Cordoba CWE-S

2003 cordoba cwe-s, spanish made, solid spruce top, laminate sycamore sides and back, rosewood fretboard, rosewood bridge. mine came with a b-band pickup and pre-amp. nice gloss finish, cutaway body. fretboard a little on the narrow side, probably since this is supposed to appeal to the crossover segment. standard length (650mm)came with a cordoba case (skb).

the guitar sounds like a flamenco, a little on the compressed side, notes do not sustain like a classical. now, it depends on what you're after, but this is perfect for me - i play a lot of crossover stuff, nuevo flamenco, light jazz, pop and church music, so i needed versatility. this guitar gives you the ability to play just about anything you can imagine (ok, maybe not blues or metal - c'mon you know what i mean). and that's without plugging in - that's right, i think i would buy this again even sans the pickup and preamp, it sounds that good. the balance between strings and up the neck is phenomenal. intonation is dead on. the b-band pickup and preamp provide a nice amplification package that captures a lot (not all) of the tone.

action just a little high, frets near the nut could have been better dressed, tuners very stiff, volume control on the preamp also stiff: i took care of this stuff myself as initial set-up when i got it home and changed the strings (to labella 2001 hard tension). inside wires worked their way lose quickly and i had to go inside and reclamp them. the guitar itself has a beautiful rosewood fretboard, very nice finish, no excess glue inside, nice looking rosette. the spruce top is GREAT, extremely attractive visually, and very vibrant tonally. very nice workmanship.

the guitar has done fine playing out, i see no reason to think that'll change. the fact that the back and sides are laminate actually was one of the selling points for me, i needed something that'll hold up - solid woods are wonderful, but more prone to cracks. i'll replace the tuners somewhere down the road. finish is very nice, the clear golpe plates will protect the top. i think its one of the more durable guitars of its type around. remember, this isn't a slab of ash or mahogany, its a lightly braced flamenco-type guitar, treated with care it'll be fine forever.

what company? cordoba is like a stealth company, try to find out anyhitng about them and let me know if you do, because for all i know they're located in guam. the distributor, guitar salon international, was quick to reply to my inquiry regarding the preamp and i have no doubt they'd help me out if i have a problem, i've dealt with them before, and they're first rate, so my rating goes for tim m and his crew at guitar salon.

it was a quiet thursday afternoon, and i played this guitar for 2 hours before i bought it. the sales rep at guitar center left me alone and i appreciated that courtesy. no hassle, no interruptions, no metal-shredder in the next room drowning me out.
ok, dislikes - all, by the way, associated with the onboard electronics - battery on the preamp is a pain in the ass to change, you have to take off the strings and fumble around inside the guitar: and i hate, hate, hate wires rattling around in there, why can't they be clipped properly and permanently at the factory, i've had this same issue with every onboard i've ever owned. i guess its the deal with the devil that you have to make if you want to avoid mics and stands and wires all around your feet. but next time i might just go for a pickup install and an outboard preamp to get rid of all the wires and battery issues.
ok, likes: everything else. the guitar plays beautifully, the tone is beautiful, the thing is so damn versatile. it doesn't put you in a creative box like so many classicals or flamencos will do. to my mind this is the perfect nylon string gig guitar, its not so expensive that it'll kill you working to pay it off, and you make no concessions on the quality of sound you put out there.

The real features of this guitar are the playability and overall sound quality of this instrument. A classical guitar that is geared for flamenco or blues or rock or just noodling. A cutaway neck with a slightly smaller neck size really helps the non classical guy like myself move around on this guitar. The action and string height is very playable. It's easy to make the adjustment from a standard steel string. (at least easier) The built in pickup is a plus and must for me. Great for recording.

The sound of this guitar is as good as any nylon string guitar I have experienced. In fact it is better than many guitars twice the price.
Very balanced in tone and a joy to play. I have both a Taylor 614CE and a Gibson custom Hummingbird. The Cordoba stands proudly amongst them. I choose this guitar when the mood demands it and it is very satisfying. Both finger picking and struming sound great!

For a nylon classical/flamenco guitar, the action on this guitar is the best I have experienced. Much easier to play than most. Also it is a very good looking guitar. Very satisfied with the feel and vibe this guitar has.

What can I say. Unless I drop it or leave it in the trunk over the weekend in baking hot sun....this guitar will last a long time.

Let me see.... do I need to call the manufacture in Spain? I doubt it.

Very satisfied and enjoy the guitar very much. If you are looking for a quality nylon, check this one out.

An electric cutaway classical guitar. Slightly narrower neck than a traditional classical, very light in weight and very springy ( I mean this in a good way) spruce top, sycamore sides, rosewood fingerboard, Fishman electronics. I bought it with the humicase in December 2003. The humicase has these little plastic water buttons attatched with velcro that are supposed to keep the guitar in the right humidity range with this case the guitar is warrantied for life.

I play classical and jazz guitar and write music. For the price, this guitar seemed like the best choice for me. I tried several electric classicals; the Takamine which is nice, the Yamaha which I didn't like especially the electronics, the Ramirez which is pricey maybe overpriced and I liked this one most of all. The guitar is very lively and I mean that in a good way. There are no dead spots on the guitar and I can feel the sound vibration through the guitar which is very appealing. I feel like I can overplay this guitar something you might experience if you ever play on lets say a real nice vintage stratocaster. The sound is bright but very good. I wanted something that I can plug directly into my digital recording gear or computer for projects.

I checked all notes in the store and nary a buzz. The action is easy as I am used to standard classical guitars. I'm not a real bug on details for me its the playability and sound and these aspects were just fine. It looks good, a blond sort of guitar.

Its supposed to be warrantied for life with the humicase, so we shall see. I do plan on performing out with this guitar. Also because it is so light, I will be rather delicate with it. I defintately see this guitar not doing well with a good accidental crash or fall.

Too soon to tell

For an electric classical guitar with a cutaway, this is a real nice lively instrument, its quite enjoyable to play. I wouldn't compare it to say a really good Ramirez or Contraras standard classical which is a different beast. It is designed to be played amplified and in this category it rates high marks.

Blonde cutaway, flamenco, nylon string. Laminated sycamore back and sides, solid spruce top. Mahogany neck, rosewood fingerboard, rosewood bridge and trim. Beautiful rosette. What's the big deal with these rosettes... aren't they just a decal? Fishman pickup, preamp, eq, etc. The neck is a not as wide as a typical classical. "Handmade" in Spain. I'm not sure exactly what the definition of handmade is.

I bought this for playing plectrum style jazz, easy listening, etc. I guess the woods they use on a flamenco guitar give it a snappier sound compared to a classical. It has a nice clean bright sound. It sounds great both accoustically and plugged in. It is perfect for what I was looking for.

All in all, pretty good construction. While checking the screws holding the tuners in, I did find one that was stripped. The frets could be dressed a bit. Other than that, not bad. Supposedly "hand made."

A little more durable than an all solid wood nylon string. Lets face it, these things are lightweights and they have to be babied.

Can't locate the company. There is a U.S. website with a minimal amount of information. It has a three year warranty, or you can get a lifetime warranty if you buy a special humidified case. I bought it at Guitar Center. Even though I'm not a big fan of G.C. they gave me a good price, and I actually dealt with a sales guy who was knowledgeable and not too pushy.

I'm really an electric player at heart, but I love the nylon sound especially with a pick. I was also looking at a Ramirez at 2 grand and a Takamine at $500 used. The Cordoba sounded much better than the Takamine and almost as good as the Ramirez. I also looked at a Cordoba RCWE... very nice. The RCWE called out to me a little louder than this model, but was drowned out by the sound of my wife who supervised the purchase. If you bring your wife to a guitar store, prime her with some jewelry or flowers before going. Still happy with the guitar though, and still married.

I found this guitar about two days ago and fell in love with it....I am not a classsical guitar player per se, but I sat down with this guitar and quickly realized it was a keeper. It's the same specs as listed in the post above. It'll be a great sitting around the house writing instrument. I'm not a technical wiz on specs on guitars, but I do know great guitars when I play them. While in Gruen Guitars in Nashville I picked up a classical off the floor that was really nice. I found out it was 3500.00 nice. This guitar is every bit of that at a little over 800.00.

Awesome tone and playability. Was set up very well right off the rack, though I will take it to my luthier and get it tweaked just a bit.

I see no flaws with the guitar whatsoever.

I would definitely use this guitar at a gig- though it will probably never leave the house. My band's music just doesn't call for classical guitar.

As a songwriter who has had numerous songs in movies, TV etc...I am not a guitar wizard, but damn this thing will come in handy writing songs! I own probably 15 or 16 guitars (Tele's, Strats, PRS, Martin, Guild, Gibson, Ric's, etc.) and this one ranks with my top three favorites. I'd definitely replace it if lost or stolen.

2002 model
sycamore body and top

brazilian folk music (my style)

My god this guitar sounds better that $3000 concert classicals.

The action on this baby is truly incredible.
Amazingly sensitive and responsive
A world class instrument

The guitar is very solid and extremely light and resonant.

WOW. This is an amazing guitar.
I owned a $1600 Takamine and this is honestly three times the guitar for half the price. Likely the best deal in the world on a classical/flamenco guitar. Amazingly versatile, can be extremely soft an sweet or bright and cutting.

This guitar was made in 2001, in Spain. It is an accoustic electric guitar. It has a solid spruce top, with laminated sycamore back and sides, mahogany neck. The electronics are Fishman that came on the guitar. This is a cutaway model similar to the Gypsy King Cordoba. The tuners are gold. It has a rosewood fret board and rose wood bridge. The scale is 650m, and the neck width is 2 inches at the nut. It came with a hard shell cordoba case. The reason that I am giving this guitar a 9 rating here is the guitar is rather plain looking.

I have played country, blue grass style most of my life, and started learning classical about 2 years ago. This guitar is perfect cross over guitar, for either, even though it has classical nylon strings. With the electronics, you can get the sound you desire. It plays beautiful through the Fender Princeton Chorus amplifier that I have, although I play it accoustically most of the time. I have put this guitar up beside the Rodriguez C1 and model B, as well as the Cordoba 40, Seagull Artist, Yamaha FG 300, as well as others. I have never felt, or played a guitar with a sounds like this. It has high thin back bracing on the inside. I think this helps the sound out of the sound hole. It plays perfect all the way up and down the neck, giving a sound, that I can not get from any of the other guitars that I have mentioned. The cutaway lets you go down the neck and play in different octaves with no problem. The nylon strings lets me play all day long with no finger problems. It gives a vibrato, and the strings can be bent like nothing I have ever played. I can find nothing I dislike about this instrument, although it has a plain look. I guess that is why I got it.

When I got it, the action was a little high. I lowered the saddle just a little, and the action is perfect. I have nothing like it. I can find no flaws with anything on this guitar, the pickups, the woods, frets, tuners, or anything. It is great all the way around.

I have taken this guitar on camping trips, and used it at several gigs. If I have my way it will be with me for life. The guitar came with a one piece clear tap plate on the front. Because I play with one finger on the sound board I needed this to protect the front of the guitar. My friends that have played it, use flat picks, as of now I have had it almost one year, and can see no scratches on the instrument anywhere. It looks new. I would trust this guitar to be the only one that I would need if and when I go on a gig. No backups needed, I can depend on it.

I have not dealt with customer support. I have had no need to, and don't expect to.

I started playing when I was 12 years old. I am now 47. I have owned about 200 guitars in my life, and I have never had one that is this versital. If it was stolen or lost, the only thing I could ask is to upgrade to the gypsy king cordoba. This guitar has to be the best sounding, playing, feeling, guitar I have ever owned. I have used Harmony Central's website a lot for buying or selling guitars, and I felt this guitar had to be mentioned.