composite acoustics xi is unremarkable tonewise

[rgregg48]

Purchased a xi for my youngest son,, since he does not pay attention to humidity and setup, I figured a carbon fiber would do well for him..I did not give it to him yet.
But I put it through its paces...plugged In , it sounded fine. Nice neck and playability. .but acoustic unplugged sound was thin with quiet tone, especially the trebles..with all the praise for the cargos, I thought the xi would be at least as good.
Any thoughts?
RG

[mchalebk]

I used to own an Xi. I loved playing the guitar, most comfortable guitar I've ever played. I didn't really want to sell it, but did to get a GX (I really wanted to turn the guitar into my primary gigging guitar, but couldn't get the plugged in sound that I wanted).

It's true that the acoustic sound is not the fullest. I found it satisfying, though. Probably the best sounding thin bodied acoustic out there (I believe it's significantly shallower than the Cargo).

[Doubleneck]

You ought to try the new McPherson Kevin Michael carbon, made by the same person who developed CA. Probably his best work but Cargo sized.

[SprintBob]

Originally Posted by rgregg48

Purchased a xi for my youngest son,, since he does not pay attention to humidity and setup, I figured a carbon fiber would do well for him..I did not give it to him yet.
But I put it through its paces...plugged In , it sounded fine. Nice neck and playability. .but acoustic unplugged sound was thin with quiet tone, especially the trebles..with all the praise for the cargos, I thought the xi would be at least as good.
Any thoughts?
RG

I don't know anything about this guitar but would recommend you poll other xi owners on what strings they have experience with and what their setups are.

Good luck.

[just_Chan]

Gee, my CA Xi is my favourite guitar for practice; love the neck, slim profile and playability. Reallt great for finger practice
Agree the tone sounds funny for such a thin bodied guitar. So i changed the strings to nickel super lights (yup for electric guitars actually; but CA Xi feels like an electric, doesn't it?)
Loving the nickel tone and now able to practice for hours at length
If you are letting your Xi go, please pm me ya ?

[Ted @ LA Guitar Sales]

Originally Posted by rgregg48

Purchased a xi for my youngest son,, since he does not pay attention to humidity and setup, I figured a carbon fiber would do well for him..I did not give it to him yet.
But I put it through its paces...plugged In , it sounded fine. Nice neck and playability. .but acoustic unplugged sound was thin with quiet tone, especially the trebles..with all the praise for the cargos, I thought the xi would be at least as good.
Any thoughts?
RG

I was CA's biggest dealer before they folded so I have tons of experience with the guitars including the Xi, and I am not surprised that you are underwhelmed by this model, but I think it's because who ever sold it to you neglected to mention that this guitar was designed to be plugged in and used on stage. In fact it's an excellent guitar for a performing artist but I don't think the current owners of CA are building them.

If you're looking for a smaller CF guitar to be enjoyed unplugged than I would look to one of the travel guitars like the Cargo or the McPherson mentioned, but if you want regular scale than I would go with the Rainsong Parlor or Shorty.

[chris_r]

I have a CA OX and I thought the same thing, that it should have a little more acoustically, unplugged, then I put a set of D'Addario EJ26-3D Phosphor Bronze acoustic strings (Custom Light, 11-52) on it and wow, what a difference. Try it and see.