by I think that I may be leaning towards the Cordoba 580mm Requinto or the Alhambra 580mm Cadete, but I'm really confused about a number of things related to Requintos (tuning, tone, and intonation) and I hope you'll be able to help clear up some of my confusion.
I've read that Requinto guitars should be tuned to ADGCEA. I've heard that some think Requintos are too small to tune down to E. (See comparison of two diff Cordoba guitars below. Both are shipped tuned to E and are virtually identical in size)
I've written to a Cordoba rep who has said that their 580mm Requinto does come tuned to EADGBE. He says their requinto can be tuned any way I want. But I'm not so sure about how that might affect tone or intonation.
I really can't understand how the Requinto wouldn't also sound good when played tuned down to E since both guitars are so similar in size.
I'm confused about what to expect and what my options would be if I bought the requinto. Would I have to put super high tension strings on to tune to E (and thus lose the lower tension trait of a shorter guitar)? Would standard tuning just plain stink?
Standard tuning is really important to me at this point since I'm still learning.
Cordoba Requinto 580 1/2
Scale: 580mm
Nut: 47mm
Width at upper bout: 246mm
Width at lower bout: 330mm
Total Body Length: (not defined on Cordoba's site)
Body Depth: 86mm at upper and lower bouts
Strings: Savarez Cristal Corum High Tension 500CJ
Cordoba 3/4 C3M Cadete (a lower model beginner guitar)
Scale: 590mm
Nut: 47mm
Width at upper bout: 246mm
Width at lower bout: 337mm
Total Body Length: 927.1mm
Body Depth: 86mm at upper and lower bouts
Strings: D'Addario J45
