Cort KX500 Electric Guitar, Pale Moon Ebony Top, Duncan Pickups, Black Burst

Cort's KX500 pairs boutique looks with serious metal hardware: a Pale Moon ebony top whose dramatic grain makes each guitar one-of-a-kind, under a Natural Black Burst, and a Seymour Duncan Sentient/Nazgûl pickup set — the passive pair built for tight, high-gain riffing that still cleans up on the neck. The five-ply roasted maple and walnut neck with an ebony board is as stable and fast as necks get at this price.

• Pale Moon ebony top
• Duncan Sentient/Nazgûl
• Roasted 5-ply neck
• Natural Black Burst