my new D-hole Cordoba Gitano

_pedro__

Hi folks,

I want to give a little feedback about my new D-hole cordoba gitano.

What Josh said about the cordobas is absolutely right:
It's a good beginner guitar which can give the saga gitanes a true challenge.
It's a guitar which is definitely better than those of the same or lower price-level (Richwood, Kirkland, Woodland, Aria...)

The nut width is 50 mm, what is a little bit wide. (Big hands for playing chords are welcome)
The neck is very nice to hang on, it's not too thin.
The tone is real Gypsy-style, that's the tone I was looking for.
(check out the "bends", great!!!)

A little "buzz" is the problem, coming from a few notes on the deep E-string, but only appearing then, if you strike the E-string very hard.

The bridge maybe should be changed, but that's optional to your kind of playing. (It's maybe a bit to low.)
A friend of mine, who owns a guitar-shop, recommends to put some
0.13 Savarez strings on it.
Well, I will check it out.

This D-hole guitar is made by cordoba and that's probably why I almost can hear a little bit of that Spanish Flamenco influence in the sound-character.
Wonderful, I like it ! (thanks to the manufacturer)

On the whole, I 'm very happy with that guitar for that cheap price (300$), I have spent a year looking for a cheap one to get into the style, and now, I think I have made a good choice.
(Of course, if you have more money available, you will buy a much
better one!)

cheers, pedro

Josh Hegg

Don't put .13s on. Those are too heavy for the guitar. Over time the top will have problems. The bracing is not made for heavy strings. Go with the 1510MF strings 11 - 46. Those are great for short scale.

Cheers,
Josh

_pedro__

...oh, okay. So, I only will try another bridge.

Josh Hegg

Ya... I like the tone of a bridge that is made from Rosewood of medium weight for that guitar.

Cheers,
Josh

Bob Holo

Agree on Cordoba as a good budget rig - best under $500 for sure.

The setups on the two I've played were both ridiculously low... as in... maybe 2mm on the low E string... I'm not sure if it qualifies as a Gypsy Guitar setup till you get to 2.5mm.

Ah well - a 1mm shim will take a 2mm action up to 2.5mm so I guess no harm in shipping them that way.

_pedro__

First, on the positive side: the guitar is still in good condition. I have a cordoba gitano D-5 for a year now and I can tell you: this guitar is not made for playing chords, chords really sound terrible. For soloing it's nice. But on the whole, I do not recommend to buy a cordoba. I also do not recommend to buy a saga gitane. Save your money for anything better or you will regret. Try a guitar that is at least 500 $ or higher.

lewshel

I bought a Cordoba D-5 in August. The varnish is too thick and uneven but the wood quality is ok and the neck is comfortable. Even the ugly tuning machines work fine. It seem to be a good buy for $350. (GC) I have an extra set of Schallers and was about to use them but I changed my mind when I felt the weight of the original tuners, greater than than Schaller machines! I put shims under the bridge which improved the sound quality and volume. I am thinking about stripping the finish from the top and French polishing it. I have been trying different strings, slowly building up my calluses after 2 years of playing mostly ukuleles. I am using John Pearse strings now but I also tried Silk and Steel (11-47) folk strings to boost the bass.
If I someday buy an expensive GJ instrument I would still keep this as a an extra.

lewshel

I bought a Cordoba D-5 in August. The varnish is too thick and uneven but the wood quality is ok and the neck is comfortable. Even the ugly tuning machines work fine. It seems to be a good buy for $350. (GC) I have an extra set of Schallers and was about to use them but I changed my mind when I felt the weight of the original tuners, greater than than Schaller machines! I put shims under the bridge which improved the sound quality and volume. I am thinking about stripping the finish from the top and French polishing it. I have been trying different strings, slowly building up my calluses after 2 years of playing mostly ukuleles. I am using John Pearse strings now but I also tried Silk and Steel (11-47) folk strings to boost the bass.
If I someday buy an expensive GJ instrument I would still keep this as an extra.