Cordoba Fusion 5

99
JULY 2021 GUITARIST
REVIEW
CÓRDOBA FUSION 5 & AUDEN YORK
pretty similar in depth with the same 1st
fret dimension (20.5mm), and the Córdoba
is just 1mm deeper at the 8th fret (24mm)
than the Auden. Both have quite a rounded
‘big C’ sort of profile, the Auden’s feeling
slightly asymmetrical in higher positions
with more shoulder on the bass side.
Acoustic Style
Of our two guitars, the Córdaba feels and,
to a certain extent, sounds very much the
Spanish-inspired crossover, despite its
lower price point. Slightly lighter in weight
and with that mid-width neck, it’ll still feel
pretty ‘big’ compared with your electric, but
it feels noticeably more compact than our
concert classical reference.
The Auden feels more like a steel-string
that’s had its strings changed. Lower
positions feel cramped in comparison, not
least if you want to peel off your classical
rep. Thumb-behind left-hand positions
feel less comfortable than the often flatter-
backed classical neck, too. Yet for jazzier
and Latin styles, where you might easily
wrap your thumb over the low E, it excels.
Another example of finding your own fit.
It’s not only the vastly different feel of the
lower-tension but larger-diameter treble
strings that’s different from your typical
steel-strings; they also sit considerably
higher above the fingerboard. While a
classical guitar might have a string height
at the 12th fret of 3.5mm to 4mm on the
treble side and 4mm to 5mm on the bass,
part of the crossover style is a lower setup,
not dissimilar to flamenco style, and here
both are pretty similar: 2.5mm/3mm on our
Córdoba and 2.2mm/3mm on the Auden.
The ‘warm and soft’ sound of a nylon-
string is a cliché. A classical or flamenco
guitar can be viciously bright and attacking
when hit hard – just listen to Paco de Lucía
– and clarity and the balance between the
treble and bass is what we’re looking for.
Our Córdoba heads off down that route
with quite a powerful attack, a tempered
bass and strong mids. It likes to be hit hard
and responds accordingly, reflecting its
solid spruce top and laminated sides. The
Auden’s voice is very different. A little
shy, perhaps, with less shout and more
controlled dynamics (even compressed);
again, the sort of response you might expect
The ‘crossover’ sits
somewhere between
a small-bodied steel-
string and luthier-
made classical guitar
4. The York’s more
steel-string-like slotted
headstock holds the
very smart and smooth
Schertler tuners and a
well-cut bone nut
5. The thin satin finish
is perfectly done on
the York. Note the very
un-classical binding on
the fingerboard edge
4
5
GIT473.rev_nylon.indd 99GIT473.rev_nylon.indd 99 12/05/2021 09:5912/05/2021 09:59