| Build Quality: |  |
| Hardware: | |
| Sound: | |
| Value: | |
| Average: | |
Pros:
- Great tonewood
- Good hardware
- Full sound
Cons:
- Strings are not that great
- Might be a little more pricey than other ¾ models
Whether you are a beginner, just getting into playing or a musician who has twenty, thirty years of experience behind them, at some point you might consider buying a ¾ sized guitar. There are so many pros to small sized guitars. They are easy to travel with or store, maybe you need something smaller for the ease of playing or you just cannot handle full-sized guitars. In any case, ¾ models are there to save you. In any case, if you are thinking of buying one of the ¾ models consider Cordoba Cadete 3/4 Size Acoustic Nylon String Classical Guitar because this baby has surprisingly great sound and good construction for its size and price range.
Build
Construction, when it comes to ¾ sized guitars, are vital (not that they are not with any other sized guitars). You need a small-sized guitar to pack in the same quality, sound and durability as a full-sized model. Although this might be a very hard task to accomplish, a lot of companies come very close to achieving that goal. Cordoba, with their Cadete ¾ size acoustic guitar, is one great option for any beginner. This model has solid Canadian cedar top and veneered mahogany back and sides. The solid top is one of the keys to achieving full volume and great sound that’s why this model is already in the winning position. A lot of affordable models do not have solid tops. That is one of the easiest ways to economize on the material. The neck is mahogany which is also a standard, yet amazing tonewood that will complement and enhance the warm sound produced by the top. The bridge and fretboard are also of a recent quality. They are made from Rosewood Thomann. The truss rod is adjustable and very easy to use for beginners.
Hardware
Cordoba does not stop at the quality of tonewood. The hardware that this baby comes with is also quite nice. Apart from Cordoba gold machine heads, you get the bone nut which is one of the best, if not the best, material for the nut. Bone nut helps produce the clearest and brightest sound that you can ask for, while also staying “in shape” for a long time. This model also comes with Savarez Cristal Corum High Tension 500CJ strings and I think that is the one big thing I would change about this model. This set of strings need quite a bit of tuning. Although basically all strings require a “break-in” period this one just needs too much damn tuning. Fortunately, strings are an easy thing to change, so it will take you about 5 minutes to take this guitar from meh strings to some great quality ones that will let your guitar sing like hell. That being said, since this guitar is oriented more towards beginners, you might think about taking your guitar to a professional so that they can restring it for you and teach you how to do it properly.
Cordoba Cadete Sound
As much as a lot of companies advertise their small sized guitars as “small size, big sound” that rarely is the case with most ¾ models. That being said there are some guitars that come extremely close to the sound and volume of full-sized guitars and the Cadette ¾ Acoustic Nylon String Classical guitar is definitely one of them. This baby is the full package. Due to great construction and high-quality tonewood, the sound is amazing on this one. The intonation is also quite nice and the tone is full. That being said, as I already mentioned, the strings are not the biggest advantage of this model. BUT as soon as you change the strings this guitar will be a blast and easy to play with.
Conclusion
Overall, this is a very decent-sounding guitar with good construction and surprisingly nice tonewood for its price range. Although it is more for beginners, since it is smaller sized and easier to play, if you are a traveling musician and you do not want to drag around your full-sized guitar and break it on the way, this is a great option for you too. And as a great bonus, you also get a gig bag so that you can carry it around with no cares in the world.
Click here to view more from Best Beginner Classical Guitar.
