Sensing something of a ukulele theme for rope inlays lately, say hello to the Cordoba 25T Tenor Ukulele.
I've had a few Cordoba ukuleles on this review site over the years, and they have all been largely competent, but just haven't quite lit that flame with me to really fall in love with one. They are a US based company (since bought by Yamaha) originally most well known for Spanish guitars but have been making ukuleles for many years now too. Their largely numerical model numbering system see this fall one step below their top line (the 35), and just above the 24 line I reviewed back in 2024. Lets dive in.
SUMMARY VIDEO REVIEW
The 25 T is a regular shaped double bout tenor with a solid top and laminate back and sides. In this case, we have solid acacia on the top and laminate acacia elsewhere. Fair play to Cordoba for not calling this 'acacia koa' or 'european koa' or other such nonsense. Yes, it's the same tree, but... well.. you know.... And it's attractive acacia too. No, it's not flamed or curly, but it has enough attractive stripe to make it interesting to look at with the pairs of pieces nicely bookmatched, the back being very nice with the grain on a V angle. I do like the warm chocolate colour.
The bridge material is not specified (though I did see one site listing it as 'composite' and another as 'Pau Ferro'....) but it looks like a rosewood 'type' colouring whatever it is. It's a tie bar and largely tidy in the finish. That is trimmed with some rope inlay to create a herringbone look in maple and ebony. More on that elsewhere! That holds a bone compensated top saddle and a string spacing of 43mm.
What is striking with the 25T is the decor so we get very nicely done rope binding around the top and a chevron pattern around the soundhole. It seems i've been talking a lot about rope this year and following the Pan Pacific from Kala last week, I will repeat the same view. I love the look! OK, it's a bit 'heavy' on the design, but I like how contrasty the ebony and maple is here. The body is then finished in a satin which is very even all over.
Inside is very tidy with notched linings and tidy braces, the top being vertically braced. The bridge is screwed down if such things bother you (they don't bother me!). The soundhole edge also shows this is a thin set of top woods.
I believe the neck is made from mahogany and is three pieces, the heel joint being very obvious and the headstock joint well hidden. It's satin too and tapers to a tenor nut width much too skinny for me at 35mm, 27mm G to A. The back profile isn't overly rounded which helps though, but it could be flatter for my tastes.
That is topped with an unspecified fingerboard wood which has some interesting grain to it and nice end shaping. Saying that though, it could do with a bit of oil as it looks dry. The sides are bound in black hiding the ends of the 18 frets with a 14th body joint. They are dressed reasonably well but have on or two slightly sharp frets at the upper register end. Position dots face out in pearl at the 5th, 7th, 10th and 12th and these are repeated with small side dots.
Beyond the bone nut is the usual Cordoba headstock which is attractive and 'not quite a crown'. The Cordoba logo is a silver screen print on the facing of more attractive acacia.
The tuners are unbranded gears with small black buttons but the mechanisms look decent and they work smoothly. Also on the back of the neck is a silver screen print of the graphical part of the Cordoba logo which represents the geometric pattern in the arches of the Mosque Cathedral in Cordoba, Spain.
Finishing things are a set of Aquila strings and that's your lot... nothing else. The lack of a gig bag these days is a disappointment to be honest compared to many others that give you something. And the street price of these seems to vary but they are most commonly seen at £235. (There is also an electro version which is a bit more). That's quite a bit of money when you can get solid toppers (and, in fact some all solids) from the likes of Uma, Enya, Kala, Snail, Kai and Flight for quite a bit less. Heck you can get a Carabao Lite for this sort of money. Add in the lack of gig bag and i'd recommend you shopping around on this one! It needs to be under £200..
Still... price aside, this is a well built and nicely finished ukulele with a lot of sparkle to the looks. It feels a bit hefty at 630g, but balances ok. Sadly out of the box this needs setup work not least on the upper frets, but the action at the 12th is a bit over 3mm.
Positives again though with the basics because the volume on this is terrific and the sustain is very nice too. That makes for an expressive instrument that is easier to get some playing frills out of.
Acacia, as with koa is a very rich sounding tone wood, and there's certainly that character here. Strummed it has a very rhythmical jangly tone which is pleasant if a little too bright for my own tastes. Still, the notes are crisp and clear with no muddiness and it's a bouncy sound. Fingerpicking is also very zingy and clear with the sustain giving a bit more character to it. I'd personally like a bit more woody warmth here, but this is acacia of course, not mahogany. Certainly i'd be experimenting with strings, but I am really not being harsh here - it's a nice sounding clear instrument regardless.
Does it change my perception of Cordoba ukuleles? Well, it's probably the nicest of theirs I have played, but there is so much choice out there, and much for less money that it's still hard for me to call this a 'must-have' ukulele. But that doesn't make it a mistake purchase either, i'd just make sure you shop around on the cost.
Overall - pretty decent.
UKULELE SPECS ROUNDUP
Model: Cordoba 25T
Scale: Tenor
Body: Solid acacia top, laminate acacia back and sides
Bridge: Unspecified tie bar with rope decor
Saddle: Bone, Compensated
Spacing at saddle: 43mm
Finish: Satin
Neck: Mahogany
Fingerboard: Unspecified
Frets:18, 14 to body
Nut: Bone
Nut width: 35mm, 27mm G to A
Tuners: Unspecified open gears
Strings: Aquila
Extras: None
Weight: 630g
Country of origin: China
Price: Circa £235
UKULELE PROS
Great looks
Mainly good build and finish
Great volume and sustain
Very clear zingy tone
UKULELE CONS
Skinny nut
Bit scruffy on the fingerboard
Bit scruffy on the fingerboard
Bit too bright for me
No bag
No bag
Watch that price..
UKULELE SCORES
Looks - 9 out of 10
Fit and finish - 8 out of 10
Sound - 8.5 out of 10
Value for money - 7.5 out of 10
OVERALL UKULELE SCORE - 8.3 out of 10
UKULELE VIDEO REVIEW
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