Cort KX-Custom review

No prizes for guessing the inspiration behind this one, but the top-end KX-Custom gives you a luxurious Bright Blue Burst-finished flame maple top and natural edge binding, locking tuners and flawless build quality.

Although the KX has a thinner body than its chunkier Z-Custom cousin, it still possesses that distinctive mahogany-maple combo, recalling PRS's Fender-meets-Gibson tonal ideals.

We're not completely sold on the backwards Nike 'swoosh'-style inlays, but there's a lot to like.

With 24 chunky frets spread over a 648mm (25.5-inch) scale length, the KX-Custom lends itself well to lead playing, especially with that generous cutaway for upper fretting. It's a great all-rounder, and its tones are positioned slap-bang in between the Cort G280 and Z-Custom, too.

There's plenty of treble bite with a healthy but not domineering bottom-end, delivering polished tones, whether clean or dirty. They might be a little polite for some, but it's a blank canvas that accommodates any style.

Contemporary rock à la Alter Bridge? Bread and butter. Metal? The JB's mighty output will see you right. Jazz? Flick over to the toasty neck humbucker. Soul, funk, blues? That's what coil-splits are for, and while the tones are bulkier than a Strat's, they're more than up to the job.

It may be a bit vanilla for some, but this is a great-playing slice of contemporary electric. That said, the price is slightly higher than similarly versatile PRS SE Customs, so it's worth playing before investing.