Head to head
Cort Gold-A8 vs Taylor 217e-BLK Plus
The verdict
The Cort Gold-A8 comes out ahead overall — 69 to 61 on our estimated score.
Estimated from specs & owner reviews — a starting point, not a substitute for playing both.
Cort Gold-A8 wins on
- Better build (67 vs 61)
- Better playability (72 vs 64)
- Better sound (68 vs 60)
- Better value (69 vs 59)
Taylor 217e-BLK Plus wins on
No standout advantage.
Scorecard
| Metric | Gold-A8 | 217e-BLK Plus |
|---|---|---|
| Overall | 69 | 61 |
| Build | 67 | 61 |
| Playability | 72 | 64 |
| Sound | 68 | 60 |
| Value | 69 | 59 |
Full specifications
| Spec | Gold-A8 | 217e-BLK Plus |
|---|---|---|
| Brand | Cort | Taylor |
| Type | Acoustic-Electric | Acoustic-Electric |
| Years | — | — |
| Country | — | — |
| Body wood | Solid Pau Ferro | Big Leaf Maple |
| Neck wood | Walnut Reinforced Mahogany | Hard Rock Maple |
| Fretboard | Ebony | West African Crelicam Ebony |
| Strings | 8 | 6 |
| Frets | 20 | — |
| Scale | 25.51" | 25.5" |
| Pickups | Fishman® Flex Blend | Expression System® 2 |
| Rating | — | — |
| Price | — | $1,499 |
| Back Sides Material | Solid Pau Ferro | — |
| Back Strip Material | Wooden ‘ZIGZAG' Pattern | — |
| Bevel Cut | N/A | — |
| Body Binding Material | White ABS | — |
| Body Finish | Gloss | — |
| Body Purfling Material | Black & White ABS | — |
| Body shape | Grand Auditorium | Grand Pacific |
| Bracing Material | Spruce | — |
| Bracing Pattern | Hand Scalloped X-Bracing | — |
| Bridge Material | Ebony | — |
| Bridge Pin Material | Ebony with White Dot | — |
| Bridge String Spacing | 54.1mm | — |
| Case | Cort Premium Gigbag | — |
| Colors | Light Burst Gloss (LB) Natural Gloss (NAT) | — |
| Construction | Dovetail Neck Joint at 14Fret | — |
| Controls | Fishman® Flex Blend | Expression System® 2 |
| Cutaway Style | Venetian | — |
| Endpiece Material | Black & White ABS | — |
| Fingerboard Binding Material | White ABS | — |
| Fingerboard Inlay Material | Abalone, Mother-of-Pearl | — |
| Fingerboard Purfling Material | Black ABS | — |
| Fretboard radius | 15.75″ (R400) | — |
| Fret Type | 2.4mm Width with Edge Treatment | — |
| Head Back Plate Material | N/A | — |
| Head Binding Material | White ABS | — |
| Headplate Finish | Gloss | — |
| Headplate Inlay Material | Abalone, Mother-of-Pearl | — |
| Headplate Logo Material | Mother-of-Pearl | — |
| Headplate Logo Style | Gold Logo Style | — |
| Headplate Material | Black ABS | — |
| Head Purfling Material | Black ABS | — |
| Headstock Shape | Gold Head Shape | — |
| Head Volute | Round Volute | — |
| Inlay | Gold Custom Inlay | — |
| Label | Paper Label | — |
| Neck Finish | Satin | Gloss |
| Neck Heel Cap | Walnut | — |
| Neck Heel Shape | Triangle Heel Shape | — |
| Neck profile | Comfort C Shape | Standard Carve |
| Neck Thickness | 1st Fret: 21.5mm / 8th Fret: 22.0mm | — |
| Nut | Genuine Bone | — |
| Nut width | 1 3/4″ (44.5mm) | 1-11/16" |
| Pickguard | Tortoise | Black |
| Rosette | Abalone with ABS Multi Ring | Faux Pearl Single Ring |
| Saddle | Genuine Bone | — |
| Scale length | 25.5″ (648mm) | 25-1/2" |
| Side Position Mark | Dot | — |
| Sound Port Hole | 100mm | — |
| Top Material | Torrefied Solid Sitka Spruce | — |
| Truss rod | Dual Acting / 4mm Wrench | — |
| Tuners | Deluxe Vintage Gold | Taylor Satin Black with Satin Black Buttons |
| Armrest | — | None |
| Back And Sides | — | Big Leaf Maple |
| Back Configuration | — | Layered, 2-Piece |
| Back Side Finish | — | Gloss |
| Body Binding | — | White |
| Bracing System | — | C-Class Bracing |
| Bridge | — | West African Crelicam Ebony |
| Bridge Pins | — | Black ABS Plastic |
| End Pin | — | Black |
| Finish | — | Black |
| Fretboard Binding | — | None |
| Fretboard inlay | — | Faux Pearl 4mm Dots |
| Nut Saddle | — | White NuBone Nut, White Micarta Saddle |
| Orientation | — | Right Handed |
| Peghead Binding | — | None |
| Peghead Finish | — | Gloss |
| Peghead Inlay | — | None |
| Peghead Type | — | Paddle |
| Peghead Veneer Wood | — | West African Crelicam Ebony |
| Strap Pin | — | Black |
| Top Finish | — | Gloss |
| Top wood | — | Torrefied Spruce |