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  #16  
Old 12-08-2017, 04:15 PM
Racerbob Racerbob is offline
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I find this subject interesting. I have recently tried three different Carbon guitars. And while none of them in my opinion will match a high end wood guitar there certainly is a wide range of tone. The CA COT Dread is as close to a Martin Dread as I have experienced, easily mistaken for a wood guitar. I never thought a Carbon guitar could sound so much like wood if I only went on the other Carbon guitars I had played up to this point. The latest Rainsong H DS1100n is to my ear clearly Carbon but not like the glass shattering tones of early Carbon guitars and projects the best. The McPherson Sable is closer to the wood sound and bass tones of the CA than to the Rainsong.

What I have noticed is fingerpicking with minimal nail, more flesh, the trebles of all three require much more force to really be heard ,sometimes in danger of "twanging" the string. I went to lighter 1st and 2nd strings to get more projection. Three very different builders but the same issue with subdued trebles volume. If one uses a pick or has serious nails I guess it's not an issue but is for me. I've gone back and forth on which to keep. By changing my angle of attack I've been able to noticeably improve the treble projection and tone on the CA so I've decided to keep it as it's like having a Martin Dred when it comes to tone.

Last edited by Racerbob; 12-09-2017 at 12:29 PM.
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  #17  
Old 12-18-2017, 09:58 PM
Leonardwest Leonardwest is offline
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I don’t have but one carbon fiber guitar to compare, but I have noticed the following about my Emerald (6/12 double neck).

The tone and response is very even across the range of the instrument - no wolf tones or areas of exceptional resonance, and no dead spots.

More linear in terms of sustain, and maybe greater sustain in the upper register.

Balanced tone from bass to treble ranges - string to string.

Note to note clarity within chords.

Fewer timbre surprises - positive or negative - than my wood instruments.

Still trying to make up my mind regarding dynamic range. I think the wood instruments vary more in tone and timbre relative to volume, it some of the points above give me pause in terms of perception.
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  #18  
Old 12-18-2017, 10:29 PM
AZLiberty AZLiberty is offline
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One thing I have noticed about CF guitars, and most especially my Rainsong:

They do seem to reflect or bring out subtle differences in string differences more so than wooden guitars.

On my Rosewood/Spruce Larrivee I frankly think all Phosphor-Bronze sound the same, whereas on my Rainsong I definitely noticed a difference between different string brands.
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  #19  
Old 12-28-2017, 02:15 PM
pcutt pcutt is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tdq View Post
I don't think so for CF, but within each make I do. Rainsongs has an inherent sound across all models, same with Emeralds and CAs, even though the models withing each make can vary quite a bit.
What are the inherent sounds of different makes?
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  #20  
Old 12-28-2017, 07:33 PM
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pcutt;

Good question. The question might have more easily answered several years ago. But each maker has been evolving to the point where their instruments can be tuned to a tone and pitch. It's remarkable stuff.

For example, in the old days, Rainsong was reported as chime-like, but the newer Rainsongs approximate the sound you might get from a traditional wooden instrument, and do it better with more clarity and consistency. I have a Rainsong Parlor nylon string that comes very close to the sound produced by a classical wooden instrument.

I think it's very difficult to pick a CF guitar on the basis of any particular tonal or projection quality. They are all good and they all are producing a variety of sound. That's just my opinion and others may differ.
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  #21  
Old 01-02-2018, 01:24 AM
tdq tdq is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pcutt View Post
What are the inherent sounds of different makes?
I have played several models of most the major makes and to for me each brand definitely has their unique characteristics. They are subjective and we all have our preferences so lets just say some speak to me more than others. Admittedly my opinion is based on the state of play from about 4 years ago, more models have come out since then, which would be nice to sample!
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  #22  
Old 01-02-2018, 04:08 AM
DHart DHart is offline
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I’ve played a good number of CF guitars and I think that there is quite a range of tones coming from the different CF guitars.

The most pleasing tone I’ve found among numerous brands of CF guitars is from Rainsong. The CH-OM1100NS that I bought fro Ted continues to please and put a smile on my face every time I play it - best sounding CF guitar I’ve played. I really love the tone and power that this guitar has, especially given that it is a comfy OM size.

Though I mostly prefer all wood acoustic guitars, my Rainsong sounds exceptionally good to me... most definitely a keeper. The fact that I don’t have to tend to humidity concerns with it is also wonderful!
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