Cort introduced the X500, the flagship model of its revamped X Series, back in 2018. But as shredder and instructor Steve Stine points out, the company “really bumped up their game” with the newest iteration of the model, the none-more-metal X500 Menace.
The Menace boasts several upgrades, including a Floyd Rose original tremolo for “incredible stability when doing dive bombs and tremolo vibrato,” as well as a fresh set of Seymour Duncan humbuckers – a Nazgul at the bridge and a Sentient at the neck – for, as Steve rightly puts it, more “growl and grind.”
Other features include a more contoured body, a black satin finish and a reverse headstock to “keep with the more modern metal look.”
Tonewoods, meanwhile, are headlined by a maple top on a mahogany body, a seven-piece maple, purple heart and panga panga thin C-shape thru-neck and an ebony fretboard with a 12”-16” compound radius.
But enough about the specs – we put an X500 Menace in Steve’s hands to hear how this metal machine sounds in action.
And it doesn’t disappoint, as Stine demos the guitar with clean, crunch, distortion and lead tones dialed in, and then tries out each sound in all three positions (bridge, neck and both pickups).
The results range from rocktastic to metal-rific.
“If you’re looking for an ideal metal-style guitar that won’t break the bank,” Steve says, “this Cort X500 Menace is definitely something to check out.”
For more information, head to Cort Guitars.
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