The Cordoba Luthier GK Pro with a Barbera Soloist transducer is the way to go. We worked closely with both Cordoba and Rich Barbera to be able to offer this GK Pro upgrade. It’s the same great guitar, and the same great Fishman Prefix ProBlend on-board preamp/internal mic system. What we’ve done is replace the existing compression-type bridge pickup with the Barbera Soloist saddle pickup to offer you superior response and string separation, decreased feedback sensitivity, and reduced microphonic body noise both on stage or in the studio. This enhanced configuration works so well, the Gypsy Kings now use Barbera-equipped GK series guitars as part of their frontline instrument compliment on stage.

This soft cutaway electrified flamenco guitar is made for the stage. Built with a solid European spruce top and solid cypress back and sides, it features an ebony fingerboard, rosewood bridge, and durable but thin high gloss PU finish. It’s constructed with a Spanish heel and a slightly thinner body depth, neck, and nut width than a traditional Spanish guitar. Aesthetic touches like the maple headstock veneer complete with Cordoba’s arches icon, and the mother-of-pearl weave rosette inspired by a 1920’s Domingo Esteso guitar add a touch of elegance to this powerhouse. The GK Pro includes Cordoba’s humidified hardshell case.

This guitar offers the bright, snappy sound so characteristic ‘blanca’ flamenco guitars. The neck geometry is designed to allow for little or no relief, thus we are able to set up the instrument with lower action for greater playability than one could expect from a traditional classical guitar. As with all Cordoba Luthier series guitars, the GK Pro is equipped with a two-way truss rod built into the neck for accurate action adjustment. Whether it’s something wild and fiery like flamenco or perhaps something more subtle like fingerstyle jazz or bossa nova, the GK Pro shines. And along with the Barbera Soloist saddle pickup you have everything you need to express yourself with this great instrument.

We select each GK Pro for our stock and take into consideration not only sound, build quality, and appearance, but the potential for optimizing its playability as well. As with any guitar we sell, it undergoes an extensive setup to ensure you have the best possible playing experience right out of the case…we guarantee it! With its comfortable body shape and classic tonewood combination, this model is the perfect choice for exploring the nuances in sound that can only be captured with nylon strings.

The Barbera Soloist Upgrade to the GK Pro Negra

The Barbera Soloist guitar pickup in our GK Pro Negra upgrade represents a revolutionary departure from the traditional undersaddle technology that’s commonly available today. That’s because the Soloist saddle itself is the pickup. The saddle pickup does not alter or detract from the guitar’s acoustic sound. The pickup installation is simple and non-invasive to the guitar. We tie it into the GK Pro's Fishman Prefix Pro-Blend on-board preamp. The combination of the Pro-Blend's internal mic, blend control, notch filter and EQ, along with the Soloist, provide the player with endless tonal possibilities.

Unlike traditional compression-type undersaddle pickups which sit between the saddle and the pickup, the Soloist transducer makes direct contact with your guitar’s strings. Each of the 6 individual micro acoustic structures in the saddle independently responds to the vibrational energies of each of the 6 strings on your guitar. String outputs are individually voiced for a well-balanced string-to-string output. This selective sensitivity yields a focused clarity and accuracy of tone, reproducing the guitars’ sound clearly and transparently. And again, unlike undersaddle pickups, string balances don’t depend on the flatness of the saddle slot or the compression of a transducer beneath the saddle. Because the sensors within the Barbera Soloist saddle are not being compressed between the saddle and the bridge as in an undersaddle pickup, the amplified tone is very open and natural sounding. Soloist pickups are highly responsive to playing dynamics, enabling the effective use of a wide range of expressive playing techniques.

As an added benefit, Soloist pickups reject microphonic body noise (finger squeaks, bumps, thumps, extreme low end boominess, etc.). The elimination of this non-musical noise in the amplified signal provides an extremely high level of clarity and tonal purity in the amplified sound. It also greatly decreases feedback sensitivity. This enhances and extends the possibilities for the use of an amplified acoustic guitar both on the stage and in the studio.