Cordoba C5-CE Acoustic Electric Classical Guitar Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Before putting this Cordoba guitar on my birthday list (and then managing to "bribe" my wife to make it an early birthday present), I did a significant amount of research on acoustic and acoustic-electric classical instruments with a retail price of $400 or less. Consulting "all the usual suspects" in the world of on-line guitar sales, I concluded that this was the instrument. We first made a stop at a, shall we say, large guitar-focused nationwide chain store within easy driving distance of our house to try instruments. The Cordoba easily held its own or out-and-out outshone others in the price category and even a couple that were more expensive. Since the retailer had only the demo instrument available (having sold out of the boxed Cordoba C5-CEs), my wife bought the floor model at a discount. Otherwise, my research suggests that buying this instrument on-line or in a box at a retailer would likely be safe. Keeping in mind that this was a demonstrator, my Cordoba doesn't have the greatest finish: there are some extremely minor nicks, the finish around the bridge is not perfect, a couple of frets are not dressed as well as they could be, and so on (all minor quibbles). However, the tone is quite nice, the intonation is spot on, and the tone is as good as nice, beautiful, and consistent as some of the classical guitars my institution owns (I'm a university music prof--guitar is not my main instrument, though), and those are purely acoustic instruments in this price range or even more expensive. The electronics are OK, but not exceptional. My biggest disappointment is weak bass response amplified; however, it is worth noting that the three nylon strings are significantly stronger through the pre-amp than the wound strings. So, perhaps the issue has more to do with the nature of classical guitar string sets than with the Cordoba C5-CE's electronics. I have found that using my bass amp (as opposed to a guitar amp) makes it much easier to balance the Cordoba throughout its range. Although it always is best to try instruments before purchasing them, I feel confident that this guitar could potentially be bought sight unseen with good results.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Cordoba C5-CE Acoustic Electric Classical Guitar