Cordoba C5 Review - Entry-Mid Range Classical Guitar Review

Which Classical Guitar is Best for the Committed Player Taking the Next Step With their Performances (with a $500 - $1000 budget)

The Cordoba C5 is the entry level model for Cordoba and represents good value for money for a beginner guitarist, who wants a full-sized classical guitar made from real wood, not laminates.

In this Cordoba C5, we will look at and review the Cordoba C5 classical guitar and the GuitarsOnline range of entry-mid range classical guitars, discuss and compare them, to see which is the better option for the committed player looking to take the next step with their performances.

Quick Overview

Cordoba C5 - Classical Guitar for Beginners

Price: $799 (RRP) - on sale $629
Resale/Second-hand Price: approx $420 (after 12 months)
Country of Manufacture: China
Neck/Body Construction Technique: Simple dovetail join
Tonewoods: Solid cedar top with laminated mahogany back and sides.

Summary - What do GuitarsOnline Say:

The Cordoba C5 is a well priced and well made, entry-level and basic solid top guitars with a good reputation, so if you’re a beginner who wants a full-sized classical guitar made from real wood, not laminates - the Cordoba C5 is a guitar that you should certainly consider.

However, because of the cheaper construction technique, the dynamics are muted and lacks either the warmth and definition of the Alhambra Z Natural or the punch and projection or dynamics of the Alhambra 1C.

There have also been reports of problems related to construction, with the guitar warping because of the high string tension.

When comparing the Cordoba C5 with the range of GuitarsOnline entry-mid level guitars - the key element of difference, can be simplified to one key thing - the construction technique.

While the Cordoba C5 classical guitar is designed with a simple “dovetail joint”, the GuitarsOnline range of entry-mid-range guitars all use the “Spanish heel” method in their neck/body construction.

The Spanish Method/Spanish Heel, is a feature of high-quality handcrafted guitars, where the guitar body and neck are built as a single integrated unit, making the neck-body connection very strong and ensuring a powerful sound,

The end result, is a guitar with a more expansive and generous amplitude and wider and richer harmonics.

The Dovetail Joint, where the neck is added to a completely assembled soundbox, is a feature of higher volume, lower skilled, production line guitar manufacture, where the guitar body and neck are built independently, and assembled together at the end, often resulting in a more “boxy” muffled sound.

Quick Overview - GuitarsOnline Range of Entry-Mid Range Guitars

Antonio Pinto 1C High Gloss - $599
Higher grade Solid Cedar top, balance and resonant, more detail in each note and due to lacquering greater resonance.
Country of Manufacture: Portugal
Neck/Body Construction Technique: Spanish heel
Tonewoods: Top - Solid Spruce or Cedar | Back & Sides - Sapelli | Fretboard - Samaguila

Alhambra Z Natural $629
Higher grade solid top, very warm open and loud improved dynamics over the College
Country of Manufacture: Spain
Neck/Body Construction Technique: Spanish heel
Tonewoods: Top - Solid cedar | Back & Sides - Sapele | Fretboard - Rosewood

Antonio Pinto 3S $799
Offers even more value, with an even higher quality Solid Spruce or Cedar top ideal for more serious players, with it’s construction and high-gloss quality lacquered finish adding extra punch and projection.
Country of Manufacture: Portugal
Neck/Body Construction Technique: Spanish heel
Tonewoods: Top - Solid cedar or solid spruce | Back & Sides - Bobinga | Fretboard - Spanish Cedar

Alhambra 1C $899
For the committed player, offering a high quality cedar top with great dynamics, for improved projection and musical performance.
Country of Manufacture: Spain
Neck/Body Construction Technique: Spanish heel
Tonewoods: Top - Solid cedar or solid spruce | Back & Sides - Laminate sappelli | Fretboard - Solid Rosewood

Guitar Construction - Spanish Heel vs Dovetail Joint Guitar Neck/Body Construction

While the Cordoba C5 classical guitar is designed with a simple “dovetail joint”, the GuitarsOnline range of entry-mid-range guitars all use the “Spanish heel” method in their construction.

What is the difference between “Spanish heel” and “dovetail joint” in the neck/body construction of guitar manufacture?

What does this mean and does it make any difference to their playability and the quality of sound of the guitars?

There are two primary methods of guitar construction:

The Spanish Method/Spanish Heel, categorised by an integrated neck-body construction.

This is a feature of high-quality handcrafted guitars, where the guitar body and neck are built as a single integrated unit, making the neck-body connection very strong and ensuring a powerful sound,

The end result, is a guitar with a more expansive and generous amplitude and wider and richer harmonics.

The Dovetail Joint, where the neck is added to a completely assembled soundbox.

This is a feature of higher volume, lower skilled, production line guitar manufacture, where the guitar body and neck are built independently, and assembled together at the end, often resulting in a more “boxy” muffled sound.

A guitar built with a Spanish Heel design, is a characteristic of a more powerful sounding, handcrafted, higher quality guitar.

The Spanish heel, a hallmark of guitar craftsmanship in Spain, distinguishes itself in the construction of Spanish guitars. Unlike the simpler glued neck method found in many Asian-made and budget guitars, the Spanish heel involves a more intricate and time-consuming process. Invented by Antonio Torres, this method revolutionized guitar making globally.

In the Spanish heel construction, the guitar neck is incorporated into the body during the building process, setting it apart from the conventional approach of adding the neck after constructing the body. The neck is notched at the heel, allowing it to be seamlessly assembled with the sides, forming the complete guitar body.

While guitars with Spanish heels tend to be pricier, the benefits are substantial. The construction provides a robust neck mounting, contributing to greater stability and durability. The entire body is built around the neck, resulting in an ideal method for guitar construction.

Renowned Spanish guitar manufacturers, such as Alhambra, Raimundo, Prudencio Saez, Hermanos Camps, Jose Ramirez, and Manuel Rodriguez, continue to uphold the Spanish heel method even in the construction of steel-string acoustic guitars.

Enhanced Stability: The Spanish heel construction results in a robust connection between the neck and body, contributing to greater stability. This stability is particularly beneficial for the overall durability of the instrument.

  1. Improved Resonance: The integration of the neck into the body during construction can enhance the guitar's resonance. The continuous connection between the neck and body allows for a more seamless transfer of vibrations, potentially resulting in a richer and more vibrant tone.

  2. Optimal Neck Alignment: Since the neck is part of the initial construction process, it ensures precise alignment with the body. This alignment can contribute to better playability and overall comfort for the guitarist.

  3. Traditional Craftsmanship: The Spanish heel method has a long-standing tradition in guitar making, especially in Spain. Guitars crafted using this method often reflect a commitment to traditional craftsmanship and may be considered by some as a mark of authenticity.

  4. Artistic and Structural Integrity: Building the guitar around the neck allows for a cohesive integration of structural and artistic elements. This method can lead to a visually appealing and artistically balanced instrument.

  5. Historical Significance: The Spanish heel was invented by Antonio Torres, a pioneering figure in guitar making. Guitars made with this method carry a historical significance and may be sought after by collectors and enthusiasts.

  6. Brand Reputation: Some renowned guitar manufacturers, particularly those in Spain, have maintained the Spanish heel method as part of their construction process. Guitars from these brands often enjoy a positive reputation for quality and craftsmanship.

How do Cordoba Manufacture Their Cordoba C5 Guitars?

Cordoba is a US company that named the company after a famous Spanish city “Cordoba” that was famous for concert guitar building, however their guitars are made in CHina to reduce manufacturing costs and are sold in the US and Australia under the Spanish name.

The goal of the lower priced guitar makers, is to have their guitars manufactured as inexpensively as possible.

Cordoba, like Katoh, achieve this by focusing on the branding and the marketing and outsourcing the manufacture of their guitars to an independent factory in China. The same independent factory that makes the Katoh guitars.

The advantage of outsourcing the manufacturing to a factory in China, is that you can have the guitars made very cheaply, but there is also a significant downside. With the variability of tonewoods and skill level, because building classical guitars is an artisan craft, when you adopt a high-volume production line approach to a craftsman built instrument , you can quickly have problems with product and musical quality.

Cordoba has recently been acquired by the Yamaha Guitar Group, so their outsourced/contract manufacturing strategy may change.

Our Recommended GuitarsOnline Alternative

Alhambra 1C $899
For the committed player, offering a high quality cedar top with great dynamics, for improved projection and musical performance.
Country of Manufacture: Spain
Neck/Body Construction Technique: Spanish heel
Tonewoods: Top - Solid cedar or solid spruce | Back & Sides - Laminate sappelli | Fretboard - Solid Rosewood

The Cordoba C5 $ $799 fits under the Alhambra 1C price @ $899.

However, the 1C offers a superior top and is made with Spanish heel construction, a superior method that lets the guitar vibrate as a one-piece as a whole.

Alhambra Z Natural $629
Higher grade solid top, very warm open and loud improved dynamics over the College
Country of Manufacture: Spain
Neck/Body Construction Technique: Spanish heel
Tonewoods: Top - Solid cedar | Back & Sides - Sapele | Fretboard - Rosewood

If you are looking to invest a little less in your guitar Alhambra also offer the Alhambra Z Natural @$629 and the Alhambra College both of these offer a Solid Cedar top and Spanish heel construction and eco finish for warmth, greater projection and resonance.

So, Alhambra offers 3 models made in Spain with superior construction at this level of guitar investment.

If you like choice and options, you really owe it to yourself to try them all before you buy.

Luthiers for GuitarsOnline Range of Entry-Mid Level Guitars

The Luthier - António Pinto Carvalho

A craftsman with more than 50 years of experience and one of the most well known Luthiers in Portugal.

António Pinto Carvalho is the mentor and founder of the company. He started learning his craft in 1961, in his grandfather’s workshop.

His luthier skills were passed on to him by his grandfather, which gained that knowledge from the Porto’s 20th century “Ancient school of guitar makers”. After losing his father at the age of 10, Antonio started working in the world of stringed instruments manufacture, and since then he has never stopped.

In 1976 António Pinto de Carvalho founded the company “António Pinto Carvalho” and today, is a craftsman with more than 50 years of experience and one of the most well known Luthiers in Portugal.

With about 50 employees, APC Instruments Musicais is not only the largest Portuguese company in the field, but one of the largest in Europe, producing and distributing a wide variety of instruments throughout the world. 

The company does not forget the touch of each “luthier” on each instrument, making each piece a work of unique beauty and sound.

The symbiosis between the manual art brought from the 19th century and the technology of today is, therefore, the key to the quality and authenticity of each instrument.

The Luthier - Alhambra
Since 1965, Alhambra Guitars bring the everlasting allure of Spain's heritage to the fingertips of guitar players, unlocking an endless wellspring of inspiration. Over 55 years Alhambra Guitars has been dedicated to perfecting the art of guitar construction. 

Our family of 110 skilled workers, each with a deep-rooted passion for crafting stringed instruments, forms the heart and soul of our company. With generations of expertise passed down through the tradition and knowledge of refined guitar building, we take immense pride in preserving our heritage while embracing innovation.

The foundation of our exceptional instruments lies in the selection of the finest raw materials. We meticulously source fine woods like cedar, spruce, rosewood, ebony, and cypress from their places of origin, ensuring the highest quality for our guitars. Once at our factory, the wood undergoes a natural drying process, expertly stabilized through cutting-edge technology, to guarantee optimal performance.

Our process involves the careful creation and assembly of each guitar piece, followed by precise varnishing and polishing. We believe that every instrument is unique, deserving individual attention, tuning, and sound control to achieve its full potential.

The quality and reliability of our musical instruments are paramount to us. Alhambra Guitars implements a comprehensive production process control system, starting with the selection of the best raw materials. This unwavering commitment to quality extends to our customers through a three-year guarantee and meticulous after-sales service.

Our guitars are widely recognized and celebrated for their exceptional quality, design, and sonority. The superb sound we achieve is a result of the professionalism of our artisans, their meticulous working methods, and the careful selection of woods, particularly the use of solid cedar and spruce tops.

The GuitarsOnline “Best of Breed” Strategy for Selecting Our Range of Entry-Mid Range Classical Guitars

I grew up in Spain around guitars and have been travelling and buying guitars and importing into Australia for over 20 years.

Finding good entry level, value for money mid-range guitars, with beautiful tone and great playability is the hardest thing to do.

The reasons for this are that the major costs in guitar building are the increasingly costs of quality tone woods, the time consuming process of guitar building and the cost of really good guitar makers as opposed to wood-workers.

Any shortcuts taken in material, hours and quality building can then be heard in every note for years to come and will make the guitar hard to play. And let’s face it as a beginner you need all the help you can get!

To overcome these barriers while implementing strict quality control is essential.

In my 20+ years of classical guitar evaluating, testing and buying experience, I’ve found the most successful strategy for selecting our guitar range, is what I call our “best-of-breed” strategy.

This strategy involves visiting every luthier in their workshop and evaluating and testing and then selecting the “best of breed” guitars for our range, that fit into the budget of the average student level guitarist.  

How Our “Best-of-Breed” Range Selection Strategy Works

The biggest challenge with identifying and selecting guitars for our range, especially at the student/entry level, is that classical guitars are a “artisanal product”.

The variability of materials, tonewoods and manufacturing standards, means that you can’t approach guitar production with the same standardised product manufacturing process as you do with say electronics, technology or even furniture.

This creates a huge challenge for music stores, who purchase and import their guitars “unseen” and untested”

Given this variability it always struck me as odd that none of the other importers play classical or flamenco guitar, or travel and test their guitars before selling them here.

They just import ‘XYZ brand’ from a catalogue and treat it as a product like a paperclip! 

Our “best of breed strategy” means more work for me, but it has been proven year-on-year, to be the most effective way to source high-quality, easy to play classical guitars at cost-effective prices.

By travelling to Spain to visit with the makers, inspect their guitars and then place orders. I’m able to identify the standout “best of breed” guitars at all different price points and construction methods - and then put them into player’s hands.

For more information or if you have any questions, or if you would like to arrange an appointment to test-drive our range of guitars, please contact:
Pierre  Herrero
m: 0410 708 338
pierre@guitarsonline.com.au