There’s a particular area of interest for gamers who need an upscale look and premium options, with out breaking the financial institution. Cort is on the case with its KX500 Pale Moon, a superstrat with an uncommon (and somewhat swank) ebony prime paired with different tone instruments.

The superstrat, that wondrous invention of the Nineteen Eighties, took the double-cut Leo form and tricked it out with humbuckers and the quickest necks potential. The KX500 catches the attention with its Pale Moon end, a smokey darkish burst with a matte lacquer and heavy grain figuring. Extra curiously, it’s an ebony veneer, which is never used for solidbody tops, whereas the remainder of the physique is mahogany. Utilizing a contoured heel, the bolt-on neck (25.5″ scale) is a five-piece laminate of roasted maple and walnut topped with a Maccassar ebony fretboard. Amongst its perks are 24 stainless-steel frets, a flat radius of 15.75″, teardrop inlays, black Graph Tech nut, and aspect inlays that glow at midnight onstage or in your basement jamatorium.

For electronics, the Pale Moon has a time-honored Gibson array with two humbuckers and a three-way selector. Cort loaded the KX500 with a set of Seymour Duncan Sentient and Nazgûl humbuckers, and no superfluous coil-tapping – simply passive, high-output ’bucker tone. Grasp Quantity and Tone knobs hold issues easy.

Cranked up, the Pale Moon naturally gravitates in the direction of heavier rock, from the classics and Satch/Vai/Petrucci shred, to all method of Twenty first-century crunchdom.

In hand, the Pale Moon is a quick-necked beastie, with that nearly-flat fretboard and low-action setup. No shock, the roasted neck has the shallower D form that speedsters favor, providing ample efficiency for high-tech selecting and riffing. Locking Cort tuners and hardtail bridge guarantee dependable tuning. Granted, the KX500 isn’t a Telecaster and sure received’t discover a house with nation and blues twangers, but when your jam is Metallica, Dream Theater, or Porcupine Tree, this ebony-topped plank delivers the products within the under-a-grand bracket. Deliver your personal saturated-gain pedal of selection. – Pete Prown

This text initially appeared in VG’s January 2026 subject. All copyrights are by the creator and Classic Guitar journal. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.