Cordoba Fusion 12 White Sands

Als ich mich für meine erste Gitarre mit Nylonsaiten entschied, fiel meine Wahl auf das Ortega BYWSM Billy Watman Signature-Modell aus weißem Ebenholz. Die Verarbeitung war jedoch miserabel, sodass ich es zurückschickte. Als ich die Cordoba bestellte, war ich mir daher etwas unsicher, ob ich sie behalten würde. Doch als die Gitarre ankam, verliebte ich mich sofort in sie. Sehr saubere Verarbeitung, gute Materialauswahl und dadurch ein toll klingendes Instrument. Der Sattel ist 48 mm breit, fühlt sich aber wie bei jedem meiner schlanken Stahlsaiteninstrumente an und lässt sich auch über den 12. Bund hinaus sehr leicht spielen.

Nachdem ich mich von meiner Alhambra 5P getrennt hatte war ich auf der Suche nach einer Crossover Nylon Gitarre mit maximal 48mm Sattelbreite und einem Griffbrett mit Radius. Hier fielen mir die Codoba Fusion 12 Gitarren auf, ich habe mich für das White Sands Modell entschieden. Die Verarbeitung ist makellos eine wirklich schöne Gitarre. Allerdings gab es auf dem Griffbrett mehrere Dead Spots was den Klang insgesamt negativ beeinflusste. Darum leider wieder retour.

FEATURES: You get what it says on the box, but it would be nice if the guitar came with at least some kind of a gig bag, given its relatively high price and that was Made in China. Also, since this is a ''fusion'' model that's primarily spec'd for non-classical players, adding a second strap button would make sense; I bet the significant number of players would want to be able to play this guitar while standing up.

SOUND: Don't expect miracles. The sound is somewhat unbalanced; the bass strings sound decent but the top three strings are considerably quieter, muffled and sound ''plasticky''; one of the possible reasons is because the maple veneer that's glued onto the top of the soundboard adds mass and has damping effects, so the nylon strings simply don't have enough power to get this soundboard going. When you add the poly finish into equation, that's not necessarily a good recipe for a great sound. I've tried to switch the top three strings for D'Addario Extra Hard Tension, it was a bit better but not enough, at least for me (although it's important to note that we all seek different things from an instrument; I am a classically trained guitarist, I play fingerstyle and I expect the treble strings to have more power, sustain and at least some of a singing quality. This review is only my subjective opinion). The sound in general is leaning more towards flamenco guitars; fast attack and short sustain, which might be something you either like or don't depending on your playing style. I haven't tested the electronics, so I cannot say anything about that.

QUALITY: When the construction quality itself is concerned, I would say it is nearly excellent! The instrument was obviously neatly made, the intonation with the factory strings was spot-on (when I've switched the top three strings to D'Addario Extra Hard it messed up the intonation but that's to be expected given that the D'Addario strings are of a different material and diameter). Only minus would be the scratchy and unpolished frets. If this guitar was several hundreds of euros cheaper I would give it 5 stars here.

When I take all into consideration, I think this guitar is overpriced for what you ultimately get in terms of the sound and features; 600-700 euros would be a more realistic price, although even in that price range you would have some very interesting and viable alternatives.

Hope you will find my opinions useful!

Coming from cheaper acoustic guitars (<£200), I was initially concerned that the Cordoba Fusion 12 wouldn't feel/ sound much better despite the significant jump in price, but I was totally wrong!

I immediately noticed how much more fuller and well-balanced the tone was compared to my other nylon guitar, and the slimmer neck made playing way more comfortable; my hands aren’t the smallest, but I find the slightly slimmer neck a lot easier on my fingers compared to my other nylon guitar.

The built-in tuner is a really nice bonus, and while I’ve yet to try out the electronics, from the samples I’ve heard online, they sound amazing and versatile.

Finally, there’s the aesthetics—the white sands finish is just as gorgeous in person as it is in the pictures.

Overall, I’m very happy with this guitar. I don’t think I’ll ever upgrade beyond it since the tone is perfect (to me) and the playability is next-level! Taking everything into account, the price is reasonable and I cannot recommend it enough!