I bought this Cordoba Protege C1M guitar for my daughter by her teacher's recommendation. It is laminated but it's very pretty and it has a very nice sound, very warm and sweet. The action is also very comfortable, so the strings don't hurt her fingers even though it hasn't been set up yet. She is very petite, at just 5 feet tall, and it fits her just right even though it is a full size (teacher helped with proper posture). We tried many other brands, including other top brands, and this was the most comfortable for her fingers and size, plus it had the best sound for price range. Comfortable and a good sound means her motivation won't suffer because of equipment. The one which is worth twice as much doesn't feel or sound twice as good, only about 1/4 better. Teacher says that later, when she has to do recitals in a year or two, then we might want a solid wood one with a bigger sound from a way bigger budget ($$$$). I recommend you have yours checked for defects upon arrival. Ours was in good shape with no real defects. It does have a buzz on the 12th fret but she won't be there soon. It came with a tool to adjust the action to make it lower or higher. We are very happy with our purchase. Good price and delivered in two and a half days.