Extended range guitars (ERG) have become more popular than ever before. The Djent movent has influenced many rock subgenres resulting in the added demand for extra low strings. This new demand is great for guitarists since more brands are starting to make ERGs. Two decades ago you would struggle to find an affordable 7-string guitar; now almost everyone makes one.
Cort recently unveiled their newest addition to the ERG world; the Cort KX500FF. One of the most exciting features of the new KX500FF is that it has fanned frets.
What are fanned frets you ask?
If you look at the guitar, you will see that instead of being straight, the frets on the Cort KX500FF are slanted, or fanned. This slant means that tension on the bass string is different to the tension on the treble string. The means that the guitar has a multi-scale length. The scale length is 25.5″ to 27″.
While the multi-scale length guitar might look weird, there isn’t a steep learning curb. Within a few minutes, your fingers will comfortably be able to find their way around the frets.
Tonally the guitar is stable and has a fair amount of resonance. The resonance is thanks to the string-through bridge design and the swamp ash body. Control wise the guitar has a single volume knob and tone knob, and a three-way pickup selector.
Visually the Cort KX500FF is stunning. ERGs have traditionally suffered from a lack of colour options. Most brands only made one or two models, and they didn’t offer them in multiple colours. Recently more brands have started adding variety, and to see a Poplar Burl top for a 7-string guitar is wonderful.
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