Review of the Cort Earth 70 Acoustic Guitar

11 Sep 2008

"Classic goods looks in a low-mid priced instrument."

Features of the Cort Earth 70  

Tuners - Sealed unbranded mini-tuners with large knobs. These pulled the Cort into tune without fuss.

Headstock - Classic, no-nonsense paddle shape with the Cort logo in silver.

Nut - Antiqued white plastic nut abuts the fretboard, all nicely finished.

Neck - Comfortably slim neck which sits well in the hand. The grain of the mahogany is very attractive and matches well with the back and sides of the body. A little sticker on the body proclaims that the neck is secured by a dovetail joint. The trussrod is accessible through the soundhole. 

Fretboard - Very close-grained medium brown rosewood with pearloid dot markers. There's no marker on the third fret and unusually this position marker is also missing from the topside of the neck. 

Frets - Traditionally thin frets provide an authentic playing feel with positive string fretting. 

Action - Decent out of the box, but Cort do provide a spare bridge saddle so you can experiment with a lower action if you desire.

Body - The sitka spruce top gives the guitar a Swedish Blonde look that contrasts beautifully with the mahogany back and sides and is enhanced by the white pinstriped binding. The low gloss finish adds a touch of class and the rosette is understated concentric pinstripes.

Bridge - The simple, unfussy rosewood bridge supports a plastic saddle which is compensated at the second string. Traditional bridge pins secure the ball-ends of the strings.

Pickguard - Single-ply mock-turtle-shell in a traditional tear-drop design.

Strap-buttons - One plastic strap-button on the bottom of the body.

Finish - There's nothing too complex to get right here, so the finish is near flawless - a big plus for a Chinese-made instrument in this price bracket.

Accessories - Spare bridge saddle and spare bridge-pin included.

Sound of the Cort Earth

A quick bash through the Johnny Cash version of "Personal Jesus" revealed a nice woody depth to the Cort that is tight and easy to control. When strummed, the balance across the strings is good and a new set of strings increased the top end sparkle.  

Overall Impressions of the Cort Earth

At this price-point the Cort is probably defined as an intermediate guitar. I clearly see it as an "around the house" instrument for the casual player or as a song-writing tool for the electric player. And if you are a beginner and want to spend that bit more to get above the beginner's bracket, the Cort will reward you handsomely for your investment.

Reviewed by The Man in the Jar