Cordoba C5-CE Iberia Series Acoustic Electric Classical Guitar with Gig Bag

I was inspired by my guitar teacher to purchase an electric classical guitar when he pulled out his handmade classical electric from Peru. I checked this one out at my local guitar shop & I gotta say, I like this Cordoba C5-CE (China made, even) BETTER than the Peru handmade electric classical. I have 2 Cordobas--the entry level C3, and this C5-CE is the second. The C3 is only acoustic classical, no pickups or plug ins or even a button drilled into the body. The C5-CE has the cut-away, the tone control/power panel, the battery cage & pickup plug--no strap button (which I'll probably have added soon). There'll obviously be a sound difference due to the body style and cut-aways on the C5-CE, but I was also surprised at how the play is different, once I had both guitars next to each and I could compare them. I am surprised to say that I still like my C3 better than the C5-CE...but they are guitars for different purposes. The string action on the C5-CE is, well...TAUT...compared to the C3. This can be good or bad, depends on what you're going for. Just know that there is definitely a difference. The C3 has a brighter, louder tone than the C5-CE. The C5-CE has a beautiful warmer, tighter sound. Both guitars handle flamenco strumming/arpeggiating just fine, with the C3 being the more "responsive" of the two. But, don't let my comparison between an AMAZING entry level classical guitar and an AMAZING entry level electric classical guitar dissuade you from the C5-CE! Of all the CEs that I tried (that weren't 4 figures, ha!), the C5-CE had the best tone and action of them all, and I am extremely happy with the sound and performance so far...Like I said, it's much better than the handmade Peruvian guitar that I tried. But, when you've got two performers with two classical guitars & two vocals along with some percussion...you have to make your compromises so that the venue in which you may find yourself (read: SMALL, ha) and the limited sound equipment you can bring with you can handle all the equipment. Shipping was fast and as promised. Bag is NICE, with "Cordoba" written on the front. Light gray, sturdy ballistic nylon material. Great stuff, Amazon, thanks!! UPDATE 7/30/2013 So, now that I've had my Cordoba C5-CE for a few months, I would change my review to 4 stars. The sound is still AH-MAZING, warm, lovely. But, as I started breaking in the guitar, I started getting buzzing from the strings. I changed out the saddle for one from a high end classical guitar (in the 4 figure range type of guitar), and that helped for a little while. Then I had the strings raised just a titch, which helped for a while. Then I taped down all the electronics in the body of the guitar...until finally there was just an AWFUL buzzing that could not be corrected. I wrote to Cordoba with the standard 'fix it or replace it' spiel to them; they emailed back with the specs and tolerances for string height, tension, etc...and gave one more piece of advice: check the battery and the battery door. Sometimes that can cause the buzzing. Sure 'nuff, it was the battery being too loose in the battery box, and the door rattling with the string strumming. The quality of the sound is wonderful for the price of the guitar, that still is a 5-star review. The problem is with the string buzzing (reported before by a few other folks, too), and the fitting of the electronics, all of which seem to be corrected now. And, now that I've added the Savaris Cristal S540 high tension strings, this guitar really sings! Oh, one other thing that annoys me with this guitar: the onboard Fishman tuner doesn't tune as well as my Korg tuner. The Fishman seems to tune things just a bit off. I just keep my Korg tuner close. Bottom line is, you'll have to baby the guitar to get it where you want it, but once you do, you'll love it! Peace

I'm a total beginner when it comes to classical guitar. I never thought 5 years ago this would be the craft I decide to get hooked on. Keep in mind, I'm your typical video game playing kid, so to go from that to practicing classical for several hours a day, is quite a surprise. Regardless, I'm super happy I decided to pick this up. It's been a very fulfilling hobby and I enjoy it immensely. In terms of the quality of the guitar, I can't really comment too much except to say I was quite shocked at how beautiful it was when I first opened it up. It's definitely one of the nicest guitars I've personally seen. As for the sound, your better off asking someone else. I love the sound regardless, it sounds great to me but again I haven't used enough guitars in my lifetime to truly give an accurate assessment. Anyways, I would highly recommend this guitar if your a beginner. It definitely won't break the bank and you'll feel like you got your money's worth regardless.

Great guitar. Too bad that this is the second instrument I have received damaged from Amazon, but could be the shipper's issue. Mine arrived with all the internal wires for the pickup system unsecured, hanging low and swinging freely inside the guitar. Acoustically it's great though! As long as I don't move it enough to clack the internal wires against the body. Sounds very good, so I will fix rather than return.

I am a hobbyist, not a pro, but I have been playing for nearly 40 years, so I know a good guitar when I play it. This is a good guitar. Not perfect, not great, but a good guitar that has exceeded my expecations. I have a vintage Tele and a custom jazz guitar, and I am quite satisfied with the sound and construction of this one. The B-Band preamp is excellent, much better than others in similarly priced guitars I have tried. As a casual player, and new to the classical style, I am very happy with the sounds I get out of this guitar. It makes me want to play, and that is always a good thing. Try one yourself, I think you'll be glad you did.