Cordoba Protege C1M 3/4 Nylon String Acoustic Guitar - Natural Reviews

I've been playing acoustic and electric guitar for decades and wanted to give classical guitar a go, but did not want to spend too much in case it does not work out. The 3/4 size Protege arrived in perfect condition, as always packed extremely well by Sweetwater. It was processed and arrived at my doorstep in less than 3 days.

The guitar itself is surprisingly well-built for the money. I prefer lower action, so shaved the saddle down a bit. This instrument sounds really good to me-similar to a parlor guitar, but with the nylon string mellowness. Perfect price point to learn classical technique.

I'm not easily impressed, but this guitar does impress me with construction, sound, playability, at less than $200! When I upgrade to a solid top classical it will be a Cordoba. Man, this is fun to play!

Bought this guitar for our granddaughter who was showing interest in playing on my gs mini but her fingers were hurting and discouraging her a bit. Got her this and planned to play along with her and she actually picks it up and plays when she is here without being prompted by herself. That's huge at 8 years old and in todays phonbie world. Very happy with the purchase and her excitement. Great doing business with Sweetwater as always, TJ was awesome. Thanks

I have lots of guitars, but I bought the Cordoba Protege 3/4 size guitar a few months ago as a couch guitar; my first Cordoba. I took a little off the nut, but other than that, I've done nothing but play this little guy ever since and I can't seem to stop. It's feather light and about the smoothest playing guitar that I own. Cordoba (well the Chinese) build quality into these beginner models.

Our son is 7 years old and has been taking guitar lessons since he was 4.5. He started with a 1/4 size, then moved up to a 3/4 size brand Harvest. He liked the guitar ok, but once our school bought this Cordoba Protege and he got to play it during a lesson, he absolutely loved it and could tell right away it was a superior quality guitar. And he knew that he wanted that guitar to be his!!! We were able to buy it from the school and my son has been loving the sound, the look and the feel of it!! We are very happy with the quality of it!!! Thank you, Cordoba!! We also love the case it came with.

First and foremost, Sweetwater did it again, great service, guitar delivered ontime, well packaged, guitar was wrapped in its inner cardboard box, then placed in a larger shipping box with bubble wrap on the bottom sides and top to avoid rattling around in the box. Slight damage on the outside box but the inside box and guitar were untouched. Bought the guitar for my future daughter-in-law who is very petite so the 3/4 scale guitar is perfect for her to play.
I'm not a guitar player but a drummer but been around lots of guitars in my 53 years of life and everything about this guitar looked amazing. If there were any defects I could not spot it. I took it out to inspect it, no damage, bridge, neck, fretboard and tuners all were clean and solid. I know a few chords so I strummed a few cords and everything sounded great atleast to my ears and being a musician I know when a guitar or bass is off or out of tune. Just had to fine tune a few strings just a fraction of a turn and it was ready to go. All the joints looked just as good as any guitar I've seen. And I've seen everything from Breedlove, Ovation, Fenders, Taylor's, you name it. But to my ears it sounded great, I'm sure to a professional guitarist they could pick things out. But for what this guitar will be played for and intended use, I could not be happier. The woods used were flawless, no issues there.
But the greatest joy was seeing my daughter-in-law's smile from ear to ear and strummed a few cords and just said "I Love It". What else can you say after that. So for the price and payment plan at Sweetwater it was something I want to say "Thank You" for the deal on it and quick delivery. Hope to post a video of her playing it in a future video review. Again, if your just starting out or your a person with smaller hands, this 3/4 scale guitar is worth the price. Thank John

Today I received my new Protege. Christie T. was my sales rep. She was super knowledgeable and helpful. For someone who is just learning to play guitar, this guitar feels very comfortable when playing, super light. Highly recommend for someone just starting out.

The guitar was delivered about a week ago and I have to say that I love it. It's a perfect size because I do a lot of my practice and composing on the couch. As for the guitar, it's really nice! The craftsmanship is perfect, with no blemishes or glue showing anywhere - inside or out. It's really a fine build. Now for the sound... it really sounds good. Though, I would have liked a bone nut and saddle instead of the plastic that it came with. I'll swap that out myself. It has some nice wood for the fretboard and bridge (real rosewood). As for the top,l it comes with a nice grained genuine spruce which really adds to the sound. It has depth and good projection for being a nylon string guitar. The guitar is lightweight and responds beautifully to a soft touch and yes, you can dig in a bit for a robust sound if needed. The bottom line, it's a sweet guitar for the price. I would recommend this guitar to anyone who doesn't want to spend a lot but yet would like a nylon string guitar for whatever their purpose. Grab one, you'll be glad you did.

Just right for me with really good sound. During my younger years I played a lot but along came a career and there was no time. Now that I am retired, I wanted to start playing again but none of my older guitars had the right feel for me. This guitar is a joy to play. I am now back to the beginning, playing everyday and loving it.

I am a complete beginner! So, my review will most likely reflect that. However, I've been a musician for over 50 years, and have an excellent ear - I play many and varied instruments.
When I received my Cordoba, I was a little shocked because there were some [in my mind] flaws with the fit and finish. Cosmetic. I mentioned this to Sweetwater, and they went at least 20 extra miles and replaced it!
Amazing service! OK: The guitar sounded nice! I like the 'sound' of Cordoba guitars. Hence my purchase. I was told that an entry-level guitar could have some minor issues. I didn't know that. I was relieved to hear that because I was expecting 'perfection'.. Sweetwater told me they wanted me to be happy. So much so, that they sent me a replacement before I sent the original one back: and! -- they spent extra time to set up my guitar. The set up process is usually only performed on guitars $300 and up. I was elated they took such wonderful TLC! Now to the review of my 2nd. Cordoba: It has wonderful tone. For a beginner's guitar, I like the Spruce top because it imparts a brightness to the tone which I prefer. Still, having Nylon strings, the sound is ranges from mellow to brighter. I have small hands/fingers, and that was another reason I purchased a 3/4 size guitar. It's fun and a joy to play! I can easily form chords and pick notes. I do recommend this guitar. Now, I was so excited when I got it, I didn't scrutinize the guitar as I did the first time. My original dislikes were attended to nicely. After a week, I saw something on the spruce top that made me wonder a bit. There were what looked like an inch of a scar or possibly deformity on each side of the top piece of wood near the edges. I looked closer, and it looked like the wood was buckled or bent a bit. I called Sweetwater and I was expertly told that those 2 'blemishes' were what is referred to as 'Bear Claws'. !! I had never heard of that before.. plus being a 'noob', I was not familiar with the many varieties of tone woods. I then searched online and was amazed to see just how many varieties of Spruce there were! Among them was Bear Claw Spruce! I also learned that years ago, guitar companies would not use bear Claw Spruce.. UNTIL a famous artist wanted it on his guitar. After that, there was a surge in making guitars with Bear Claw Spruce. This variety of Spruce is a little bit denser than 'normal' Sitka Spruce.. and imparts a bit more brightness. Well, after this discovery, and that my guitar only had 2 little 'Claw Marks', I then called my guitar 'Little Bear' - heh. I now look at those marks as a sign of distinction! The tone of my guitar makes me daydream I am sitting on a Garden Veranda in Spain, sipping a Sangria under the moonlight! Although an entry level guitar will not have the wide dynamic range or variety of tonal characteristics of an expensive one.. My Cordoba is a definite winner! It's light, and so enjoyable to play - and it is a Cordoba!

Bought this guitar for my son and it is really a great one. I am a pianist who plays guitar as well. This guitar has a high quality sound, craftsmanship is comparable to high end Cordoba guitars, overall it's highly recommended. You won't regret it!

The finish is bare. Seemed ok, but the g string, 3rd fret buzzes. So I bought a cheap practice guitar and will have to spend a 100 bucks getting it set up. It makes me rethink this purchase. I wouldn't buy again.