Cordoba Friederich - Natural Review

This is a Great Classical Guitar

I've been looking to purchase the Cordoba Daniel Friederich model for quite some time, and when Sweetwater had a few in stock, I decided to make the plunge and I am glad that I did! This is my 6th classical guitar purchase. I have a Michael Thames cedar top made back in the early 2000's, a Ramirez 4NE Student model, an Alvarez Yari made in the late 80's, and the Cordoba Master series… read more Hauser and Torres models. First off, the guitar looks very good in person, with hardly any imperfections. The tuners are quite nice and there are no intonation problems at all. Like the Ramirez 4NE, the Cordoba Friederich does not have an you could just purchase dot stickers to use until you can get your bearings. The guitar feels solidly built, and it's a bit heavier than the Cordoba Hauser and Torres models. I would call this guitar perfect for intermediate to advanced guitarists, especially those looking for a very good gigging guitar. The sound of the Cordoba Friederich is very pleasing: a very warm sound to my ears, with a bit of emphasis on the mid range, but not too much as to be overpowering. The tonal colors are quite nice and easier to get that nice bright ponticello (at the bridge) and a very very nice tasto (up past the soundhole at the neck). You can play pretty hard on this guitar without the sound "breaking up," unlike on the Ramirez 4NE, which is great for me, since I'm naturally a hard player on the strings. The action is about what you'd expect with a classical, and Cordoba puts in a truss rod you can easily adjust if you need to. The sound of the basses are surprisingly balanced with the trebles. Some classical guitars have either a weak bass sound that you have to play harder to get out, or an overpowering loud bass that you have to dial back to get into balance. With the Daniel Friederich model here, it's much easier to play with a balanced sound, but also allows you add a little extra to bring out the melody in the bass if needed. I was a bit nervous buying this guitar without really hearing the sound of it, as I was able to only find one video of someone playing it, however it really is a nice sound. It's also louder than I thought it would be, which was a surprise. Something to take into account about the sound of any new guitar: it takes time for the guitar to break in. Over time the sound does change, usually for the better. I'm sure in a few years this guitar will sound even better. Don't let the fact that this guitar was made in China dissuade you from purchasing. Both the Cordoba Hauser and Torres models are made in USA, however, this isn't necessarily better, and all of these guitars from Cordoba are handmade. Yes, you won't find the cedar top to be perfect, nor will you find the ebony fingerboard perfectly black, but these things do not detract from the sound. After all, you are getting a very nice guitar for really a 3rd of the price of a more expensive, "Professional" model. If this guitar was made in the USA, it certainly would be priced a lot higher. The case is pretty much the same pod humidifier case you will get with the master series Cordoba Guitars. My Torres' case had a defect in the handle, however the case that comes with the Friedrich seems solid (probably due to the quality control of Sweetwater). This is my first guitar I purchased from Sweetwater, and I'm pretty impressed at the quality control they seem to put their guitars through. The guitar arrived very well boxed and nothing was damaged, which is a wonder with my local FedEX courier. I certainly will be purchasing another guitar from Sweetwater again, and you should to!

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