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Are Master Series guitars available with a French Polish finish?

Standard finish on Master Series guitars is a high gloss polyurethane. However, we have offered several French polished guitars, and more of them will be available in the future. Check our listings to see what is currently available, or give us a call (1.828.652.9210) — we often have guitars in stock that have not yet made it to our website. At the very least, we will let you know what we have coming and when it is scheduled to arrive.

Do you ever have deals on Master Series guitars?

From time to time, a Master Series guitar becomes available that really sounds great but has a cosmetic flaw. We often purchase these and place them in our stock at a discount. We are very selective with what we bring into our inventory, so if you're looking for a great guitar and can live with a minor cosmetic flaw or two, here's a chance to pick up a Master Series guitar at a reduced price.

Are Master Series guitars accurate representations of the originals they emulate?

Yes and no… The attention to detail on these guitars is really amazing. Luthier Kenny Hill worked very closely with the Cordoba team to develop instruments that are true to form but yet added some modern touches that were not available to the Masters. Painstaking care was taken to study the originals from both a construction and dimensional perspective to capture their essence both sound-wise and cosmetically. Features such as a dual-action truss rod, modern tuning machines, nylon strings, and polyurethane finish were then introduced to bring these instruments into the 21st Century.

Why a polyurethane (PU) finish on such traditional instruments?

Admittedly, nothing is ever going to take the place of French polish. Hands down, from both tonal and cosmetic perspective it is superior to any other finish available. However, practically speaking a French polished guitar is perhaps not the right choice for everyone as it requires extra care. While not as delicate as some make it out to be, it is prone to heat, moisture, and physical damage such as scratching and denting, more so than polymer finishes. Generally speaking, polyurethane is the right choice for these guitars. The finishes are laid on very thin and offer an attractive, durable finish that does not have an appreciable negative impact on the sound of these guitars. We have customers who own other French polished instruments and were skeptical of a PU finished guitar. These very owners have come back with high praise for the great job the Cordoba finishing team does on the PU finishes.