Córdoba unveils the Stage – its first nylon-string electric guitar

Classical guitar-maker Córdoba has announced the arrival of The Stage – a hybrid nylon-string electric guitar.

The new instrument represents an interesting blend of electric and classical guitar features, with a single-cutaway chambered solid mahogany body, measuring 1.5” thick, paired with a solid spruce top. 

The spruce is then adorned with a figured flamed maple veneer, finished in Edge Burst, which the firm says aids projection. There are also three sound holes incorporated into the upper curve.

There is a similar blend of concepts on the neck side, with Córdoba’s mahogany, C-shape Fusion neck offering a sleeker feel in the hand, which should feel familiar to steel-string and electric guitar players. That’s topped with a Pau ferro fingerboard with a 1.8” nut width, a 16” fretboard radius. 

The headstock, however, is classic nylon-string with a slotted headstock and Der Jung tuning machines. There’s also a bone nut and saddle.

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Aside from the innovative blend of guitar styles, Córdoba has also worked directly with Fishman to come up with a new proprietary pickup system, which offers a combination of under saddle piezo and body sensor pickups.

The firm promises “authentic, acoustic nylon-string tone” and the system offers easy access onboard control for Volume, EQ and ‘Body Blend’, which gives players the option to tweak the tonal balance between the piezo and body sensors. 

The video above shows the Stage doing a very convincing tonal impersonation of a classical instrument. It certainly won plaudits at the Summer NAMM show, too, picking up the Best In Show award. 

Classical guitar designs are (by definition) seen as resistant to change but it seems there is a growing appetite among players for forward-thinking designs. 

Ibanez’s Talman nylon-string was recently given a high-profile platform in Polyphia’s Playing God video, while Godin’s Multiac nylon-string builds have offered similarly innovative approaches to blending pickup and piezo tones.

Expect to find the Córdoba Stage for around $699 / £599, complete with gig bag. Head to Córdoba’s site for more information on The Stage.