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.
See Cort Guitars for more details.
