any reviews of the Cordoba 30 series tenors

I had a 35TS early on in my uke journey. They can be good values, but you need to check quality carefully as they can be hit or miss. I had two with issues before I landed on one that was good at my local shop (before I became an HMS customer). Definitely buy from a reputable seller.
 
Last edited:
I have a 30T (all mahogany) and it is the love of my ukulele life. I know people say that Cordobas have quality-control issues, but when mine arrived from Elderly Instruments, it played perfectly from day one. The thing that blew me away was the quality. I felt like King Arthur picking up Excaliber for the first time. Compared with the cheaper ukuleles I had been playing, the Cordoba was incredible. It was so smooth, so solid, and having it instantly improved my playing. With it, I could do things that I had struggled with previously (Bb major, barre chords). Just as an example, when I bought my Kamaka for over $2000 I didn't notice anything different about it and my Cordoba...in terms of quality.

This message brings me to a rather bitter circumstance. The one grievance I have with my 30T is its scale. Cordoba's interpretation of the tenor is rather smallish. While the frets are wide and spacious, it seems to be almost more of a concert-sized ukulele. Because of that, I have commissioned a custom-built long neck tenor. I am a one-ukulele kind of guy. I know once I have my new ukulele, I won't play the Cordoba. Accordingly, I am driving up to Elderly music at the end of February to sell back an instrument that has done nothing but pleased me to no end. It is a very weird sensation for me.
 
Thanks to all who have responded so far as I've been wondering about these ukes, too. My main interest is in finding a tenor (not custom) uke with a 1.5 inch-wide nut, which is not easy.

The biggest thing I'm wondering about is if the Cordoba 30 series ukes have that resonance that some middle-to-high-end ukes have, where if you hold it against yourself while you play, you can actually feel it vibrate against you. Aside from the nice resonant sound, I like that because I feel like I'm getting real feedback from the uke. Like I have a give and take relationship with it.

I became interested in the Cordobas after checking out a Kala Elite USA tenor in person (at Ukehut in Long Island City, NY), which sounded great and had that resonance I was looking for, but had a narrow/average nut width, as opposed to the 1.5-inch width that is advertised on the Kala site.
 
While the frets are wide and spacious, it seems to be almost more of a concert-sized ukulele.

In what way? Is the body wide but not that long? Is is an overall smaller body but just with a tenor scale?
 
I became interested in the Cordobas after checking out a Kala Elite USA tenor in person (at Ukehut in Long Island City, NY), which sounded great and had that resonance I was looking for, but had a narrow/average nut width, as opposed to the 1.5-inch width that is advertised on the Kala site.

The Kala Elite is a significant step up in terms of fit/finish vs. the Cordoba's. If your local shop didn't have the model you wanted in 1.5 inch width, ask them to get it or contact HMS.
 
The Kala Elite is a significant step up in terms of fit/finish vs. the Cordoba's.

Eddie - another thing I'm curious about re: the Cordoba 30s (which are surprisingly hard to find in the wild) is the finish. Is it the usual slippery and somewhat thick gloss that you find on factory instruments or is it something better?
 
Eddie - another thing I'm curious about re: the Cordoba 30s (which are surprisingly hard to find in the wild) is the finish. Is it the usual slippery and somewhat thick gloss that you find on factory instruments or is it something better?

The finish on mine was gloss that was well-applied. I would not characterize it as overly finished -- it was absolutely fine and the instrument was really quite resonant. The Ukulele Site has quite a few in stock and has a good return policy if it's not to your satisfaction.
 
I own an Acacia Cordoba and a Pono Mahogany. Some of the things I say will be a comparison of the two. The sound on the Cordoba is nice and bright unlike the Pono which is warmer. This probably just the different woods. The Pono has got better sustain but the intonation is better on the Cordoba (though the Pono pretty good.) The construction on the Cordoba is good though the nut height tends to be a bit inconsistent (I saw another Cordoba where the nut was way too high.) This means you absolutely need a real professional setup. Lastly the nut is a tiny bit wider on the Cordoba and I find it a little easier to play.

-- Gary
 
The Romeo Creations has, as I recall, a 1.5" nut. They are now making some models with laminate to cut the cost.
 
Hello
uketanzon, just came across this thread. I realize it's already April of 2018, but in case you were still wondering about the Cordoba 30 series. I owned the 32t-CE spruce model for a few months. Bought from HMS and it was fantastic. High end looks at a great price. The sound is very unique. I had Fremont Black Low G on it and it was lush with a dynamic tone range. and with HMS setup, it played like a dream. However, as i dialed in my tone of choice, i realized after a few months the spruce had a bark and sharp attack too forward for me. It is a canon. Even after more than 10 different string changes to mellow strings, there was something about its voicing that still had that "poungy" sound instead of a lush "doooong" low G sound...for what i was looking for.

So then i exchanged for the mahogany 30t-ce version...which I still own now. The attack and sound is warmer and more mellow, and it's actually a much more quiet uke than the spruce...significantly quieter. But it's no slouch.
So in general, these 30 series from Cordoba are several steps or exponentially higher quality than all the other Cordoba ukes out there. These are a different class. Excellent construction and materials and detail. These are beautiful,
and the cut away is just so awesome. Not to mention, the L.R Baggs 5-0 pickup is fantastic, and the whole thing comes with a polyfoam case. I have Worth Brown Fat Low G on it now and it's very lush...but still has that "poungy" low G sound.
Hard to describe. If i compare it with my Boulder Creek Riptide mahogany tenor, my woodnote acacia tenor, my Kala cedar tenor, those 3 latter ones have a deeper "boom or dooong" sound when the Low G is plucked. But the Cordoba is voiced differently,
and not as deep a tone. So still sounds like a "poung" when plucked Low G.

I would say after having owned 2 of these Cordoba 30s, it certainly is worth keeping as there aren't many like them out there. As others said, the tenor scale is there, but the body is rather small. The top sound boards, at least in the 2 i owned,
are quite thick, so there's less resonance than some of my other ukes. But not in a bad way...these resonate plenty. just different. The wider nut is nice to play once you get used to it.

that being said, IF i find another tenor that has deeper bass, a cutaway and equally good electronics, i might sell my Cordoba 30t-ce, as now UAS has kicked in and it's tough to keep so many. But I've taken real good care of mine, so it's super mint.
Now, these things are alive. Sometimes at night, they sound simply amazing...and other nights, they sound dead. Could be the weather and temperature, or my tired ears after a long day. Maybe others know what i'm talking about, that our ukes sound differently during varying times of the day and in which room we play them in. LOL!

The sound of the 30t-ce mahogany is very focused, clear, and very good at the mids and trebles. The bass is clear, and not boomy, but has a very light weight focused bass instead of a wide spreading one. By Comparison, the 32t-ce spruce I thought, had better deep bass due to the spruce and rosewood combination. Both of these observations are done using the same Low G string type from Fremont, D'Addario carbon, GHS, Worth clear and browns, and Fremont Soloist smooth wounds.

anyway long story short, these Cordoba 30s are fantastic value. Worth owning at least once in your UAS lifetime and collection.

Elderly has them, HMS has them, (at least the shops that setup them up).

good luck!
 
Last edited:
Top Bottom