Cordoba C10 CD/IN Acoustic Nylon String Classical Guitar

I received my Cordoba C10 today and I was able to spend some time with it. Just wanted to share my experience and opinion assuming it could be helpful to someone who's looking at this guitar as an option. MY BACKGROUND I'm a beginner player, who has been learning classical guitar on-and-off for about 6 years. I have owned a Yamaha C40, a Cort classical guitar, and currently own a Yamaha CG122MSH (bought 2 months ago on Amazon). So, pretty much I've been playing low-end, entry-level guitars. A QUEST TO FIND AN INTERMEDIATE LEVEL GUITAR Before making my decision to buy a Cordoba C10, I spend a lot of time online reading reviews, watching guitar review videos on YouTube, and sometimes playing guitars at the local Guitar Center. My objective was to buy something at $1,000 or below. I researched Cordoba C5/C7/C9/C10, All Alhambra models under $1,000, La Patrie models (especially Collection and Presentation models), and some Kremona models. At Guitar Center, I played a Cordoba C5, a Kremona, and Alhambra 10P (if I'm not mistaken). After all that, I decided to go with Cordoba C10 due to a lot of factors. WHY AMAZON? There were other online shops that had C10 for the same price and free shipping. But no 2-day shipping. Some places had C10 for a few dollars less, but they charged for shipping. SHIPPING & DELIVERY This was one of my worries. I usually take good care of my guitars, but I was not sure the package carries (this came through UPS) would know what this is and take good care. When it arrived, the outer box didn't even have a dent. There was an inner box as well. Once that was opened, the Polyform case was securely packed with a lot of packing paper. It couldn't have been more secure than that. FIRST IMPRESSIONS When the Polyform case was opened, I was absolutely delighted. I immediately felt the new guitar smell. The guitar finish was absolutely brilliant. I checked every corner and surface to find an imperfection and there was none. The build quality was the highest of all guitar that I've played. I also noticed that it was heavier than many other guitars that I've played. Most probably due to the construction and truss rod. The guitar is absolutely quality and beautiful. PLAYABILITY After tuning the guitar, I played a few pieces that I've been practicing for the last few days. The playability is comparatively much better compared to my Yamaha. The left hand was much more relaxed. It was easy to glide the left hand on the polished neck (Yamaha's body is matte). The tuning pegs were smooth and didn't notice any play or slip or anything. SOUND What a difference! I really felt the difference between my Spruce Yamaha and Cedar C10. While the same piece on Yamaha was more elaborated and clear (especially the highs), C10 gave a nice, balanced, full and warmer sound. Like many reviews have pointed out elsewhere, the strings that come with C10 doesn't really give the highs out (Savarez Corum HT as far as I know). But the bases were fantastic. The sound the guitar produced, even with the strings that comes with it, was great. In the coming many weeks, I'm planning to experiment with some strings that I'm familiar with (and some for the first time) to see what I'd really like. Some have said Savarez Corum bases with La Belle 2001 trebles have given the best results, so that's something I'm looking forward to as well. But at the end of the day, it's everyone's preference and I might end up with something no one has suggested already. NEXT STEPS As suggested by luthiers and guitarists who know what they are talking about, I've already ordered humidifies for both my guitars. I'm planning to keep these in the cases, so the guitars won't get dry due to the low humidity in New England in this time of the year. Planning to buy a bunch of strings, experiment with them (each set for 3-4 weeks) and find what I like the most. Although the Polyform case is more than adequate to house the guitar at home, a hard-shell case might be a really good investment. A hard-shell case may provide a better seal for the humidification than the Polyform case. I'll also update this review, maybe in 6 months to share what's going on.

I play some virtuoso guitar repertoire and this is the best of my 4 classicals. The D'Addario Extended Life Extra Hard Tension strings is a good match for this guitar. It affords excellent sustain with some loss of clarity but finding the perfect tone for the perfect song is the holy grail isn't it and seldom attained. I've yet to play one of the signature model Cordoba's which no doubt sound better but 4 grand better who knows. This one sounds pretty darn good for the money. If you get one with protruding frets call Amazon and see if they will extend your warranty period and then let the guitar sit for 2 or 3 weeks in a 50% humidity. I think you may be pleasantly surprised with the result. The guitar was probably perfect at the factory and just dried up in storage. It's not a permanent disease. At least it wasn't in my case. Over humidifying a guitar is probably worse because it kills tone. To be able to buy a guitar this good at this price point is a miracle unto itself and we should appreciate it. I want to add a note about nut width/50 vs 52mm. The regular C10 is 52 the parlor is 50. I have a C9 with a 50mm nut. It depends on your preferences, hand size and what repertoire you're playing. Mertz material was composed on a narrow necked classical guitar and he would wrap his thumb around to get bass notes at least on occasion. This changes the tone and the dynamics of what you're doing and can mean the difference between success and failure when it comes to mastering one of his pieces. Don't be too set in your preferences as there is seldom a holy grail. If the instrument was manufactured well with good tone woods you can most likely make it work.

This guitar sounds really great. The action was perfect when the guitar arrived; no fret buzz and no truss rod adjustments needed to be made yet. I would definitely recommend buying this guitar with the Cordoba HumiCase - it's a better fit and overall much nicer than the polyfoam case that comes with the guitar. The guitar is absolutely beautiful as well - I get more comments about how nice it looks than about my ability to play it :P The craftsmanship is top-notch for this price range. Nice, straight grains and zero defects that I could find. The rosette is simple but attractive. It stays in tune pretty nicely, and is clear and expressive when played with properly-shaped nails. I would absolutely recommend this as a first or second classical guitar for the beginner or intermediate player who wants an instrument that they won't grow out of too fast. You're getting a lot of guitar for the price.

I expected more for the price. The smell is offensive (smell of glue), and I don't know what to do about the poor intonation aside from replacing the fretboard. After tuning the guitar to standard E-A-D-G-B-E, I checked the intonation of each string's fret with the lightest touch to avoid distorting the string. The fretted notes are flat at the lower frets and sharp at the higher frets. I do not have this problem with my Cordoba C12. If you care about intonation, spend a little more on the C12. Also, the smell of the C12 is delightful.

Oh, my, this guitar is simply to die for. The craftsmanship is unparalleled -- it is absolutely gorgeous and arrived in perfect condition. The tone is full, warm, and rich -- quite amazing, really, for a parlor-sized guitar. The Savarez Cristal Corum High Tension 500CJ strings that came with it seem to be working pretty well so far. I've had the guitar for about a week, and the strings are still settling -- they're not going out of tune anymore, but they still seem to be adapting to the instrument. I may still play around with trying different strings on the guitar, but for now the Savarez ones are fine. As an intermediate-level guitar player, the Cordoba C10 perfectly suits my needs for both classical and non-classical guitar playing. I love it!