Cordoba GK Studio Verses GK Pro Question

[efhole]

Greetings to all! I have a GK Studio (cypress) that I truly love, along with a C10 rosewood that I also love. Lately, I've been finding that I play the Studio lots more because it is so much fun to play, plus I love the punchy sound I get from it. I am thinking of upgrading to the GK Pro Cypress, but without having one to compare, I was wondering if any of you can tell me if there is a huge difference in the sound/playability/character between the two. I don't play a lot of plugged in gigs, so the electronic package isn't much of a consideration. I can definitely detect some subtle (nothing huge) differences in sound and playability between the solid rosewood of my C10 verses the laminate C7 at my local Guitar Center and am wondering if the same holds true between the cypress versions to (especially) justify the $900 difference in price. I am also looking at the GK Studio Ltd Zircote, but that's another thread to be posted later. Your input is appreciated!

[dkstott]

I'm a fan of Cordoba.. I upgraded from the GK Studio Cypress to the GK Pro Negra because I wanted a warmer sound and I wasn't happy with the pre-amp in the Studio.

But quite honestly, I don't think you'll get much change in the sound or playability if you upgrade from the GK Studio Cypress to the GK Pro Cypress.

Having said that, the PRO series has better tuners on them & the overall workmanship (bracings, frets, etc) are better in the PRO.

Something to note; The newer Pro series GK models no longer come with the Golpeadore to protect the top from nail and pick damage.

Since you don't amplify the better preamp system in the Pro series won't matter to you.

Hope this helps

Dave

[efhole]

Yes, that helps very much. I thought that may be the case simply because of my experience with my C10 verses the C7. With those 2, there are noticeable differences in build and "feel" of the guitars, but not a lot of differences in the tone. Not enough difference for the difference in the price anyway. I ended up buying a factory blem C10, so I was able to purchase it for about $250 more than the laminate. That can be justified, whereas an $800-$900 difference in price between the Studio and Pro is harder to swallow. That being said, I also have my eye on a Studio limited, so I may shift my focus there. thanks for your input.

[zhunter]

Originally Posted by dkstott

But quite honestly, I don't think you'll get much change in the sound or playability if you upgrade from the GK Studio Cypress to the GK Pro Cypress.

Hope this helps

Dave

Pretty close to my thinking too. I have compared a solid cypress pro to a laminate cypress studio and I thought they sounded very close. Too close to call. By comparison, the two laminate rosewood studios I have owned sound different from either cypress model.

My cypress studio had a fret dress done to improve a few high frets but the rosewood studio played OK out of the box. Both play on par with the pro model.

hunter

[Skip Ellis]

I tried to upgrade from my cypress GK Studio to the C10 Crossover - sent the Crossover back and kept the GK. Maybe just because I was used to it but it played so much better than the XO

[dkstott]

I bought a C10 crossover to compliment my GK Pro.

But my left hand hated the 1 7/8" nut width on the C10 Crossover, so I sold it fairly quickly.

My Cordoba Solista fills the void when my GK Pro doesn't quite have the "classical" sound that I want for a song.

Originally Posted by Skip Ellis

I tried to upgrade from my cypress GK Studio to the C10 Crossover - sent the Crossover back and kept the GK. Maybe just because I was used to it but it played so much better than the XO

[efhole]

I love my C10. It sounds nice and warm. Its smooth, it plays great. But there's just something about that Studio that is so fun to play. And because its a laminate back, I generally use it when I play outside under the shade tree. Those laminates tend to hold up a little better in the elements. I'm thinking more and more about shooting the gun on the Limited Ziricote equivalent. There's not many videos on youtube, but in the few that are on there, it sounds great. A little different sound than the negra.

[Red_Label]

Look for open box GK Pros on the big box sites, or for B-stock models on eBay. I bought both of my last two GK Pros (a blanca and a negra) on ebay for $600-700 each. They are every bit as good as the pair of GK Pros and FCWE that I paid full price for. For the money, the GK Studios are hard to beat. But if you can get the price to within $500, the Pros kill the Studios in nearly every aspect. And if you ever do plug in, the electronics on the Studios aren't even in the same universe as the Pros. I've owned three guitars with the lower end Fishman electronics and seven with the higher end, and would never consider buying another guitar with the low end system again.

[efhole]

Originally Posted by Red_Label

Look for open box GK Pros on the big box sites, or for B-stock models on eBay. I bought both of my last two GK Pros (a blanca and a negra) on ebay for $600-700 each. They are every bit as good as the pair of GK Pros and FCWE that I paid full price for. For the money, the GK Studios are hard to beat. But if you can get the price to within $500, the Pros kill the Studios in nearly every aspect. And if you ever do plug in, the electronics on the Studios aren't even in the same universe as the Pros. I've owned three guitars with the lower end Fishman electronics and seven with the higher end, and would never consider buying another guitar with the low end system again.

Red Label....Does the GK Pro out-perform the Studio in the tone department by a long shot or are they pretty similar? Also, do you play a lot of gigs plugged in (to prefer the Pro electronics over the Studio versions)?

[efhole]

Originally Posted by Red_Label

Look for open box GK Pros on the big box sites, or for B-stock models on eBay. I bought both of my last two GK Pros (a blanca and a negra) on ebay for $600-700 each. They are every bit as good as the pair of GK Pros and FCWE that I paid full price for. For the money, the GK Studios are hard to beat. But if you can get the price to within $500, the Pros kill the Studios in nearly every aspect. And if you ever do plug in, the electronics on the Studios aren't even in the same universe as the Pros. I've owned three guitars with the lower end Fishman electronics and seven with the higher end, and would never consider buying another guitar with the low end system again.

Also, can you elaborate further on the Pros "killing the Studios in nearly every aspect", especially if its something other than an upgrade in materials?

[Red_Label]

Originally Posted by efhole

Red Label....Does the GK Pro out-perform the Studio in the tone department by a long shot or are they pretty similar? Also, do you play a lot of gigs plugged in (to prefer the Pro electronics over the Studio versions)?

They do in my personal experience. I've owned 12 Cordobas and I felt that the 4 GK Pros that I had outperformed the GK Studios AND the Spanish-made Espana instruments that I've owned. It's hard to compare apples to apples there, because the Espanas have the thin body style, so they do sound thinner and have less acoustic volume. But the fit & finish and playability of the Luthier series instruments that I've had (4 GK Pros, F10, and C12) have all been much better than the FCWE, 55FCE blanca, and 55FCE Ltd ziricote that I've owned.

When I had my GK Studio blanca, I had my first GK Pro blanca at the same time. And though the Studio was a very good guitar at a good value... I preferred the Pro in every single way. None of which had anything to do with the fact that I paid nearly three times as much for it. Sold my American-made Breedlove Masterclass Bossa Nova to get the Pro... so had it not lived up to my expectation, I would not have ended up coming back for more. Out of the dozens of nylon and steel stringed acoustic guitars that I've owned... the GK Pros are my favorites bar none. I can't recommend them highly enough -- plugged-in or unplugged.

[Red_Label]

Originally Posted by efhole

Also, can you elaborate further on the Pros "killing the Studios in nearly every aspect", especially if its something other than an upgrade in materials?

See my post above. And to reiterate... I do think that GK Studios are great instruments. But they are not in the same league as the Pros in my personal experience. Which makes sense, since they are at the top of the Luthier flamenco line instead of at the base. It's more than just the vastly superior electronics in my experience.

[efhole]

Originally Posted by Red_Label

See my post above. And to reiterate... I do think that GK Studios are great instruments. But they are not in the same league as the Pros in my personal experience. Which makes sense, since they are at the top of the Luthier flamenco line instead of at the base. It's more than just the vastly superior electronics in my experience.

How would you rate the sound/tone between the two? In other words, if you closed your eyes and played the two back to back, could you tell the difference between them?

[Skip Ellis]

Does anyone know if there's a similar guitar anywhere WITHOUT the electronics?

[Red_Label]

Originally Posted by efhole

How would you rate the sound/tone between the two? In other words, if you closed your eyes and played the two back to back, could you tell the difference between them?

It's been long enough since I had them both at the same time that I can't give an objective answer to that question at this point. There's certainly nothing wrong with the Studios acoustically if that's all you're looking for. I do prefer the sculped heal of the Pros, versus the traditional Spanish heal of the Studios. And the solid woods on the Pro, versus the laminated body woods on the Studio will make a difference over time. But how much of a difference will be up to the player and particular instrument.