I bought the Cordova 45R because it was the best sounding of all the guitars I played. It doesn't display the best craftmanship, with some unsanded interior braces and glue globs on the crossbrace joints with the back, but all that is overlooked when playing. This was the only guitar which really spoke to me. Unlike the others, the Cordova 45R has wonderful, rich tone with dep basses, clear bright trebles and nice sustain. The thin body readily transmits vibrations to your body which adds to the feeling of connection.

The rosewood back and sides are attractive and well-finished, but not high grade, i.e. the grain is somewhat broad and not straight. The top also is somewhat streaky with a little grain runout towards the sides. The top finish is quite thin and beautiful. The back and sides are laquered and very well done. Overall a very simple yet attractive guitar.

The ebony fingerboard is perfect, and sloped from top to bottom to provide string spacing at the saddle. The frets are perfectly finished and flat, with no sharp edges- VERY well done.

Nut and saddle are plastic and I will replace with bone as soon as I can. Stock strings are Savarez Cristal Corum (normal tension) and have a really nice sound. I may try these in a hard tension just out of curiosity.

Overall, this is a VERY nice guitar for the price. I beleive it to tbe the best sounding guitar of ALL that I was able to try, up to $4,000 guitars. The cosmetic issues I mention above a quickly overlooked once I begin to play, and I think in reality actually add to the charm and desirability of this hand-made in Spain beauty. I HIGHLY recommend for anyone looking to add a traditional nylon classical to their arsenal. I'm glad I did!

Originally, I was considering a Manuel Ramirez guitar and went back for a second look. I then noticed the Cordoba 45R and played it. It was by far superior from the Manuel Ramirez for only a couple of hundred dollars more. I also played a Jose Ramirez that cost 3 times more.... The Cordoba 45R out performed it! I had to buy the Coroba 45R although I have 5 other classical guitars. I would definitely recommend it to a serious guitarist on a budget.

I have been playing guitar for about 7 years now and Classical guitar since I started school 3 years ago. Up until about two weeks ago I had been playing a Yamaha C-40, one of the cheapest classicals on the market. As soon as I played my 45r I noticed a dramatic increase in volume, tone and playability, and that was with the stock strings. I've since restrung it and gotten it nice and broken in and I must say it continues to impress me. The bass strings are solid and sustain very nicely while the trebles sparkle and cut through nicely. Every note is easily heard throughout each chord, the guitar has a less snappy sound overall than my yamaha, it has a more deep mellow sparkle. There is very little if any at all mud in the tone. Visually the cedar top and neck look wonderful while the rosewood sides are my personal favorite aesthetic of the guitar. The only flaw I have noticed is small amounts of glue visible from the sound hole, while this does slightly hinder tone I'm not really complaining. Overall for the money this is about as good as it gets, all solid woods, fast action and comes with a nice humicase. If mine were stolen I probaly would not buy it again, not because I don't think its a great guitar but because I would probaly choose to upgrade to something even better.