Advice on nylon string with cutaway and electronics?

[KarenB]

Originally Posted by Bernieman

Have you heard of the Unico by Gallato ? It's a guitar you might be interested in... It has a slim body, quite like the Godin's, but it's all hollow; and with a depth of 7,5 mms I think, is nearly as loud as an ordinary classical or flamenco guitar.., due to a peculiar system of two sound-ports - one on the upper side, and one by the end of the fingerboard...It comes with a Fishman onboard electronics, (BBand on some previous models)...They are better than the Alhambras that have a similar body's depth, in my experience it seems.

s.

Do you know if the Unico is sold in the U.S.A.? Thanks.

[M19]

Originally Posted by JERZEY

The best selling hybrid is still the NTX from Yamaha. Starts at 500$++ Absolutely amazing electronics. No mic needed in the mix imo. Available in Cedar and Spruce in your price range. Probably the most over built nylon guitar around. Not a deep guitar and it is over braced a bit so dont expect full size classical acoustic sound. Sounds good but not project as much as I would like. Only available in 14 fret to the body. The NCX line is the full size classical version of this guitar with a 2 inch nut. Same elctronics and build quality. A tad fuller then the thinner NTX. My Cedar top NCX turned pretty muddy after a year just fyi. Some people like that but I craved the crisp tone it had out of the box..

The Cordoba Fusion series in that price range is not all that bad. Like all Cordoba in that range you have good and bad. Smaller then a standard classical in depth. Great sound. Available in cedar and spruce tops. Available in 12 or 14 fret. Not so great electronics...

.

I've had both and the Cordoba is much better to my ears than the Yamaha.

[The Old Anglo]

My Baby is a Cordoba C5ce,records Perfect and sounds great,one of a kind sound!.

[duaneallen]

What do you guys think of the Taylor 712ce-N? Like I said, I'd like something that sounds good acoustically (for recording) and plugged in as well. Doesn't have to sound exactly like a traditional classical guitar; I already have one of those. This would be for jazz/bossa nova.

[DoryDavis]

I actually have a 712e 12 fret steel. Nice guitar. But what they want for the 712 nylon I feel you can do better with some of the above listed guitars. Cordoba's imho are a good value for the money.

[Beakybird]

What about Breedlove? In the under $500 category it seems like all the crossovers have thin bodies. By pics, the Breedlove nylons look like a normal depth.

[cyclistbrian]

Originally Posted by Beakybird

What about Breedlove? In the under $500 category it seems like all the crossovers have thin bodies. By pics, the Breedlove nylons look like a normal depth.

I briefly had a Breedlove solid cedar over laminate rosewood. Overall Breedlove nylon stringers sound dead to my ears. I've read reviews that agree. Any Cordoba, Alhambra, Taylor, Kremona, or even the Guitar Center solid topped Lucero Ive tried sound better.

You'll have to take my word for it that Im a decent player who gigs a lot. I have good steel string technique and ok nylon string technique. I judge a nylon string by the tone I can get out of it under the assumption that if I can sound good, a dedicated nylon player could pass miracles. I've played Cordobas that just ring. I'm still haunted by a perfect Kremona I should have bought. I ended up with a Taylor I love but one that admittedly comes at me more like a steel string. I have to say , avoid the Breedlove ( I do like their steel string guitars just fine.)

[Beakybird]

Thanks, Cyclistbrian. I'm really happy with my Cordoba Mini, so I think I'll spring for a Fusion 12 in the next few months.

[Beakybird]

What about the Alvarez AC65HCE? It gets great reviews. How would this compare to a Cordoba Fusion?

[Red_Label]

Originally Posted by Beakybird

What about Breedlove? In the under $500 category it seems like all the crossovers have thin bodies. By pics, the Breedlove nylons look like a normal depth.

The Breedloves sound fine. I currently have a Passport N250 that I ported and put a Baggs Element system in. It's my "nylon jazz box". I used to have their top of the line Masterclass Bossa Nova. It was exquisite. Again... for a jazz box. But back when I bought my first Cordoba (a GK Studio blanca… that was 15 Cordobas ago)… I took the $600 GK Studio and the $4,000 Breedlove to a gig and was so blown-away by the liveliness and response of the Cordoba that I immediately sold the Breedlove and bought my first GK Pro. The Breedlove put the GK Studio to shame in terms of fit and finish. But the Breedlove (much like Yamaha) is built stoutly, which does stifle acoustic/unplugged volume and liveliness. The Cordobas are generally built/braced very lightly, which gives them that "ready to explode" response and punch. I've owned Cordobas for the past 7-9 years or so and am a fan boy for good reason. I've only gigged Cordobas during that entire time. The Breedlove and my Rodriquez stay at home (and generally only come out of their cases when I need to re-humidify them... LOL!). I'll be gigging next Tuesday and the only question is "which Cordoba(s) do I feel like taking-out today?"

If you're going to do fingerstyle jazz or other such mellow tones, then the Breedlove will be fine. If you want to do classical, flamenco, or variations of those genres... it's very hard to beat Cordoba in the sub-$2,000 ranges. The straight classical Yamahas are great. But their crossovers are dead-sounding unplugged in my experience and opinion.

[Red_Label]

Originally Posted by M19

I've had both and the Cordoba is much better to my ears than the Yamaha.

Yup. The post that you quoted had the term "overbuilt" when describing the Yamaha. That's exactly right. No one argues that the Yamahas are built very stoutly. But when it comes to acoustic tone... that's not always the ideal. Granted, I don't want a guitar that's built out of balsa wood. But I do want a guitar that feels like it's built out of balsa! I've owned untold dozens of steel and nylon strung acoustics over the years. Very few did I have that were heavy and felt like they were built like tanks... that delivered in terms of tone, projection, response, etc. I have a $1,100 all-solid Guild 1500 series 12-string with rosewood B/S right now that I really like. But my $550 2500 series Guild 12-string with laminated maple B/S is more responsive and louder. It also feels FAR lighter. I choose to gig the cheaper guitar because it sounds better, and it doesn't hurt that it costs less (in terms of the risk of something happening to it at a gig). Btw... Guild is owned by Cordoba, so it's interesting that it happens to be my favorite 12-string maker (and I've played/owned Yamaha, Gibson, Martin, etc 12-strings). I think that Cordoba has brought their philosophy of building light to Guild. At least that's my opinion. Because I've played their newer F40 6-strings and those things are ridiculously light, responsive, and punchy as well. My Breedlove Sunlight E is the only guitar that stood toe-to-toe with the F40 out of all the six strings that I was considering for purchase when I last bought a steel 6-string. And why did the Breedlove win? In that case, the guitar is built extremely light and has their new concerto body style, which sounds HUGE. Bigger than all of the Martin dreads, Gibson/Guild jumbos, etc that it won out over. In fact, my dealer just ordered a Legacy series Breedlove concerto in koa this morning because I was expressing curiosity about it (when I have an itch, he scratches it... ha ha).

Anyways... rambling aside... I'll take lighter all day long in an acoustic as long as I feel like it can withstand the stresses put on it over the long-haul by being tuned to pitch. That's always the big question with lightly-built guitars and one that really can't be answered until it's been around a while.

[ceciltguitar]

I also like the Córdoba GK Pro a lot! The acoustic tone and the electric tone are both great. The neck and the fretboard are a near perfect fit for me.

I also like the Yamahas plugged in, but for my ears they don’t have much going for them acoustically.

Of course, ymmv.

[Red_Label]

Originally Posted by Beakybird

What about the Alvarez AC65HCE? It gets great reviews. How would this compare to a Cordoba Fusion?

I can't give an opinion on that exact model. I've played a handful of Alvarez' and owned several Yairis. The Yairis were excellent guitars, but the Alvarez didn't make an impression on me (in regards to the feeling that I just HAD to have one). But it's been a few years since I last played one. More and more of these import budget brands/lines are getting better. An instrument being made in China doesn't bother me in the least these days, and I've chosen to own some Chinese-made instruments over their Spanish and even a few American counterparts in some cases. All I care about any more is how an instrument plays and sounds when I lay hands on it. Where it's made and what logo is on the headstock means little to me (and I say that as an admitted fan boy of certain brands). It just so happens, that I prefer a few brands over most others because I happen to like how they sound and play... and also the consistency of those brands. Every brand will have variations between instruments. But the more consistently good I find a brand, the more of a fan I am of that brand.

[cdkrugjr]

Consider buying the guitar that plays best to you and fitting an aftermarket pickup. It's often the case that the instrument that plays amazing acoustic has a sub-par pickup, or even just one that doesn't suit your playing style.

YMMV, Not Valid in Vermont, etc etc etc

[Westy]

Originally Posted by rmoretti49

Please note that the Cordoba Orchestra Fusion 12 is a different guitar from the Cordoba Fusion 12. Can't say that I have compared them, but the latter guitar costs substantially less.

Seems like Cordoba made plenty of differing fusion models as my Orchestra Pro 12 is all solid. It's a good guitar for the money and easy to play but no where near as good as my Esteve c/9b when it comes to tone and volume.