The Perfect Nylon String for Acoustic Guitar Players? - Cordoba Fusion Series

[@Lotus-Son]

I love Cordoba's. I was in a high school guitar class with all beginner-level classical models to train on. And the school gave our teacher a budget to get like a handful of Cordoba's for the more advanced players so it became a more "premium" guitar to us in the lower-level classes. So that tone and sound of a Cordoba is very ingrained in my psyche to be a wonderful and full tone, even if it's not special to others. Also grateful our school had the means to have such a class, and our teacher for having the skillset to have this course. Very, very grateful. 🙏

[@tell-dtruth5470]

It is a winner, my son who is 13 years, the minute he picked up the guitar, he fell in love the comfortability of holding it and even playing it. thanks for sharing your video!

[@Alexnoiseless]

I love how this men plays

[@roamingrino]

Its great to see a demo of nylon guitars that arnt slow classical! Thank your for this overview!

[@chrisggoodwin777]

I started out playing nylon string classicals. I always consider getting back into it after a 30 year break

[@baldybonce29]

Ben... The best acoustic player on here, love listening to his jams!!

[@joq702]

Ben, as usual, your humbleness is what I like about your playing style and commentary. You just play fabulously and you get right into your music. The last piece you played for the outro could be in a Nashville bar. So great. A little like Jerry Reed. Cordoba really has great product for the price.

[@GeneraLeee]

Vibe is good, sound is deep and clean, impeccable delivery.

[@garyhalllive]

Excellent demos! I really appreciate the fact that you did a full description of the electronics and did plugged in demos as well as the miked demos.

[@rabonour]

Love Ben's playing as always, but I don't know that it suited these guitars - would have been interested in hearing them played classical/flamenco. Also I don't understand why Cordoba even bothered with the piezo in the 5 because it sounds unbelievably terrible.

[@jackduxbury1632]

Great video, killer playing and very informative, nice one Ben X

[@baldybonce29]

Check out his insta page he uses davedavepicks his own signature one "the Ord"

[@jackduxbury1632]

Thanks for pointing me in the right direction Nick! All of the bestest X

[@baldybonce29]

@@jackduxbury1632 no problem 👍

[@pdcorlis]

Oh I’ve been waiting for this one! Thanks for the great review - I’ve been on the fence but I think you may have just pushed me over for these Cordoba Fusion models.

[@andertons]

They are really nice guitars to play, especially if you're looking for something that feels a little more comfortable than most traditional nylon strung guitars. Thanks for tuning in!

[@pdcorlis]

@@andertons As always you guys deliver!

[@isitreallyisitreally1756]

Cool guitars , I have yamaha nylon solid body electric , through a good PA , keyboard amp , they sound wonderful , just remember if you’re taking it out in the sunshine busking / gigging , the strings will be difficult to keep in tune and take much more time to settle in than steel strings . Something that wasn’t covered in this demo was how amazing these type of nylon guitars sound playing single note melody lines over piano / backing tracks with a drop of Hall reverb and Spanish / classical pieces obviously. 😊👍

[@iCodeForBananas]

I'm seriously considering that last guitar, sounds amazing.

[@OssianEMills]

This channel needs more Ben! Acoustic guitar spotlight/showcase videos, jams with DP or special guests.

[@raymondvaughan6262]

Nice to see review on nylon string guitars might bush the dust off and playing it again for years playing steel string and electric for years nice playing Ben again nice to see steve hackett still using them today in rock and classical 👍

[@heavymetal19610]

Wow, all 3 are incredible instruments, thanks for sharing! I like the sound and look of the cedar 12!

[@74cannelle]

Great playing Ben, as always 🎩

[@iAmMattN]

Playing at the end was fabulouso!

[@paulmurphy9973]

Many "crossover nylon"demonstrations drive these guitars like a steel string and seem too think its sounds good or cool..It's sorta like grinding the gears on a sports car.

[@1satisfiedmind]

Not an insult, but I think you missed the point of this guitar...its a crossover, so it's good for all types of music, from classical, to acoustic blues, jazz, folk. even rock. Cordoba , buy using that neck ate inviting it to be played by people who dont necessarily play classical or flamenco...hense the "Fusion" moniker. Many players of the past used regular classical guitars in non classical genres. I watched the Cordoba official video where the founder wanted to make a guitar to draw people to nylon stringed guitars because he feels nylons have fallen out of popularity, or were left behind with the advent of the steel stringed acoustic, and electric. But add the soft cut away and you're inviting more aggressive playing. I e also seen videos where it is played as a classical guitar and a jazz guitar .

[@paulmurphy9973]

@@1satisfiedmind Hiya,I agree that a nylon string can fit a broad musical pallet.My disappointment with these demo's is not the style but the tonal presentation.You can plug your banjo into a distortion pedal for some interesting colors but it doesn't really present the instrument in a good light

[@dadmadforgot4050]

I 100% agree. This demo sounded awful.

[@mrcanisters]

True

[@BibashSharma-rl3ij]

Top comment

[@naturalrestingface4909]

A blend of mic and pup might work but pup on its own is very 'transistor Radio' and I'm not talking the M. Ward album. Great playing as usual Ben!

[@chrisminer5884]

I love the nylon string tone but think better showcased with Spanish or Latin jazz styles. Having said that you can play any style on any guitar as you demonstrate

[@markford4587]

Agreed. I doubt I would buy a nylon string guitar and play it in this manner. That’s what my steel string acoustics are for.

[@jeffgarrison7056]

I love radiused neck nylon strings with really low action. I've always wondered why more guitar makers didn't make radius neck nylon string guitars... they're so much more comfortable to play. But then again, just finding a nylon string with low action is not always easy, either. The Cordoba guitars that I have played at Guitar Center in years past have all had high action, and in all honesty, they left a lot to be desired when it came to the attention to detail, consistency, and the overall quality of construction... HOWEVER, I have only played a handful of them, and it was mostly a few years ago when I did actually frequent the shop to look for a radiused nylon string cutaway... maybe they've cleaned up their outfit...??? Idk I bought my father a Fender cutaway nylon string acoustic with a radiused neck about 12 years ago... it had good action and a great neck that I had lowered the action even lower on... I am telling you... it plays like butter!!! I freaking love that guitar!!! It's so easy to play. I have wanted something similar with a solid top, back, and sides for a long time, but finding everything I want in a guitar definitely hasn't been easy. My hope is to find a gem one of these days. It's been difficult when I have looked, but I haven't looked in a while... I guess it's time to start looking again. Good video

[@luc5798]

Cool guitars! And it's good that there are some for all tastes... My favorite one is the C9 parlor: all massive, 50mm neck and 630mm scale. Great sound, and perfect to play! (2 new bone nuts and action lowered by a luthier)

[@GUITARTIME2024]

Massive = solid wood

[@TheG7thcapo]

I own the cordoba c5-cet. For the price i dont have any complains. Love the thinbody, of course does not sound full but its a nice couch guitar.

[@MrMjp58]

I have had one of these Fusions for around 9 months. It's a really good guitar and plays well ( after hours of filing/setting up etc). I can't swear to it, but I feel there's is a danger for players of traditional classicals. This is in the spacing of the strings and the bevelled fingerboard. Having played it a lot now, I find my right and left hand techniques have suffered a loss of accuracy. I alternate between this type and the conventionally necked instruments. They're great, but classical players should beware of the fusion stylings.

[@AndrewAviles]

I remember trying a Cordoba a couple years ago and loved the way it felt, great video!

[@tbeau6663]

The maple guitar is superb

[@pedersenist]

The middle guitar, got the school teacher vibe.

[@JoshuaC923]

Fantastic playing

[@Jkaterchannel]

Extremely tasteful playing.

[@nat20tv33]

Thanks a lot for reviewing this

[@lallaren2]

We need some flamenco-ish demos aswell!

[@louisesabourin9572]

I think a great sound from almost guitars , is a great guitare player like him . 😀

[@JackTheSkunk]

It seems Cordoba has the fusion market pretty much to themselves. Best sounding nylon string g guitar I ever owned was Cordoba Koa, but I couldn't get along with 2" neck with.

[@mwmcbroom]

Okay, I will freely admit to being a classical guitar snob, mostly because I play classical guitar. It seems this "Fusion" works well for what it is intended -- although I don't really care for its sound at all -- but honestly I don't really care for Cordoba's standard classicals either, even their expensive ones. A hand-made classical from one of the many independent luthiers will always sound better.

[@mwmcbroom]

@UCEoaMWtqbRqebdleqnegsBA Yep, providing s/he's using quality woods and knows the profession. I also build classicals, and I still remember just how good my first guitar sounded. It was butt ugly cuz of mistakes I made, but it sounded great. So, yeah, a hand-built guitar is gonna sound better than something churned out of a factory.

[@jameschristiansson3137]

Do you object to a narrow neck on a classical guitar?

[@mwmcbroom]

@@jameschristiansson3137 I don't object to it -- I understand why steel-string players would feel more comfortable with a narrower nut width, but as a classical player, I prefer a 52-54mm nut width. It's what I'm used to. Narrower nuts feel cramped to me. This guitar has a 48mm nut width, so I wouldn't feel comfortable with it. As I mentioned in my first post, I freely admit to being a classical guitar snob, but if this sort of hybrid can get steel-string and electric players interested in nylon stringed guitars, then to me, that's a good thing because I suspect a fraction of them will do as I did when I discovered classical -- they'll become converts to the instrument.

[@jameschristiansson3137]

@@mwmcbroom Thanks for the detailed reply!

[@autistichead8137]

Agreed, don’t like the tone of any of these and the way he’s playing it counts as classical guitar abuse. I’m an electric player but when I play my classical every day I play classical with my fingers. Definitely not a cordoba fan. Taylor is a better choice for electric players looking for a nylon

[@billnelson9413]

Thanks for reviewing the fusion models. This is what I need for the nylon sound with my wrap around thumb and plectrum style. I’m just to clumsy bouncing between my classical guitar, steel strings, and Telecaster with a 7.25 radius.

[@DoctorJasonWilson]

Amazing playing man

[@billgreen6263]

I want one!

[@musicsoundgear]

Great video. First song sounds like Paul Simon playing :)

[@joao_belmont]

What a great review. Thanks for the video, subscribed👍

[@ox4df5h6g5ff]

I have a solid body nylon string guitar, it’s so fun!

[@artnelsoncreative]

Thanks for the video, but I think playing more classical music would have provided a better demo.

[@richhand930]

The industry seems to be addressing the 48mm nut classical guitar but what about 48mm nut for steel string? This still seems to be lacking.

[@JakubKazmierski]

I love, but hate, how good Ben is...jealousy! I'd love to see Ben present a few electric guitars.

[@RJVB]

Buyers beware: it seems QC of the Fusion series has taken a nose-dive recently. I ordered the top-of-the-line Fusion 14 Maple; the 1st one was rejected by the dealer, the 2nd should have been rejected by me. It intonates audibly sharp all over the fretboard (partly because of a too-thin and thus leaning saddle plus a bridge that's not glued on straight) and has enough non-seated frets (with up to 0.5 mm space under them) that there's fret buzz everywhere. Probably no problem if you just want to strum cowboy chords and/or bend every other note but the rest of the luthery is such that the instrument should be capable of so much more than that, including as a classical guitar with just a narrower neck. Impossible on mine, not with getting a headache and wanting to smash the thing. Reporting my findings on the guitar-forums I am active on showed that I'm not an exception; others (owners and vendors alike) have noticed decreased quality control. Both issues of mine are not cheap to fix (no simple set-up quibbles) but according to the French importer the instrument is "conform construction specs". Cordoba don't reply to my request for comment on that claim, which suggests they don't consider the series to be fit for serious use. FWIW, I traded in a Seagull Performer to buy this Cordoba lemon; the Seagull had cost the same price 3 years earlier, for an instrument NOT built in cheap China, with slightly less nice woodworking but otherwise just a simple set-up and drop-in replacement bone nut away from perfect playability and intonation.

[@shanekeat7473]

Main reason i hate nylon isn't because of the configuration, its the tuning stability, seems to take several weeks to get it so you don't have to retune every song.

[@stephenbedford1395]

With one of those you can channel your inner Richard Smith.

[@carlosdlc1664]

No wonder they sound so good, they're all 12 fret.

[@johnv4866]

Ben certainly can play, can't he?

[@Beauty.and.FashionPhotographer]

Cordoba GK Studio limited would be a nice one to compare here as well ....

[@cven1103]

great vid. would love to see Ben and Angela Petriili play together...stink faces rule 😁👏

[@twangthing]

Not bad just remember they're cheap guitars and keep your expectations in check... Playing was great nice job

[@dondon1234]

in a parallel universe Ben shreds on a yellow hot rodded Kramer

[@MrTech337]

Didn't I hear you say you were going to do a shootout on acoustic amps, or have you done it and I just missed it! I'd like to see it.

[@To.Si.Ma.]

Must have the maple one.

[@fabiorodriguez4207]

What’s the price range on the second and third guitars?

[@AndyInTheUK]

Liked, 23 seconds in.

[@fredericthom8113]

very easy : Savarez !!!

[@goodyyy6171]

Do you feel comfortable to use your left hand thumb?

[@J.Burrough]

That’s nice.

[@danielscroggins6806]

Sound Great like Buster B Jones Style and Jerry Reed

[@sbkmarkel]

What kind of strings can I buy for the Fusion Orchestra? Preferably with a ball for easy install. Thanks.

[@rondobondo6600]

I really miss that captain

[@andertons]

He's around in all our videos... Have you not seen our recent uploads?

[@acousticsong-guitarco964]

Honestly, I don't like the sound through the internal pickup on either of them. Not natural at all.

[@corporalpuller7777]

How do they sound unplugged?

[@gregholmberg2]

I applaud Cordoba for making guitars that are more comfortable for non-Classical players, but for me personally, 48mm is still too wide for the neck!

[@shemrunboy]

What strings do you have on Fusion 5 you're playing here?

[@LLewis-vu9qf]

I don't know if the strings were changed from original, but according to the web the Fusion 5 ships with Savarez strings.

[@bobbieparr2539]

What strings can I replace mine with

[@19501960]

shxt I didn't know Frankie Boyle played acoustic

[@cchavez248]

I'm sure these are nice guitars but I've never liked the sound of nylon strings amplified and played with a pick.

[@ffga3903]

No fret markers 😶

[@jimdeeds]

So they all sound nasally except for the last one. Even then, not great. Amazing playing as usual though.

[@DaDa-ow2or]

Okay good I was thinking the same thing . They don’t sound good WHATS so ever

[@gustavopaulette3496]

You for it mixed up. These guitars are great but his playing sucks

[@aleksandert9159]

Hi, what thumb pick do you use please?

[@bensmithguitar]

I use a custom made Ord thumbpick from @DaveDavePicks on instagram. It's my signature pick, and they're thick, but that's why I like them! :-)

[@blu2th101]

Why chicken pick on a Spanish guitar? Kinda defeats the purpose of playing it as the tone hardly gets deciphered.

[@stevebrule6172]

do they have truss rods?

[@MrMjp58]

Mine does, but it's never required adjustment.

[@luc5798]

@@MrMjp58 Not so sure... On my C9 the neck was a bit too flat. The luthier adjusted it, and also had to redo the badly cut headnut. Great guitar, great sound, but needs to go through the hands of a luthier to be well adjusted!

[@SuperJulianson]

Very good player, but not with nylon strings, awful sound! He got the worst out of each guitar!

[@BritishGeezer]

i'd much prefer to pay for the guitar and not the electricle components in it... as they all sound better through the mic.....why bother putting electrics on a nylon? it just bumps the price up of a good guitar

[@spacejamgoliath]

Listing lol

[@rico4772]

First one!

[@JJDPROMEDIAPRODUCTION]

Way to sell a "Nylon" guitar.. by playing "gut-bucket blues... 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♀️🤷‍♀️👎

[@ShaneOpeno]

That's what some of us are looking for, chuckles. If we were interested in traditional classical guitars we wouldn't be looking at fusion guitars now would we? Just want the nylon sound.

[@SibzelChebst]

This sounds like poop. I blame the Piezo.

[@vaynonet]

Please have the nylon guitar inspected by the performer, don't try to play it like an acoustic guitar please :D

[@leodileodileo]

God they sound like crap 😢

[@gustavopaulette3496]

Terrible introduction playing . Great guitar but too bad the player wasn’t so great

[@MrStubat]

Sounds like a pizza box with strings. Learn how to get some tone, and turn the reverb off.

[@private2371]

It sounds like it’s made of plastic 😔

[@timpeachey9394]

If you ask me to like and subscribe, it's an automatic thumbs down from me bro.