Manuel Rodriguez FC Cedar Classical Guitar (Used)
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Sounds as warm and vivid as sunrise in Madrid.
Featuring a carefully chosen, solid Canadian cedar top and solid Indian rosewood back and sides, this Rodriguez FC model is a beauty to behold and play. The headstock is Brazilian rosewood, the neck is Honduran cedar reinforced with ebony, and the fingerboard is ebony. A Brazilian rosewood bridge and bone nut and saddles provide ringing tone and sustain. Handmade gold-plated tuners and silver-plated frets are installed to last a lifetime. The body binding and wood rosette are exquisite.
Each Rodriguez Guitar is hand crafted and glued to create precise balances. From the invisible careful sanding, even inside the body, that ensures the finished instrument's purity of tone, to the beautifully unique rosette inlays around the soundhole and on the back of the neck, each guitar is a credit to its luthier and worthy of being handed down from one generation to another.
The tone, resonance, and beauty of fine guitars are all dependent upon the wood from which they are made. The wood used in the construction of Rodriguez guitars is carefully chosen and aged to guarantee the highest quality. No wood is purchased before the tree has been cut down, and at least 2 years must elapse before the tree is turned into lumber. The wood has to be well cut from the log. The grain must be close and absolutely vertical. The shop is totally free from humidity.
Each Rodriguez guitar features a multicolored wood rosette, as exquisite as the sounds that issue from it. Their intricacy and beauty signify the attention to detail that characterizes every Rodriguez guitar.
For backs and sides, Rodriguez uses Brazilian Rosewood and Indian Rosewood (Jacaranda). Brazilian Rosewood has a beautiful color and design, making it ideal for an elegant concert classic guitar.
For the top, Rodriguez has experimented with other Spruce woods from various parts of the world including North America, Canada, Alaska, Russia and Sweden, but the Spruce from Central Europe is unique. Red Western Cedar is obtained from Canada and the Northwest U.S. There are many different qualities and colors. As with Spruce, stiffness, grain and weight are important.
For the neck, Rodriguez uses cedar from Honduras as preferred over heavy Mahogany. There are many kinds of Cedar, as the name is used on so many continents. The Honduran cedar used is very hard and stiff, but at the same time, light. Necks are reinforced with 2 Ebony strips on the underside of the fingerboard to give total rigidity and to eliminate movement cased as a result of the aging of the instrument.
Features
- Top: Solid Canadian Cedar
- Back & Sides: Solid Indian Rosewood
- Fingerboard: Ebony
- Bridge: Brazilian Rosewood
- Neck: Honduran Cedar with Ebony
- Tuner: Handmade Gold-plated
- Headstock: Brazilian Rosewood
- Nut & Saddle: Bone
- Body Binding: Two, Indian Rosewood
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FC Cedar Classical Guitar Specifications:
- Fingerboard Width at Nut: 2" (54mm)
- Body Depth: 3.71" — 3.94" (95mm — 100mm)
- Body Width: 11.42" — 14.53" (290mm — 369mm)
- Scale Length: 25.6" (650mm)
- Rosette: Multicolored woods
- Body Binding: Wood
- Frets: 19, Silver-plated
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by PowerReviews(based on 7 reviews)
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Displaying reviews 1-7
Comments about Manuel Rodriguez FC Cedar Classical Guitar:
Kudos to all involved...!
Musicians Friend you are my Friend for sure! My replacement came in and it is Perfecto!!! Thank you for pulling for me to get my FC replaced and thank you Manuel Rodriguez for finally agreeing the same.
400 models later (based on serial number) and they corrected everything from the overly high action cause by an incorrect neck angle compensated by a high bridge which caused an unususal warp in the top. And eventually due to the stress after two years it lifted. The finish is much thinner as well allowing the instrument to resonate as it should. And of course, as made in Spain guitars have a reputation for, it plays beautiful!!!
Comments about Manuel Rodriguez FC Cedar Classical Guitar:
My initial review was a 5 star review. Unfortunately after owning this piece for less than two years I have reneged on my review. My FC is played rarely and spends most of its time either on the stand or in the case. A steady 70 degree room and humidified at 65% year round and never leaving the house I would expect this guitar to last my lifetime at least.
Unfortunately this isnt the case. To my surprise, the bridge is lifting. I was in shock to see that a guitar in this price range made in Spain (not China) with such a great reputation would lift a bridge. If I had it in the trunk of my car or in and out of an uncontrolled climate I would expect that may be after a dozen years the bridge would eventually lift but this is extreme considering its environment.
No sweat Ill simply get a hold of the manufacturer and get it repaired. After all it still has another year left on the warranty and they are a reputable manufacturer. Well, not as easy as I thought. First of all the only contact I could find was an online web form.
No response from the web form so after some hi-tech digging I managed to locate the direct email address of Luthier Manuel Rodriguez jr himself. I emailed him and included a photo of the bridge. To my surprise I received a quick reply directly from the Master. Must have gone right to his blackberry.
his email response this bridge will not come out It is very Easy to put just Carpenter White glue on the space as I can see the picture
my email response This guitar is still under warranty. 3 years from date I received it from MusiciansFriend. I received it in June 2010. I would prefer to have a luthier look at it to have it properly repaired. Who do you have repair under warranty?
his email response the bridge has a small Space this is not serious and does not affect the Sounda Luthier will charge 100 USD just to see As we all know each other this bridge will not come out, and it is very Easy with just Normal White glue to cover the small Space, this is my recomendation I travel once a year to The Namm Show in Calif and I can do it in 15 minuts,
In Janauary in case you are in Calif, I am trying to help all my best Thank you manuel jr...
OK so now what. 1500 dollars later and still under warranty but oh wait, they dont HONOR their warranty. My advice? I guess thats why there are extended warranties from MF. Next step is to take it to a local Luthier and I guess pay out of pocket to fix the bridge and Never Ever buy or recommend buying a Manuel Rodriguez guitar again.
Comments about Manuel Rodriguez FC Cedar Classical Guitar:
I have owned this guitar for a little over a year and it is by far the best guitar I have played in this price range. The fit and finish are excellent, and superior to many guitars sold for twice the price. The high quality fine grained cedar top provides wonderful clear tone and intonation that gets only better with time. The playability is comfortable and very forgiving. I own guitars made by other luthier's but if had to choose to keep only one the Manuel Rodriguez FC would be it.
Comments about Manuel Rodriguez FC Cedar Classical Guitar:
after going through 3 jose ramirez guitars; I decided to get a Rodriguez. they are way better guitars. the fret board & neck are finished. polished & smooth. the wood & finish is superb. the sound is amazing!; deep loud tone. high clarity on high strings. the strings d'addario exps are very good & playability. the case is custom & very nice fit.
Comments about Manuel Rodriguez FC Cedar Classical Guitar:
I bought this guitar from MusiciansFriend as a condition 3 and saved hundreds of dollars when compared to the regular price. When the guitar arrived and I removed it from the case the first thing I noticed was the beauty of this instrument. The guitar has solid chocolate brown Indian rosewood back and sides and tighly grained solid cedar top and beautiful binding, the tuning machines are quality. The guitar does not have booming volume but the woods give a deep base response and trebles are clear. I noticed the balance is a little off; the A string is a little louder and the D string is a little softer relative to the other strings. At first, I found the guitar's action a little uncomfortable to play, but what I really appreciate about this guitar is that it came with an extra nut and saddle. So when I filed the original nut and saddle and bought the action down to 3.5mm @ 12th fret there was buzzing on the D and B strings. Does not matter because with the extra nut and saddle I was able to bring the action down to 3.9mm and the result was no buzzing on any of the strings. After making these ajustments, I am happy with FC guitar and it will serve as my workhorse for practising and performing with friends.
Comments about Manuel Rodriguez FC Cedar Classical Guitar:
It smells like the factory in Madrid and sounds precious. Well worth the money and 5 months backorder wait. It is a lighter natural finish and more beautiful in person than in the pictures. It has a beautiful warm tone and plays easily. The neck is solid and feels expensive. I may drop the action on the bone saddle a mm or two if I cant get used to it as the upper fretboard is just slightly higher than I prefer. The low E string was popped probably do to the poorly packed shipping box, but I was planning to replace them with better quality strings anyways. It comes with an a attractive black woven hardshell case. Inside is a tiny built in thermometer/hygrometer gauge. The panel that holds the gauge above the head stock fell off and I will glue it back in place. This is an instrument I will keep forever. Overall a great investment...no regrets.
Comments about Manuel Rodriguez FC Cedar Classical Guitar:
The FC is the top of the Rodriguez line available here for less than $5,000. This guitar is quite comparable to my Jose Ramirez 125 Anos. The tone, volume and projection are superb and the finish and workmanship are flawless. It's slightly heavier than some classical guitars, which makes it feel even more substantial. It looks magnificent and feels wonderful in the hands, and it plays like a dream. It also comes with a Rodriguez hard-shell case with a built-in thermometer and hygrometer. A great value for a fine guitar.
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