Cort spices up the SFX Series with a new all-Myrtlewood electro-acoustic
With torrefied solid tops and Fishman electronics the SFX-Myrtlewood is an eye-catching option for gigging songwriters
Cort Guitars has unveiled a new all-myrtlewood acoustic guitar to its SFX Series. The SFX-Myrtlewood has a solid-wood top, a Fishman Presys II/Sonitone pickup and preamp, and a slim arched-back body with a Venetian cutaway.
The SFX Series has a few exotic builds, with materials such as ash burl and dao used for its soundboard, and Myrtlewood is definitely of a piece with this thinking. For a start, no two pieces will look alike.
Native to Oregon, myrtlewood – sometimes called California Bay Laurel or Pepperwood – has a tone not unlike maple, with a similar clarity in the upper registers, but it is easier to work with. It is also a sustainable option, most notably used on Breedlove's Jeff Bridges Signature Oregon Concerto Bourbon CE.
As with the other models in the series, the SFX-Myrtlewood has a slim 83mm body depth with a subtly arched back to help add a bit more oomph in the low end.
The neck is carved in a soft V profile, and seats an ovangkol fingerboard with 20 frets. The scale length is 25.3", the bridge ovangkol.
A special UV finish is applied to the guitars to enhance tone, though the wood treatment that will be doing all the heavy lifting tone-wise is Cort's ATV (Aged To Vintage) process, which treats the top to a torrefaction process so the guitar resonates like an older acoustic.
There are no prices on the SFX-Myrtlewood as yet, but the SFX-Dao retails for £215 street so we would imagine these would be in the same £300 or less price bracket. The SFX-Myrtlewood is offered in Natural Gloss and Brown Gloss.
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See Cort Guitars for more details.
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Jonathan Horsley has been writing about guitars and guitar culture since 2005, playing them since 1990, and regularly contributes to MusicRadar, Total Guitar and Guitar World. He uses Jazz III nylon picks, 10s during the week, 9s at the weekend, and shamefully still struggles with rhythm figure one of Van Halen’s Panama.
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