I just received my Cordoba C9 Guitar in the mail. I was somewhat reluctant to make a purchase this way as I have never purchased a guitar without playing it before; moreover, this guitar is made in China so I was concerned about quality issues. I can assure you my concerns were unfounded. Geoff was very supportive through the entire process and provided a level of support that went above and beyond. He treated me as though I were buying a Luthier made guitar even though the C9 is at a student guitar price point. That being said, the guitar itself is remarkable, it arrived free of blemishes and the finish level was very high. The components are high quality and the tonewoods are superb. I ordered a model with a Cedar top, again a first for me. The tone is warm and lush, but with good note separation, the guitar itself is light as a feather and resonates in your hands without even being played. The setup again surprised me, a nearby shop is selling a C9 so I took the opportunity to check that guitar out. It was also a lovely guitar but the Cordoba models there had very high actions, so I was expecting to have to make adjustments as I normally would to any new guitar. Not the case with this guitar, it arrived with the saddle a bit lower than the ones in the chain store, frets well dressed and smooth with the perfect amount of relief; to say I am very happy with this purchase would be an understatement.
I did want to point out that this guitar is in fact solid wood and not laminate back and sides. I verified this through the manufacturer and it is evidenced by the two piece construction used on the back. This is a bonus! I have been playing about 40 years and received some formal training in classical guitar, but more or less played more mainstream music. Recently I have wanted to get back into classical guitar and devote more time to adding some more advanced arrangements to my repertoire. this is the perfect instrument to do it with. Thanks Geoff and X- Guitars!