Cort Gold Series D6 Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar

Cort Gold Series D6 Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar

When you're going for the gold, but don't have much gold

by Chris Loeffler

Earlier this year, Cort announced a special torrefaction process they were applying to soundboards in their new Gold series of acoustic guitars that would give new guitars the open tone of a decades old, well-worn acoustic. Called “Aged to Vintage,” the solid Sitka spruce tops of the Gold series are kilned to replicate the humidity fluctuations and vibrations of consistent regular use. After this process is complete, they apply a proprietary extra-thin UV coating for a protective but minimally constricting finish. The Cort Gold Series currently consists of a D6 Dreadnought-style body and an O6 Orchestra-style body.

What You Need to Know

The Cort Gold D6 Dreadnought acoustic guitar I received for review was precisely set-up, well balanced, and came in an extra-padded gig case. The 25.3 inch scale guitar features a solid Sitka spruce top and solid mahogany back and sides, with hand-scalloped X-bracing. The Mahogany neck has a rosewood fingerboard, genuine bone nut, and features deluxe gold tuning pegs on the headstock. The saddle too is genuine bone with rosewood and ebony pins, and the guitar is tied together with triple-ply ply purfling. The Doublelock neck joint in the Cort Gold D6 enhances tone and resonance transfer by using both a traditional dovetail neck joint and a reinforcing bolt for maximum material contact and stability. Visually, the guitar is classic looking and understated.

The Gold D6 felt equally comfortable sitting or standing, and the neck in particular has a pleasing profile, with a rounded fingerboard edge that adds to the feeling the guitar has been well played.

Sonically, the first strum revealed that something truly different was happening with the soundboard. Even the most elegantly designed and tonefully appointed acoustic guitars tend to have a pinched tightness to their acoustic sound that gradually opens up and mellows over time (sometimes days, sometimes months), but the Cort Gold D6 has an unnaturally open sound right out of the gig bag. The tone itself is classic Dreadnought, with enough bass to fill the entire sonic space for a solo performance without getting boomy, the highs are crisp, if somewhat subdued, and there is a strong, sweet midrange that gives extra articulation to arpeggios without turning to mud with heavy strumming.

Limitations

In two cases, I found the attention to detail in construction to be not to par with the rest of the instrument quality. While the Gold D6 feels and sounds fantastic, I noticed unmasked filling material at the nut and the smallest amount of corrective glue on the internal bracing upon an extra-close inspection. Given the price point and the fact that these are barely noticeable cosmetic things that don’t impact the tone or durability of the guitar, these aren’t big deals, but it speaks to how well the guitar looks, feels, and plays that they even caught my attention.

Conclusion

The $400-$600 price-point is a pretty crowded one in the acoustic guitar market, and it’s hard to stand out in a sea of imported acoustic with established brand names, but I believe the Cort Gold D6 Dreadnought will be a big seller at guitar stores, where players are able to actually play (and buy) with their ears - not their eyes. The Aged to Vintage process is the real deal, and the Gold D6 takes a decade’s worth of break-in out of the equation for an instantly open- and warm-sounding acoustic guitar.  HC- 

Resources

Cort Gold Series D6 Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar Product Page 

Buy Cort Gold Series D6 Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar (Street $499.99)  @ Musician's Friend ,  Reverb, Guitar Center

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Chris Loeffler is a multi-instrumentalist and the Content Strategist of Harmony Central. In addition to his ten years experience as an online guitar merchandiser, marketing strategist, and community director he has worked as an international exporter, website consultant and brand manager. When he’s not working he can be found playing music, geeking out on guitar pedals and amps, and brewing tasty beer.