Once you have decided to take the plunge and purchase a Classical Guitar, you will also need to purchase a small array of inexpensive products to help you perform maintenance on your new instrument. Many retailers provide these products as part of a package deal (often marketed as a “guitar pack” or “outfit”), but if your preferred dealer doesn’t have such an offering, it’s best that you take the initiative and purchase these immediately at the time of the instrument sale.
The most important item in this group of maintenance products is a set of replacement strings. Cordoba guitars ship from the manufacturer with Savarez 500CJ Corum Cristal Strings, so if you’re happy with the way your Cordoba guitar sounds you should get another backup set. Another popular set is D’Addario Pro Arte. The rule regarding fractional size guitars is that you will need to compensate for the loss of mass in the reduced length by increasing the tension. Therefore, smaller size guitars will require Hard or Extra Hard Tension for best playability. Finding the perfect strings to suit your instrument as well as your personal taste is a process of experimentation that could take years, but those two products are a good place to start.
Replacing strings is a bit more challenging on a Classical Guitar because nylon strings take much longer to stretch out. A good peg winder will make your life a lot easier. The D’Addario PWPW1 is a good choice, but there are many other brands that work just fine. Other non-essential items that are very useful include the Dunlop NC65 System 65 Neck Cradle and the CruzTOOLS GrooveTech Guitar String Cutter (though a typical set of needle nose pliers usually features a built-in wire cutter).
Once you get the strings on the guitar, you’ll need to tune them. Contact tuners are highly regarded for their accuracy and ability to filter out background noise, and the Korg Pitchclip 2+ is one of the most popular.
Classical Guitarists don’t really use Capos as often as Folk Guitarists, but Capos are often employed when simulating Lute ranges in Renaissance repertoire and should therefore be considered as an essential purchase. The Shubb C2 Capo is highly regarded for the roller design of its tension screw (most Capos don’t even have a tension adjustment feature). This is German engineering at its finest in the guitar world, and I wouldn’t recommend any other manufacturer in this product category.
Finally, you’ll need some cleaning supplies to wipe off all of the blood, sweat and tears that you left on the guitar from all of that practicing. Dunlop Formula 65 Guitar Polish & Cleaner has been a highly regarded staple among guitar players for many years. Untreated Microfiber Cleaning Cloths are always a good product to keep in your gear pile, and these are sometimes offered as a “house brand” item. If you ever find yourself in a practice rut, a quick cleaning will often bring you back to the guitar with a refreshed outlook.