C1M Classical Acoustic Nylon String Guitar, Protégé Series

RECEIVED SECOND REPLACEMENT: The first two guitars came from Amazon fulfillment and had no connection with Alto Music. I'm very happy with this replacement guitar from Alto Music and they provided excellent packaging: an outer box with bubble wrap, and UPS shipping arrived a day early! The first two guitars from Amazon fulfillment came from different warehouses far away from where Alto Music is located, and the entire buying experience from Alto Music is far superior in every way. The spruce top on both of the Amazon fulfillment guitars had a strange discolored dark yellow tinge and the strings were rusty. The spruce top color on guitar from Alto Music is a light natural spruce wood color, (the way it should be), the strings are not rusty, and the action plays beautifully with zero buzz. This is the way it should be! I'm so glad I decided to keep trying and gave Alto Music a chance even though I was nervous to buy from a third party seller after two very disappointing experiences with the Amazon fulfillment guitars. But now thanks to Alto Music doing everything right I'm more than happy to restore the two stars deducted from the last two reviews and give this final guitar and buying experience a 5 star rating. I highly recommend this guitar as long as you work with a supplier such as Alto Music who takes good care of their guitars (storage, packaging and shipping). RECEIVED REPLACEMENT: Packaging was same as last time but fortunately this time packaging and guitar was not damaged. However, I'm returning the replacement guitar due to a horrible buzzing sound on strings 4-6, a slight buzz on 1-3, and shallow resonance, weak sustain and overall very unpleasant sound of this guitar even when playing gentle enough on strings 1-3 to avoid buzz. Unacceptable and very disappointing. Apparently a quality control issue at the factory in China. ORIGINAL REVIEW: Unfortunately the guitar arrived damaged due to lack of outer packaging from Amazon fulfillment. I ordered a replacement and will hopefully add two more stars and update my review when the replacement arrives in good shape. As you can barely see, there's a small dent on the flemsy Cordoba box where it happened. I noticed I'm not the only customer who mentioned the need for outer packaging. I would greatly appreciate an outer box with padding inside for proper protection. I'm sure other customers would appreciate the same.

Update: I decided to return this 1/2 size for the 3/4 size, I am an adult beginner, 5’1” so I thought the 1/2 would fit me the best. After tuning it and trying it for a couple of days I realized the 3/4 would fit me better and would have a louder, more pleasing sound. That’s what I did and I’m delighted with the change. I think adults would find the 3/4 a better choice. This same model is also offered in full size for those who want an even fuller sound and can manage the larger size. ————- I followed the advise of another customer and ordered this guitar through Amazon from Calido guitars because they set it up for you before shipping. That is important for a beginner. It’s was also carefully packaged, wrapped and cushioned plus double boxed. It was shipped quickly. I chose the 1/2 size because I am a short adult and wanted to be able to reach the strings easily and the nylon strings are easier on the fingers for a beginner. I bought a Snark electronic tuner separately which made tuning the guitar easy. The Córdoba gold gears are incredible. I tried a couple of other guitars before this one, and these are the best. High quality strings. It’s beautifully crafted. The spruce and mahogany woods were better than the type of woods in Yamaha guitars I considered in the same price range. I’m very happy with my purchase.

It's a beautiful guitar for beginners, perfect size.

It was so good!! Sound great, look great, been playing it maybe a couple tines a week since we brought it about 4 5 months ago. And then last night, out of the blue.... the whole bridge fell off ... didnt get a protection plan, passed expiration date already... we are not sure what to do..

I'm not a huge fan of Cordoba overall but I do like this model. Sound is good and sustain is there. Frets are sharp on this guitar but I will change out the strings anyway and will file the frets at that time. Give this 3/4 a shot and see what you think... YMMV

I am extremely happy to have ordered C1M in December when I did. The instrument was on sale for $128.00 (full size) however, I bought it on Amazon's warehouse for $113.00 as used. Someone was foolish enough to have returned it AND...it was the only one for that price! When I received it, it was in perfect immaculate condition. I am a short person 5'3" but I bought a full size guitar and it fits comfortably, love the way it sounds and the overall quality is magnificent. I am a seasoned player but I bought a beginners guitar because I want to continue to practice without ruining my other expensive guitar. I bought additional accessories such as a sound hole cover, pickguard, and an armrest. It feels as if I bought another expensive guitar and I completely just love it. Whoever returned this instrument did me a huge favor. Folks! my recommendation is to look for Amazon's warehouse when embarking on a purchase. Best deal ever!

I bought this Cordoba Protege C1M guitar for my daughter by her teacher's recommendation. It is laminated but it's very pretty and it has a very nice sound, very warm and sweet. The action is also very comfortable, so the strings don't hurt her fingers even though it hasn't been set up yet. She is very petite, at just 5 feet tall, and it fits her just right even though it is a full size (teacher helped with proper posture). We tried many other brands, including other top brands, and this was the most comfortable for her fingers and size, plus it had the best sound for price range. Comfortable and a good sound means her motivation won't suffer because of equipment. The one which is worth twice as much doesn't feel or sound twice as good, only about 1/4 better. Teacher says that later, when she has to do recitals in a year or two, then we might want a solid wood one with a bigger sound from a way bigger budget ($$$$). I recommend you have yours checked for defects upon arrival. Ours was in good shape with no real defects. It does have a buzz on the 12th fret but she won't be there soon. It came with a tool to adjust the action to make it lower or higher. We are very happy with our purchase. Good price and delivered in two and a half days.

I have been playing guitar for 10 years. By this time I played a lot of guitars. But this time, I am really surprised by the quality of this one. The weight and size of this guitar are really appreciable. And especially the sound. Very well balanced of brushy and groovy tone. I can also play the rock tones by this. The sustain is far better than any other classical guitar. A great one for learners; also it will be fun for advanced players.