#1
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CA 5iM-CE - first impressions
I picked up the guitar today, 9 weeks after ordering. MacNichol's is a relatively new shop at http://www.macnichol.com and he was a pleasure to work with.
The guitar is charcoal black in their RT (rough) finish, with a slightly exposed graphite looking edging. There is very little bling. The side of the neck has dots and there are two dots on the fretboard at the twelfth fret. The guitar feels heavier than a Rainsong WS1000 and maybe even slightly heavier than an old borrowed Guild Madeira dred. The lower bout is not nearly as difficult to get my shoulder over as most dreds - in this way it's a lot more like a GC. The sculpting in the back makes the guitar sit close and relaxed and slightly more headstock up. The back of the neck has a mildly roughed satin finish. The neck is fairly thin front to back and 1 3/4" wide. The action is medium low. It plays easily and intonation is very good all the way up. Access to the highest frets is very good. It comes with Elixer Nano PB lights. I haven't plugged it in yet, but the battery is housed in a tough nylon pocket velcroed a few inches from the offset sound hole. The sound is different from wood. It is clear and loud. The bass is good, but it is not overpowering. The balance is pleasant. Singing with this guitar is nice. It strums well, but despite what I'd read, it is (in my opinion) not primarily a strummer. The player must take care to not brush the top of the guitar with a pinky, since the brushing sound is quite audible. The player gets a different sound than the listener just like a guitar with a normal soundhole. The sound is even more balanced out front. That's it for now. I'll write more as I settle into it.
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Website: http://www.buzzardwhiskey.com |
#2
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I spent maybe an hour sanding it smooth, starting with ~360 grit and eventually polishing it a bit with 1200-2400. (Wet). After that, no more finger noise, and completely smooth. A little shinier if anyone cares. Still the most unbalanced guitar on the planet but at least I don't have to listen to that insane noise you described. Does it look any better? No. It also doesn't look any worse. It just is more like a gloss. |
#3
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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 |
#4
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To each his own. I'm with acousticado on this one. Cleaner, more purposeful right hand technique is sure to be a good thing in my case.
Man is this thing cool. I'll probably go over to the church tonight just to plug it in the PA.
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Website: http://www.buzzardwhiskey.com |
#5
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Hi Acoustic,
I probably got the idea to sand it down from this forum. Awhile back, there was a thread about glossing satin Masterbilt Epiphone finishes. I think they were talking about taking fine sandpaper to the finishes and were winding up with nice glossy one's instead. (I could be way off but that's my memory of it anyway). So I just thought I'd give it a try on the Cargo and it worked amazingly well. I wasn't going for a nicer finish, just to make the guitar better playing, less noisy and that worked. |
#6
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Congrats! I have pretty much the exact same guitar. I love it. Enjoy!
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#7
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+1 on Mike at MacNichols. Great service and communication!
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#8
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The Fishman VT that comes with this is very easy to use and sounds great through the church's PA system. I've been playing so much that the tips of my fingers are beyond sore. An amazing guitar and an amazing bargain.
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Website: http://www.buzzardwhiskey.com |
#9
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Hi everyone - hope this thread is not to old to bring up again.
I am about to get one of these... probably don't want to do the sandpaper thing yet. I probably am less concerned with making scratchy sounds but I am concerned comfort. I don't have the ability to play this first before buying so I have no idea what the RT finish is like but - is the neck rough sandpaper texture also? I imagine that would make it uncomfortable to play for long due to the abrasion. Also same for the right arm resting on the guitar? Or is it worth paying more for gloss finish
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04 Larrivee DV-03E | 00 Tacoma JK50CE | CA GXi (5iM-CE) | 08 CA Cargo XS-CE used to own: 99 Guild F47CE (Westerly) | 02 Martin SPJC-16R | 03 Martin DC-16RGTE | 03 Martin MC-16GTE | 05 Seagull MJM6 w/ QII Cedar/Mahogany BS | 01 Washburn EA20SDL | 02 Guild JF-30 Sunburst | 00 Taylor LOTF 410MACE | 02 Tacoma JF21 | 08 CA 7M-CE (GX) |
#10
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The world is not a black and white place..It's green and blue
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#11
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The neck finish is smoother than the body and feels great. I like the durability of the RT body finish, but I also understand why some may not. I quickly learned to play 'cleaner' with my Cargo, and I see that as a good thing. I have a GXi (formerly 7iM) in high-gloss on order. I should have it within a couple of weeks. I'm curious to see the difference. Having ssaid this, I personally don't see the RT finish as a problem at all.
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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 |
#12
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I've lived with my 5iM-CE (now GXi-CE) with the RT finish for a few months. I absolutely love it. The neck finish feels very much like a fast playing satin, and the top finish simply isn't the problem I'd thought it might be. Frankly, my strumming was too sloppy, and now it's less so.
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Website: http://www.buzzardwhiskey.com |
#13
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04 Larrivee DV-03E | 00 Tacoma JK50CE | CA GXi (5iM-CE) | 08 CA Cargo XS-CE used to own: 99 Guild F47CE (Westerly) | 02 Martin SPJC-16R | 03 Martin DC-16RGTE | 03 Martin MC-16GTE | 05 Seagull MJM6 w/ QII Cedar/Mahogany BS | 01 Washburn EA20SDL | 02 Guild JF-30 Sunburst | 00 Taylor LOTF 410MACE | 02 Tacoma JF21 | 08 CA 7M-CE (GX) |
#14
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No changes.
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Website: http://www.buzzardwhiskey.com |