Cort Gene Simmons AXE Electric Bass Guitar  

I have had this bass now for a week and love it,I have been a bass player for 30 years now and have many basses,I have been a kiss fan since i was 6 years old and thats why i got the bass but when i got it i got much more that i expected ,this thing sounds and plays more like a high end bass , it will not  be a wall hanger .thank you musician friend!

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Santa got it for me . Built for tone , sustain and massive power. Im nuts about it. A true piece of Musical Artwork. Thanks Gene for designing this Axesome instrument .

You cant beat the price for such a Gem.

I won this bass in a contest so I really have no right to complain about anything. Therefore, I will write a review as if I had paid for this.

Pros: It looks great. The finish is real nice. It's real solid. Out of the box it was actually playable; not bad for under $500

Cons: This is definitely not a practice bass. You can't sit and play it very well. It's best suited for being played onstage for a few songs. It's a bit neck heavy. The pots need reset. They are offset, which can cause the knobs to grind into the finish. The gig bag has a giant picture of Gene's mug on it. That's not an issue if you're 15 years old.

If you want to spend a few bucks on some new pickups and a nice setup, you will have a damn good bass.

I recently landed a gig in a KISS tribute band. Unlike any other band I’ve been in, this gig required a costume and a certain instrument. It’s a lot of financial dedication, but everyone I’ve spoken to who has done this has said it is worth the cost of admission. To my relief, I found out that Cort released budget versions of Mr. Simmon’s famous basses. I’ve always favored the look of the Punisher more, but i found a SICK deal on a “used” Axe bass. PROS: - The price was right.

The soft gig bag is pretty padded for its price range. - The padded blade cover is a nice touch. - Once set up properly, the bass plays pretty well. - After I relocated the front strap button, it had a lot less neck dive. - The bass’s weight isn’t that bad. - The bass is nice and bright sounding, but can be made to sound more Gene Simmons with a flick of the pickup selector switch. - The neck pocket was pretty tight, and the finish seemed good for this bass. - The finished neck didn’t get sticky on me after playing it a while. - The bridge cover looks cool, but is very functional. The way the body is cut, your palm is forced to rest on it. Once you figure out this bass’s right hand placement, its joy to play. - This bass just looks cool. While not as comfortable to play as my Fenders, it more than makes up for it with traffic-stopping looks. You will be noticed! CONS: - It’s shaped like an axe. Sitting down to play it is not an option. However, that’s the nature of this bass. - The zippers on the gig bag feel cheap - The giant Gene graphic on the gig bag is so embarrassing to walk around with. Sorry, in my opinion, I like a subtle instrument case. However, that is Gene for you. It doesn’t matter, because I will probably get a hard case down the road. - The bass came with so much relief in the neck, that my luthier gave the trus rod nut 6 turns before it was remotely playable. However, I hear this is common for these basses. - The front strap button is in a horrible place. It’s mounted on the side of the body. I use Schaller strap locks and could just see it jabbing me. I repositioned it under the bass’s “horn”, and it works great. - The tuning keys were misaligned when fastened to the headstock. I had the mounting screws re-drilled so the tuners could be realigned properly. - Trying to reach the D string tuning key is a stretch. - The bass is almost too bright and the sound was thin. I had to use my Sansamp Bass Driver to beef up its tone. Lowering the bridge pickup height may help. - The tone knob is a joke. There is no gradual roll off/on. It’s basically all or nothing. - My biggest gripe is the electronics. For some reason, this bass makes all my amps randomly distort. I’m not sure if it’s a wiring issue or pickup defect. It doesn’t matter, because I was planning to replace them with EMG’s anyways. A little sooner than I planned, but oh well. I would’ve returned the bass, but I already had it set up, and I had new $ strings installed. Besides all the bass’s small issues, it can be great with some TLC and new pickups. I would never play this bass in any other type of band, but for the KISS fan out there, this is a great bass for the money.  I bought this bass, and it was listed in “B” condition. I get it, and it still had plastic on the pickups, and not ONE scratch! There was a slight paint blem the size of a pea on it, but to save the money and have a return policy; you can’t beat it. Look no further to fill your God of Thunder fantasy.

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