Cort MR710F-NS — Natural Satin Dreadnought-Cutaway Electro-Acoustic

The MR710F-NS crowns Cort’s Modern-Revival series with a fully solid tone-wood chassis: Sitka spruce up top, African mahogany at the back and rims, all sheathed in a micro-thin natural satin that favours resonance above reflective dazzle. Forward-shifted scalloped X-bracing, a Venetian cutaway and Fishman’s Presys electronics conspire to create an instrument that roars un-amplified, yet translates faithfully through a DI box. The following long-form examination (~3 000 words, headings included) unpacks every design choice—heritage, tone-wood chemistry, bracing arithmetic, ergonomic nuance, amplification pathway, eco stance and upkeep strategy—then compresses the facts into a clean white–gray spec table.

1 | Purpose and Pedigree — “Modern-Revival” at its Peak

When Cort debuted the MR line in 1999, the remit was clear: re-engineer the vintage dreadnought for the realities of contemporary working musicians. Neck stability, serviceable electronics and weight-saving finishes took priority over abalone swagger. The 700-tier raised that bar further by upgrading laminate back & sides to book-matched solid mahogany, replacing Cort’s in-house preamp with a Fishman Presys platform and refining fretwork under CNC-guided crowning. “NS” flags the stealthy Natural Satin top-coat—less glare, less weight, more tone.

2 | Body Geometry — Dreadnought Muscle with Cutaway Flex

With a 16″ (406 mm) lower bout, 12″ waist and 5″ tail depth, the MR710F-NS preserves traditional dread headroom. A softly radiused Venetian cutaway (≈3″) sculpts the treble-side shoulder, allowing the fretting thumb to cross under at fret 17 for bluegrass breakaways or gospel chord-melody climbs. The tapered waist pulls the box close to the torso, easing right-arm reach during two-hour worship sets.

3 | Tone-Wood Matrix — Fully Solid Sitka × Mahogany

Top. AAA Sitka spruce billets air-seasoned nine months, kiln equalised to 8 % moisture, thickness-sanded to 2.7 mm centre / 2.5 mm edge. Sitka’s high elastic modulus grants both whisper sensitivity and headroom for aggressive flat-picking.
Back & Sides. Book-matched Khaya mahogany (solid) supplies dry, punchy mids and tight bass that keep the dread bloom controlled. Quarter-sawn orientation minimises cross-grain movement, extending seam life in touring climates.
Neck. One-piece mahogany with dual-action rod and slim-C carve; volute-free for smooth low-position slides.
Fingerboard & Bridge. Rosewood (or ovangkol in CITES-constrained batches) finished in penetrating oil—never pore-filled—so micro-vibrations pass unimpeded.

4 | Bracing Physics — Forward-Shifted Scalloped X

Cort parks the spruce X intersection 5 mm north of the sound-hole, enlarging the lower-bout diaphragm for stronger low fundamentals. Main brace crests measure 3 mm, scalloped to 1.8 mm tips; two tone bars flank the maple bridge-plate to harness the string torque. Tap-tone maps reveal a fundamental F ♯, overtones stacking linearly to high C ♯, providing evenly voiced resonance that records without EQ “wolf note” hunting.

5 | Finish Logic — 90 µm Natural Satin

High-build gloss coats can weigh 180 µm, adding 120 g of surface mass. Here, only a water-borne pore sealer and a UV-cured satin urethane are applied, totalling ~90 µm. Result: quicker attack, 2–3 dB louder perceived volume, and zero mirror glare under LED cans or webcam ring-lights.

Specifications