Cordoba C12 SP Classical Guitar Natural

This guitar is absolutely gorgeous, the wood grains really shines. The different types of wood each have their own characteristics and it looks fabulous. The sound is equally beautiful. Very clear, crisp, and rich. The only downside is that out-of-the-box, the action is rather high in the upper frets. It plays perfectly in the first few positions but can be a bit difficult and sloppy around the 12th fret. I'll take it in to a shop to have it adjusted.

Rich and warm sound while already delivering wonderful tones without Amp. Was amazed when it was matched with my Fishman Loudbox Perfomer and Shrue SM81 condenser mic.

The journey to find a reasonably good classical guitar without spending $7,000 to $10,000 is not easy. The Cordoba's C-12 Spruce is one that I considered and tried for a month but in the end returned it. Here's how I break it down. The craftsmanship is 5 stars. The guitar is simply beautiful work or art. It looks and feels expensive, however it fails to deliver. It does have a very loud sound but I found it dull. Other have commented that the thick finish is what cause this and that may be true, but whatever the case it is very noticeable. The action is too high. Couple this with high tension strings and your left hand will fatigue. Overall, for the cost of this guitar I felt it came up short. I am currently trying out the C-12 Cedar but have decided to also return it for the same reasons. No to be fair my demands are high as I enjoy playing Classical Guitar music. If you your preference of music is jazz or modern you might consider it.

The build quality of this instrument stands out. All the joins are perfect. Every wood used is visually stunning. The purfling around the soundboard is made of eight strips of wood inlaid into the spruce, matching the inner/outer rings of the rosette. I couldn't even take a good picture of the back because it's perfectly flat and polished like a mirror, but it is made of the same beautiful rosewood as the sides with a wedge of flamed maple down the centre. It's amazing acoustically as well, though I've never owned a spruce classical guitar before and can only compare it to < $800 cedar instruments. The biggest differences I noticed between this and my cedar guitars are the increased volume, longer sustain, and the crisp, clear separation of voices which dramatically changes the quality of counterpoint music like Bach. Really excited to see how the tone evolves over the years. If I had any criticism of this instrument, it would be that the finish could be a little thinner. But I really can't think of anything else.

Just a heads up that the newer version of this guitar has an understated mother of pearl "arch" inlay on the headstock. It also comes with a black case instead of the brown one shown in the photos. I am very fortunate to own a couple of hand made classical guitars (aka expensive). I travel a great deal and did not like subjecting these instruments to the abuse travel brings. I was looking for a very high quality hand made guitar which I would feel comfortable taking along with me on my travels. I could not be happier with the C12 SP. Although, it is far from inexpensive, the quality is well worth the price (and in my case, two month wait). It truly is a great value! The spruce top is exceptionally fine grained and the rosewood is beautiful. The build quality is exceptional. I have examined a number of much, much more expensive hand made Spanish guitars. The build quality of this guitar exceeds all.

Very well made. And, it sounds and plays fantastic! I purchased the Cedar top variant and I liked it so much that I saved up and purchased this Spruce top variant as well. I couldn't be happier! I highly recommend the C12! I think that I may like the Spruce top slightly better, but I am not 100% sure yet!