I’m a classical guitarist and wanted a guitarlele, to accompany my ukulele students. After some back and forth, I ended up with a relatively inexpensive Cordoba Mini SM-CE as a supplement to my Pono MT-E ukulele. It’s billed as a travel guitar with body size and scale identical to a baritone ukulele, but designed to be tuned a 4th above guitar pitch like a tenor ukulele. In other words, the Mini is a 6-string ukulele or guitarlele. You can also describe it as a slimmed down requinto: half sized classical guitar tuned up a 4th (A D G C E A).
Cordoba Mini SM-CE
Shalom Chaverim | Cordoba Mini SM-CE on melody, chords and melodic fills
I’m 5’8” with medium hands and could immediately play lower position classical solos on the Mini. String tension is high compared to a full sized classical and my hand felt cramped in upper positions initially but after a month or so I adjusted and could jump from Mini to full sized classical guitar without missing a note.
The most challenging aspect of this instrument is holding it! Slouching to curl around the Mini is hard on the back and neck. The Mini is too small for use with a footstool or Dynarette cushion. Suction cup attached guitar support like a Tenor TPGS+ or A-Frame doesn't work either: not enough room for the suction cups and the satin finish isn't suction cup friendly.
New Little Friend | Cordoba Mini SM-CE with strap
Finally, I attached a strap and it all came together: upright posture and Mini up where I need it! The only gotcha with a strap is the Mini lacks strap buttons. Fortunately, there's a hardwood wood block centered on Mini's rear, ideal for installing a button. I used a Brown Real Vintage Leather Ukulele Mandolin Strap, a thin leather strap designed for a small instrument. Although I'm a "sitting" classical guitarist, the strap was comfortable once I found the right height and neck angle. Plus, I enjoy standing and walking while playing!
Build Quality
The Mini is small, comely and, for the money, well made: decent fit and finish, cheap but smooth tuning heads, good string balance and intonation, bone nut and saddle, well polished frets but with sharp fret ends and messy interior glue joints. The ultra thin polyurethane satin finish is well applied although I'd prefer a glossy finish so suction cup lifters can be used.
La Bamba | Cordoba Mini SM-CE on melody and chords
The solid cedar top on my instrument exhibited a consistently straight and tight grain. The back and sides—spalted maple—has exceptionally beautiful figure in Cordoba's product images but mine is exceptionally plain! And the veneer is paper thin (I drilled it for a strap button).
Cordoba Mini SM-CE | Spalted maple back (ply) | Photo courtesy Cordoba
Playability
Most travel guitars have a narrow fingerboard and are awkward for classical guitar technique (difficult to bar and finger pick). The Mini fingerboard is flat like a standard classical guitar so classical guitarists will feel at home on it.
Although the specs claim a 48mm nut, my calipers measured them just shy of that mark at 47mm. My Mini R boasts 50mm at the nut and is more comfy for my left hand (plus wider at the bridge).
String action setup was 5/32” at the 12th fret on the 6th string and 4/32” on the treble side. Exactly how I like to set up my full sized classical guitars. However, it felt high on such a tiny instrument, especially since Aquila Nylgut strings are high tension compared to full sized classical strings. I pulled the saddle and lowered it to 4/32" on the bass side at the 12th fret and 3/32 on the treble. Much better!
Ode to Joy | Cordoba Mini SM-CE on chords and melody
The Aquila Nylgut bass strings were okay but the first and second string trebles were bright, metallic and stiff. I replaced them with smooth nylon classical guitar strings (D’Addario .028 for the E string). I used a small plastic bead so the strings would lock under the bridge pins. A simple knot is fine for the thicker strings. Eventually I found I preferred light gauge fluorocarbon trebles, the Pepe Romero Strings Guilele Set (UG1) being the best off the rack strings I've tried.
Sound
With nylon trebles, the Mini spoke with a resonance albeit bright voice. A timbre somewhere between a classical guitar and ukulele but leaning towards ukulele tone. It's slightly brighter than a Cordoba Mini R but not as loud. My Pono MT-E and Kremona Mari are sweeter and more complex than the Mini SM-CE. Treble string sustain is short compared to a classical guitar, even shorter than my Pono MT-E.
The Mini responds to vibrato but not nearly as well or easily as a classical guitar or even my Pono ukulele. You really have to work hard to squeeze a wee bit of left hand tone out of it. Mini string balance is okay although a few individual notes, e.g., E and F on the second string, are noticeably louder than others, and the positions above the 7th fret are clipped and soft.
God Is So Good | Folk Hymn | Cordoba Mini SM-CE on melody and chords (multi-track)
Pickup
Plugged in to a Trace Acoustic Cube amp, it sounded good: decent tone reproduction and balance. Nevertheless, the acoustic voice is better than the amplified sound—the pickup exhibits typical piezo coloration. Preamp output is weak compared to my Pono MT-E ukulele (passive pickup) and Cordoba 32T-CE with Baggs Five-O pickup (active pickup).
The Mini has a few minor gotchas:
I prefer a standard bridge with a tie block like a classical guitar. Pins add extra steps to string changes and forces one to attach balls on string sets or tie big knots.
No strap button so I had to install one. The Mini is too small to hold like a normal guitar and the strap allows a better playing position.
Preamp needs more gain and a built-in tuner.
The gig bag is passable but has thin padding and a thin strap. A standard baritone ukulele gig bag or case fits the Mini perfectly.
Bianco Fiore | Peter Kun Frary on a Mini SM-CE
Last Blurb
A well made and decent sounding instrument for three Benjamins. Of course, if you don't mind paying three or four times more, a Kanile'a GL6 or Romero Creations Baritone 6 smokes it silly. This Mini is just the ticket for a guitar picker wanting to travel light or use as a transitional instrument to the world of ukuleles, requintos and alto guitars. After a year or so of practice on the Mini I was able to comfortably adjust to even smaller scale lengths and can play a tenor ukulele without any hand strain or buzzing.
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Build Quality
Playability
Sound
Last Blurb
Major Features