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Old 10-20-2014, 03:36 AM
Crowyote Crowyote is offline
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Default Cordoba 55FCE Negra Limited Edition

http://www.cordobaguitars.com/p/55fce-negra



This guitar has been out for a few months now, and I see that most of the ones available right now have sold out, so I thought it was about time to start a thread about this guitar.

I just got hired to play a gig at a local jewelry store and it was indicated that I not only needed to be able amplify, but also, resurface and relearn a lot of my old flamenco repetoire that has been dormant for a while. I thought about miking up my Cordoba C10 Parlor Cedar top, but after a few run throughs on pieces I found that the tone of the guitar just was too dark and resonant to get the right sound for this kind of material. I decided I needed something that had electronics that I was familiar with, but that could also glide fairly easily between classical and flamenco.

I've owned several Cordobas and just thought I would glance at their website and lo and behold I found out about the 55FCE Negra. I had owned a 55FCE briefly in 2010, and later picked up a new FCWE Reissue at the end of that year. 2 years later I sold the FCWE and I'm still kicking myself to this day for that silly decision. I've owned many classical guitars over the years (Thames, Hirade, Cordobas, Ramirez) , but the FCWE may have been the best and it showed me how versatile Cypress could be as a tone wood. I thought if any guitar gets close to the FCWE this one might, and it's looks are stellar too.

A couple days later, I decided to drop the hatchet called up GC. Within a few minutes of conversation, I had ordered the 55FCE Negra for 15% off of MSRP, and it was here at my doorstep in 2 business days. After a few hours of acclimation I opened her up and marveled at it.

First of all, compared to the regular 55FCE I think this guitar has a better quality European Spruce top, akin to the quality of the top used for the FCWE reissue. It may be a AA or AAA European Spruce top versus just regular A grade. Second is the stunning beauty of the figured Ziricote back and sides. Third is the sound, which I think closely resembles the tone of FCWE Reissue.

I played it for a few hours and enjoy the shade of tone color this guitar can evoke. It can't get nearly as dark or resonant as the C10 Parlor, but it is much more responsive to nuances. I would say that the Negra is slightly more forgiving than the FCWE, which would unveil every mistake and inconsistency (Really a great quality for improving your technique); yet, it still has a great deal of clarity and punch. It does lack a bit of depth in the bass, but what would you expect from a thinbody guitar?!

After a few days, I started to make an observation. The grain and figure on the inside of the back seen from the soundhole does not resemble the back of the guitar, and it is much paler in color. I've also noticed what might be a few hairline cracks along the grain visible on the inside of the back, but they do not go all the way through to the back of the guitar. The inside of the sides as seen from the soundhole, appears to be a darker oilier color and the grain seems to match the outsides. For this reason, I think that these guitars have a laminated back and solid sides. It's quite possible that most of the tone quality comes from the select Spruce top, as a result.

I've messaged Cordoba about it, and have heard no response. I've also noticed that they ignored questions about this on their FB page. For me, it's not really a deal breaker as I really enjoy the guitar, and it may be more durable in the long run as a result of having a laminated back. I've heard that solid Ziricote is quite susceptible to cracking, even if it has a luscious sought-after tone.

For now, I'm in the honeymoon phase. The thin body solves some back-pain issues that have plagued me recently, the cutaway makes getting to the higher register less of a pain (kudos to all those cats who navigate reaching over the upper bout with ease), the tone is punchy to semi-sweet, the Fishman pu is excellent, and she's a bit of a looker.

However, if Cordoba decides to make a cutaway version of the Parlor series, I'll probably pick that up in a heartbeat and sell this baby.

Here's the first in a series of vids of the guitar in action:

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  #2  
Old 11-03-2014, 04:07 AM
Crowyote Crowyote is offline
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Here are a few vids demoing the various sounds that can be gotten out of this guitar. I really think this guitar can run the gamut from classical to flamenco to even jazz (no demos of that yet, but soon ).

Romanza de Amor:

Carcassi Study in A:

Rumor de Copla:

Caminos Malaguenos:


Now, I know that the mic in my gf's tablet is not great, but that's the what I've got for now. Perhaps Santa will bring me a new recording device.
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Old 11-05-2014, 04:09 AM
Crowyote Crowyote is offline
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So as a follow-up I did hear from Cordoba and this is what they said:

"Any version of the 55FCE features laminate back and side woods - these are much more apparent on the Negra, as the ziricote laminate is used on the outside only - other layers are usually mahogany laminate. For your reference, any body woods listed under "full specs" at our website can be assumed to be laminate unless the word "solid" precedes them.

The spruce on the Negra is the same grade used on the standard maple version, but since the standard version is finished with tinted lacquer and the negra is finished with clear lacquer, they appear to be different shades.

The Negra's back and sides do in fact darken the tone and sound - it is not a cosmetic-only upgrade."

I did have a chance to play at 55FCE at my local GC today, when I returned the faulty Acoustic A20. As I recalled, it's a nice sounding guitar that is a bit lacking in the sweetness that the Negra has. The inside looks like the same wood as the outside, as if it were solid maple; and there were no cracks in the wood or the kind of shoddy appearance inside as mine has. Still, I like the sound and feel of my guitar better.

I just wonder if I should be concerned with the hairline cracks (or very large open grains) in the interior laminate of my Negra.

Last edited by Crowyote; 11-05-2014 at 04:15 AM.
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  #4  
Old 11-05-2014, 07:02 PM
hesson11 hesson11 is offline
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Very nice stuff, Crow! Wish I could play like that.

Just wondering, how do you like this guitar in comparison to the Kremona you used to have? THANKS.
-Bob
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Old 11-06-2014, 03:39 AM
Crowyote Crowyote is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hesson11 View Post
Very nice stuff, Crow! Wish I could play like that.

Just wondering, how do you like this guitar in comparison to the Kremona you used to have? THANKS.
-Bob
Thanks Bob!

The Kremona I owned was a one-off Rondo TL w/ 630mm scale w/ solid Bulgarian Walnut back and sides amd a rosewood fingerboard. The neck was quite comfortable, but it had no truss or support and it seemed to really flex when I practiced w/ a strap w/ a headstock loop or used extra-hard tension strings. I think it's a nice guitar for latin and jazz styles, but lacks the tonal depth, brilliance, clarity, and dynamic range of a 55FCE.

The Cordoba C5-CET may actually be a better guitar than the Kremona Rondo ThinLine. The only reason I got mine was for the scale length.

That said, I would love to try a Kremona Fandango FG630CW if I can find a thinbody version, but I doubt it would outplay the Cordoba 55FCE Negra.
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Old 11-10-2014, 04:19 AM
Crowyote Crowyote is offline
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Default Guardame Las Vacas

I used my Bogner Mephisto for amplification in this video:

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Old 11-10-2014, 10:19 PM
JackStraw34 JackStraw34 is offline
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Impressive playing bro!!! What's the name of that piece? The one in the first (top) vid? I love it!!!

Joseph
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  #8  
Old 11-11-2014, 01:52 AM
Crowyote Crowyote is offline
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Default Fantasia 1

Hi Joseph,

Thanks for the compliments!

That is Fantasia 1, the first piece from Luis (Luys De) Milan's El Maestro. El Maestro is the first collection of sheet music (early tablature actually) published for the Vihuela da Mano. The Vihuela Da Mano is considered to be the primary ancestor of the modern Spanish Guitar. Technically, one could say that this was the very first piece published for guitar.

Luis Milan's El Maestro is a true masterpiece in exploring the harmonic possibilities of the guitar. The only drawback of these works is that it is believed that traditional Lute tuning is required to perform them (E,A,D,F#,B,E). However, many of the works from this collection, such as Fantasia 1 and the Pavanes among others, are quite adaptable to standard tuning with sufficient practice and study.

I think Milan is more important for the modern musician to study than ever, as his works can be a tremendous foil for an artist's imagination. The composer left a lot of room the performer to craft their own interpretation, and harmonies, melodies and counterpoint are quite open and free-flowing. In more than a few instances, Milan crafts harmonic possibilities and cadential resolutions which fall outside of (or pre-date) many of the tropes of the classical world. Some might argue that all of modern guitar theory has it's basis in this book.
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  #9  
Old 09-17-2017, 02:24 PM
Kashi Kashi is offline
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Default This versus GK Pro?

So the Studio is the only one I was able to try in the store and I LOVED it. Does the thin body not sound as rich or full as the GK Studio or Pro? I would have to order it online because I can't find it in any local stores.
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  #10  
Old 09-17-2017, 03:39 PM
dkstott dkstott is offline
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My first Cordoba guitar was the GK studio Cypress model. Awesome guitar, but I wanted a darker sound.

The rosewood of the GK Pro Negra meets all of my needs.
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