Review: Córdoba GK Pro is a Hybrid Nylon-String Designed for Flamenco, with Plenty of Versatility

Using designers and manufacturers from around the world, Córdoba was founded in 1997 by Tim Miklaucic of California’s Guitar Salon International. The GK Pro is an upgrade of Córdoba’s popular GK Studio Gipsy Kings Signature Model, with all-solid back and sides, an ebony fingerboard, and flamed maple headstock overlay.

The GK Pro is designed as a flamenco guitar. The most obvious clue is the transparent golpeador pickguard (which extends to both the treble and bass sides of the area below the strings), but the shallow 3.5-inch body depth; fast, relatively thin neck; and Spanish cypress back and sides all reflect the flamenco style. A look inside the guitar reveals extremely thin fan bracing as well as the only visible flaw on the instrument: some minor finish runs around the soundhole, although they’re inside the top and out of sight.

With its small body size, the GK Pro is comfortable to play. In spite of the nearly 2-inch nut width, the low-profile rounded neck feels fast and smooth, and I barely noticed the extra width.

The GK Pro includes the same Fishman Prefix Pro Blend system as the Alhambra Crossover, and again, it reproduced the character of the guitar very well when plugged into my AER amp.

As a steel-string player, I liked the punchy tone and fast response of the GK Pro. Although the tone is warm and resonant enough for classical pieces, jazz comping sounded especially good on the guitar, with each voice of complex chords coming through clearly. Jazzy single-note melodies played with a flatpick produced a tone that was round but also clear and articulate. Fiore was inspired to play a series of rapid arpeggios that took advantage of the guitar’s clarity, but he soon began exploiting the guitar’s sharp attack and quick response with some flamenco-inspired rasgueados. He liked the roomy 2⁵⁄₁₆-inch string spacing at the saddle but also noticed that the relatively low action tended to produce a bit of snap when driven hard, although this could be a desirable sound for flamenco playing.

SPECS

BODY: Solid European spruce top; solid Spanish cypress back and sides; Venetian cutaway.

NECK: 12-fret mahogany neck with Spanish-foot neck joint; ebony fingerboard; flamed maple headstock overlay; 650-mm (25.59-inch) scale; 50-mm (1.96-inch) nut width; 2 5/16-inch string spacing at the saddle.

OTHER: Clear golpeador pickguard; Fishman Prefix Pro Blend electronics; Savarez Cristal Corum high-tension 500CJ strings.

MADE IN: China

PRICE: $1,399 street

See more Acoustic-Electric Hybrid Nylon-Strings articles.