Cort Earth Grand Op vs Earth 70e

[yanlong94]

Hey guys, I'm going to get my first acoustic guitar. I've done some research and I have bare down to this two guitars. I'm currently in a dilemma of choosing either guitar (Cort Earth Grand Op vs Earth 70e) and needs help from you guys!

Also if you have any other suggestion of getting a better/worth/better-value .etc, feel free to drop a comment!

Cort Earth Grand Op
Top: Solid Spruce
Fingerboard: Rosewood
Back and Sides: Mahogany
Neck: Mahogany
Finish: Natural Satin

Cort Earth 70e
* CONSTRUCTION: Dovetail Neck Joint
* BODY: Dreadnaught - Solid Spruce Top/Mahogany Back and Sides
* NECK: Mahogany, "C" Shape
* BINDING: Ivory
* FRETBOARD: Rosewood
* CUTAWAY: n/a
* SCALE: 25.3" (643mm)
* INLAY: White Dot
* BRIDGE: Rosewood/Scooped
* TUNERS: Die-cast Nickel with Black Knobs
* ELECTRONICS: Fishman Isys - Sonicore P/U
* ROSETTE: Multiple B/W
* STRINGS: D'Addario USA
* BRACING: Advanced Scalloped X-Bracing

Also, price of either guitars are really close. What I do not understand is one of them has got pickup system while the other has none. Based on my knowledge, I thought those with pickup system will cost more than those without any? Especially both of their specification are similar (or maybe not? Help me.).

Anyhow, the Cort Earth Grand Op has more of the acoustic sound while the Cort Earth 70e has more of the normal dreadnought 'bassy' sound.

 

[lemonade93]

Why narrow to these 2? Have you considered Maestro? Custom? Swing?

 

[yanlong94]

I don't really like custom acoustic lol. It seems like an unlicensed brand ( sorry no offence to those C.acoustic fans :|). Maestro yes, but it's laminated and i wonder why is it so expensive where I can get a solid top around the same price or even lesser. Swing seems nice, but I don't know any shop that sell Swing guitar. Also, my budget is around $300 + -.

Thanks for your response yea

 

[lemonade93]

Well, there are alot of brands you can check out. J&D, Walden, Takamine which i'm not too hot about but its an option, Swings can be bought at Standard Value

 

[yanlong94]

Well, there are alot of brands you can check out. J&D, Walden, Takamine which i'm not too hot about but its an option, Swings can be bought at Standard Value

i might be going down to excelsior or pennisular or both, or are they the same? lolol. Anyway I know a lot shops are not opening today. But I only know 3 today which the earliest is 5.30pm. must be quick!

 

[EugeneSmasher]

The electronics are good to have... Best to have it and not need it, then need it and not have it. And temporary pickups such as soundhole pickups are more trouble than they are worth. So I'd personally go for the Cort Earth 70E. I also think it looks a bit better (Grand Op looks a bit bare) and I've personally tried it before. Good sound. And I'm using an Isys pickup system on my J&D and it sounds really decent for a cheap pickup.

Word of advice, though, take out the battery if you won't be using the electronics for some time. Same applies to other devices that use batteries. Helps the device last longer.

 

[EugeneSmasher]

Not a big fan of Maestros... All the Maestros I have tried had some problem (I've come across a Maestro ED-2 that sounded off-tune no matter how its tuned) and it didn't sound nice, anyway. A lower-end Maestro sounded good but had dried glue all over. So Maestro gets a no from me, unfortunately. I'm sure they have good pieces but so far I've come across the lemons... Inconsistent quality.

Walden and Takamine are good, J&D is like Maestro, quality can be inconsistent. Not sure about Swings, but heard good stuff about them.