Cordoba C10 Cedar Vs Spruce – Which Is The Better Option?

Today, it’s the Cordoba C10 Cedar Vs Spruce, if you want some other guitars, check out here.

The Cordoba C10 is a classical guitar series created by the very popular and well-respected Cordoba brand. In this series, there are 6 different guitar types: Crossover, Lefty, Parlor, Acoustic cedar top, Acoustic spruce top, and Acoustic-electric.

Three of these guitars are spruce top guitars, the three others are cedar top guitars. In this article, we would be pitching the cedar top guitars against the spruce top guitars. Which would you prefer at the end of the day? Let’s find out.

Cordoba C10 Cedar Vs Spruce – Comparison Overview

If you don’t have the time to stick around through this whole review, it’s quite lengthy, then here’s a brief summary of Cordoba C10 Cedar Vs Spruce.

The parlor and lefty versions of the guitar, alongside a regular acoustic version, belong to the cedar top group. The crossover version, the acoustic-electric, and the acoustic spruce top belong to the spruce top group.

The parlor version is a parlor guitar, it’s 7/8 the size of a full-sized guitar. The smaller size is great for smaller people or people with small hands.

The lefty version is like the name implies, for left-handed people. The strings are alternated so you can pick or strum with your left hand, easily.

The crossover version comes with a 48mm wide neck, which is 4mm thinner than normal classical guitars. It’s best for people with small fingers, and people who are switching from normal acoustic guitars to classical guitars.

The final two versions are the regular classical acoustic versions. They have all the regular features and their features are the same, except the top one, one of which is cedar, and the other is spruce. To find out the big difference between the two tops, you’ll need to read the full article.

There are a lot of similarities and differences amongst these products, all of which are expounded in the article below. If you have the time, you should check it out. But that’s all for this overview.

Cordoba C10 Cedar Vs Spruce – Comparison Table

Cordoba C10 Cedar Top	Cordoba C10 Spruce Top
2 full sized guitars and one parlor guitar that’s 7/8 sized.	Full sized
Acoustic	Two acoustic versions and one electric acoustic
Rosewood back and sides	Rosewood back and sides
Savarez Cristal Corum 500CJ strings	Savarez Cristal Corum 500CJ strings
Ebony fretboard/fingerboard	Ebony fretboard/fingerboard
Hand inlaid mother-of-pearl Esteo Rosette	Hand inlaid mother-of-pearl Esteo Rosette
Adjustable two-way truss rod	Adjustable two-way truss rod
Mahogany neck	Mahogany neck
Polyfoam case	Polyfoam case
Gold tuning machines	Gold tuning machines
High gloss Polyurethane finish	High gloss Polyurethane finish
Has a version for lefties	Doesn’t have a version for lefties

Cordoba C10 Cedar Vs Spruce – What Situation Is Each Best For?

Cordoba C10 Cedar Top	Cordoba C10 Spruce Top
For the purely acoustic version of the cedar top, you would love it typically for the kind of music you want to play. The sound from the cedar top is very warm, full and mellow. This typically means that if you want to play a musical genre that favors this type of sound, you want to pick up the C10 Acoustic cedar top version.	The spruce top also has a purely acoustic version. Typically, you want to pick up this guitar if you really like the sharp, distinct sound, produced by the spruce top guitar. With these purely acoustic versions, it most times just comes down to the style of music you want to play, and the sound that is required for such.
The parlor design for the Cordoba C10 is made with a cedar top.It’s not a full-sized guitar, it’s 7/8 in size. While the difference between this guitar and the concert-sized guitar is less than an inch, it makes this one that much easier to play. And if you’re playing in your parlor, you want as much ease as possible.	The crossover version of the C10 guitar, which comes with a spruce op, is for those who want to crossover from a regular acoustic guitar, to a classical guitar. The most intimidating thing for people who want to crossover to classical guitars is usually the really wide neck. The regular acoustic comes with a 44mm neck, while the regular classical guitar comes with a 52 mm neck. However, with the crossover version, Cordoba was able to reduce the neck size to 48 mm. So, if you’re planning to crossover, the crossover guitar is what you want, obviously.
The final guitar is the lefty guitar. This one is a no-brainer. Lefties make up about 10% of the world’s population. So, if you’re one of those that make of the 10%, here’s the guitar for you. We know sometimes it can be difficult to find something that favors lefties but you know we got you covered.	If you’ve already started playing gigs, you obviously want a guitar that can connect to some speakers. That’s where the acoustic-electric version of the Cordoba C10 Spruce top comes in. With this version, you can connect the guitar to speakers, using the pick-up.

What Features Do The Cordoba C10 Cedar Vs Spruce Have In Common?

They’re both full-sized purely acoustic guitars. This means that they don’t come with any electronics so if you need to play for an audience, you’ll need to get a microphone to amplify the sound.

They come with nylon strings.

Both of these guitars are made with Indian rosewood on their back and sides.

To make these guitars look their best, Cordoba decided to use a high gloss polyurethane finish on both of them.

Full-Sized

Both the Cordoba C10 cedar top and the Cordoba C10 spruce top have full-sized guitars. Just like we’ve said earlier, there are six guitars in total in the C10 series. Three of these are cedar tops, the other three are spruce tops.

All the spruce top guitars are full-sized, while two of the cedar top guitars are full-sized. The parlor version of the cedar top is the odd one out coming in at 7/8. However, even this size is not very different from the other guitars as it’s just about an inch smaller.

Being full-sized, the guitars in this series are good enough for you to take for concerts and stuff like that. Even during practice, these would help you learn properly as they are the same sizes as normal concert guitars.

Acoustic Guitars

The only type of C10 guitar that is available in both spruce top and cedar top is the normal, purely acoustic version. This is the basic form of every classical guitar, which makes it no surprise as to why it is available in the two guitar top types we have here.

If you don’t really know about classical guitars, either of these two versions is something you want to look into getting for yourself. Unlike the others, it’s pretty simple and basic and doesn’t come with any extra features that might confuse you if you’re not very knowledgeable about classical guitars.

Both these guitars are simply identical, save for their guitar top types. One of them has a cedar top, while the other has a spruce top, as you already know. To find which of these you would prefer as your classical acoustic guitar, you’ll need to follow through with us till we get to differences.

Also, in those differences, you’ll find videos where both these guitars are played. With that, you can listen to how the guitar sounds and make the right judgment based on that.

Nylon Strings

Nylon strings are being used all the more in recent times, especially in classical guitars. It is, therefore, no surprise that Cordoba used nylon strings on all of the guitars in the C10 series.

Why Do Some Guitars Use Nylon Strings?

Nylon strings produce a much warmer, wholesome sound than steel strings which produces a striking sound. Because the sound is warmer with nylon strings, it’s more preferred for classical music which requires such a sound from its guitars.

So, if you play a genre of music like rock or country, genres that require a much more striking sound, you might want to check out steel-stringed guitars instead.

Aside from the sound that the nylon strings help provide, it is also less coarse on the fingers, which is great for beginners. If you’re just getting started with guitars, you must get prepared for sore fingers.

However, when compared to steel strings, nylon strings would hurt much less and won’t hurt until you’ve played for a while.

Finally, nylon strings do not rust like steel strings. Once your steel-string rusts, it immediately becomes a lot more coarse to your fingers and the sound isn’t as clear as the original.

When that happens, you would need to change the strings. Which means that you’ll be changing your strings quite often.

We’ve been looking at the good sides, what about the bad sides? Well, although nylon strings don’t rust, they get affected by humidity, a lot.  You would need to keep your guitars in a place with average humidity, always. Too high or too low could possibly damage the strings and even the guitar.

Indian Rosewood Back and Sides

Because the C10 series is the high-end series it is no wonder that rosewood was used for the back and the sides. When we go down to the older series, we see Mahogany being used to cut costs and make it as affordable as possible. But for this high-end series, Cordoba went all out.

Indian rosewood is more preferred than Brazilian rosewood because Brazilian rosewood is very scarce.

The first thing we see, literally, about this back and sides is the color. Indian rosewood has a very dark and chocolatey color. This dark brown color goes really well with either a spruce top or a cedar top.

It doesn’t only match cedar and spruce in color but also complements whatever sound is gotten from both the tops.

Indian rosewood works very well for strumming and even finger-picking. Whatever type of guitar you have, whatever playing style you prefer, Indian rosewood works well with it. It also produces a sharp attack and a resonance that’s very robust.

Finally, Indian rosewood has great tones and overtones. While the tones are great, the overtones, not so much. The overtones are not very great when you want to record because of the feedback it produces.

Is A High Gloss Polyurethane Finish Good?

The PU finish is glossy, giving the guitar an overall-glossy look, which is really pretty. But the PU finish is not just for pretty looks, it’s also really easy to maintain. It’s easy to maintain because it is not as fragile as nitrocellulose.

While this is easy to maintain, there are few pointers you need to take into consideration when maintain your guitar finish.

Check out this video below to check out how to care for your guitar’s finish. This video is also useful even if your guitar doesn’t have a high gloss finish like these ones.

Cordoba C10 Cedar Vs Spruce – What’s Unique To Each Group In The Series?

Features Unique To The Cordoba C10 Cedar Top

The Cordoba C10 Cedar top is available in three different versions:

1. Basic acoustic version.

2. Parlor version that’s smaller in size.

3. Lefty version for left-handed guitarists.

And of course, all of these come with a Canadian Cedar top.

The Guitar Types Available

The first and most major difference between these two groups of guitars is the variants available in the group. The cedar top is available in three different types: acoustic, parlor, lefty. Let’s discuss these three types briefly:

Parlor Version

A parlor guitar is described by its size. A parlor is usually 7/8 of a full-sized guitar. The difference between this and the other guitars in the series is the size, every other feature is the same.

Cordoba did a good job by fitting all the features gotten on the bigger version on the smaller version too. So, if you’re a little smaller, or you just want something more comfortable, you can get this version without missing out on any features.

Lefty

The left-handed people in the world are often neglected by designers all over the world, irrespective of the product. This is due to the fact that only 10% of the world is left-handed. However, while everyone else wasn’t bothering about lefties, Cordoba was.

This guitar is the exact same thing as the acoustic version, only difference being that this is suited for left-handed people. This way, you can pick with your stronger, left, hand. The strings are also placed in the alternate position to suit your fingers, enabling you play better.

Cedar Top

Probably the part of this article that people have been waiting for the most, the top of the guitar. Of course, all the guitars in this group come with a cedar top. So, let’s see what’s good about cedar.

A lot of people do not believe there’s any difference between cedar top and spruce top. However, we believe slightly differently. We believe that there are indeed differences but none is better than the other.

We believe that the choice between cedar top and spruce top is determined by preference and not quality. Because both of them are of equal quality.

Cedar top guitars produce really warm sounds, you know, the kind you hear in R&B and classical music. The strums are not striking. Rather, they are much more mellow, producing really full, darkened sounds.

To think that the cedar top only started being used in the mid-60s, these guys have gained a lot of popularity, to the point where they can be comfortably pitched against the more traditional spruce top.

If you want to get any guitar in the C10 series, we do not think that you’ll be a beginner. However, if you happen to be, it’ll interest you to know that more beginners pick the cedar top. This is because, the fullness of the sound produced by the cedar top tends to hide little mistakes in notes.

Here’s a video so you can hear what the C10 cedar top acoustic version sounds like:

Features Unique To The Cordoba C10 Spruce Top

Just like the Cedar top, there are three SPruce top guitars in the Cordoba C10 series, these are:

1. Basic acoustic version.

2. Crossover version with a slimmer neck for people crossing over from a normal non-classical guitar.

3. Acoustic-electric version that you can easily amplify with its electronics.

And, of course, all of these guitars come with a Spruce top.

The Guitar Types Available

Just like the cedar top group, the spruce top group of the C10 series has three different guitar types in it. These guitars are different from one another and from the guitars in the cedar top in one way or another. Let’s check them out:

Crossover Version

This version is for people who are switching from the normal acoustic guitar into a classical guitar. The biggest obstacle people face when making that switch is the wide neck of the classical guitar that they have to cope with.

Classical guitars have a much wider neck than regular acoustic guitars. Because of that, it’s often difficult for people to adjust. Cordoba saw this and that’s why they created this crossover version.

Basically, what the crossover version does is it brings you all the features of a classical guitar, but slims down the neck a little. This way, it doesn’t feel as such a big leap from what you’re used to.

To put in the numbers, a regular acoustic guitar averages a neck of 44mm. A regular classical guitar averages a neck of 52mm, and the crossover version has a neck of 48mm. it’s the perfect middle between the regular acoustic and the classical guitar.

Acoustic-Electric Version

The final guitar in this group, also the final guitar in the whole Cordoba C10 Cedar Vs Spruce series, the acoustic-electric version. This has all the features of the acoustic version. However, it also comes with an added feature that enables you to connect the guitar to speakers.

This is really beneficial if you play gigs and wouldn’t really like to place your box in front of a mic, that’s usually quite uncomfortable.

However, we must point out that this version of this guitar is presently not in stock. Whether it will be restocked or not, we do not know. You would need to ask the manufacturers.

Here’s a video so you can hear what the Cordoba C10 Spruce top sounds like:

Cordoba C10 Cedar Vs Spruce – Unique Pros

Why Some People Prefer The Cordoba C10 Cedar Top To The Spruce Top

It’s available in a lefty version that’s perfect for left-handed people.

The parlor version provides a slightly smaller option with all the same features as the full-sized one.

Cedar top guitars produce a generally warmer, fuller sound which is great for some music genres.

Why Some People Prefer The Cordoba C10 Spruce Top To The Cedar Top

It’s available in a crossover version which is great for people who aren’t used to the width of the necks of classical guitars.

The acoustic-electric version has really good electronics and is great for playing gigs.

Spruce top guitars produce a striking, distinct sound, which is great for some music genres.

Cordoba C10 Cedar Vs Spruce – Unique Cons

Cordoba C10 Cedar Top

• Doesn’t come in an acoustic-electric version, which means with this group, you can’t connect to speakers.

Cordoba C10 Spruce Top

• Doesn’t come in a lefty version. This means that if you have no choice, you must pick the cedar top version.

Cordoba C10 Cedar Vs Spruce – Pros Common To Both

Cordoba C10 Cedar Top	Cordoba C10 Spruce Top
Variety. What we love about both groups of the C10 is that they have a variety of options for you to choose from, depending on what you need.	The Spruce top also has options that you can choose from depending on what you want from your guitar.
Three different types available.	The spruce top also has three different types available.
Caters for a minority with its lefty type, the left-handed minority.	Caters for a minority with its crossover-type, the minority of people moving from acoustic to classical acoustic guitars.
They come with nylon strings.	The spruce top also comes with nylon strings. We’ve already listed all the benefits of nylon above. Therefore, this is for sure, a pro.
The finish used on all of these guitars look really nice, have a nice feel, and is very easy to maintain.	The same finish used in the cedar top is used in the spruce top, the high gloss PU finish. Therefore, producing the same results.

Cordoba C10 Cedar Vs Spruce – Cons Common To Both

Cordoba C10 Cedar Top	Cordoba C10 Spruce Top
This guitar is not very affordable.	This also comes in the same price as the cedar top versions. It is not a very affordable guitar and you might want to check out older versions if you’re a beginner.
Just like all classical guitars this has a wider neck than regular acoustic. Therefore, it would pose a problem for those trying to switch.	This guitar also has the same problem with two of the guitars in the group. However, the crossover version bridges the gap by making the neck slightly smaller than normal classical guitar to make transitioning easy.
Humidity will pose a huge problem.	These guitars would also need to be kept in a place with regulated humidity, too high or too low can damage the guitar.

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Cordoba C10 Cedar Vs Spruce – General Feeling Amongst Users

Cordoba C10 Cedar Top

Cordoba C10 Spruce Top

Because there are three guitars, we’ll discuss the feelings individually.   For the acoustic version, the feeling is pretty great. People who bought this were intermediate players pushing for a chance to go pro. The guitar serves really well as a practice guitar, and can also play some gigs. Although, playing gigs was uncomfortable for a lot of people because it’s not semi-electric.   The smaller players went for the parlor version. They really liked it because unlike many others, it comes with the exact same features as the bigger version, save the size.   The lefties were really appreciative of this guitar. It made learning a whole lot easier as they didn’t have to first learn to use their right hands.

For the acoustic version, the feeling was generally similar to that of the cedar top. People who bought this acoustic version bought it because they preferred the sound from the spruce top to that of the cedar top. However, the same hiccups with playing gigs occurred. We all know how awkward “mic to the box” is.   People who are new to classical guitars loved the fact that the crossover was easier than normal classical guitars as it came with a slightly narrower neck.   The acoustic-electric version is no longer in the market. Because of that, we couldn’t get the feeling from users.

Cordoba C10 Cedar Vs Spruce – Here’s Our Verdict

While the argument, Cordoba C10 Cedar Vs Spruce, seems to be about the guitar tops, your choice might end up not being based on that.

This is because of the diversity in the types of guitars available, as well as the difference in what each offer, your choice might end up being determined by something else.

What do we mean? Okay, let’s say you’re a lefty, your pick would obviously be the cedar top lefty version, whether or not you slightly prefer the sound of the spruce top. So, Cordoba C10 Cedar Vs Spruce, who’s your winner?

Cordoba C10 Cedar Vs Spruce – Frequently Asked Questions

Are Cordoba ukuleles good?

Although Cordobas are very popular for their nylon-stringed guitars they also make excellent and highly rated ukuleles. As you would expect from Cordoba, their ukuleles are made with top-class craftsmanship with quality sound. Some of the best Cordoba Ukuleles include the Cordoba 15CM, Cordoba 25SK, Cordoba 20TM amongst others. 

What kind of ukelele should I get for a beginner?

Ukuleles are super fun instruments to learn to play. As a beginner, the best Ukuleles to start with are the soprano or concert ukuleles. They have a traditional sound that is more easily relatable. They are also portable enough and this makes playing chords a lot easier. Some of the best ukuleles for beginners include Kala KA-C, Cordoba 15CM, Lanikai LU21-C, Kala MK-C and Luna Guitars Tattoo. You should also consider the size of the ukuleles. If you have bigger hands, a soprano ukulele might be too small for you. 

How much should a beginner guitar cost?

There are many beginner guitars that could tickle your fancy. However, it is important to pay attention to the quality of the guitar that you are purchasing. Although the cost of the guitar might give you an indication of the quality of the guitar, this is not always the case. That said, a proper guitar for beginners should cost at least $200 and should not exceed $800. Beyond $800, you will be getting into the range of  high-end guitars. 

Can you play a classical guitar like an acoustic?

The standard acoustic style involves strumming with a pick, fingerpicking, single line runs and chording. If you have learnt to play with an acoustic guitar, the temptation to play with the standard acoustic style on a classical guitar will always show up. However, this is no easy thing. Classical guitars have nylon strings that produce a mellow and warm tone which may not sound great other music styles apart from classical and jazz. Using a pick on a classical string could damage the nylon strings on a classical guitar. Also, the flat guitar neck and fretboards will make it hard to play the traditional acoustic style. Finally the high action required on a classical guitar will be a challenge for anyone who wants to impose the traditional acoustic style. 

What is the easiest acoustic guitar to play?

The easiest acoustic guitars to play will be acoustic guitars that are best designed for beginners. Although identifying the best acoustic guitar to play will largely be a subjective decision. Factors such as string action, neck width, neck profile, scale length and string type will all come into play when making a choice. That said, for steel-stringed acoustic guitars, when it comes to ease of playing, the Taylor Academy 10 and 12 come to mind. The Yamaha FG800 and FS 800 are great alternatives too. 

Should I learn on an acoustic or electric?

The answer to this is that it mostly depends on you. Some people opine that it is better to start with an acoustic because it is harder to play and will help you develop stronger hands. Others say that you should go with the electric guitar because it is easier to play. Well the answer is neither here nor there. It is true that electric guitars are physically easier to play, however, it may not necessarily be best for you to start with it. Your best approach is to start with the guitar type you are most interested in. Chances are, that is the one you’ll find easier to learn on.