Cordoba Ukulele
RatingsCordoba are mainly a guitar company - specialising in nylon string acoustic guitars. Even though they have only been going since 1997, they have built a good reputation and have some very impressive supporters including Bon Iver, Leonard Cohen, Jose Gonzalez and The Decemberists.
They are based in the ukulele's original home Portugal (although the ukes are made in China), so perhaps not surprising that they also have a line of fine looking ukuleles. One slight area of confusion for me is what their 'koa' ukuleles are made from. They used to be advertised as being 'Portuguese Koa' - a wood which I couldn't find any reference to outside of these ukuleles and take to be an Acacia wood (a relative of the true Hawaiian Koa). However, they are now just referred to as koa.
On Video
ukesun plays Isa Lei on his soprano Cordoba ukulele.
On Musician's Friend
On eBay
US $219.99
27 Comments
Great Uke! I have a 24CK concert uke, and i’m having a great time with it! It is a great uke for the price! Overall AWESOME uke.
I’m cradling my new 25CK. I would have to say that this is the best ukulele in existence.
I’m in lovel
I found 10c not kepping tune… sound is fine and look too…
Am considering the 20BM baritone. All mahogany construction, with a great sound that less bassy than thinner-skinned ukes like Makala’s MK-B (if that’s your taste). It comes with Aquila strings, but after trying three different 20BM’s I can confirm that this uke gets a pronounced buzz on the nylgut 2nd-B string, and to a lesser extent, on the 1st-E string. I’m up in the air as to whether I want to change out the strings or buy a different bari than can handle Aquilas.
Great uke!!!! Very good projection, intonation, and it is just gorgeous. Better than any uke i have played! Get it!!!!
I have recently acquired a Cordoba Concert model 10MB. It seems to be fairly popular around here. I love the way it feels in my hands, it seems perfect for a woman, and it is so loud! It’s easy to play, and stays in tune pretty well. It sounds really good for a ukulele that only cost me a little over $100. I think I’ll stick with it for a long time.
I bought a 15-CM concert ukulele and it looks and sounds really good. It seems to keep tune pretty well even if i play it really loud and hard. I compared it to a 20-CM in the store. Both were solid mahogany and had rosewood fretboards, but the 15 had a Satin finish while the 20 had a Matte finish and came with a gigbag. the 15 seemed louder and had a fuller tone and had a cool abalone inlay around the sound hole and was cheaper, but it did not include a case as did the 20-CM. The first 15-CM i played had some kind of crack in the back and a very small one in the front, even though it sounded great (better than the uncracked 20-CM i thought), but i had the clerk grab a new one from the back and it was flawless. I red online that Cordobas seem to have problems cracking and are pretty inconsistent, but it seemed like they were mostly talking about older models, and i guess you just have to inspect them closely before you buy them. I’m very happy with mine however! Great Uke!
I have been playing my sunny yellow Mahalo uke for about 6 months now, and feel it may be time to move up to a nicer sounding uke.
I have been intrigued by a Cordoba bamboo soprano uke (model 25SB I think) I played with at guitar center. It’s a little plain looking but I really like the bright sound and its curved, back (great for a woman–as someone mentioned already). I’m a little wary of a bamboo instrument, seeing as how there aren’t many out there. Part of my reservation is that the price tag–$220–seems a little high for an instrument made of “fast-growing, highly renewable” bamboo. Seems to me part of the expense of high-end ukes is they are made of exotic/expensive woods. Has anyone had any experience with any bamboo stringed instruments (guitar, uke, or otherwise)? or any opinion on whether it is worth the price?
I own a Cordoba 25TK acoustic/electric tenor. Cordoba’s gears are of superior quality, very smooth turning. The finish is thin satin open-pore (the finish was a bit rough in places along the waist on the sides, so I used superfine 0000 steel wool to smooth out those rough (grainy) spots a bit (first covering the tone hole and using a small magnet to sweep up any and all steel wool dust). Not much of an arch on the back (almost flat). Saddle has a straight slot design. Came with a very nice, near perfect, not too high, factory set-up. A somewhat quiet tone with nice rich upper harmonics!
I have a 20TM-CE and it’s awesome! It have a great sound plugged or unplugged. I love it.
I just got a Cordoba Ukulele and I love it! It sounds amazing and is wonderful to play. I highly recommend them. Cordoba makes great, affordable products. Perfect for beginners or experienced players.
I have purchased a Cordoba 20CM Ukulele about a week ago. I really like the sound and portability. I have already learned a lot of cords now I just have to practice. I feel confident in this brand and am already looking forward to purchasing a baritone in a few months.
They now just call them Koa because the wood is actually from “hawaiian” koa trees that grow in Portugal. These trees do not suddenly become “acacia” just because they grow in Portugal any more than a Hawaiian Mango would stop being a Hawaiian Mango just because the seed was planted in the Philippines.
Of all the Guitar makers that turned their hand to Uke Production (cashing in on the craze?) Cordoba do it the best.
Producing a fine loud classical guitar is an art, and that knowledge and skill is transferred at Cordoba into a fine loud ukulele.
Ukuleles are not just little guitars, something many Makers do not take enough notice off. (Fender, Ibanez, Cole Clark I am talking to you)
For instance I am Aussie but can say the Aussie Cole Clark ukes fall into that exact trap, necks feel like their guitar necks, but trimmed down to take 4 strings. Tops are as thick as their acoustic guitars. Way too thick for the little nylon uke strings to get the top vibrating.
Electrically Cole Clark’s are great though, very feedback resistant.
Acoustically I’ll take my Cordoba anyday of the week.
CW,
Thanks for posting! I am so happy to hear you’re so happy with your purchase. I just bought the same exact 15CM model (made in Italy, not China like I had read somewhere) and was concerned at first because I was not familiar with Cordoba, but I loved the sound too.
Moon
I recently bought a Cordoba 25CK from Guitar Center. The uke came strung backwards, but it was so beautiful looking I had to get it. Switched the strings with some new Aquilas, and found that I had to fix one of the tuners because it was way over tightened. Once I finally got it playable I found that it was extremely buzzy if you tried playing loud because of how low the action was. It produced a quieter and less beautiful sound than the Makala soprano it was supposed to be replacing. I had had it, and returned it. I then took a trip out to Elderly Instruments and found a beautiful concert koa uke that was cheaper than the Cordoba. Moral of the story: test a uke before you buy it, don’t buy guitar center, and don’t trust a girl just because she’s pretty. I have also played a baritone mahogany uke by them and it also had a crappy sound.
I am a rank armature. I have two ukuleles, both Cordobas, both loved.
The 15CM was my first ukulele. I was impressed with the quality of the instrument, made of mahogany plywood. Intonation was great. Sound is good. There was a piece of Chinese newspaper soaked with finish rattling around inside, so I am guessing that is where is was made. Machine heads have a lot of slop in the gear play. I just have to learn to tune up to the note. I bought this from Musicians’ Friend.
Then purchased a 20SM. It sounds great though small compared to the 15DM, but somehow richer, really nice. I guess because of the solid mahogany top. Intonation was a little less perfect compared to the 15CM. Finish had a few blemishes, especially behind the headstock. Machine heads gear play tighter compared to 15CM, less slop. Bought this one off Ebay.
Both beautiful things.
I have a 20TM tenor Cordoba. It is just great! The make is excellent; the sound beautiful; the feel smooth & nice. I tend to think that if one is to have only one uke, a tenor Cordoba it should be.
I ordered a new 15CM after reading reviews at Amazon and Musicians Friend. The reviews were great. It is said to have a solid top, bone nut and bridge, decent tuners, etc. It’ll be my first ukulele. I’m a guitar player and will have to learn to play this new addition to my stringed instruments.
I was given a 20TM-CE as a gift. I was surprised at the warm yet crisp sound that was coming out of this bugga.The electronics seem to me, stable and consistent.The “feel” of this ukulele is extremely comfortable throw on some aquilla or d’addario strings and this thing comes to life without having to constantly tune.
Just got a Cordoba 20SM today! I had been looking for about a month for something to upgrade from my $30 Makala.. tested out a couple different brands here and there. When i tested this one i was completely shocked by how loud and crisp it is. It was one of three in this particular shop with the other two being all shiney and brands i’ve heard of. Cordoba was not as familiar to me. But they sounded muffled and tinny compared to the full sound of this little guy. And, even better, it came with aquila strings and a case!
Got it home and tuned it up. Seems to hold the tune even in the higger chords which my poor little makala didnt. Im also able to make more dramatic changes in songs based on just the sheer volume this thing can pull off. Though, the louder i go, the more buzzing shows up on some chords. All in all though, it has a great sound. Looks great too and feel solid. Just seems like a well made, well thought out little uke for the amount of money i was looking to spend (sale at the store got me a price of $150 total).
I totally recommend!
After much shopping I decided on the Cordoba 20CM for my first ukulele and I couldn’t be happier.
It is solid mahogany, so it sounds far better than the laminates. It was $150 at Guitar Center with a really nice padded bag, but with a coupon the price was knocked down to $132 (always look for Guitar Center coupons before buying).
It definitely pays to spend a little more and get solid wood — in addition to the sound, it just looks and feels nicer.
The 15CM ($100, no bag) has a solid top, but the quality of the wood is much better on the 20CM.
Also, I read that ukuleles commonly lose tuning while you play. Well, I played this all day yesterday and except for a couple of tweaks, I never lost tuning.
After just one day I know a dozen chords and a couple of songs. I may never pick up my guitar again!
Correction to my comment above:
The 15CM might not have a solid top. Upon further review, it doesn’t say “solid” in the manufacturer’s description, so it might be a laminate. The wording on that is often (deliberately?!) confusing.
But the 20CM does indeed have a solid top.
Sorry.
I have the 20TM-CE. I bought it as an upgrade from my Oscar Scmidt OU2 (that I bought to see if I enjoyed playing the uke). Like the other commenters mine has a lovely warm sound, looks pretty and plays well. Mine came with really high action however. From what I’ve read on various reviews it seems to be a common issue with Cordoba. It’s not really a big deal though. Just make sure that you buy your uke through a dealer that can do a set up for you. Most places will do it for free. I found it to be kind of a bonus for me because my guy asked me how I played before doing the work and it came back perfect.
I have the UP-110 concert uke with the abalone roseate. Honestly wasn’t expecting a whole lot from it as I’ve played several Cordobas and found them inconsistently built and on the heavy build side, but was pleasantly surprised with mine.
First – it looks good. Good rich tone; no bark or bite to it, but pleasant enough. Heavy build as expected, top doesn’t ring, but overall a good sounding instrument.
Quality can be inconsistent from instrument to instrument, but no problems with mine there.
I love my new Cordoba 10cm ukulele. I am just learning and bought it on a whim today, and I can’t put it down. The solid mahogany is sexy and the sound is incredible; it really projects a clear, rich sound. I can’t wait until I get half good at it. I named mine Dante because it means endure.. and I want to endure the frustration of teaching myself from scratch so that I can do this quality instrument some justice!
This is my third UKE and what a difference. I picked it up at the store and it never left my hands until I got home. I have a 2007 concert and not only is it gorgeous and easy to fondle, but the voice sings like no other. I too find the tuning a bit constant but not a reason to leave this one on the stand…it’s worth the price.
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