Dolce 7/8 Nylon String Acoustic Guitar

This one came from the fulfillment warehouse in PA. I fully expected the setup to be suspect. I inspected the frets-all seated well, no sharp ends. String height well with in norms. Intonation was perfect. Fit and finish was also great. All very impressive. So, onto sound. Again, surprisingly good tone and volume. I’ve been playing guitar for a long time. I’m in the throes of getting arthritis in both hands. I’ve never had any luck playing nylon string guitars but was thinking I’d try one more. Supposedly easier on the hands. I compared this to a Yamaha NTX1 I’ve had for a few years. I’m not bashing the NTX, but I’ve found the tone and playability of this Cordoba to be way better. Different woods and size differences but still…. Anyway I’m impressed so far.

I was beginning to practice more fingerstyle/classical and getting weary of beating up my fingers on steel strings, so had this little 7/8 Cordoba in mind for about the last 6 months. Arrived yesterday, and what a lovely addition to the stable! Will say first, I ordered it from Calido Guitars through Amazon, and I think that made a huge difference. The guitar had obviously been checked over in the shop, brought up to tune, and string height checked and adjusted, because it is perfectly in the zone of 4mm for the low E and 3mm on high E at the 12th fret. I checked intonation this morning, and it is close to perfect. Now, I adore my local luthier, he is a master, but he also charges $100.00 for a setup. I figure Calido saved me $100.00. The fact that a skilled shop took the time to unpack, check over, adjust and tune the instrument before sending it to me deserves accolades. It is extremely comfortable to play, huge sound for a 7/8 size guitar, and a beautiful finish to boot. Fret ends are smooth as my much more expensive guitars, the tuners seem faultless to operate, and the wood and lacquer are lovely. I will tinker a bit with changing strings because I'd like to bring out a bit more treble in the mix, but the overall tone is very nice. As with any Chinese made instrument, and an online order, be sure to check over the essentials AND the details before you make it a "keeper", but have to say I am truly impressed.

I am a casual player for 40+ years. I wanted a short scale nylon stringed guitar for comfort. The Cordoba Dolce is the entry level guitar in 7/8 size. its fit and finish are not Taylor custom shop perfect, but the guitar is put together very well! No sloppy gluing or defects in the gorgeous cedar top! The laminate back and sides are equally as pleasing to the eye! The fretboard and headstock tuners have a solid feel and hold the strings snugly. Very handsome headstock and tuners. Daniel as Calido Guitars is a luthier. His talents and experience shine through when playing: Easy, comfortable and smooth fret edges. IMHO his setup makes this entry level guitar play and sound way better! I strongly support and recommend Calido Guitars to all levels of guitarist! I plan on shopping at Calido Guitars again! It is truly a pleasure doing business with Daniel!

I was fortunate to get the Dolce while it was on a limited deal of $315, which was fantastic, so my review is maybe a little skewed. First off, I have no experience with any other classical guitars and so cannot give any kind of comparison with others at this price point. Also I wouldn't recommend buying a guitar online, i.e. sight unseen, as it is much better to actually tryout the guitar and see if it is something that works for you. If you don't have any specific requirements for your first classical guitar, then visit a reputable guitar store and choose one in person. However, if you are like me and looking for a specific make or model that is not in your local guitar shop then buying online is the next practical option. For me I wanted a 7/8 size guitar (as I have smallish hands) that has a truss rod, as I'm able to do my own adjustments/setup to instruments so having a truss rod really helps with that. Also, the Dolce is the 7/8 version of the Cordoba C5, which is a very popular and highly recommended entry/intermediate level guitar, and so felt that the quality would be worth the price. So what do I think about the guitar I received? The only negative I can find at the moment is that the cedar top is not as "pretty" and it could be. There are some minor blemishes but purely cosmetic. Apart from that "issue", I can't find any fault with the whole fit and finish of the instrument. The gloss finish is perfect and not too think. The tuners are solid and turn smoothly. The frets are smooth and even and no fret ends. The action is also very good out of the box, 3.6 mm at the 12th low E, 3.0 at high E. I will probably tweak it over the next few months as I get more familiar with the instrument, but right now it is playable for sure. The intonation is perfect on all strings except for the low E being slightly flat at the 12th, though that might be due to the string itself. I plan to replace the strings with EJ45's in the near future but for now will leave the factory ones on as they sound fine. The volume and resonance of the cedar top sounds great to me but I'm new to classical guitar so i can't compare it to anything else. For the beginner or early intermediate player this is a whole lot of guitar. I plan to update this initial review after a few months, once I've gotten better at playing and tried different strings and maybe adjusting the action. So far I'm extremely happy with the purchase. Cordoba did a great job of setting it up and packaging it well. Definitely a keeper.

Over the years my hands and fingers have succumbed to a variety of nerve and arthritis, which has diminished my ability to practice and play classical guitar. So finding something that is easier on my hands is a big deal for me. I had a standard cordoba c5 for that 4 years, which when I could play I enjoyed a lot. So I figured that hopefully a smaller scale finger board would work. Much to my delight the small decrease in nut size (52mm to 50mm) and scale length (650mm to 630mm) works well for my hands. I had tried 48mm crossover guitars before, but the string spacing never felt correct. 50mm at the nut with a thin Cordoba neck works well. I can play for about and hour without great difficulty or pain. Now the guitar itself is a marvel, it's well finished and well balanced to play as most Cordoba's are. The sound is very good for a small guitar. The sound across all string is very even which is nice, and it has a warm sound with the Saverz strings. For comparison the C5 is a bit more 'Bassey' with clear trebles (When payed with normal tension strings). The Dolce by comparison has the same tone and good sustain for this level of guitar. The Dolce is basically 5mm smaller in all body measurements, and it does feel smaller.... but in a good way. I expect the sound to changes a bit when I switch to lower tension strings, I normally play low tension basses and normal tension trebles (something like Augustine Blacks) . This is a nice surprise in a small package.

Excellent guitar. Bright, full, tone. Perfect for my 10yr old who is moving up in size and ability! Needed to adjust the nut, but this was a simple matter. Too bad it does not come with a case.

I had my Swedish Espana for 40 years, but I hadn't played it much when it was stolen so I did not replace it for several years. It was smaller than a full sized guitar, but I don't know by how much, and full sized guitars always seemed large to me when I played them - so I bought the Dolce. I am very happy with it although it does seem a tad small & I think I actually would've preferred a larger guitar. The sound is full & sweet, the wood is beautiful, the craftsmanship excellent. I am especially impressed with the tuners assembly - outstanding! Far superior than on my beloved Espana. One thing I wonder is how I would've fared on a larger fretboard with my arthritis. I hadn't realized how limited my finger joints had become & it's a challenge. I actually think a larger fretboard would work better for me because it's the tight bending of my fingers that's the biggest challenge - not the extension. I would definitely buy another Cordoba, it's a beautiful guitar.

After returning an Ibanez GA-2, which sounded like a ukelele, I reluctantly ordered this Cordoba Dolce. The size is perfect for my hands. (3/4 seems to cramped and the full sized model which I own is a bit large). The review: *The sound is full and mellow *The intonation is perfect *Comfortable to play *The fretboard action is not bad (could be a bit lower - but Classicals are usually set-up this way) - will see if I need to adjust. *The Savarez strings that came with it are very good. After first tuning, was still in tune the following day. *The finish is beautiful and the guitar is flawless in appearance. I gave it 5 because for the price, I don't think I could have found something better. I am a hobby player and $279 is top price I be willing to spend. I am sure it wouldn't compare to a more expensive guitar; but I would not know the diferrence. I just know I can play this one easily and it sounds great !

I came back to playing classical guitar a little late in life and I found a full body, full size guitar a little difficult to play. My guitar teacher recommended that I go with a 7/8 parlour classical or a fusion nylon string. The neck of the fusion guitar was too small but the parlour with a short scale was perfect. I purchased this Cordoba Dolce as an entry level instrument and it has been very satisfactory. I had it set up with csaba as hard tension strings by my local guitar tech and it’s been a real pleasure to play. The instrument is late, very well appointed and has a sweet sound. I have since added a KN under string pick up and I’m very happy.