Cordoba C10 CD Classical, All-Solid Woods, Acoustic Nylon String Guitar, Luthier Series, with Polyfoam Case

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 BACKGROUNDI'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 GUITARBefore 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 & DELIVERYThis 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 IMPRESSIONSWhen 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.PLAYABILITYAfter 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.SOUNDWhat 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 STEPSAs 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.

I had been playing classical guitar for two years when I purchased this guitar. I was looking to upgrade from my beginner Yamaha to an intermediate instrument. I also wanted solid spruce and rosewood with inlaid mother of pearl. In this price range, the Cordoba C10 is the only one that meets my criteria. It comes with a hard-sided nylon case so that's an added benefit, but it is not an air-tight case. The wood has beautiful grains and is highly polished. I have been playing it for 10 months now and thoroughly enjoy it. I actually found it easier to play than my beginner Yamaha. The spruce helps project a clear sound. Sometimes, I strum with a nylon pick, and it projects even better so a pick-up and amp wouldn't be needed. If you prefer a more mellow sound, the cedar version of this guitar might be a better choice for you.However, I was disappointed that I had to pay for a guitar technician to set it up and file down the frets. The frets were too wide and extended beyond the edge of the neck. As a result, you can actually feel the sharp edges along the neck. The technician told me that the guitar was very dry, which caused the wood of the neck to shrink and the frets to protrude. The guitar was shipped from Arizona so I assume that the warehouse was probably too hot and dry for the guitar. Unfortunately, the guitar was not ready to be played out of the box. This guitar was difficult to find even in a store so I kept it and I do like it very much. Despite the problem with the frets, I am glad Amazon offers this beautiful guitar.