Cordoba Fusion 5
REVIEW
CÓRDOBA FUSION 5 & AUDEN YORK
102
GUITARIST JULY 2021
PROS Price; competent build;
mid-width neck; lively boisterous
voice, acoustically and plugged in
CONS Fret tops are a little rough,
though that’s easily sorted; the
truss rod adjuster is very sti ;
little onboard control plugged in
PROS High-quality build, though
not particularly Spanish in style;
beautiful acoustic/plugged-in voicing
CONS Neck might be too narrow for
some, especially in lower positions;
the preamp’s control plate is hard to
access, especially in a live setting
CÓRDOBA FUSION 5
PRICE: £450
ORIGIN: China
TYPE: Medium-bodied cutaway,
nylon-string electro-acoustic with
12-fret neck join
TOP: Solid spruce
BACK/SIDES: Laminated mahogany
with amed maple outer facings
MAX RIM DEPTH: 95mm
MAX BODY WIDTH: 371mm
NECK: Mahogany, 3-piece with dual
action truss rod
SCALE LENGTH: 650mm (25.6”)
TUNERS: Córdoba Silver 3-a-side
14:1 ratio with black ebony-like
buttons
NUT/WIDTH: Bone/48.5mm
FINGERBOARD: Pau ferro, side
dots only, 406mm (16”) radius
FRETS: 19, medium/small (top fret
partial)
BRIDGE/SPACING: Pau ferro with
bone saddle/59mm
ELECTRICS: Fishman Sonitone
Classical with under-saddle pickup,
soundhole-placed volume and tone
rotary controls
WEIGHT (kg/lb): 1.65/3.63
OPTIONS: Colour only
RANGE OPTIONS: The existing
Fusion series also features the 12
and 14 models from approx. £600
LEFT-HANDERS: Not this model,
but others are available
FINISHES: Sonata Burst
(as reviewed) Natural, Jet Black
– gloss polyurethane
AUDEN YORK
PRICE: £1,099 (inc case)
ORIGIN: China/UK
TYPE: Classical-bodied non-cutaway,
nylon-string electro-acoustic with
12-fret neck join
TOP: Solid cedar
BACK/SIDES: African mahogany
MAX RIM DEPTH: 106mm
MAX BODY WIDTH: 362mm
NECK: Mahogany, 3-piece with dual
action truss rod
SCALE LENGTH: 629mm (24.75”)
TUNERS: Individual Schertler 18:1
ratio with ebony buttons
NUT/WIDTH: Bone/45mm
FINGERBOARD: Maple bound
rosewood, side dots only, 406mm
(16”) radius
FRETS: 20, medium
BRIDGE/SPACING: Rosewood with
bone saddle/59mm
ELECTRICS: Brad Clark Supernatural
ST-FS preamp with bridge and top
sensors. Preamp features 3-band EQ,
volume and 4 sound presets
WEIGHT (kg/lb): 1.7/3.74
OPTIONS: With rosewood back/sides
(adds £200), available summer 2021
RANGE OPTIONS: Not on the
nylon-string front, but the 14-fret
steel-string Julia uses the same body
outline and starts at £1,299
LEFT-HANDERS: No
FINISHES: Satin natural
(as reviewed)
8
8
12. Typically, a classical
guitar is played seated
or held by the right
forearm, flamenco style.
As befits the crossover
style, the Auden comes
ready to strap on
12
As its price reflects, the Auden is a
beautifully crafted piece with a considered,
balanced sound, both acoustically and
amplified. At under half the price, the
Córdoba sounds a little more Spanish,
shouty and excitable, and, although the
Fishman system is adequate as is, a little
additional EQ certainly enhances what is an
evocative if rather uncultured plugged-in
voice. It’s tidily made with a couple of
exceptions and certainly fits into the
‘halfway between classical and steel-string’
crossover style in terms of neck width.
It’s the first time this writer has had some
play time with the Auden’s Supernatural
preamp system and sonically it’s very
impressive, although to say it’s fiddly to
operate is a bit of an understatement. For
many, too, the Auden’s virtually steel-
string-like neck will just feel too cramped,
although for a steel player simply wanting
some nylon flavour – a very good flavour at
that – there’s zero to get used to.
But, as we found, adding a nylon-
string to your collection is not just about
the different sound and feel; it’s about
discovering a whole new world of music,
players and technique. Not to mention
hugely addictive.
Córdoba is what you want for
your street party; the Auden
suggests a quieter environment to
appreciate the detail of its sound
VIDEO DEMO http://bit.ly/g uitaristextra
GIT473.rev_nylon.indd 102GIT473.rev_nylon.indd 102 12/05/2021 10:0012/05/2021 10:00