Cordoba Cadete 3/4 Size Classical Acoustic Nylon String Guitar, Iberia Series

I was looking for a quality classical guitar for my 10 year old daughter who has been playing for 2 years and has progressed well beyond the $120 Fender Classical that she began with. Based on her solid progression at a professional music school, I was fully prepared to go to the $800 to $1200 range as that seemed to be the next meaningful quality level without going crazy. However, her instructor; herself a music major, performer and full time instructor, suggested the Cordoba Cadete after another student bought one.She said she was "amazed" at the sound quality and the way the sound projected from a guitar at this price point. She also liked the construction quality and felt it easily compared to other guitars in the $800-1000 level. Furthermore, she felt my daughter could get 2-3 years out of this level of guitar before we need to upgrade. It would then be likely that we would progress to the $1500-3000 range if my daughter's progress/interest continues. I was skeptical but was happy to save money if the Cadete would do the trick.I also called around, and ended up speaking to two luthiers who make high end guitars. They did not know this particular guitar as they make custom high end instruments. But, they did feel that a step to the $1000 level does not buy a huge upgrade from the $200-300 level.Well, we are extremely satisfied with the sound, build quality, and the beauty of the instrument for just over $200. It is a huge upgrade from the starter Fender which was not a bad starter. The Cordoba sound is reasonably comparable to the instructor's $1400 classical - in the instructor's opinion.I thought this was a great buy, especially when you consider the quality balanced against the possibility that a young student could end up losing interest in guitar. The only negative is that it does not include a case, but at this price point you would get a cheap one if it was included. So I would recommend buying a decent quality padded gig bag or hard case.I fully believe I could resell the Cordoba 3 years from now for $90-125, thereby making this an even better value. I would highly recommend this instrument.

Pros: good construction, great sound for the price and size, good size for smaller players, very playable out of the box with barely any adjustment required out of the box.Cons: not very comfortable for a player with longer fingers or larger hands, a little awkward to hold due to the smaller size. None of these cons are worth taking any stars off my rating of the guitar.I played around on this guitar for a month or so and loved the sound. I was a little surprised with some of the tones that it was able to produce for a smaller frame. Good sustain, not great. I had a hard time, being a newer nylon player, finding a decent balance balance between the lower and higher strings BUT I will attribute that to my ability as a player rather than the guitar.Ultimately I decided to ship it back and my justification for doing so is solely because of its size. I was very impressed with the sound and tone out of this guitar, but for someone with large hands and long fingers, it was just not comfortable to want to keep. I will order a Córdoba C5 limited after shopping around for some time. As far as brands go, Córdoba seems to have more to offer for my price point.

Guitar is beautiful wood finish with good depth of sound. Mine came with fret edges that were sharp enough to cut fingers. This is due to the lack of humidity in our climate, causing the rosewood neck to shrink. I could have returned it and risked the same issue again and again. I wrote Cordoba and have yet to receive response, the reason for my rating. A simple inexpensive humidifier kit solves many humidity issues, but not those as severe as mine.I looked up a good guitar tech who filed down the fret edges to a comfortable playable feel and also stretched the strings to help maintain tuning, a $50 service, well worth the effort.

I really like this little Cordoba. It fits me and my hands well. I'm 5'9" with medium sized hands. I mainly play steel string acoustic guitar, just getting into playing classical guitar. I like the width of the neck, it fits my hand well. I normally play a Martin with high performance neck, this is not a significant change from what I'm used too. Most classical guitars have a 2" or wider neck, and feel too large in my hands, this 3/4 size Cordoba is a perfect for me.The sound quality is excellent for the price, it doesn't sound as good as a guitar costing $2k, but it's no where near that price. It sounds really excellent compared to other guitars in this price range, I think it sounds better than every Yamaha I've tested below $500. Everyone's ear is different, so I'd suggest taking a listen at a local shop if you can find it. I looked at several local retailers (4 different Guitar centers and a Sam Ash) but was unable to find it. I listened to several YouTube videos of the guitar and decided to take the plunge without hearing it in person first.I'm very happy with the purchase. I highly recommend this guitar.Almost forget to add something important! HUGE Thank You to Daniel at Calido Guitars! They shipped lightning fast, guitar was well packaged and he is a pleasure to work with. He answered my questions incredibly fast and was very helpful. I will definitely purchase from Calido Guitars again!!! Highly recommend Calido Guitars!

Terrible product the strings are way too high it makes it unplayable