Pleasantly Surprised

[Always Learning]

Hello fellow classical guitar aficionados. I just joined this forum and I am looking forward to reading the threads here and possibly contributing what knowledge I have on the subject of classical guitar; the music and the instrument.

I have been studying and playing off and on for 50 years. I was forced to stop playing for 20 years due to an injury that damaged the nerves in my fretting hand and arm. It's a long long story and I won't bore you with the details. But that 20 year hiatus has forced me to almost start at the very beginning. I have a very beautiful 96 Burguet 2M Cedar, my pride and joy. When I discovered the sensation of touch coming back into my fingers and also discovered I had less pain associated with manipulating them I opened the case my Burguet had been sitting in for the past 20 years, pick it up and tried playing a few notes. Single notes were easy to play, but barre cords with stretches did and still do cause me moderate pain, but I bear with it. Learned over the past 20 years how to push that pain to the back of my mind.

I basically had to relearn everything to some degree. Reading sheet music for one thing was always my bane even when I was younger. I would take and memorize pieces several measures at a time. Back in my 20s and 30s and 40s my left hand was quite nimble, even though the spread of my fingers from thumb tip to pinky tip was and still is 7-1/4" (short), I was able to barre the 52mm nut. But at my age (70), and with the nerve damage and pain, playing intricate pieces on the Burguet is a challenge. Mostly, long practice sessions are the challenge.

Not someone to be deterred I started searching the inter-web for suggestions and solutions to my problem. I really did not find any real helpful tips other then exercising and strengthening my grip with a rubber ball. One thing I did come across were threads/reviews on "Parlor" guitars. I'll be honest in all my years of playing I had never heard of them. Way back in my younger days there were 3/4 student models but I had never heard of or seen a 7/8 630mm scale guitar. Most of the reviews and "sales pitches" touted these models as being easier to play, especially for those with small hands or who suffer issues such as joint pain. One review I did come across by Bradford Werner out of Canada convinced me to give it a try. In his review he said that a smaller scale guitar will not make you a better player (so true). But he did say that the smaller scale, even though only a few millimeters smaller in difference to a standard guitar could help with being able to barre and do wider stretches.

I was intrigued and read a few more reviews, even visited a local GC store to see if they carried the same make and model Bradford recommended. But they did not. I'm a very tactile person, I want to see, touch/feel and hear before I decide to spend my hard earned dough. I called a luthier friend of mine to get his advice and suggestions and to see if he was familiar with this make, model and style (parlor) of guitar. He suggested I visit the shop that purchased my Burguet from years ago. I didn't wish to travel over a hundred miles, so I visited the webpage and found that they did sell the brand, but not the model. All of the guitars were standard 650mm scale with 52mm at the nut. All the usual online retailers said they do sell the model I wanted, but that they were out of stock but would be happy to put me on a waiting list.

Then I went to the manufactures site to get more information on their guitar. They had a list of authorized sellers and I saw that Amazon was listed as one. I went to Amazon's site and lo and behold they actually had one and I mean just "one" Cordoba C10 Parlor in stock for sale. Brand new, in the box and ready for shipment. Since I have a "Prime" membership and because they have a 30 day return policy I ordered it. Now I could have ordered a 630 scale Burguet 2M, but once I factored in the cost and wait time for them to build it, I went with the Cordoba C10-Parlor. It was almost a grand less and I figured what did I have to loose but time. If I was not satisfied with the instrument I'd send it back. I'll be honest I was a little leery of purchasing a classical guitar made in China, even if it was solid rosewood and cedar. But I took a gamble, ordered it and a week later it arrived.

I open the shipping box and pulled out the guitar. It even came with a gig bag.. a sturdy one too. I unzipped it and was greeted with the warm, sweet aroma of cedar. It smelled like my Spanish made Burguet. I thoroughly inspected it. All the joints were perfect, the purfling was nice, the neck was straight and the action just right. I picked it up and plucked notes on all the strings all the way up the neck to the 12th fret and no buzz along the way. I strummed a few notes, it was slightly out of tune. I pulled out my tuner got it in tune and played a few short studies. The bass strings sounded well, lots of projection and tone. The only issue I noticed was with the "B" and "E" open strings. They didn't ring as I would have hoped. But this was just after opening the case for the first time. I checked the action, the saddle and nut and they were spot on, no adjustment needed in that regard. I tuned down and tuned up the two strings, stretching them a bit, but I still did not sense that clear ring you would expect to hear. I called my luthier friend and explained the problems with the two strings and he said, "you have no idea how long those strings have been on the instrument, how long it has been sitting in a warehouse, and if it was in a controlled environment that is conducive to wooden instruments". "Let it acclimate, give it a few days, see what happens. And also just order some new strings, call me if you have more issues and we'll go from there". This was my; and I hate to say it; "gee dah" moment. Why hadn't I thought of that?

So I left it in it's case with the top opened and let it sit for a few days. I also immediately went on line and purchased a new set of the same strings that originally came with it. I'm lucky in that my office / music room has an almost perfect climate for guitars... 68 to 71 degrees with humidity ranging from 45% to 52% year round. A few days later I picked it up and struck the two questionable strings and guess what? They actually rang clearer.

As I had stated earlier in this thread, I was a little leery of buying a guitar manufactured in a factory in China, I had read some not so encouraging stories on the web and in forums complaining of the build quality and materials (woods) used in the production of guitars both acoustic and electric produced in China and of course their lack of "quality control" in pushing out a product. You read all kind of things on the inter-web, some true and some not. Now don't get me wrong I'm not a made in America snob, I own a beautiful Korean made De'Armond M75 "Les Paul". Also a beautifully made Joe Pass jazz box, which came from a factory in Indonesia. I treated myself to that beauty when sensation came back to my left hand. And I have an old Canadian made Seagull S6 (laminated back and sides, not solid). But it seemed that there were more bad stories then good stories of Chinese made guitars. But like I previously stated I took a gamble. I am happy to say I was pleasantly surprised as to the build, quality of wood and the attention to detail that was taken to make this guitar I now proudly own.

Played side by side to my higher-end Burguet there is a difference in tonality and projection. That of course has to do with the 4/4 standard size to the 7/8 Parlor sized Cordoba. And also the Burguet's 650mm scale compared to the shorter 630mm scale and of course the type of strings each uses. The Burguet uses normal tension and the Cordoba uses high tension strings. But this Cordoba is very sweet sounding, it stays in tune and is easier to play on long practice sessions.

If you are a beginning student and can afford it, I would say give this axe a try or any well made short scale 7/8 630mm. If you are someone such as myself with issues like finger joint pain from arthritis, a guitar like this might get you playing again. But I would suggest you try and visit a local store or purchase from an online retailer that guarantees returns and refunds.

[Su_H.]

Welcome to the community. I'm pretty new to the site myself. The members in here are awesome.

[TRose]

Hello Always,
Welcome to the forum. I think you will like it here. Your voice of experience will be valued and welcomed. I’m happy for you to have found your way back to your beloved instrument and music making.

I’m a guitar newbie and found the 650/52 standard to be to large. I flirted with a Córdoba parlor but could never actually get my hands on one. Ultimately I found a used Kenny Hill Player Series 628/50 and it suits me well. What it lacks in tone and volume it makes up for in comfort and ease of play. As I’ve now played for a few years my 640/51 and 650/52 have become increasingly easier to play. Perhaps you will have a similar experience.
All the best to you,
Tom

[Bax Burgess]

Interesting to hear that the #1 and #2 strings recovered after being off. Always learning something new.