As seen in Guitar Girl Magazine, Issue 8
Authored by Platinum Viking
I’ve always been fascinated and excited about the concept of travel guitars, but rarely do I find ones that are practical, instantly playable right out of the bag, or play similar to the real thing. The Córdoba Mini II Bass gives me everything I’d been looking for and wanting in a travel bass.
I recently took it out on our SXSW 2019 Road Tour and enjoyed hours of impromptu jamming, a little on-the-road practice, and quick warm-ups before the shows. With a half-sized gig bag, its rounded big acoustic tone, and good out-of-the-box setup play as-is, it quickly became a trusted travel buddy.
Córdoba is generally known for its nylon string, lightweight, Spanish heritage-inspired instruments, and the Mini II reflects a lot of that in its style, construction, and sound. The EB-E model sports a bright spruce top and nice dark ebony back and sides that give it more of a clear and defined tonewood sound, but I was pleasantly surprised at the deeper body depth it offered and the nylon-core, phosphor bronze strings that gave it a warmer, deeper, and richer sound, more than I was expecting. I like how the neck is nearly full-sized, but the body is nice and compact.
“…definitely a fun couch noodler and an excellent,
casual way to work on learning scales and melodies any day.”
Once home, I quickly plugged it into my favorite amp and enjoyed a wonderful, responsive, full bass tone instantly without a whole lot of EQing. You could almost play this as a full electric bass on stage, at a jam, or at a practice or songwriting session with multiple instruments present. With whatever you do, it’s definitely a fun couch noodler and an excellent, casual way to work on learning scales and melodies any day. The onboard tuner gives a clear, easy-to-read signal and lights up in the dark or onstage, and the tuning pegs hold standard tuning comfortably and are sturdy and easy to adjust. Even on the road, exposed to many temperature changes, it stayed in tune with only minor adjustments needed.
The Mini II feels and sounds enough like a full-sized bass that it was enjoyable, easily playable, and practical for multiple uses; and with a $299 budget price tag, I think you get your money’s worth out of it. I enjoyed how much it sounds and feels like a real electric bass but is compact and light enough for easy travel wherever you may find yourself. This is just the kind of fun travel bass I’ve been looking for!
MSRP: $420.00
Street Price: $299.00
CordobaGuitars.com