Cordoba C7 Nylon String Acoustic Guitar - Spruce Reviews

This is my first guitar, so I don't really have anything to compare it with, but it seems to be well-built and nicely finished. It will sound better when I'm better!

I bought it based on on-line reviews and pricing. I wanted something other than a cheap guitar that I wouldn't immediately outgrow.

The sales staff at Sweetwater was very helpful and knowledgable. They made me feel like a valued customer, and followed up with a phone call and email just to make sure I was satisfied. That is great customer service!

I bought a C3M last year to get back into some nylon strings. I fell in love with the guitar so much that I pushed through learning "Rio Ancho." After 1 year, I wanted more so I gave my C3M to my niece and upgraded to the C7 spruce top. Greatest decision ever. Not only is my niece in love with her new C3M, but I am blown away at the sound and playability of my C7. Sweetwater's setup was fabulous as always, the guitar is in perfect condition, and the tone of this guitar is amazing. The harmonics ring out clearly, there is no buzz on the neck, and the action is perfect. I love everything about this guitar.

The C7 is a beautifully built and great sounding instrument. The attention to detail on this guitar is flawless and it sounds great as well. It is extremely resonant and easily compares to guitars I have played costing 2-3 times the price.

Please keep in mind that the guitar may require a setup from a professional as my guitar's action was very high when I received it, the nut and bridge required some adjustments, which left me wondering exactly what the 55 point inspection involved.

Either way, even after a trip to a luthier, this guitar was a STEAL. If you need a great classical guitar and don't want to break the bank, click on "BUY"

We have a c3 and c5 in our family (as well as Martin and Taylor Steel String guitars) and my teen children wanted a classical guitar that is a bit more special for school concerts and recitals. We loved this Cordoba series so much that we decided to purchase a C7 Spruce Natural. This instrument is absolutely beautiful and plays like a guitar 3x its price. It is beautifully finished and plays well right out of the box. I can't say enough great things about this Cordoba series of guitars. Do your self a favor and buy one. I would recommend this instrument for intermediate to advanced level players looking for a well made, great sounding, good looking guitar.

Excellent classical guitar for a beginner or an intermediate player. Built quality and sound is impressive for this price range. Great value for the money.

And, Sweetwater customer service (Joe Holsclaw) deserves 5 starts, as well.

Love the guitar. It was packed well and arrived within two days. It is lite, the action and tone are smooth and clear,and the guitar is visually attractive. I would highly recommend this instrument.

This is my first actual Classical Guitar. I say that, but bear in mind 500 dollars is not going to get you a full on concert level instrument. That being said... I would for sure play this in a coffee shop gig on the weekend. I've owned a few nylon string classicalish guitars over the years because I really enjoy the sound of nylon strings when playing Jazz, and really I just enjoy their tone in general. This is the firs full on 52mm nut classical guitar I have owned though. My other ones have always been "fusion" guitars. I had a fender fusion style guitar ages ago and another dinky one that I can't remember the name of. This one blows any of those away. I've also never owned a spruce top. It's a very different sound. I know a lot of us say sometimes in that pretentious manner "Oh I can hear the difference" but the fact of the matter is that it's difficult to tell sometimes. All of my others have been cedar top. The spruce top, on this guitar at least, seems to give a lot more clarity. Not that the cedar was ever bad it was just different. I still enjoy playing Jazz on a nylon string guitar and I love clarity out of my guitars. This guitar has that, and when playing classical the response is... tighter I guess? It just seems to have a different punch to it. It's hard to describe. It also seems like there is a teeny bit more sustain.

My only complaint compared to previous guitars is that the notes choke out past the 12th or 13th fret, but you can't really reach much higher than that anyway due to it not being a cutaway which I new going in. Obviously. I'm blown away by how good this 500 dollar classical guitar is though. I know a couple of people with 5-10k dollar classicals and I simply can't justify that. 500 bucks for this thing though is for sure my wheel house given how good it sounds and how well it plays. It had a decent setup on that I assume was done by the Sweetwater folks, and the action was just right to me. Virtually no fret buzz, and the neck is very comfortable. Also I wasn't expecting it, but the tuning heads/machines on this thing are super sexy. Black and gold. They just fit, and I'm a sucker for black and gold on a guitar. Really impressed. I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a decent classical guitar to play on. Great tone, comfy, and very affordable.

I was able to try the guitar at a local store and I was very impressed. To my surprise, the one I ordered from Sweetwater was even that much better. I loved every detail of the guitar. The sound was unbelievable. I'm very happy I ordered this guitar. Playing this guitar is so much fun!

After having purchased and returned a Cordoba C10 Crossover guitar (Spruce top, solid rosewood back and sides) due to my large fingertips needing a standard vs crossover neck, I then purchased the Spruce top C7, which is similar to the C10, excepting the wider 52mm neck and the use of laminate Rosewood back and sides. This review will focus on the sound of the C7 vs the C10, and not the difference in form factors.

If you are on the fence when considering the C7 laminate rosewood back and sides vs the C10 solid rosewood back and sides, have no fear, this laminate is extremely nice sounding! While there are subtle differences (a bit more "richness" in the lower frequencies with the solid wood back & sides), they are indeed SUBTLE! Once you start playing it is difficult to notice the sound differences, unless you are one who can coax out those subtle wood differences in quieter passages. Thus for beginner and most intermediate players, (and those without perfect hearing) you mostly likely will not notice any significant sound difference. The C7 sounds awesome, and plays lovely and I am not one bit disappointed in returning the C10 for the C7. While the C10 is a lovely sounding guitar, the C7 is no slouch either!

One other thing I would like to note, is that the guitar was setup perfectly when I received it. String height was spot on, checking all the frets, there was no buzzing on any frets, there were no sharp edges on the fret wires, and intonation was also spot on. Whether it is Sweetwater's doing, or improved quality control at Cordoba, I can't say. What I can say is that I was pleasantly surprised at how nice this guitar looks, plays, and sounds, and how much guitar Cordoba is offering at this price point.

In summary, while there are subtle differences in the sounds between a more expensive solid back and side construction vs the use of laminates, these differences can be minimized by the skill of the luthier and the selection of materials. I think Cordoba nailed it with this C7 Spruce top guitar paired with the laminate rosewood back and sides. For the money, I like this guitar very much and have no reservations recommending it to others.

For the money, I doubt you'll find a better guitar. If you're an intermediate player who can't afford to get a C10+ guitar or you're a beginner that's serious about learning, this is for you.

I took a star off because one of the frets (7th or 8th one) isn't seated properly and makes the d string buzz when fretted on the 7th fret.



Pros:

The guitar looks amazing.

The bass is full. Most likely because of the layered rosewood sides.

The trebles are clear. Most likely because of the spruce top.

Trussrod adjustment!

Action was pretty good out of the box



Cons:

Came with fret buzz on a single fret, so I need to file down/reset a fret to make my d string not buzz on the 7th fret.

You have to buy a gig bag separately.