Cort G290 FAT II Review & Prices

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Cort G290 FAT II Review
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  • From Cort's 2022 G series
  • Made in Indonesia
  • 6 strings
  • 25.5"'' scale
  • 12" to 15.75" Fretboard Radius
  • Flamed Maple top
  • Alder body
  • Roasted Maple neck
  • Roasted Maple fretboard
  • Bridge pickup: Cort Voiced Tone VTH77 Humbucker (Humbucker/Passive)
  • Neck pickup: Cort Voiced Tone VTH77 Humbucker (Humbucker/Passive)
  • 1 volume and 1 tone Dome knobs
  • 5-way Switch
  • Cort CFA-III Tremolo bridge
  • Ergo-V Bolt-On neck
  • 22 Medium frets
  • Cort Staggered Locking tuners
  • Compare Specs >
  • From Cort's 2022 G series
  • Made in Indonesia
  • 6 strings
  • 25.5"'' scale
  • 12" to 15.75" Fretboard Radius
  • Flamed Maple top
  • Alder body
  • Roasted Maple neck
  • Roasted Maple fretboard
  • Bridge pickup: Cort Voiced Tone VTH77 Humbucker (Humbucker/Passive)
  • Neck pickup: Cort Voiced Tone VTH77 Humbucker (Humbucker/Passive)
  • 1 volume and 1 tone Dome knobs
  • 5-way Switch
  • Cort CFA-III Tremolo bridge
  • Ergo-V Bolt-On neck
  • 22 Medium frets
  • Cort Staggered Locking tuners
  • Compare Specs >

Our Scores and Tone Evaluation

Playability 73
Sound 68
Build quality 68
Value for money 75
Overall Score 70
Tone Evaluation
  • Heavy Metal
  • Hard Rock
  • Jazz
  • Blues
  • Funk
  • Country
Strengths & Weaknesses
Cort G290 FAT II
  • Locking Tuners
  • Black Tusq XL Nut
  • Tremolo
  • Luminescent Inlay
  • Compound Radius Fretboard
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • Made in Indonesia
  • No Expensive Woods
  • No Top Brand Pickups
  • No Neck-Through Build
  • No Push Knob or Extra Switch Option
  • No Weight Relief
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock

Videos

Still SHOCKINGLY Good! - CORT G290 FAT II
BACK & BETTER! Cort G290 FAT II
Hear The Cort G290 FAT II Electric Guitar
The Cort Sessions | G290 FAT II Electric Guitar
Hear the Cort G290 FAT II Electric Guitar
More Videos

Price: is the Cort G290 FAT II a Good Deal?

Its average competitor's price is $700, which means that the Cort G290 FAT II is around 20% cheaper than the competition. This takes into account all guitars of the same category in our database with 6 strings and Tremolo bridge that are made in Indonesia.

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Your feedback

Not all guitars are created equal, and there are many important things they won't tell you about the guitar you're buying. That's why it's important to have different opinions. Here's what our visitors who have played this guitar say. If you've played it before, help others by voting for your experience below.

Weight

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Heavy
0
Slightly heavy
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Lightweight
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Very lightweight
0

Tuning stability

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Won't stay in tune
0
Sightly unstable
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Not bad
0
Holds tune well
0
Won't get out of tune
0

Neck speed (thickness)

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Chunky
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Slightly chunky
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Balanced
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Fast
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Herman Li fast
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Neck access to high frets

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Very Hard
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Hard
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Normal
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Easy
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Very Easy
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Neck profile shape

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Baseball / U
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V
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Asymmetrical
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C
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D
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Fret edges

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Very sharp
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Slightly sharp
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Smooth
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Pickups noise

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Noiseless
0
Slightly Noisy
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Noisy
0

Pickups power

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Clean
0
Slightly Hot
0
Hot
0

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Is The Cort G290 FAT II Easy to Play?

The Cort G290 FAT II meets 7 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, which means that it's a good guitar to start with as a complete beginner. This takes into account the type of frets, scale length, nut width, bridge type, fretboard radius, and neck profile to determine the easiest combination for new players to get used to.

Cort G290 FAT II
New Player Friendliness
  • Comfortable shape
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Locking tuners
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Tall frets
  • Wide nut
  • Comfortable neck
  • Short scale

Hand Size Comfortability

After taking into account the neck profile, scale size, fretboard radius, and nut width, we can conclude that the Cort G290 FAT II's construction is balanced for most hand sizes.

Nevertheless, this comes down in the end to personal preference. Make sure you test this guitar—or another one with similar characteristics—before buying.

Big Hands
Small Hands

Scale Length

Scale length is the distance the strings will span between the bridge and the nut. It can tell you a lot about the overall playability and tone of the instrument. A longer scale length means longer distance between frets, brighter tone and more string tension—which means lower action, but more difficult bending of the strings.

Here's the Cort G290 FAT II's 25.5" scale length compared to other common sizes:

Cort G290 FAT II Scale Length Comparison
Cort G290 FAT II's scale length (at the top) compared to other popular sizes

This is the same scale length used in Stratocaster guitars, and it's one of the main reasons they have such a bright sound. It's considered a long scale when compared to most non-baritone guitars.

Since the distance between bridge and nut is relatively long, you'll need to give the strings more tension to get them in tune. This higher tension will allow for a couple of things. First, you can get a lower action (get the strings closer to the fretboard) because the strings won't 'wiggle' too much when pluck and won't cause fret buzz. This can allow you to use lower tunings without increasing your string gauge, and it will make it easier to press down the strings fast.

However, the frets will also have a wider separation between each other, which can make it harder to play, especially if you got small hands. The higher tension will also make the strings feel stiffer, so bending will require more strength.

More guitars with the same scale length:

Neck Profile

Cort G290 FAT II Neck Profile
Cort G290 FAT II's neck profile

The neck profile tells you the thickness (neck depth) and shape in cross section. Every difference will completely change the feeling and comfortability of the neck. This is a highly subjective thing, but most players indeed prefer certain types of necks (like Cs and Ds) because they feel nice in most hands.

It has a V type neck. This is a vintage type of neck that is not so common nowadays. Some people like it because they can rest their hand easily while letting their thumb hang over the edge of the fretboard. It's thicker than most modern necks, so it's great for playing chords but not so much for shredding.

More guitars for different hand sizes

Fretboard Radius

When it comes to fingerboard radius, personal preference will dictate which one is better for you. However, most people seem to agree that a more curved (lower) radius will make it easier to play chords while a less curved (higher) radius is better for soloing and bending.

Cort G290 FAT II Fretboard Compound Radius
Cort G290 FAT II's Compound Fretboard Radius

The Cort G290 FAT II has a compound fingerboard radius of 12" to 15.75".

A compound radius is the best you can get because you'll get the best of both worlds. It starts curved at the nut, but it flattens as you get closer to the guitar body. This means that you'll get great comfortability for chords on the first few frets, but also a flatter fretboard for playing solos without problems on the higher frets.

More guitars with the same fretboard radius:

Playability compared to main competitors

25.5'' Scale Length
V Neck Profile
1.656'' Nut Width
Compound Fretboard Radius
25.5'' Scale Length
C Neck Profile
1.625'' Nut Width
Compound Fretboard Radius
25.5'' Scale Length
U Neck Profile
1.654'' Nut Width
Compound Fretboard Radius
25.5'' Scale Length
Wizard Neck Profile
1.693'' Nut Width
15.75'' Fretboard Radius
25.5'' Scale Length
C Neck Profile
1.654'' Nut Width
12'' Fretboard Radius

Nut Width

Cort G290 FAT II Nut Width
Cort G290 FAT II Nut Width

The Cort G290 FAT II has a nut width of 42.1mm (1.656''). This is narrower than the typical 43mm (1 11/16") width. This means that this guitar will have a narrower string separation at the nut, which will affect your fretting hand.

If you are a player with big hands, you might find it difficult to play chords without muting strings. However, this is good for players who have smaller hands, as it will allow them to reach each string much easier at the nut.

More guitars with the same nut width:

Frets

The Cort G290 FAT II has 22 frets. Even though 24 frets has become really popular, there's still a good reason to get fewer frets; the pickup at the neck position will be further away from the bridge. This makes the neck pickup achieve a warmer tone. You might want this if you're playing Jazz or similar genres.

However, if you don't care about the warmer neck pickup, more frets will always be better. It's always nice to have the option to play higher notes if you want to.

It comes with nickel silver frets, so they won't last as long as stainless steel frets. If you use your instrument a lot, you might need to replace the frets after a few years. But this is unlikely as most people change instruments before this happens.

More guitars with the same amount of frets:

Fret Size

Cort G290 FAT II Fret Size Comparison
Cort G290 FAT II's fret size (in orange) compared to other popular sizes

Finally, let's talk about fret size. Some people prefer tall frets because it's easier to press the strings and perform bends since there's less friction against the fretboard. On the other hand, some people like shorter frets because they like to touch the fretboard when playing, or because they got heavy hands and tend to press too much on the string and alter the of the note pitch accidently.

The Cort G290 FAT II's frets are Medium size. With medium frets, you can feel the fretboard more than with jumbo frets, but it's still easier to press the strings cleanly than with small frets; notes might change their pitch just slightly if you press hard on the fret. Also, if you need to do some fret leveling after years of playing, you'll have some room to sand them down without having to replace them.

More guitars with the same type of frets:

Playability Score

Bending & Vibrato Ease 60
Chord Playability 100
Solo Playability 60
Playability 73

Does the Cort G290 FAT II Sound Good? Tone Analysis

Wood will have little influence in the final tone of an electric guitar. Instead, the hardware, especially the pickups, will be the most important thing to look at. Bur first, let's see the quality of the wood.

Wood Used in the Cort G290 FAT II

Alder wood pattern used for guitar building
Alder Body
Roasted Maple wood pattern used for guitar building
Roasted Maple Neck, Fretboard

Alder Body: This is a lightweight type of wood that was popularized by Fender. According to them, it's a wood that offers a balanced tone but that favors the upper midrange slightly.

Roasted Maple Neck and Fretboard: Similar to simple Maple, but even stronger, darker, and more stable to temperature changes. This is thanks to the treatment process that consists in using high temperatures to drain the water, sugar, and resins from the wood.

More guitars made with the same wood:

Pickups

Unfortunately, it doesn't come with pickups from one of the top brands. This doesn't mean you will get bad pickups, but you might want to consider a pickup upgrade after some time.

These are passive pickups, so you can expect a moderade level of hot output instead of the overwhelming output that distinguises active pickups in metal.

The Cort G290 FAT II's configuration is HH. With this pickup combination, you'll get warmer tones and more output than using single coils. Humbucker pickups cancel the noise that single-coil suffer from, which also results in a warmer tone. This pickup combination isn't only for high-gain music like Hard Rock or Heavy Metal. Their warmness is also popular for Jazz, Indie, R&B, Blues and more.

Versatility

It gives you a good amount of tone options with its 5-way switch. You can use it to choose at least 5 different pickup combinations.

Unfortunately, it doesn't come with more options for coil split or coil tapping. This makes it less versatile than some competitors.

Diagram

Cort G290 FAT II pickups switch selector and push knobs diagram
Cort G290 FAT II's switch options

What music genre is the Cort G290 FAT II good for?

As a 6 strings, Solid Body guitar with HH configuration and Passive pickups, we'd recommend it for genres like Hard Rock or similar. However, you can use almost any guitar for any genre. This is just the typical type of music for this kind of guitar.

Sound Score

Pickups 60
Sustain 70
Versatility 68
Tuning Stability 75
Sound 68

How well is the Cort G290 FAT II Built?

Where is the Cort G290 FAT II Made?

Knowing where the guitar is produced is a good way to know how well it's built. Some manufacturing countries are known for having higher quality standards. For example, most expensive guitars are made in the US or Japan, but there are some exceptionally great countries—like South Korea—that are building a good reputation.

The Cort G290 FAT II is made in Indonesia. Many people prefer the quality of an Indonesian guitar over a Chinese. Respectable brands like Epiphone, Ibanez and Schecter are building in this country because of the great quality and lower price. Some people like to compare them to the ones built in Japan during the 80s, when Japanese guitar makers made a name for themselves.

More guitars made in Indonesia

Bridge

Cort CFA-III Tremolo: This type of bridge allows you to change the pitch of the notes by pulling the bridge with the attached bar, which gives you better versatility. Also, since the bridge is not fixed to the guitar body, the bridge will move as you bend the strings. So you'll have to increase the distance of your bends to reach the same tension (note) compared to a fixed bridge. This allows you to perform smoother bends but will also make you slower. Finally, remember that this type of bridge requires a bit more maintenance than fixed ones, especially when changing strings.

More guitars with the same type of bridge:

Tuners

The Cort G290 FAT II comes with locking tuners, which helps with tuning stability and makes changing strings a lot faster and easier. As long as they're high quality, these are the best tuning machines you can have. The only disadvantage is that they are a bit heavier than normal tuners.

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Nut Material

Another important thing to analyze is the nut material, as it's one of the most important aspects that can affect the sound and playability of your guitar. A well-cut nut will make sure the guitar stays in tune and will make it more comfortable to play.

In this case, the Cort G290 FAT II has a Black Tusq XL nut. It's not made of plastic or low-quality materials. They're made to resemble the sound you get from bone and ivory nuts, but with slippery materials so the intonation and tuning are stable. Also, each nut is carefully cut to ensure you won't have tune stabilization problems.

More guitars with the same nut material:

Neck Joint

The neck joint is the part where the neck of the guitar meets the body. There are three main techniques to attach both parts together: Set-In, Bolt-On and Neck-Through. The latter two provide different advantages, although neck-throughs are the most expensive.

This guitar has a Bolt-On neck joint. Even though this type of neck was looked down upon for a long time, nowadays bolt-on necks are well built and provide just as much sustain as any other join method. First of all, it's cheap to make because it consists of simply 4 bolts that attach the neck to the body. And you can travel with the guitar more easily, swap out the neck if you damage it, or upgrade to a more comfortable neck later on.

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Build Quality Score

Quality of materials 55
Features 80
Quality Control 70
Build Quality 68

Most Popular Comparisons With The Cort G290 FAT II

Cort G290 FAT II Specs

General
Brand: Cort
Year: 2022
Configuration: HH
Strings: 6
Made in: Indonesia
Series: G
Colors: Black Burst, Blue Burst, Orange Burst
Left-Handed Version: No
Body
Top: Flamed Maple
Type: Solid Body
Body Material: Alder
Bridge: Cort CFA-III Tremolo
Neck
Neck Joint: Bolt-On
Tuners: Cort Staggered Locking
Fretboard: Roasted Maple
Neck Material: Roasted Maple
Decoration: Black Dots
Scale Size: 25.5"
Shape: Ergo-V
Frets: 22 Medium
Fretboard Radius: 12" to 15.75"
Nut: Black Tusq XL
Nut Width: 42.1mm (1.656'')
Electronics
Switch: 5 Way
Knobs: Dome
Volume Controls: 1
Tone Controls: 1
Bridge Pickup: Cort Voiced Tone VTH77 Humbucker (Humbucker / Passive)
Neck Pickup: Cort Voiced Tone VTH77 Humbucker (Humbucker / Passive)

User Reviews of the Cort G290 FAT II

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