Manuel Rodriguez Caballero 11 Cedar Top Classical Guitar 

Comments about Manuel Rodriguez Caballero 11 Cedar Top Classical Guitar:

This is my second review on this guitar. I thought to be fair I should add this. The guitar I purchased was not setup well. I sanded the saddle down about 1/8 inch. This made a tremendous difference in the playability of the guitar. There are not any issues with barring at the frets higher on the neck, and the notes are much clearer in that area as well. Sounds much better. You may need to lower the action by sanding the saddle if you buy one of these, but the sound good and are easy to play afterward.

Comments about Manuel Rodriguez Caballero 11 Cedar Top Classical Guitar:

Fantastic woods used for construction

Comments about Manuel Rodriguez Caballero 11 Cedar Top Classical Guitar:

A great classical guitar for the price.

Comments about Manuel Rodriguez Caballero 11 Cedar Top Classical Guitar:

Previous reviews were uneven and some complained about poor China-quality manufacturing. I inspected the guitar closely when I got it and it was spotless. The box said it was made in Spain and I believe it.

This guitar is well suited for fingerpicking quiet tunes. It's my first nylon string guitar and I can't compare it with others. I found the lack of fret markers a bit disconcerting at first but got used to it, no big deal. The strings also took about three days to stop stretching, also no big deal but having a clip-on tuner is recommended.

Comments about Manuel Rodriguez Caballero 11 Cedar Top Classical Guitar:

I was led to believe by other raters that this guitar was made in China. I did not read that until after I purchased it. So, I was disappointed. When I received the guitar I was happy to see it wasn't a Chinese made guitar. The guitar is nice and sounds good. Had my guitar instructor look it over and it passed inspection. A few frets may need to be filed down a bit though, not much and really doesn't interfer with playing.

Comments about Manuel Rodriguez Caballero 11 Cedar Top Classical Guitar:

I purchased this Guitar used with a broken off bridge, scratches and missing saddle. I paid less than half the price of a new one. It was perfect, as I enjoy repair and setup anyway. The scratches turned out to be unnoticeable. The bridge and top required careful preperation before remounting the bridge. I purchased a bone saddle blank from a store that supplies luthiers tools and materials and hand fashioned a saddle that makes me proud. I reworked the nut for the clearance I prefer. I am only a student but I have not encountered a guitar that plays or sounds better. I think that the reasonably thin solid cedar top is a big part of what makes it sound so mellow.

Comments about Manuel Rodriguez Caballero 11 Cedar Top Classical Guitar:

This was my first guitar. Was bought for me by my father who thought I'd enjoy learning how to play. I am 38 with kids by the way. Anyhow the guitar sounds extremely full and rich and I particularly like finger picking with this guitar. The craftsmanship is superb and it looks beautiful. Everyone says this stuff but is true. The rest will be at least for me some differentiating factors or decisions you have to make for yourself when it comes to this guitar. For one, as a classical guitar, the neck is obviously very large. Makes it tougher to barre chords in my opinion, but I have found that learning on this guitar has made me a much better player. I just bought a Seagull S6 and is much easier to play, albeit very different from this guitar. I will always go back to this guitar when it's time to dump the pick, or do some flat picking. Also you don't get that resonating ring of the higher notes when strumming than you get from a steel string acoustic. Not the guitar's fault (it's a classical, nylon string), but thought I'd mention. It plays very deep and full which i like. Very clean sound. Not sure if it's the guitars fault but does require a lot of retuning, especially the g string. No fret board inlays not a big deal but should be noted. Lastly changing guitar strings is a bit more of a process as you ties knots at the bridge, and I am a bit of a perfectionist, so just having pins or other would be easier. Bottom line i still love this guitar, and is a steal for the money.
No fret inlays is only feature drawback

Comments about Manuel Rodriguez Caballero 11 Cedar Top Classical Guitar:

Musiciansfriend needs to turn the rating system up to 11 to represent all the glory that this guitar exudes.
I am rating and reviewing this guitar again just to stress how good it is. I have been playing guitar for ten years now and am very selective when it comes to the action and overall feel of guitars. As an owner of this guitar, I can tell you that it plays wonderfully.
Yes, there may not be any dots on the fretboard to mark specific positions, but this will help you be less dependent on the markers and moreso on your ears. And, the guitar is completely beautiful.
Build quality is great. It feels lightweight, but completely stable and well made.
Cannot do better for that price. I have compared this guitar to others well over its price and still found it preferable in overall feel and sound.

Comments about Manuel Rodriguez Caballero 11 Cedar Top Classical Guitar:

I'm new to guitar, especially classical, so I of course think it sounds wonderful and plays great, but my guitar playing friends also say it sounds and plays fantastic.

Comments about Manuel Rodriguez Caballero 11 Cedar Top Classical Guitar:

The instrument is a great option for beginners and those not so much perfectionist, although the finishing is very good, but the sound could be better. Indian wood doesn't sound better than Brazilian wood for classical guitars.
Some missing features could be incorporated to the instrument without increase costs such as the small white dot mark on the neck in the fifth fret, both to be seen from above and front. It helps a lot to positioning hands on the neck and locate the right notes.
The wood is basic and helps to produce a vibrant sound especially in the range of middle and high frequencies. The buzz still an issue. I hope the issue decreases when replacing strings. By the way, the guitar comes with Dadario strings which plays very well.
A great deal for the price, but I'm still confusing whether the instrument was crafted in Spain or China. Both informations are present and if it is a chinese instrument the price is quite reasonable, but if the instrument in made in Spain, it is a great bargain for the price. I believe that the instrument is made in China.