Picture of a Cargo and X7

[Amar911]

I really like my Cargo and thought it was an almost ideal small guitar, with much nicer sound than the other carbon fiber guitars I played (not very many, and not any Emeralds). Then I bought a Savoy. No comparison. The Savoy blows the Cargo away. It produces an excellent OM-like sound from a GS Mini sized guitar. If I could only own one acoustic guitar, instead of the dozen or so I have, it would be a Savoy. But I paid half as much for the Cargo -- so there's that if money is tight.

[Fixedgear60]

Thanks Amar911!!!

[Dru Edwards]

What a great review, jdinco. Great pic too.

[jdinco]

Thanks all, I have never touched a Savoy, but I consider it to be in a different class than the Cargo, and I wouldn't be as comfortable throwing the Savoy in the camper for long trips like I am with the Cargo or X7. Probably a good thing for me that they are not real common at dealers. I am curious.
The X20 is heads above the Cargo, there's just something about the way a chord rings out that reminds me of the X20. I'm sure that's just me and others would think I'm nuts. LOL
I have not made any mods to the Cargo, I'm happy with it as is. I agree with the slight muddiness that you mention, but it's a good muddy. Perhaps different/new strings would help mine ?

[Steve Christens]

Originally Posted by jdinco

.......but it's a good muddy......

My vote for best line of the day.

[jdinco]

Originally Posted by Steve Christens

My vote for best line of the day.

LOL....OK, maybe not a good line.

[Acousticado]

Originally Posted by Amar911

I really like my Cargo and thought it was an almost ideal small guitar, with much nicer sound than the other carbon fiber guitars I played (not very many, and not any Emeralds). Then I bought a Savoy. No comparison. The Savoy blows the Cargo away. It produces an excellent OM-like sound from a GS Mini sized guitar. If I could only own one acoustic guitar, instead of the dozen or so I have, it would be a Savoy. But I paid half as much for the Cargo -- so there's that if money is tight.

As a Cargo owner and lover myself (‘08 since new), in addition to all the other commentary I have read about it in relation to the Savoy, your assessment is helpful toward my own want of one.

Originally Posted by jdinco

Thanks all, I have never touched a Savoy, but I consider it to be in a different class than the Cargo, and I wouldn't be as comfortable throwing the Savoy in the camper for long trips like I am with the Cargo or X7. Probably a good thing for me that they are not real common at dealers. I am curious.
The X20 is heads above the Cargo, there's just something about the way a chord rings out that reminds me of the X20. I'm sure that's just me and others would think I'm nuts. LOL
I have not made any mods to the Cargo, I'm happy with it as is. I agree with the slight muddiness that you mention, but it's a good muddy. Perhaps different/new strings would help mine ?

As I ponder buying a Savoy, I have been considering selling my Cargo, but your commentary is helping me realize that although I’ve read that others have sold theirs because the Savoy is THAT much better, it’s likely worth keeping my Cargo for whatever rough and tumble uses I occasionally encounter. If keeping it, I’d almost definitely get a burst Savoy.

As I think I said earlier, I’ve never made any adjustments to my Cargo. So before I do anything, I’m going to make a few changes which depending on the result, could sway my GAS for the Savoy, at least for a time. A few days ago, I emailed Michael Stone of MacNichol Guitars who was the former owner of the now defunct Carbon Guitar Forum. Michael is a great, knowledgeable guy about CF guitars and has since focussed on guitar setups and accessories which he is respected for. He’s well-aware of the Cargo pros and cons and what I’m wanting to achieve and why. In the short-term, I’m going to follow his advice below for strings, nut and saddle.

He recommended trying GHS Bright Bronze contact core strings as some of the brightest strings that can help produce a cleaner tone and bring out some of the treble in a Cargo.

For a different nut/material, he suggested checking out the ZeroGlide.


For a saddle he recommended trying the Obbligato Black Diamond. They're expensive, but are his favorite for CA Guitars models as they produced better clarity.

He says that bridge pins have a minimal effect, but if wanting a change, a harder material than the factory pins, such as bone or ebony would be best.

Finally, as some Cargos, especially pre-Peavey ‘09-‘10 models had break angle problems, to solve it he says that string ramps can be installed which he can further advise about. I don’t have this problem, but I’m mentioning it in case anyone reading this has such an issue with theirs.

Michael was great to work with and one of the few dealers who engaged in repairs and refinements. He made a big difference in my first pre-peavey Cargo.

[jdinco]

Thank you for that info Acousticado ! Very interesting.

[Amar911]

I bought my Cargo from Michael Stone too, and his tech did a great job of setting it up and installing a K&K pure mini with the volume control and phase switch. The saddle was custom made by the tech and the strings are the Dunlop Heavy Cores recommended by Michael at the time. I do not have the Zero Glide, but I do hear the difference in the recording.

I really like the Burst finish on the Savoy, but part of the enjoyment of a composite guitar is having the finish keep its looks with just minimal care. I am concerned that I would want to baby a Burst Savoy the way I baby my expensive wood guitars instead of the more care-free way I am with my Cargo (which is still in mint condition). I like maintaining the looks of my guitars, but the natural finish on the Savoy looks good and should be much easier to keep that way. I'm still up in the air on whether having the Burst would have been a better choice for me, because it looks so good, so definitely get it if you want it that badly.

I am curious as to what pickup system would be the best for the Savoy. The K&K (or JJB) has always been my default choice for most of my acoustic guitars, especially in the passive configuration, due to the simplicity, light weight, and dependability, but I do recognize that there are sometimes issues with sound quality and feedback. The Misi is a neat system, but it's still a UST with all the shortcomings of that type of pickup.