Replace My Cordoba C5?

[LandOla]

Hi,
I own a Cordoba C5 and i am planning to upgrade to a new guitar. I have passed the beginner level and at least i think i am at the beginning of intermediate level. Any recommendations for next level guitar? I am very satisfied with my Cordoba c5 and unsure if it will be any idea to upgrade or stay with my Cordoba. The style i am playing is fingerpicking like travis picking and folk, blues songs.
/L

[Ceabeceabe]

Congrats on the progress!!

Pre-Covid my advice would be try some guitars and see if they make a positive difference in your playing. Compared to when you play the C5, does the guitar help you sound better tone-wise, does it better highlight technique issues you might need to work on, does it allow for more dynamic playing, is it easier to play (due to body size, neck shape, quality of fretboard, etc). The more yes is answered the more I would lean toward getting that guitar.

Hopefully where you are at it is safe to try some guitars out at this point.

Good luck!

[rjathon]

I went from a C5 to a LaPatrie Collection and am delighted.

Russ

[CCFingerstyle]

If you stay with the Cordoba brand, you might consider a Fusion 12 Orchestra CE model. It should work well for all those types of music you mentioned. It's a hybrid, so expect radiuses fingerboard and 1-7/8" nut. I have several more expensive guitars, but find the Fusion to be a lot of bang for the buck. Good playability (I had my luthier lower the action a bit), good tone...both amplified and unamplified, seems well constructed. There are plenty of reviews of the model on YouTube if you have any interest...Chris

I am not affiliated with Cordoba in any way (other than owning one). Other models I find interesting:

Taylor NS72ce, NS74ce, NS52ce, NS54ce
Pono DC-30
Takamine 132 series (CP132SC, EC132SC, etc.)
Takamine Hirade TH5C
Any pre-1970 Martin nylon (00-16C, 00-18C, 00-18G, 00-28G, 00-28C)

The Cordoba will probably be the least expensive of these choices.

[MarkinLA]

As you probably know, a C5 is a laminate (or veneer/ply) body..
I own a C10 cedar, which are solid wood and which some might say are 'bottom concert' in quality of build and sound..These are loud guitars and have deep bass...They come with high tension Savarez Corums, a bit heavy for my fingers. You can probably find one between $1000- $1,300..I never used the 'humi-case' system the case comes as, yet have had no problems with cracking just leaving her on a floor stand 6-8 years now. M

[ceciltguitar]

Many of us on this forum I found cordoba guitars to be good quality for the price. If you’d like your C5, you might consider upgrading to a C9, C 10, or C 12. Cordoba also has models with a cutaway if you’re interested in that. For example, the GK pro is a great guitar. It does have a narrower nut width in the classical guitar models. The classical guitar models are mostly 52 mm nut width, whereas the GK pro NGK studio models by 50 mm nut width.

[LandOla]

Thanks for your reply and opinions. I think i will wait and check this later on after the corona, so i can visit my local guitar store and see what they can offer to me.
/L

[LandOla]

Unfortunately i realized now that my local musicstore does not sell Cordoba guitars. They seems to sell Alhambra guitars. Does someone know if the Alhambra 7c is comparable to any Cordoba guitar In c series?

[blindboyjimi]

I started out with the Fusion 12 crossover, moved quickly to a C10 Crossover which was a big step up. I think I sold the Fusion 12 for about $400? And the C10 Crossover for about $750. Both sold in a day or so. I now have a full Cervantes Classical that is 52mm and 650 scale. I thought I’d be playing more folk stuff but as I got into nylon, I was really interested in Classical. I’m happy to have switched from a crossover to a classical. I really recommend moving up to the solid wood C9 (mahogany) or C10 Cedar or Spruce over EIR) The C12 gives you lattice bracing and an elevated fingerboard.

[dosland]

Originally Posted by LandOla

Unfortunately i realized now that my local musicstore does not sell Cordoba guitars. They seems to sell Alhambra guitars. Does someone know if the Alhambra 7c is comparable to any Cordoba guitar In c series?

I've had my Alhambra 7C since 2009, I haven't actually played any of the recent Cordoba guitars (maybe a made in Portugal version 15+ years ago?), so I can't really speak to whether they're comparable. But, for the price point, I've been very happy with the Alhambra 7C - so much so that I snapped up a used 7P when it appeared within driving distance. Both are awesome guitars, very very different from each other as it turns out, not just because of the different woods used. The caveat when buying guitars at this level is that you really have to check them over carefully for details like finish inconsistency, frets, intonation, etc. Two theoretically-identical guitars coming out of the workshop on the same day can be very different. I had to send a couple back when I was buying from a store in 2008 because I wasn't happy with finish details. But I came away very happy in the end.