Weighing in Guilele/Guitalele options: Islander GL6 vs. Cordoba Guitalele ce

[Jupiter Tarts]

I'm looking for a good 6 string guitalele as a take around guitar in the sub-$300 level.I enjoy hiking and would like to take something lightweight to take hiking so that we can stop for a song or two when we recoop and take breaks during checkpoints. It'd also be perfect for taking with me in the car to play in the downtime between assignments for work.

Tried a few things so far. The Yamaha guitalele was boxy and unspectacular compared to some comparably priced ukuleles in the price range. I didn't care for the Martin Backpacker. An Art and Lutherie Ami Nylon was actually close to perfect had it not been too big for the kind of portability I'm looking for.

Priorities go to sweetest tone east of playability followed by overall fit and finish. They're roughly both in the same price range and there are a handful of videos on youtube I enjoyed but I was hoping to hear from those who have handled either personally. Even better if you've handled both! If you have a recommendation, I'd also be open to other recommendations.



The Cordoba - Solid spruce top and laminate mahogany body


Islander GL6 - All laminate acacia body but built to Kanilea GL6 spec

[icuker]

Had not heard of the Islander version before. It has a baritone scale which makes it interesting. I have the Yamaha version but don't play it much with all the other instruments we have around the house.

Good luck on the search.

[radu122]

I've been having the same dilemma for the last few days, and finally I decided to buy the Islander (with pickup).

I mostly play fingerstyle and classical, so the wider neck was a big factor in my decision. I have also read opinions that the cordoba has its strings very close, so it's more difficult to play complex arrangements. If I would have played with a band, more chords and accompaniment, I would have probably chosen the Cordoba.

The other advantage of the Islander is it's bigger body, which I think gives it a warmer and nicer sound, and also the strings give a different taste (I only compared through Youtube, but I felt the difference).

The biggest disadvantage I felt the Islander had is that it's bigger, so it's less portable than the Cordoba. I also have bought it to use it in my travels, my first trip will be in a month through Europe by train, so I want to minimize the effort to carry it when hopping on/off trains. And also it has a bit larger price, but whatever, I wanted to invest in an instrument I will be happy with in years (ok, the best option would have been the Kanilea, but f**k me, that s**t is WAY to expensive).

I will tell you more about the sound after it arrives.

Cheers!

[Jupiter Tarts]

Originally Posted by radu122

I've been having the same dilemma for the last few days, and finally I decided to buy the Islander (with pickup).

I mostly play fingerstyle and classical, so the wider neck was a big factor in my decision. I have also read opinions that the cordoba has its strings very close, so it's more difficult to play complex arrangements. If I would have played with a band, more chords and accompaniment, I would have probably chosen the Cordoba.

The other advantage of the Islander is it's bigger body, which I think gives it a warmer and nicer sound, and also the strings give a different taste (I only compared through Youtube, but I felt the difference).

The biggest disadvantage I felt the Islander had is that it's bigger, so it's less portable than the Cordoba. I also have bought it to use it in my travels, my first trip will be in a month through Europe by train, so I want to minimize the effort to carry it when hopping on/off trains. And also it has a bit larger price, but whatever, I wanted to invest in an instrument I will be happy with in years (ok, the best option would have been the Kanilea, but f**k me, that s**t is WAY to expensive).

I will tell you more about the sound after it arrives.

Cheers!

Let me know how the size compares when you get it. The Islander Gl6 sounds like a sweeter sounding guitar based on the videos but the portability factor is huge for me. I have a parlor guitar in still fairly heavy hardcase and is just big enough to be inconvenient taking around day to day. The smaller and lighter guitar I can get at a still reasonable size, the better and the Cordoba sounds like it fits the bill for me just a little more.

I eyed the Kanilea too but if I had $1000+ laying around, I'd probably end up getting myself just another guitar.

[radu122]

So, it has arrived yesterday. The first impressions:

- the griff is VERY comfortable. I compared it to my classical guitar, and it's exactly as wide, it's only the length that's compressed, so the notes are more squeezed horizontally.
- the sound is really nice, alot warmer than a uke. The sustain is surprizingly good for such a small body. It's almost like my classical with a capo at the 5th fret.
- the tension is quite high, but without any discomfort in the fingers. This means you can strike chords really hard, without having a buzzing sound. You could easily play flamenco on it.
- it does not detune in higher positions. Maybe after fret 16 it starts to sound a little off.
- the instrument + its case are very light weight
- it's not as small as i have dreamed, but it's still ok, portable.

I highly recommend it if you mostly play fingerstyle/ instrumental.

If you mostly will play rhythm, maybe you could think also about smaller cordoba. But keep in mind that their technical specs are not that different, the cordoba has 28" length, and the islander has 30.5". That's only 7 centimeters length difference. You should probably compare their cases, because that's whay you'll gonna carry.

I've made some pictures, comparing sizes with a classical and a uke(i think it's a soprano).

[Earl49]

Radu, in the photo the ukulele looks like a soprano to me too. The guitlele appears to be somewhere between the size of a typical tenor uke and a baritone uke.

The only time I've played one was several years ago in a music shop in Honolulu. Seeing a sixty string and finding it tuned like a guitar, I launched into a fingerstyle rendition of "Maple Leaf Rag". Every head turned to see the ukulele making that sound.