures right now, sorry.

fish-head

I seriously doubt any real vintage value for an 80's Strat-alike, really. But that's just me, I dunno.

punchdrunk

80's cort? worth about €350-400 i'd say,i'd keep it to be honest
12 years without strings? you might have some warpage issues,check out that truss rod!

lfc1892

Actually the neck has held up quite well. No bowing on it, however, the old tremolo system is a bit knackered

Voodu Child

12 years without strings wouldnt be a problem, structurally speaking its a good thing.

What will happen though, is youve had the neck unloaded for 12 years, and now youve got it strung up - its going to settle & bow as the timber catches up with the forces youre placing on it. Its nothing major, and it wont be a problem, it just means you'll have to have a peek at the truss rod a little more often than usual.

Personally I dont think the guitar would be worth squat second hand - its almost certainly worth more to you in sentimental value etc.

Hold onto it, play it, mod it, whatever you want. I dont think you'll be 'ruining' its value by modifying or changing the parts from original it as its not worth much anyway.

Bratach Bán

Couple of thoughts:

Voodoo Child is right, taking the strings off a guitar and leaving them off shouldn't be a problem. The truss rod counters the tension applied to the neck by the strings, but will not, once this tension is removed, cause a back bow - instead, the neck should stay exactly as it was once the strings were on it.

As for vintage value, without seeing the guitar it's hard to say, but my guess is not yet. This sounds ridiculous, but a guitar is considered 'vintage' by the industry only after 25 years; anything younger than that is just second hand. Plus, Strat replicas (apart from the original Squiers which are rumoured to have been constructed from American exported parts) generally do not appreciate in value to the same extent that original guitars - however obscure - do.

Having said all that, I would attempt to restore it. If, as you have said, it sounded sweet, then go for it - there's nothing to lose in having another playable guitar at your disposal, especially if you're into recording, whatever. Regarding the pick-ups, it'll certainly be easier (and possibly cheaper) to replace them rather than to repair them. Warmoth, stewmac.com, etc, will give you some ideas.

Take out the tremelo, and buy a Wilkinson or something similar - something solid, fairly cheap, and easy to install.

As for the body, well, when you say that it needs a bit of work, I presume you mean the finish is scratched. Just strip it, and re-finish in Shellac, cutting back after each coat with steel wool.

Good luck.