CORT GOLD A8 | REVIEW

Cort Gold A8

MSRP: (UK) £899 / (US) $TBC

The hallmark of Cort's Gold series is the Aged to Vintage (ATV) treatment that allows the Grade A+ solid Sitka spruce top to cure and open up more over time. ATV acts as a torrefaction process, giving the Gold A8 a big, open tone that's bright yet natural with a strong and warm midrange that's reinforced by the solid Pau Ferro back and sides. Here's Sam Bell to tell us more.

The Gold A8 is part of Cort's 'Gold' Series; these are a range of guitars that uses an 'Aged to Vintage' treatment that cures the Sitka spruce tops to deliver the fullest and open tone of a vintage guitar, from a brand-new guitar! Cort is well known for creating high-quality instruments at an affordable price point for what you get.  

Straight out the case, the guitar was perfectly in tune after having endured a UK carrier service and the changeable UK weather. The first strum of an E chord removed any doubt that this would be a tricky review; however, the resonance filled the room, and a smile crossed my face. The guitar plays like butter and smells amazing. You can check out the video review for demonstrations of the sound, of course, but as promised in the video, I'll use this write up to go into a little bit more detail about the key features of this amazing guitar.

The Auditorium Cutaway body features a Solid Sitka Spruce top and Solid Pau Ferro back and sides wood. According to Cort's website, this is combination leads to a strong construction due to the dense wood grain. However, it also leaves the wood resonant in the mid-range, leading to a low tight end and brilliant clear highs. The body features a UV finish; this is designed to enhance the sound as it's thinner than other finishes. You can further attune the guitars wonderful resonant tone with the built-in 'Fishman Flex Blend' system. This system comes with a built-in tuner, Volume, Tone, Phase and Blend functions.

The neck features an Ebony fretboard, and it looks stunning along with the Gold Custom MOP inlays. The frets have been hand-rolled; this gives a lot of comfort for the fretting hand, with no sharp edges. This is something that is usually featured on very expensive instruments. However, Cort has made this available on this range of guitars. The neck itself features a double lock neck joint, giving a tighter connection between the body and the neck, leading to the best chance to get a full transfer of tone between the two parts of the guitar.

All the extras on this guitar, the ebony bridge pins, the vintage gold tuners, the white binding with triple-ply purfling all add to the stunning aesthetics of this amazing looking instrument. In the video, I had the pleasure of playing the 'Light Burst' finish; however, there is also a 'Natural Gloss' finish as well for different tastes. Both look fantastic. If this isn't enough, the guitar comes with a high-quality soft case so you can chuck it over your shoulder on the way to the gig.

Cort has once again done it again. Brought a stunning looking guitar at a reasonable price to guitarists around the world. Cort may get associated with their great electric solid body guitars, but their acoustics also pack a huge punch and are well worth checking out. The Gold range is really worthconsidering if you're in the market for a high-quality acoustic guitar with amazing tone and playability.

For more information, please visit:

cortguitars.com