Pickguard for CA Cargo Raw?

[schultef]

Hi Everyone!

Very grateful for this forum. Was in the market for a travel guitar, and received great guidance on the GS Mini, Little Martin, Baby Taylor, etc. Ended up not even knowing carbon fiber guitars existed, found myself in the internet black hole, and two weeks later, my CA Cargo Raw guitar arrived and I'm in love.



Quick question for any other owners here - do you recommend installing a pickguard, or does the carbon fiber not scratch?

I'm inclined to leave it alone...

All my best,



Billy

[dkoloff]

Congrats on the Cargo!! As for a pick guard there are some carbon ones or you could just as easily use a clear or colored removable one that works well.

[schultef]

Originally Posted by dkoloff

Congrats on the Cargo!! As for a pick guard there are some carbon ones or you could just as easily use a clear or colored removable one that works well.

thanks David! in your experience, will the pick scratch the finish if not protected?

[dkoloff]

Over time you could see some marking in the raw finish .....not like you would on the gloss finish but it will show some. It is pretty durable but I might lean towards the removable pick guard....they are very inexpensive and work well.

[kkfan]

Originally Posted by dkoloff

Congrats on the Cargo!! As for a pick guard there are some carbon ones or you could just as easily use a clear or colored removable one that works well.

Do you have a link to a website where these removable pickguards can be found?

Thanks!

Congrats to OP on the purchase.

[ac]

Will removable pickguards work on a raw surface?
I thought they worked on gloss surface only.

[Earl49]

Good question and the answer is "probably not". If the OP decides that a pickguard is really needed, the best bet is probably a generic black stick-on type, which can be easily removed later with a hair dryer and dental floss. That is what I would do.

[schultef]

thank you all!

[Ted @ LA Guitar Sales]

First off welcome to the forum Billy, I think you will find there are many knowledgeable people here with whom you can interact.

As to your question, I would not worry about adding a pick guard as the top of your guitar is probably as tough as most pick guards. If you start to see some scratching, and it bothers you, than you can always install a guard at that time.

Enjoy the new Cargo.

[schultef]

man oh man. you guys are super friendly on here. much appreciated! i've really been enjoying the Cargo so far.

i'm rediscovering guitar after a 4-year hiatus - i'm typically a strummer / rhythm guitar player, trying to learn how to solo a bit more and fingerpick.

all that being said, and not to hijack my own thread, but is there a reasonable range of string gauge i should stay in between? i was always a huge fan of D'Addario extra lights, but not sure if that's appropriate for a CF guitar...

i'll also browse the forums in the meantime! thanks all!

b.

[dkoloff]

With the cargo being a short scale you can go to lights, light-mediums, or mediums depending on feel for you. You should see a nice tone upgrade with a bit beefier string.

[Acousticado]

The Cargo ships with lights. I tried mediums on mine once, but I much prefer the lights.

[kkfan]

Originally Posted by Acousticado

The Cargo ships with lights. I tried mediums on mine once, but I much prefer the lights.

The Cargo ships with Elixir lights, right? The OP was trying out D'Addario. Wonder what the difference in brands would be like sonically.

[schultef]

i'm going to try them out and will report back!