CORT FLOW-OC

CORT FLOW-OC & GOLD-A6 BOCOTE
98
GUITARIST SEPTEMBER 2022
Big basses, loads of power and good sustain
is the general consensus. There’s even a hint
of similarity in tonal response to African
blackwood – another highly sought after
timber, revered for its tonal fingerprint.
The bocote has been paired with a
torrefied Sitka spruce top, labelled by Cort
as ‘Aged To Vintage’ (or ATV if acronyms
are your thing). We’re very familiar with the
effects that heat treatment can bring to the
sound picture of acoustic guitars, advancing
as it does the opening-up period to produce
a more played-in tone.
The top has also been treated with a very
thin UV finish, which allows the wood to
breathe and vibrate more freely. Obviously
a lot of thought has gone into producing a
guitar with great tonal potential here and
we’re looking forward to hearing it sing.
Meanwhile, the rest of the construction
details are a mahogany neck – again
reinforced by strips of walnut inside –
an ebony ’board with rolled edges and a
C-neck profile, symmetrical this time.
4. Another touch of
elegance is the OC’s
gold-coloured tuners
with ebony buttons
5. The Flow-OC’s bridge
has a compensated Tusq
saddle and ebony pins
6. The Gold-A6 Bocote’s
pickup system is a
Fishman Flex Blend with
upper bout mounted
controls and a handy
built-in tuner
where a fretboard’s camber changes
between the lower and upper parts of the
’board to facilitate easier bending. Only
here, we’re talking about the other side
of the neck. Science aside, we’ll see what
difference this makes when we get a little
more hands-on with the guitar, a bit later.
There’s an ebony fretboard with hand-
rolled edges – another feature that gives
the fretting hand a more comfortable ride
and makes the fretboard feel like it’s already
seen some action. Ebony is used for the
Flow-OC’s bridge, string pins and tuning
buttons, while maple and walnut make up
the subtle rosette.
Walnut makes another cameo appearance
as part of the neck reinforcement. Invisible
to the eye, two strips of the wood lay either
side of the truss rod. Another nice detail.
Turning to the OC’s partner in crime, the
Auditorium-shaped Gold-A6 is another
good looker. One feature that hits us
immediately is the highly figured back
and sides – unusual at the instrument’s
sub-£1k price ticket. The choice of timber
is off the beaten path, too, as this is bocote,
a wood found in Central America and
North Amazon and from the same family as
ziricote. Its use as a timber in guitar-making
is relatively new, and a little bit of research
on our part reveals bocote has a tap tone
similar to rosewood and shares some of the
tonal characteristics with that wood, too.
An ebony fretboard
with hand-rolled
edges makes it feel
like it’s already
seen some action
VIDEO DEMO http://bit.ly/guitaristextra
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THE RIVALS
If your budget is around the £1k mark for
an electro-acoustic, then the field is pretty
much wide open, although you’re unlikely
to find all-solid wood construction from
the premier league hereabouts. Cort’s own
acoustic range, which is fairly expensive in
its own right, ought to be your first stopping
point, as we’ve seen enough product coming
from that direction where the build quality
is nothing short of superb.
Alternatives would include Eastman,
whose E2OM comes with a cedar top and
sapele back and sides and retails at £599
without electronics – the cost of installing
a pickup would probably bring it up to the
same price as the Flow-OC reviewed here.
The company has a range of Auditorium
models, too, like the AC308CE, which
combines spruce and mahogany plus an
LR Baggs Element pickup for £1,019.
Furch’s website is always worth
scrutinising, with its Blue OM CM offering the
cedar mahogany combo at £899, but, again,
a pickup would be extra. Guild, Takamine,
Auden and Yamaha are also websites worth
investigating as a multitude of wood and
body-shape options exist here.
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