use it to practice while out on the bicycle, and while it really is pretty protected, I imagine I don't have it in teh best of atmospheres either. But for the most part it stays in tune, and it really help[s you with the fingering because you can hear if the string is dead, but no one around you really could unless they are right next to you. And you can put a little plug in head phone amp so you can make yourself sound concert hall, but as I said, I use it for fingering practice, not to actually play for anything else, although I am sure you could, it sounds pretty good through an amp, not Taylor quality, but it is what it is. And yes, it is sturdy enough that you could use it to defend yourself if you were out strumming while sitting on a park bench in the dark and some mugger came up to you, and it would still probably be playable, so overall, it is worth the price.Got this for my dad, he does not like it. ThanksThe guitar was delivered quickly (albeit 1 day late) and the instrument possesses lovely sound and will fit in well with my collection. Only negative attribute is that the guitar likely needs a proper setup. Action is a little high out of the box and will likely require a little attention from a luthier.This guitar is all that I was an will be looking for in a classical guitar. My teacher thought that it was worth twice the price and it is worth twice the price. I'm glad that I went up a step from the C5 and the C9 is twice the price because of the added perfiling and the pearl inlay around the sound opening. I think that this one is prettier anyway! Yes, I recomend and encourage anyone to buy this guitar. I would do it again in a heartbeat.Beautiful sound to this guitar. Some issues initially with lack of humidification (what the heck Chicago Music Exchange) which were resolved with a combination of storage in my basement and some minor modifications (the frets had to be filed down).I purchased this guitar about 5 weeks ago and initially really liked this guitar and was impressed with the sound. Unfortunately one evening I found my guitar with the saddle ripped clean off the bout. The guitar was sitting in a corner of the room in a guitar stand when the glue just gave out unexpectedly. I am shocked and disappointed by how low the quality is upon inspecting the area where the saddle met the bout.2-29-2016 Update: Following the original failure of my guitar, reviewed above, Amazon agreed to replace the item. As with the original guitar the replaced seemed like a decent guitar; unfortunately, within a year of receiving the replacement item the exact same thing happened again. This time, despite this being a highly documented product failure (easily found in numerous spots when googled) Amazon will not stand by the products it sells and will not allow me to return or exchange the faulty item. Very bad product, very bad customer service. I would definitely recommend avoiding this product.Great Guitar, that is all. The quality for the price is unreal. Been playing for 10 years now, started on a 50 dollar steel string,went to an electric and now to this. Extremely warm tone, smooth as silk to play on. Comes with gig bag.Con: The factory strings are not the best(will arrive corroded.), replace them when you can.( can be expected from a stock guitar).This thing plays like a guitar twice or three times its value, no wonder some many people go with with this company.This guitar is cosmetically stunninng and has beautiful, deep tones. My very experience guitar teacher said that I made an excellent choice. Delightful and inspiring to practice and play. I have been playing and taking lessons for two years.I've been thinking about moving into classical guitar for a little while now. I purchased the Cordoba C7 recently because it was simply too good a deal to pass up! To give you some idea of where I'm coming from, I've played mainly on a concert steel-string from breedlove (which I also love). It's been great to learn on, great for both strumming and fingerstyle, but the thinner neck was not ideal for the classical and more intense fingerstyle pieces that I wanted to pick up. Enter the Cordoba C7.Cordoba specializes in nylon string instruments, producing a wide range of classical guitars including the C1, C3, C5, C7, C9 and C10. This puts the C7 in the higher, mid range of the lineup. It comes with a solid ceder top and gloss finish, which gives it a nice full and bright sound. As is the norm with classical guitars, the body is slightly more compact than most steel-string acoustic guitars, making it easy to handle. The wider fretboard takes a little bit to get used to if you're coming from a steel-string - really go in with the mindset that you're learning an entirely different form of guitar (which you are). Once you get your bearings though, you'll really love playing on this. The build quality is fantastic, feeling sturdy in the hands. Particularly, the lower strings have a great deep sound with good sustain.The included gig bag is also decently padded and will help you transport your C7 safely and in style, though definitely not for use on an airplane, you'll need a proper hard case for that.Overall, I'm very happy with the newest member of my guitar family. The C7 is built well with a great, full sound.This is a great option if you'r elooking to get started in classical guitar, but don't want to start with the cheapest instrument available. This is definitely an intermediate offering at a beginner's price point that will give you lots of growing room. Very happy with it for the price and would recommend!Owned a bunch of guitars of various kinds and values over 20+ years, but this is the first classical I've bought. Lovely guitar. One initial area of concern was in the cedar top, where there are three symmetrical line indentations running from the bridge toward the tail -- barely noticeable, but could be seen at certain angles -- but I understand it's a 'telegraph' effect of the inner fan bracing system that's fairly common with the thinly-sliced classical tops.Real classical guitar enthusiasts could weigh in and tell you how this stacks up to either a wider range of comparably-priced guitars or much pricier ones, but I can say that there's a real nice glow to the sound of this thing versus (for instance) the Yamahas I tried around this price point. Absolutely love it.I bought this guitar at just over $800 Canadian dollars. Not a good choice. The frets were designed unevenly: they were so long that they cut into the skin of my hands as I played and my palm started bleeding. There was also signficiant fret buzz because the frets were uneven. Will not by a Cordoba again.