Cort Artisan Space 5 SDB

I was looking for a headless bass, as my main mode of transportation is a motorcycle and headless basses are shorter and typically lighter than regular models. This Cort Space 5 seemed to fit the bill nicely, also given my previous positive experiences with the brand. Unfortunately this particular one was a disappointment.

The bass is build well. The fretwork is nice, the neck (although chunky) feels comfortable, setup is easily done with the supplied tools (oh gods I truly love the way the trussrod can be accessed on this bass) and you can dial in a good variety of sounds. But the electronics are seriously bad. The preamp is very (VERY) noisy, and if there is a signal and you turn the knobs, you get a lovely plethora of crackling noises. Signal output is rather low. Also, passive mode does not have a tone control. As I don't fancy spending a non-trivial amount of money on a new bass to improve on this, I returned the instrument to Thomann, and my search for a headless bass continues...