Review: The Cort Modern Black—A Contemporary Guitar Blending Bold Looks with Great Playability and Sound

With a soundhole-less top sleekly finished in its eponymous color, the Cort Modern Black makes a visual statement right out of the case. Offset by the rich browns of the walnut binding and the contrasting fretboard colors, the guitar has an after-hours look that’s elegant but informal—think turtleneck and sports jacket for a literary afterparty. Even the bronze finish of the strings fits the color scheme like a well-chosen accessory.

While the Modern Black has plenty to catch the eye, it’s not just a looker. From the body shape to the neck profile, the pair of soundports on the side, and the onboard Fishman electronics, the instrument takes a conceptual approach to guitar design that somehow balances the radical with the comfortable and practical.

Shapes of Things

With its Modern Concert single-cutaway body shape, the Cort is designed for comfort. The rounded edge of the lower bout reminds me of a less extreme version of the kind of slope you’d find on a Stratocaster. The sloping Venetian cutaway offers ample access to the upper frets, and the offset neck profile is ergonomic.

Despite the radical look, the body materials are traditional. The top is made from master-grade European spruce, and the back and sides are crafted from mahogany. The sonically enhanced UV finish covering the top is just translucent enough to let the spruce’s grain show through. Depending on the light, this creates a bit of a shimmering effect. More importantly, the finish doesn’t overwhelm the wood, likely contributing to the guitar’s lively tone—more on that in a bit.

Made of walnut-reinforced mahogany, the neck joins the body with a dovetail joint at the 14th fret. The 20-fret ebony fingerboard has wooden block inlays that provide visual reference while maintaining the Modern Black’s late-night vibe. A dark ebony headstock, complemented by gold-finished Gotoh tuners and a walnut Cort logo inlay, completes the elegant picture.

If the front-on view is non-traditional, it’s even more so from the playing position, where the guitar’s two soundports—one on the upper bout, the other on the lower—dominate your eyeline. You can really see inside the guitar in a way I’ve never experienced with an intact instrument. The view is almost surgical. And of course, the soundports—which are visible only to the player when the Modern Black is in action—aren’t there for their appearance but to project the sound.

The Hole Idea

Putting holes on the side of a guitar isn’t a new idea, but it remains rare. Removing the traditional soundhole strengthens that part of the instrument, in theory giving it enhanced forward projection and a different sonic picture than a traditional flattop design.

Is it better? Not necessarily. But it definitely made me think about my playing a little differently. Cort says one advantage is that you hear yourself even when playing quietly; I don’t know that I agree with that, but the soundports do give you a wider picture of the sonic spectrum, especially the bass and low midrange. Harmonics really jump off the guitar.

Overall, the Modern Black offers a round and warm tone with a rich midrange that connects nicely to the upper and lower registers. The bass is strong, especially for a guitar of this size, but it never gets boomy. The top end is not sharp or cutting; it’s almost like a nylon- string but with the attack and sustain of a steel-string.

If you tend to bash the guitar, having the ports aimed at your head will definitely get your attention. Strumming, I found myself dialing back a little more, which was good when I was playing and singing. On single-note melodies, the overtones were rich and vibrant, lingering in a pleasing way after I moved to the next note.

Personally, the overall feel and sound of the Modern Black tended to lead me to play with bare fingers, but the big-sound-small-box vibe also worked well with a flatpick. Jazz and blues solos sounded good with both fingers and a pick—rich and full-bodied, though not sharply cutting.

I was most impressed with the balance across the strings on arpeggios and chords, and I especially liked playing around with chord voicings. The good intonation made tight triads ring well, while the cohesive tonal spectrum caused wider intervals to sound unified.

Modern Conveniences

The Modern Black is a very playable guitar. With a 25.5-inch scale, 1.75-inch nut width, and 15.75-inch radius, the fretboard feels familiar and traditional, with plenty of space for chording. However, the back of the neck breaks tradition with an asymmetrical shape that changes as you move higher—a subtle change I might not even have noticed unless I knew it was there.

What I mostly noticed was that the guitar felt easy to navigate, especially welcome since I’m suffering from a ligament issue that makes it harder to crunch my fingers together for tight chords. After playing a bunch of instruments with thin, almost electric necks, I welcomed the fullness of the Cort’s profile, which I found less fatiguing. The fretboard’s rounded edges were also very comfortable, as was the low, buzz-free action. Everything comes together to make the Cort exceptionally player-friendly.

Plugged In

The Modern Black features a Fishman Matrix Infinity VT pickup and preamp system with volume and tone controls tucked away inside the upper soundhole. I found it interesting to see the wiring through the side port. You actually have to reach into the lower soundhole to get to the battery compartment, which is up by the neck joint.

The Fishman performed well for an undersaddle pickup and did a very good job of capturing the Modern Black’s strong bass. It was especially impressive on a percussive but slow fingerstyle composition with a droning low E string, where the Cort’s strong low-end sustain brought out the potential of the piece in a way I didn’t expect. The plugged-in sound was strong on more traditional fingerstyle and strummed material, too.

The Bottom Line

Cort’s Modern Black is an unconventional yet practical guitar that cuts a striking figure. For an instrument listed at $1,499 with a hardshell case, the build quality is exceptional. Positioning the soundholes on the side gives it a unique voice and offers a different perspective to the player that can make you think differently about your sound, attack, and chord voicings. Add a very comfortable neck and a compact body that sounds bigger than it is, and the Modern Black is very appealing indeed.

Specs

BODY Modern Concert shape; Venetian cutaway; solid European spruce spruce top with scalloped X- bracing; solid mahogany back and sides; dual side soundports; ebony bridge with black Tusq saddle; walnut binding; gloss UV finish

NECK 25.5″-scale walnut-reinforced mahogany neck; dual-action truss rod; ebony fretboard; wooden block inlays; 15.75″ radius; 20 frets; 1-3/4″ black Tusq nut; gold Gotoh 510 tuners; satin finish

OTHER Fishman Matrix Infinity VT electronics; Elixir Phosphor Bronze Nanoweb light strings (.012–.053); hardshell case

MADE IN China

PRICE $1,499 street

cortguitars.com

This article originally appeared in the March/April 2025 issue of Acoustic Guitar magazine.