Head to head
Cort CJ Retro vs Yamaha L Series
The verdict
The Yamaha L Series comes out ahead overall — 76 to 64 on our estimated score.
Estimated from specs & owner reviews — a starting point, not a substitute for playing both.
Cort CJ Retro wins on
- Better playability (72 vs 64)
Yamaha L Series wins on
- Better build (93 vs 58)
- Better sound (68 vs 63)
- Better value (75 vs 64)
Scorecard
| Metric | CJ Retro | L Series |
|---|---|---|
| Overall | 64 | 76 |
| Build | 58 | 93 |
| Playability | 72 | 64 |
| Sound | 63 | 68 |
| Value | 64 | 75 |
Full specifications
| Spec | CJ Retro | L Series |
|---|---|---|
| Brand | Cort | Yamaha |
| Type | Acoustic-Electric | Acoustic-Electric |
| Years | — | — |
| Country | — | JP |
| Body wood | Mahogany | Solid Indian Rosewood |
| Neck wood | Mahogany | Mahogany + Rosewood (5-Ply) |
| Fretboard | Laurel | Ebony |
| Strings | 6 | 6 |
| Frets | 20 | — |
| Scale | 25.51" | 25.59" |
| Pickups | Fishman® Neo-D Humbucker | None |
| Rating | — | — |
| Price | — | — |
| Back Sides Material | Mahogany | — |
| Binding | White | — |
| Body shape | Jumbo | Round-Shoulder Dreadnought Style |
| Bracing Pattern | Advanced X-Bracing | — |
| Bridge Material | Laurel | Ebony |
| Bridge Pin Material | Aged White with Black Dot | — |
| Case | N/A | Hardshell Case |
| Colors | Vintage Sunburst Matte (VSM) | — |
| Construction | Dovetail Neck Joint | — |
| Controls | Fishman® VTB EQ | None |
| Fretboard radius | 15.75” (R400) | R400 mm (15 3/4") |
| Head Shape | Cort Basic | — |
| Inlay | Dual Rectangular | — |
| Label | N/A | — |
| Neck Heel Shape | Triangle Heel Shape | — |
| Neck profile | C Shape | — |
| Neck Thickness | 1st Fret: 21.0mm / 7th Fret: 22.5mm | — |
| Nut Saddle | Graphtech Nubone | — |
| Nut width | 1 11/16″ (43mm) | 44 mm (1 3/4") |
| Pickguard | White | Tortoise Pattern |
| Rosette | ABS | — |
| Scale length | 25.5″ (648mm) | 650 mm (25 9/16") |
| Sound Hole | 100mm | — |
| Top Material | Spruce | Solid Engelmann Spruce A.R.E. |
| Truss rod | Dual Acting / 4mm Wrench | — |
| Tuners | Open Gear Nickel | Die-Cast Gold (TM67G-Y22) |
| Accessories | — | Hex Wrench |
| Back Material | — | Solid Indian Rosewood |
| Body Binding | — | Abalone + Maple + Stained Wood |
| Body Depth | — | 100-125 mm (3 15/16" - 4 15/16") |
| Body Finish | — | Gloss (Nitrocellulose Lacquer) |
| Body Length | — | 513 mm (20 3/16") |
| Body Width | — | 415 mm (16 5/16") |
| Bridge Pins | — | Black ABS with White Dot |
| Connections | — | None |
| Neck Finish | — | Matte |
| Nut | — | Bone |
| Saddle Material | — | Bone |
| Side Material | — | Solid Indian Rosewood |
| Sound Hole Inlay | — | Abalone + Wood |
| String Spacing | — | 11 mm |
| Total Length | — | 1046 mm (41 3/16") |