Gearank

This is essentially Cordoba's entry-level student classical guitar.

Cordoba's C3M has the main characteristics of a Classical Guitar including its 2.04" nut width, 25.6" scale length, neck shape and string height.

The main advantage of the Cordoba's C3M lies in its solid Canadian cedar top, a feature that you normally won't see from similarly priced nylon string guitars.

More importantly, Cordoba's reputation for quality makes this a worry-free choice in terms of build quality and playability.

Specifications

• Top: Solid Canadian Cedar
• Body: Mahogany back & sides
• Finish: Satin (Matte)
• Bridge: Rosewood
• Neck: Nato
• Fingerboard: Rosewood
• Number of Frets: 19
• Scale Length: 650mm (25.6")
• Nut Width: 52mm (2.04")

Pros

Customer reviews of the C3M often include phrases equivalent to "great value for the money" with the sound from the solid cedar top garnering a lot of the praise. Many owners report significantly better tone compared to other similarly priced classical guitars. The positive reviews have come not only from students (and their parents) using this as a beginner guitar, but also more experienced players who wanted a low cost couch or camping guitar. Some even compare it in terms of playability and tone to more expensive classical guitars that they already own.

Cons

Although there weren't really any consistently reported negatives, there have been sporadic reports of the bridge lifting off and blemishes in the finish, but these have been less prevalent over the last year than they were in previous years suggesting that quality control may have improved over time. There are some reports of cosmetic issues, while a few others report string buzz and other fretboard action related issues, but these are small in number.

Overall

This is essentially Cordoba's entry level student classical guitar (although they do have a cheaper option in the form of the Cordoba C1M which only has a laminate spruce top) and the Cordoba C3M is generally regarded by the market place as a step up from the "C40" models of other brands like Yamaha and Washburn.

This was previously on our recommended list but there are now more highly rated options which you can see in our guide to The Best Classical / Nylon String Guitars.