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.

So far I'm very happy with this guitar. I've been shopping on and off for a new classical guitar for a few years, as the one I own is a very low-end student model.Based on my preference and research, I was looking for a spruce top with all solid wood for the back and the sides. This and a couple other guitars made the short-list, but I'll admit I had a tough time finding them to play locally.I decided to pull the trigger on this one via Amazon, because I'm very familiar with the Córdoba brand, and although I rarely return anything, Amazon is very easy and friendly to work with if I didn't like the instrument.Shipping was quick, and the guitar was protected inside a Córdoba polyfoam case (not quite as rugged as a good hard case, but it's a canvas wrapped, zippered case).I restrung the guitar immediately, and also put a humidifier in it. For some reason they put a silica gel packet inside the body of the guitar...It sounded amazing on day one, and it's light years ahead of my old classical. Now that it's properly humidified, it sounds even better! The fretboard is very wide and flat, so if you're more used to electrics and/or traditional acoustics, you may want to consider a crossover model. I use it for all styles, but specifically got it to start playing more classical and Latin music.As far as looks go, the guitar is also very beautiful. There is a glossy finish covering the whole body, and the rosette is inlaid with mother of pearl and ebony (not just a decal like a lot of budget models).Final thoughts: this is a relatively cheap guitar, when you consider how much you can spend on a classical. With that said, it sounds and plays like a much more expensive instrument. Córdoba doesn't skimp on the materials on these, but they are able to offer them at such an attractive price because they are built in China (under close supervision of Córdoba luthiers, supposedly). I've played for almost 20 years, and I can't find anything about this guitar that disappoints me. I'm sure if you are a concert guitarist, this may fall a little short of your expectations, but that's going to come with significant expense!