cordoba guitars: how did they become so popular?

[toomanyknots]

The only thing I don't like about the c5 is that I think the frets are a bit low. I really like bigger frets, and I think it makes the playability a lot better. Especially when the action is so low as are on some of the c5's I have seen. There tends to be alot of "buzz-potential" in the basses. Also, I have noticed that alot of the time I will see a c5 or c7 in a store with leveled frets that have not got crowned yet. I hate playing a classical guitar with flat uncrowned frets, as I always seem to get a buzzy sitar sound at that fret. GuitarVlog: I am definitely a newbie to cordoba guitars, and classical guitar in general, so I definitely haven't played any Portugal made cordoba. Thank you for the info, I will definitely remember that if I am ever shopping for a used cordoba guitar.

[the.ronin]

There’s a very informative thread in the archives about Cordoba and its manufacturing. A rep from Cordoba chimed in:

Originally Posted by Jaygits

Hi Folks,

I know this thread is a bit stale, but I wanted to correct a couple of things. Cordoba Guitars is a division of Tornavoz Music, located in Santa Monica, CA. We manufacture and import guitars from China and Spain. The company is majority owned by Tim Miklaucic who also owns and operates Guitar Salon International, a high end boutique retailer of classical guitars. We are housed in the same building here in SM.

Tim's design partners are luthiers Kenny Hill, Santa Cruz, and Edmund Blochinger, Germany. Perhaps that is where the German reference comes from?

Regarding some of the comments and experience above, the Q/C of Cordoba Guitars is quite consistent considering the volume of guitars we make and sell to dealers. In fact, the quality of the Chinese made guitars in the Iberia Series is outstanding. There were some Fusion Guitars that had an issue of sharp fret ends. This was related to our partner factory not properly drying the fingerboards on a particular run. We have since purchased a new kiln for that factory to address the problem. It will disappear once the effected inventory cycles through the retail channel. Unfortunately our only choice is to service the guitars as they come to our attention - this is part of the nature of manufacturing in general. Sometimes you don't know, until you know.

One last point --- quality control is always a challenge, but it's not a static event. The guitars are always getting better over time as we continue to grow and reinvest in the company. None of this is to excuse a Q/C problem on any of our guitars, rather it is to say there may be a much better guitar right next to, behind, or near the one with the issues. Also, quality control on value priced instruments is a challenge that cuts across all categories and all brands. That's just part of the nature of the game as evidenced by the posters here - for every bad experience, there tends to be 10 good ones, except negative tends to win when it comes to feedback.

Thanks for listening, thanks for playing.

Jay - Cordoba Guitars

Note that Tornavoz Music has since changed its d/b/a to Cordoba Music Group.

Here is the link to the archives thread: http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/f.../t-184068.html

[Michael-lb]

[QUOTE=the.ronin;3199602]You will not be dissapointed at all. If you’re up for it, put better quality nut and saddle on there and experiment with strings – you can get it to sound really good. I used hard ivory from Bob Colosi and Bella medium gauge and found that to be a great combination to add some zing to the C5’s warm cedar top.


Thanks for the tips. I know nothing about working on guitars. So, is it hard to replace the nut and saddle?

The guitar arrived today. I've only had a chance to play it for about 15 minutes, but you're right it sounds very good. I'm amazed I could get the guitar and a pretty nice gig bag for $300. That is a very good deal. I came with Savarez high tension strings, and I'm going to stick with them for a bit before trying anything else. I use Pro-Arte EJ45s on my other guitar.

[the.ronin]

Originally Posted by Michael-lb

Thanks for the tips. I know nothing about working on guitars. So, is it hard to replace the nut and saddle?

The guitar arrived today. I've only had a chance to play it for about 15 minutes, but you're right it sounds very good. I'm amazed I could get the guitar and a pretty nice gig bag for $300. That is a very good deal. I came with Savarez high tension strings, and I'm going to stick with them for a bit before trying anything else. I use Pro-Arte EJ45s on my other guitar.

The saddle is easier than the nut but if you have any doubts, I would take it to a luthier. If you are not so faint of heart, you are fortunate to have so many knowledgeable folks on here that are very willing to share their expertise. That's pretty much how I learned.

Yea they come kitted with Savarez Cristal Corum in High Tension 500CJ according to their website. I moved to medium tension early on although I think high tension would be a nice offset to its spruce top (although tension is less of a concern on the Cordoba since it has a truss rod).

An easier upgrade are the tuners. At one point I had Gotohs with ebony buttons on mine and I thought that was a really nice touch (no perceptible effect on sound though) ...



And that solid spruce top will only sound better over time.

Congrats on the C5!!

[Michael-lb]

Thanks for the tip. My plan is to just play the C5 for awhile and compare it to my Aria AC60, and then maybe investigate changing the saddle. A quick eyeball looks suggests that the action is just a bit higher on the C5 than my Aria, but I can't tell just yet whether that will matter for playability. All in all, it's fun to have something to dink around with.

[bohemian]

"Founded in 1997, Cordoba seeks to guide the evolution of the nylon string guitar, blending traditional craftsmanship of the early master luthiers with modern developments. Inspired by the organic beauty and honesty of acoustic instruments, every Cordoba is lightweight, responsive, and a direct descendant of the Spanish tradition. Cordoba continues to challenge the definition of the acoustic guitar without sacrificing the authenticity of its heritage."

The answer to the OP's question is : Marketing/hype and Guitar Center.


As a refresher, Tim Miklaucic, the founder of Cordoba/Tornevoz, claims to have met Domingo Ortega the "famous Spanish Guitar maker" who in fact does not exist. He was a figment of the imagination of a Spanish wood hustler and Spanish luthier Vicente Carillo.

Marketing and hype.

[wcap]

I've never played a Cordoba classical, but we bought a Cordoba ukulele a few years back, and returned it. It was beautiful to look at, and seemed like it was very well-built (in terms of workmanship), but we found it pretty uninspiring as an instrument. Our Martin ukulele that we got recently has much nicer tone (though like so many ukuleles it has some intonation issues, but not as bad as many we have tried).

[M.Vines]

Originally Posted by bohemian

Marketing and hype.

That could be said about every guitar on the planet.