Cordoba Fusion 5

97
JULY 2021 GUITARIST
REVIEW
CÓRDOBA FUSION 5 & AUDEN YORK
string like. It’s a similar thing with our
two review examples. While both have 12
frets to the body and a similar fingerboard
camber, the Córdoba is coming more from
the Spanish style with its wider nut width
of 48.5mm and a string spacing of 38.5mm.
The Auden is noticeably thinner at the nut
at 45mm, but the difference is narrowed
with its 36.5mm string spacing and the fact
that both have the same string spacing at
the bridge of 59mm.
The lighter tension of nylon strings means
a thinner top, lighter bracing (usually a fan
style but not exclusively) and, quite often
with a crossover style, a reduced body
depth. This latter point might well limit
low-end when played unplugged, but it can
prove very helpful when you’re plugged in
and dealing with feedback on stage. Our
two examples are actually closer in size
than they might appear. Nevertheless,
there’s the Córdoba’s cutaway to consider
and its slightly thinner depth, while the
Auden – based on the company’s small-
bodied Julia steel-string – is marginally
tighter across its lower bouts and very
slightly longer at 489mm compared with
the Córdoba’s 480mm body length.
As with a steel-string, another
consideration is whether or not you need a
cutaway. The Auden, without a cutaway, is
relatively unusual in its intended crossover
style. The Córdoba, as its Fusion model
CÓRDOBA FUSION 5 & AUDEN YORK £450 & £1,099
CONTACT Selectron UK PHONE [phone] WEB www.cordobaguitars.com
CONTACT Auden Guitars PHONE [phone] WEB www.audenguitars.com
T
here’s really quite a chasm between
the steel- and nylon-string acoustic
guitar. And that’s putting it mildly:
you could easily argue that they operate in
parallel universes. It’s not just the strings
or the constructional differences, it’s the
culture. Swapping between a small-bodied
Martin and a luthier-made classical guitar,
for example, isn’t an easy transition, even
for a well-seasoned player. Which is where
the far-from-new ‘crossover’ concept
originated: a nylon-string that feels and
plays more like that Martin. This cross
pollination is actually an area of acoustic
guitar design that is really quite vibrant both
in style and price, illustrated here with two
new-for-2021 nylon-string electro-acoustic
crossover designs that really couldn’t be
more different.
A typical classical guitar will have
a nut width of 50mm (two inches), or
thereabouts, a flat uncambered fingerboard
and a 12-fret neck-to-body join. That
Martin, for example, might have a nut
width of 42.9mm (1
11
⁄16 inches) or the
slightly wider 44.45mm (1 ¾ inches),
a light fingerboard camber of around
406mm (16 inches), and the neck will most
commonly join the body at the 14th fret.
In principle then, the ‘crossover’ aims to
sit somewhere between these contrasts,
as with Yamaha’s more classical-like NCX
style, while its NTX range is more steel-
What You Need To Know
Tell us a bit about Córdoba.
The Córdoba brand – created by the
Córdoba Music Group who also owns
Guild – is named after the Spanish
city and is well established, catering
from beginners to professionals.
Though referencing the Spanish
style of construction, the majority
of its instruments, like our review
model here, are made in China.
But I didn’t think Auden made
nylon-strings?
Not up to this point, but the York is a
new model for 2021. Auden imports
the ‘shell’ from a small factory in
China and does all the important
stuff at its workshop in Higham
Ferrers, Northamptonshire – a very
modern method of high-quality,
cost-effective production. Auden
also owns and makes Gordon-Smith
guitars at the same location.
What do you mean by crossover?
It’s simply a term coined for a nylon-
string guitar that’s a blend of classical
style typically with a steel-string’s
thinner width neck, onboard electrics
and most commonly a cutaway.
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