Cordoba 25CK Concert Ukulele

Already a guitar player, I thought it'd be a fun summer endeaver to pick up uke. I originally was going to purchase a cheap starter, but decided to spend a bit more money and get a real instrument and not a toy. In shopping for ukuleles, I played and compared several. I even played a Martin that cost several hundred dollars more than the Cordoba, but I just couldn't hear or feel hundreds dollars worth better. So I went with the the Cordoba 25TK. It has a great feel and is very comfortable and easy to play. The sound is authentic - you can tell it sounds like a real instrument and not cheap like a lot of lower end ukes. It is very rich in tone, has great volume/projection, and you can tell it's only going to sound better over time as the all-solid woods age and open up. Speaking of the woods, the all-solid Koa looks incredibly stunning. Thoughtful detail also went into the fretboard, rosette, and bridge as well. And to top it all off, the Cordoba 25TK Ukulele is priced right. If you're looking for an all around great uke and to get the most for your money, look no further... you will not find a better ukulele for this price. Oh, and did I mention that this uke comes with a very well made custom Cordoba uke gig bag that is well padded and made of high quality materials? It does. What a fantastic combo!

Lovely ukulele. The picture in the product page most likely shows when the model was being made from flamed koa wood, but is now made from some really nice acacia wood. It plays well, and looks beautifully. The binding and the Portuguese rosette add an old world look, topping off great sound with great looks.I had to return mine, sadly. I found that while the soprano was beautiful and more than worth the value I got it for, the product had a binding blemish. I had to return it, since I'm a little picky about things like this. I didn't want this to become a problem over time. Hopefully in the future, I'll pick up either the concert or the tenor model. Maybe both...or all three! Probably not, but you can't go wrong with his beautiful little ukulele.

Ordered this Ukulele because its handmade in portugal and not from a production line in china. However when it was finally delivered it was very disappointing. Despite the Uke being of solid build from fantastic Koa wood the finish was very very poor. Every surface on this Uke was ruined by dark noticeable scratches underneath the satin varnish from an orbital sander. Even the neck was covered, from the body all the way up to the tuners. Small dark swirl scratches were on the front, the sides and back in large patches. Some were so dark you could see them from 12 feet away. The Uke also had two large dings in the bottom where it had been dropped or something and the was varnish cracked and shattered. The Uke arrived in a resealed box which made me think it could have been a returned item being shipped out again, thats just my guess. If the finish of this Uke was as good as my friends production line chinese ones it would've been great.

I am SO disappointed....especially spending a little more money to have a nicer uke! I have been playing the uke for a few years now. I recently started accompanying myself while singing professionally. Up until now I have been playing Kala Ukes. I have one traditional Kala and two concerts and both sound fantastic however since I started backing myself with the Uke I thought I would tart up my act a little and go with a higher end uke and maybe even a richer sound. So, I ordered two Cordobas, one concert and this tenor Cordoba. The sound quality is really not all that great on either one. And what's even worse is that when I strum the strings all squeak!!! Has anyone else on here ever encountered that problem? It must have something to do with the type of material they are using to string these Ukes because I have never once encountered that problem with the Kalas and both of these Cordobas squeak like crazy with every single strum :( Sadly I will send them both back and do my due diligence before ordering a higher end uke.

First a bit of a disclaimer and some history...I don't have any musical training. I bought a  Lanikai LU-21 Soprano Ukulele  about two years ago and have been teaching myself the uke since then. A great starter uke by the way. About six months ago, I made an impulse purchase and upgraded to an  Oscar Schmidt OU280SWK Concert Ukulele . The neck was warped unfortunately causing one of the strings to buzz, so I had to return it. The sound was nice and warm and all the ebony and abalone was beautiful, but after considering to re-purchase, I figured I would try for something less expensive that at least somewhat matched the sound quality. I don't need all the abalone and really didn't like the high-gloss finish all that much either way. Finally after months of playing around with ukes in music stores and at friends' houses, I settled on the Cordoba 25TK. It arrived today and I've been playing for about two hours now. This ukulele is gorgeous. Solid Koa front and back with maple binding, mahogany neck, and a rosewood bridge + fretboard. A nice satin finish instead of the high gloss which is much better for my taste. You can tell that the ukulele is hand-made, as there are some sanding marks and slight imperfections that, I think, show a bit of character without adversely affecting sound quality. The sound, by the way, is amazing. A sweet, soft tone emits from every pluck of every string. Chords resonate unlike anything I've heard before and make the uke almost come alive when strumming - you can actually feel its heart beating! Seriously. In the end, I'm very happy with this purchase at nearly $200 less than the OU280SWK. I hesitate to say it even sounds better, but I am biased now that I've quickly fallen in love with this uke and it isn't fair to compare against one with a warped neck. Both the OS and Cordoba ukes are hand-made in China, just so you know...but this will certainly be my instrument of choice for many years to come. I may update this review after breaking it in if there is any additional info to add.