WHEN CORT INTRODUCED THE GENE
Simmons Axe [see Soundroom, August
2010], it delivered a bass that was as visually
striking as the man whose name it
bore. You couldn’t blend into the crowd
with that bass if you wanted to (unless
attending an 18th century executioner conference).
Unfortunately, you couldn’t sit
down while playing it, either. The newest
in Cort’s GS series, the GS-Punisher-2,
is noticeably less edgy than its predecessor,
yet it retains the GS line’s aggressive
looks while expanding the range of comfortable
playing positions.
AGGRESSIVE APPEAL
The Punisher-2 may not look as edgy
as the Axe, but it is fully capable of
standing out onstage. The jet-black
body, white pin striping, chrome hardware,
and diamond pearl inlays give it a
crisp look. The pointed horns & pointed
tailpiece are eye-catching and create a
look that is aggressive but not as overthe-
top as its bladed predecessor.
The Punisher-2’s black canvas
case comes with half of Gene’s
face stretched across the front.
Yes, four feet of painted face
and 12 inches of dangling
tongue make sure you don’t
forget which case is yours.
Carrying it down the sidewalk in my suburban
neighborhood, I felt a tad bit conspicuous,
but I appreciated how light the
whole setup was. Case and all, it weighs
in at just a shade over 15 pounds.
READY TO ROCK
The bass arrived ready to play, requiring
few adjustments, as the action was a little
high for my taste (admittedly, I prefer pretty
low action). For stadium-rocking bass
lines that call for aggressive picking and
a heavy attack, the Cort’s higher action
worked perfectly. Though proper testing
of this kind of bass would require donning
face paint, studded leather shoulder pads,
and a skin-tight leotard, I had access to
none of those items. So in a very non-KISS
manner—sitting on the edge of my coffee
table, headphones & iPod plugged into a
practice amp—I cycled through a variety
of tunes to explore the sound and feel of
the Punisher-2. While the Punisher-2 is
constructed out of the same materials as
the Axe, it doesn’t have the executioner’s
blade and therefore balances well when
played while sitting. When played standing,
however, the Punisher-2 shares its predecessor’s
tendency to neck-dive.
“Torpedo Girl” happens to feature one
of my personal favorite KISS bass lines,
so I was excited to plug the Punisher-2 in and fi nd out if it played the part as well as
it looked it. With the bass’s pickup selector
in the middle setting and with t my picking
hand hovering close to the chrome
bridge cover, I was duly impressed with
how close the bass resembled the original
sound. The mahogany body, maple neck,
rosewood fi ngerboard, and Mighty Mite
pickups combined to produce the kind
of punchy midrange prowess one would
expect from a bass made to rock arenas.
When I moved on to play along with hiphop
and acoustic tunes, I was pleasantly
surprised how comfortable I felt grooving
with the Punisher to tunes that stretched
far beyond rock & roll.
THUMBS UP
OR TONGUE OUT?
The Punisher-2’s aggressive look, punchy
tone, and economical price make it worthy
of consideration for bassists of all stripes;
you don’t need 10” heels or a chain-link
necklace to appreciate this axe. That said:
does the Punisher get two thumbs up or
one fully extended and wagging tongue?
For those who love it loud and wanna rock
& roll all night, the answer is clear.
CORT GS-PUNISHER-2
Street $560
Pros Attention-commanding bass with
sonic versatility, great value
Cons Neck tends to dive when played
standing
TECH SPECS
Body Mahogany
Neck Maple
Fingerboard Rosewood
Radius 15Д
Scale 34”
Pickups Mighty Mite MMPB-4 & MMJB-R
with silver logo
Controls Volume, tone, 3-way pickup
switch
Strings D’Addario EXL165 (.045–.105)
Weight 8 lbs
Case Included
Made in Indonesia
Contact cortguitars.com