#1
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Journey Feel
I am thinking about it, but probably not for a while. I don't have anywhere close to go play a Journey, so how does it feel in the lap or standing compared to guitars I have close by? Which version is the best for travel? I am thinking I like the matte version, but I am open to all comments. I regularly play a Lucky 13 and an X20. I pretty much keep the wood guitars in their cases and plan to let them all go sooner than later.
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Cheers, Tom PS If you don't want to invest in yourself, why should anyone else even bother to try? |
#2
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Fwiw.....The Journey is not on my short list of future guitars, but if I was to get back into motorcycle touring, it would be at the top. My '08 CA Cargo is the "Road Tough" finish version which takes the no-worry CF benefits to another level. It is a very tough finish which is ideal for the rigors of travel in any form. I say this because although I'm not sure about the durability of the matte finish on the OF660, for any use or travel where things could get rugged, I'd prefer the matte finish...plus I like the examples of it I've seen posted recently.
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Tom '21 Martin D-18 Standard | '02 Taylor 814c | '18 Taylor 214ceDLX | '18 Taylor 150e-12 | '78 Ibanez Dread (First acoustic) | '08 CA Cargo | '02 Fender Strat American '57 RI My original songs |
#3
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Hopefully Ted will see this. He sells both Blackbird and Journey, and can give you a good comparison of the two. He also happens to own an X20 now as well.
I don't travel except by car anymore, and I can bring along whatever I like (usually the Lucky 13 but sometimes the Rainsong WS-1000 - or both). I've also given up motorcycle touring, which is why my Voyage Air VA-OM02 sold two summers ago, to a fellow motorcyclist. The CA Cargo belongs to my wife, and it has some road miles too. I don't play hers much - it's a great little guitar but the short 22.75" scale throws me off for a while at first. The Journey OF660 looks like a really good implementation of a travel CF guitar, and gets good reviews here. |
#4
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My Journey OF660 CF is kind of like a 00-size body with a 14 fret length. The scale of the neck is short. It sits in the lap like a small parlor guitar and is very comfortable due to the built in arm bevel and back bevels.
The Manzer wedge makes the guitar lean back a little even when it's sitting on your knee. I've heard some people criticize this due to their larger midsections which further tilts the guitar back. The neck is kind of a C shape with a pronounced flat area on the back center. The guitar is decidedly neck-heavy and I'm always surprised about this when I grab it off the wall especially if I have not played it in a while. When playing sitting down I typically throw on my NeckUP device to position it where I like it. Otherwise I find myself leaning over or raising my leg until my calf muscle cramps. I would describe the feel as 'intimate' overall. But despite it's small size it does produce a decent unplugged tone thanks to the offset sound hole. The speed and ease of breaking the guitar down and putting it back together always amazes me. The backpack design is brilliant but the thing that still blows me away is pulling it out after it's been disassembled for a long time, putting it together and it's still in tune! Gotta love carbon fiber!! |
#5
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I feel slightly more hunched over playing the Lucky13 than the X20, but neither is as ergonomically challenging as playing a uke without a strap. Standing, I can adjust the strap to get them close enough.
The Cargo is nice, but not enough guitar for what I want (something that feels and plays like a regular guitar without a strap, but has a smaller footprint while traveling). I think 24.5 inches is about as short of scale as I want to go. I have ukes and a guitalele for really short scales. If it was a choice between a Cargo and a GS Mini then I think I would be taking the Cargo all else (besides playability and sound) equal even though the Mini has a slightly longer scale I think. I think the Mini is really cool, but I don't like the narrower nut width at all.
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Cheers, Tom PS If you don't want to invest in yourself, why should anyone else even bother to try? |
#6
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Quote:
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Don't chase tone. Make tone. |
#7
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No. I have played a Baby Taylor and Mini, but not the Martin Jr.
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Cheers, Tom PS If you don't want to invest in yourself, why should anyone else even bother to try? |
#8
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You should
It is only a 24" scale (and I realize that you said you really don't want less than 24.5) but that is why I like it. Full powerful sound that you can chill with on the couch. I also love that you get that dreadnought shape but remains so comfortable. Never played a Cargo but I would like to, I've played a lot of GS Minis but I don't like the neck. On the Jr., the neck is one of my favorite things about it- chunky but a bit easier to play than the NS on the RainSong and has the 1.75 nut. The condensed feel of the fret spacing is also a real bonus. Man I love these guitars!
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Don't chase tone. Make tone. Last edited by steelvibe; 07-14-2017 at 05:49 PM. |
#9
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I have played the Martin Dread Jr. the Journey OF660 (own it), and the Taylor GS Mini (several flavors) and the Baby Taylor.
The Martin was vastly superior in tone to all of the above. I prefer the OF660 for the wonder of CF and the travel-friendliness of the the backpack design. It's also nice because of it being impervious to just about anything short of running over it with a car. There's not much better out there for travel, at least not that I've played. If you don't need the ultra compactness then there are several other CF models that are great. |