Cordoba C7 or La Patrie Concert?

[Fire&Rain]

Anyone own either of these two models? Which of these guitars would you favor if the price was equal? C7 comes with solid spruce or cedar top and laminated Indian rosewood sides and back. The Concert features solid cedar top with solid mahogany sides and back. Both are under $500.

[Rondoraymundo]

Originally Posted by Fire&Rain

Anyone own either of these two models? Which of these guitars would you favor if the price was equal? C7 comes with solid spruce or cedar top and laminated Indian rosewood sides and back. The Concert features solid cedar top with solid mahogany sides and back. Both are under $500.

Having played both guitars on this very day, I preferred the C7, but not by much. Play em both and see/hear.

[Fire&Rain]

Originally Posted by Rondoraymundo

Having played both guitars on this very day, I preferred the C7, but not by much. Play em both and see/hear.

Very timely! Thanks for the feedback.

[FrankB2]

The several C7's I've played tended to be a bit bass heavy. The have a very thin top, and it will dent, scratch, etc very easily. It would be great if the trebles kept up with the bass strings, and string selection might help. I actually owned one for a few days, and gave up with trying to find the right string combo. I found a discontinued Córdoba E32 (Made in Spain, and the E doesn't stand for electronics), and that guitar has much greater string to string balance.

The LaPatrie Concert is a glossy Étude, and I owned one of those around 12 years ago. They're both nice guitars, and benefit great from fluorocarbon strings, and a bone saddle. Seagull and LaPatrie guitars tend to have short frets, and I've never seen one with properly crowned frets. They simply level the frets, and leave the tops flat. I crowned the frets on my Étude and also a Seagull S6 I owned at around the same time. The Seagull guitars at the local Guitar Center still have flat top frets.

If I had to decide between the two, I'd get the C7. It already has a bone nut and saddle, sounds more like a proper classical guitar. I'd be very careful with the top on either of these guitars. I'd be careful with any guitars top. The C7 is also more playable due to its better frets (taller and properly crowned), and also its neck profile.

[Bax Burgess]

All of my Cordobas - Fusion Orchestra, C12, F7, Protege, and Cadete - had *heavily* varnished saddle slots, that is until I filed their edges clean, for the saddles to seat squarely. The saddles had been sitting upon their edges, perched above the slot floor. The result of the procedure is a fuller, bassier element to a note. The first three guitars do have a robust bass element, which a player may or may not find advantageous, though, I do consider it a marked positive for the smaller, 3/4 sized Cadete and Protege.

[Blueser100]

Originally Posted by FrankB2

The several C7's I've played tended to be a bit bass heavy. The have a very thin top, and it will dent, scratch, etc very easily. It would be great if the trebles kept up with the bass strings, and string selection might help. I actually owned one for a few days, and gave up with trying to find the right string combo. I found a discontinued Córdoba E32 (Made in Spain, and the E doesn't stand for electronics), and that guitar has much greater string to string balance.

The LaPatrie Concert is a glossy Étude, and I owned one of those around 12 years ago. They're both nice guitars, and benefit great from fluorocarbon strings, and a bone saddle. Seagull and LaPatrie guitars tend to have short frets, and I've never seen one with properly crowned frets. They simply level the frets, and leave the tops flat. I crowned the frets on my Étude and also a Seagull S6 I owned at around the same time. The Seagull guitars at the local Guitar Center still have flat top frets.

If I had to decide between the two, I'd get the C7. It already has a bone nut and saddle, sounds more like a proper classical guitar. I'd be very careful with the top on either of these guitars. I'd be careful with any guitars top. The C7 is also more playable due to its better frets (taller and properly crowned), and also its neck profile.

Actually the Étude has cherry back and sides while the Concert has solid mahogany back and sides. I have the Concert. It's a wonderful guitar with excellent dynamic range, responsiveness and sustain.

I cannot compare it to a C7 as I have not played one. I recently bought a C3M to keep at another residence. It's about half the price of the Concert and does not have the complex overtones or sustain of the Concert but I find it provides the sound I want for certain pieces.

[FrankB2]

Originally Posted by Blueser100

Actually the Étude has cherry back and sides while the Concert has solid mahogany back and sides. I have the Concert. It's a wonderful guitar with excellent dynamic range, responsiveness and sustain.

I cannot compare it to a C7 as I have not played one. I recently bought a C3M to keep at another residence. It's about half the price of the Concert and does not have the complex overtones or sustain of the Concert but I find it provides the sound I want for certain pieces.

I was referring to overall tone. The Concert certainly looks nicer than the Etude, but I didn't think there was much difference in sound until I played the Presentation. That guitar was $500 years ago, but might not have gone up much sinc then. The Seagull guitars haven't.

[Fire&Rain]

I did a lot of research on both guitars. Either would work for me, but I decided to go with the LaPatrie Concert. I found a very nice one on Ebay that comes with a Silver Creek HSC. I will let you know how satisfied I am...

[Fire&Rain]

I received the LaPatrie Concert and am very pleased. Another successful Ebay purchase. I put on a new set of D'Addario ProArte strings and it really sings. This is also the first Silver Creek HSC I have owned, and it also gets a big thumbs up. All smiles here!

[Blueser100]

Congrats on the new guitar and so thrilled that you are pleased with it. I had the stock strings on mine for a while but then for my first string change I went with what my technician (Colin at the Fretted Frog in Pasadena, CA) recommended, which was the La Bella 2001 Medium Tension Concert Series. These are very comfortable and wonderful sounding strings. I had not heard of them before.

Enjoy the delightful sound of your La Patrie Concert!

[Fire&Rain]

I received some additional information about dating a LaPatrie guitar using the serial number. The first four numbers of this guitar's SN is "0004", so I had assumed it was either a 2000 or 2004 model. However, LaPatrie's customer service told me their 12-digit serial numbering system was initiated in late 2007, and the SN contains no information regarding date of manufacture. All I can deduce is that my guitar was made after late-2007.

[JCave]

Try this? http://www.guitardating.com/godin.php

[Fire&Rain]

Originally Posted by JCave

Try this? http://www.guitardating.com/godin.php

That look-up service only accepts 8-digit serial numbers, but it might be helpful to others dating their Godin product. Thanks for posting!

[FrankB2]

Nice! My son and I really enjoyed the Étude I owned way back when. I don't even remember why I sold it, but I'd have to guess too many guitars.

The best tone was achieved with a bone saddle, and Savarez New Cristal strings (normal tension).

Enjoy!

[alnico5]

When I purchased my Concert the store had one other La Patrie, the laminated cherry Etude. I A/B'ed the two back and forth over and over. The Etude was louder but lacked the balanced tonal richness of the Concert. I have found that hard tension strings seem to "choke" the guitar. I have gone to D'Addario Pro Arte regular tension strings. Regular tension came on the guitar and sound best to me.

I realize that craftsmen in China are capable of making good guitars but I choose not to buy a guitar built there, so Cordoba is not an option for me.