a few recordings of a Composite acoustic GX performer

[Nelson]

Very Very Nice. You've got me interested in researching these guitars.

[Doubleneck]

Interesting thoughts. What music do you really share acoustically? With yourself, in a workshop with students gathered around. The vast majority of time music is shared electronically. It was said that a graphite guitar can do this as well any other guitar. I might argue they an do it better. And they are indestructable. Seems like a no brainer to me. I really doubt the sensitive? Composite material is thinner? Just the fact that we can listen to these recordings and argue about which sounds better is a testiment to far these composite guitar have come. I have to assume they will only get better. I think in the end wood is liked better by many because it becomes a work of art.
Steve

[leeasam]

as far as sensitivity I could see where it may not be a sensitive as an Olson guitar but then again I am spending at least 1/4 of the cost of an Olson.
Now comparing to my Taylor-- it is every bit as sensitive. There are alot of different playing styles and not every guitar fits every style or at least sounds good doing a particular style.

I have only played one brand of guitar that costs over $4000 for a standard model and that is McPerson. Very nice guitars and works of art. A little more on the brighter end of the tonal spectrum but very full. I wouldn`t have a problem owning one of them but it also is not enough better if at all tonally to justify the price over my GX. As far as workmanship and wood quality - top notch.

I had an ovation nylon string in the early 70s that was my first guitar that my mom bought for me. it was ovr $400 and in like 1973 was ALOT of money. As I got older and in high school I bought an Ovation legend. back then the full deep bowls sounded nice.

Well fast forward to the late 90s Every time I would pick up an all wood guitar I would go OHH I want that - that is what a guitar should sound like.( the Legend was long gone by then) well finally in 2001 I bought my first Taylor and have owned SEVERAL since then with my fav being the 05 814CE I just sold.
I had heard about the CA guitars but thought no way these sound as good as my Taylor.

Well I saw a video clip of one being played and went whoa I gotta try one out in person. I went online found a dealer within 100 miles and played a few different models and went home contemplated what had just happened with the experience I put the 814CE up for sale on the forum here and it sold in 2 days. Next weekend went back and got the GX.

Here is the funny thing new ovations have a wood top and IMO can`t stand the acoustic tone. like there is no soul to it like a wood guitar and it HAS a wood top!! So it`s not the non wood tone I like. I like wood tone and that is what the GX has for me-also does have soul to it and consistant not ever changing with the climate- lately I have gravitated more towards a Martin quality to tone and the GX is closer to it.

I have played a Collins dread once which some say is not a high volume maker and does special top tuning and it did absolutly nothing for me. A 810 on the wall was better and even another person in the room thought so.


I my boy and I went to daves guitar shop to get him a new guitar. He liked the wider neck for fingering better on my GX than the narrow Alvarez he has. So since he is 12 and has only so much cash in his saving we went to look for a decent guitar that had a wider neck. We even played a taylor GC3 and a GA3. I let him do a few chords( he is still learning) and then I played it back to him to see what he liked for sound. We came home with a real nice Guild GAD30. set up is great out of the box and finish is as good as any guitar I have seen. Love the flamed maple binding too. The top has beautiful silking in it too. Rare for a guitar in this price range.

SO we do have a wood guitar in the house!!

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by leeasam

... I`m not saying I don`t like wood just right now the Composite is the fit for me at this time. I like wood too
...You like wood and I do like the CA composites
...Ya know what ?? that is cool with me

Hi LeeaSam...
I appreciate the fact we live in a world where we have many choices.

Hopefully you will have several quality instruments one of these days.

[leeasam]

Originally Posted by ljguitar

Hi LeeaSam...
I appreciate the fact we live in a world where we have many choices.

Hopefully you will have several quality instruments one of these days.

LOL if I wouldn`t have spent so much money on all the Taylors I have had since 01 I could have bought a hand built or two


Have a great weekend!

Lee

[Carbonius]

Originally Posted by leeasam

Stainless frets and Carbon fiber nut and saddle

...I had a nice Taylor 814CE and after owning this I really don`t miss it. The Taylor really has no advantage over this either TONE wise or construction wise. And plugged in IMO it`s no contest the CAGX wins over the ES I had.

Thanks for the response, and then some. I really thought the steel frets would make things too bright, but I didn't find your sound clips brittle.

The Taylor 814ce really had my eye as well. A very good looking, sounding guitar. But I haven't liked the varied opions of the ES system. Never-the-less, I was leaning to a 314 or 414 beacouse they are half the price of the 814...but the GX Performer isn't THAT much more...So I'll save my loonies up (Canadian eh) and wait longer for the GX.

If your still seeing this leeasam, which pickup/preamp system are you running on your GX (since CA offers many)???

[leeasam]

Mine came with the standard pickup withthe GX performer - the LR Baggs I-Mix. I play at church every sunday and run straight to the snake to the board. I got the ES to sound good but had to do some ceative EQing on our soundboard to get a close to natural tone. Mainly cutting a specific Mid freq quite drastically. Our sound board has that capability but many don`t. Many have just a High- mid - low or just even a High - low eq on each channel.
I gotthe ES to sound good but you could still hear a tad of magnetic sound to the tone. Well when I got my GX withe the I-Mix I went to the sound board and setthe EQ FLAT!!! even the mids. then I set the onboard guitar controls FLAT with a mix of about 60% I beam and 40% element. Result??


WOW!!!!! real nice natural acoustic tone with NO magnetic tone issues. I could fine tune things more or tweek but with this set up I can probably go anywhere and tell the sound person to set the board flat and I can come real close to a sweet tone ,, something that one can NOT do with the ES.

I do have a PARA DI also but have not used it yet. I will try soon as I want to try a chorus pedal in the FX loop. I have not used a chorus effect in YEARS on an acoustic!!!!!

one thing being up in canada with severe swings in climates the CA GX will be trouble free and worry free!

[astrummer]

I know that stainless steel frets last a very very long time, but if the need for a refret ever occurs, due to the fretboard materials etc, does it need to be sent back to the factory?

[leeasam]

Originally Posted by astrummer

I know that stainless steel frets last a very very long time, but if the need for a refret ever occurs, due to the fretboard materials etc, does it need to be sent back to the factory?

nope

here is a thread that does talk aboutthis. you`ll have to read through but responses are from one of the founders of the company


http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/f...site+acoustics

[Carbonius]

Originally Posted by leeasam

Mine came with the standard pickup withthe GX performer - the LR Baggs I-Mix. I play at church every sunday and run straight to the snake to the board.....

one thing being up in canada with severe swings in climates the CA GX will be trouble free and worry free!

Severe climate changes...you ain't joking. We went from 122F (after humidity) this summer to -40F (after windchill) yesterday. I was helping a guy with a frozen car, got him some gas, had my gloves off for 2 minutes and my fingers couldn't bend!!

You bet that's why I am looking at a CA guitar.

I also play in church and have been looking for something that is more sound man friendly. As you probably know, some church soundmen, aren't really soundmen. They are the guys that volunteered ... better then no soundman!!

Thank alot for all your feedback!! I will never be able to test out a CA before buying it. No one within 1000 miles of me carries them. It's great to hear all these things from an owner.

Stoney is another on this forum who had fabulous things to say about CA GX

[leeasam]

Originally Posted by Elliott E Worby

I also play in church and have been looking for something that is more sound man friendly. As you probably know, some church soundmen, aren't really soundmen. They are the guys that volunteered ... better then no soundman!!

ya we don`t have a sound man so to speak either just someone at the controls. I am in charge of the music ministry at our church so I set the over all out put EQ and output levels and get the individual channele volume levels set close. I tell the sound person to ONLY adjust channel volumes IF needed!!! Do not touch the EQ!!!

I usually go to the church and play the guitar through the sound system when no one is there. I`ll plug in right at the board so I can hear what it sounds like in the sanctuary I then adjust the channel EQ and tell anyone connected with the board to NOT TOUCH it LOL.

BTW I do run through a small passive DI box first then out of the DI to a mic cable into the snake. Withteh Taylor I just ran the ES cable right to the snake as it was already Low Z.

I am itchin to try out the Baggs PARA DI soon. just have no had the time to get to the church to play around with it. adjusting things during practice is NOT the time to do things

If you liked the clips I can email you a clip of the GX running DIRECT to the computer through the pickup. It is a differnt tone but once it goes through a PA and speakers sounds closer to the mic`ed recordings.

Lee

[Carbonius]

Originally Posted by leeasam

If you liked the clips I can email you a clip of the GX running DIRECT to the computer through the pickup. It is a differnt tone but once it goes through a PA and speakers sounds closer to the mic`ed recordings.

Lee

With my computer speakers being as high end as they are...not really. Thanks Lee, but recordings on my computer don't sound so great. What I really benefited from was hearing how well the intonation was on it! I've gone to some sites and listening to their $4000+ guitars and the intonation is noticeably (well, for me) off. There was only one point of your recording where I got a bit of a twinge, but it was VERY minor (I could live with it!). I have many more twinges occurring with every other guitar I try, high end or low.

[leeasam]

the twing may have come from my playing a little sloppy too
depends at what point you heard it I could tell ya

[Carbonius]

Originally Posted by leeasam

the twing may have come from my playing a little sloppy too
depends at what point you heard it I could tell ya

I thought it may have been technique, or a string a hair out of tune, or a worn string, but it didn't really matter. I was so impressed because I usually hear a lot worse intonation on guitars.

Thanks a lot Lee

[leeasam]

That was one thing I really liked about the GX. I had been used to how Taylors sound and intonate that first time I started strumming and picking the GX at the store it was like I had been always playing and hearing one as it was very Taylor like in overall feel and note relation. I did not tune using any tuning tricks as posted at times on here for tuning methods just used the standard setting on my Peterson VS1-- NOT the guitar temperance.
Even doing the 12th fret note and harmonics it was spot on like my Taylor was.

it`s a pleasing guitar to listen to that is for sure