--- product_id: 27820896 title: "Santiago Cuatro" brand: "paracho elite" price: "Β£9.39" currency: GBP in_stock: false reviews_count: 2 url: https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/27820896-santiago-cuatro store_origin: GB region: United Kingdom --- # Solid cedar top Steel strings tuned B E A D G Rosewood fingerboard Santiago Cuatro **Brand:** paracho elite **Price:** Β£9.39 **Availability:** ❌ Out of Stock ## Summary > 🎢 Strum Your Way to Stardom with Santiago Cuatro! ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Santiago Cuatro by paracho elite - **How much does it cost?** Β£9.39 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Currently out of stock - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.co.uk](https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/27820896-santiago-cuatro) ## Best For - paracho elite enthusiasts ## Why This Product - Trusted paracho elite brand quality - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Key Features - β€’ **Timeless Design:** Aesthetic appeal meets functionality in a guitar that’s as stunning as it is playable. - β€’ **Precision Tuning:** Stay in tune with steel strings designed for optimal resonance and clarity. - β€’ **Sustainable Luxury:** Enjoy the beauty of cedar back and sides, combining elegance with eco-friendliness. - β€’ **Crafted for Excellence:** Experience the rich tones of a rosewood fingerboard that elevates your playing. - β€’ **Versatile Sound Palette:** Explore a range of musical styles with the unique octave tuning of B and E strings. ## Overview The Santiago Cuatro is a premium string instrument featuring a rosewood fingerboard and bridge, complemented by a solid cedar top and cedar back and sides. Its steel strings are uniquely tuned from low to high B E A D G, with the B and E strings in octaves, offering a versatile sound for musicians of all levels. ## Description This is a 10 string, Puerto Rican style Cuatro made in Paracho, Mexico by LoneStar Guitars. This Cuatro has a rosewood fingerboard, rosewood bridge, cedar back and sides, and solid cedar top.The Cuatro is found in South America and the West Indies. The Venezuelan Cuatro , which looks like a Ukulele, has four strings, while the Puerto Rican Cuatro has 5-double courses and looks more like a Cuban Tres. Tuning (from bass to treble) is as follows:CUATRO (Puerto Rican) - BB EE AA DD GGCUATRO (Venezuelan) - A D F# BThe Cuatro is an instrument of the jibaro, rural farmers, and also the name of the music they played on cuatros and guiros. It is also used to accompany aguinaldos, the Puerto Rican Christmas songs, performed by musicians traveling from house to house. The instrument is roughly violin shaped, although the bridge is typical of most guitars. The strings are made from steel, and are tuned from low to high B E A D G, with the B and E in octaves. It is played with a flat pick and it sounds like a cross between a 12-string guitar and a mandolin. In many ways, the cuatro is a 'national culture icon' of Puerto Rico. ## Features - Rosewood fingerboard, rosewood bridge, cedar back and sides, and solid cedar top - The strings are made from steel, and are tuned from low to high B E A D G, with the B and E in octaves ## Product Details - **Brand:** Paracho Elite - **Color:** Natural - **Top Material Type:** Cedar - **Body Material:** Cedar - **Back Material Type:** Cedar - **Neck Material Type:** Cedar - **Fretboard Material Type:** Rosewood - **String Material Type:** Alloy Steel - **Hand Orientation:** Right - **Number of Strings:** 8 ## Images ![Santiago Cuatro - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71sy43fbmHL.jpg) ![Santiago Cuatro - Image 2](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71WqAeP71+L.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐ update : poor construction *by W***E on July 27, 2013* It's a cuatro but it's barely playable. For a $250 instrument it has a few shortcomings such as sloppy tuner holes in the headstock. Need to show some more care here. What makes this instrument almost unplayable is the bridge saddle and nut installation. The saddle was tilted forward with string tension and not seating in the bridge leaving the strings too high off the fingerboard. The (neck) nut slot bottom was cut on a slant so the nut was rotating away from the fingerboard towards the tuners. A luthier can fix this.I bought this instrument to learn and play, so I took the strings off and:- after removing the saddle, I found the bridge had been varnished after the saddle slot was cut and the slot was filled with varnish. The saddle wouldn't sit down in the slot. I filed it out (luckily I have some luthier tools) and am making a new saddle out of bone. (not finished yet)- I removed the nut (actually, it fell off) and found the nut slot in the neck which looks like a saw made two side to side passes, cutting two different depths, shallower next to the fingerboard which allowed the nut to rotate. I filed this slot and am in the process of making a bone nut.After all this work, I will have a playable, $270 cuatro, which I should have had when I bought it. If I like playing the quarto, I will buy a REAL instrument and use this one as a decoration/conversation piece as that's what it really is.Update: Looking at the cuatro from a distance I see the bridge is tilted so much that the bridge saddle at the high strings (G strings) is farther from the neck than the bass B strings. This is opposite from a compensated bridge leading me to think the intonation will be horrible when I have the repairs done. Sadly, I am changing my review to zero stars. ### ⭐ Poor quality instrument. *by G***E on December 20, 2020* The seller should be ashamed of themselves. The musical instrument I purchased was unplayable. It was so poorly made that even my guitar repairman said it couldn't be fixed with anything less than a total rebuild. It would not play in tune and should have been checked by the shop staff before being sent out to a buyer. I was also required to pay shipping to return an obviously flawed instrument. In my opinion they still owe me $85.34. Do not purchase this instrument unless you want a repair right off the bat or don't mind not playing in tune. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - πŸ›’ **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** β€” Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** β€” Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - πŸ’° **No Hidden Fees** β€” All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - πŸ”„ **15-Day Free Returns** β€” Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - πŸ”’ **Secure Payments** β€” Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** β€” Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/27820896-santiago-cuatro](https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/27820896-santiago-cuatro) --- *Product available on Desertcart United Kingdom* *Store origin: GB* *Last updated: 2026-05-20*