CA Guitars Legacy AE Sounds GREAT!!

Pat · #1 07-13-2004, 08:56 AM

Does anyone else have a guitar from CA Guitars?? I have the Legacy AE vintage option and I love this guitar. I can't believe how much it really sounds like wood. I really like it's tone better than any Taylors I've heard. I also had a Carvin Cobalt which really sounded awesome but my Legacy AE sounds even better. What's really great is that not only do they sound great but they're virtually indestructable!! I'd love to hear from others who own or have played these guitars. For those of you who have never heard of them go to: www.caguitars.com

I heard that Tim Mcgraw's latest album features the Legacy AE on every song but one and Faith Hill new album also features thses guitars.
I can't wait until they make a 12 string!!

jalbert · #2 07-13-2004, 09:05 AM

I also have a "Vintage" Legacy AE. It has a very good tone, and puts up well with hard strumming. One of the key benefits for me is that it's immune to temperature and humidity changes. Last Thursday night I took it to the bay with some friends; I only had to tune up once at the beginning; my buddy who was playing (another brand) kept going out of tune every 15 minutes or so.

Nice to be able to use Windex to clean it off, too.

I hear they're working on integrating the bridge with the top, so it's all one piece. I can only imagine what that'd do for the (already good) sustain.

Pat, just curious, did you stay with the factory-installed Elixirs? I'd like to try out some other strings but don't have a good idea where to start.

Jefferson · #3 07-13-2004, 09:31 AM

did either of you compare the vintage to the enhanced? I've been thinking about picking one up, but would have to order from a distance, since there are no dealers in my area. what are the differences/advantages between the two. Also, do they all have locking tuners?

jalbert · #4 07-13-2004, 12:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jefferson

did either of you compare the vintage to the enhanced? I've been thinking about picking one up, but would have to order from a distance, since there are no dealers in my area. what are the differences/advantages between the two. Also, do they all have locking tuners?

As far as I know, the only difference between the two is that the enhanced had a more pronounced midrange than the vintage. For rhythm, I definitely preferred the vintage. Here's what CA says about it:

Quote:

CA Guitars’ Acoustic Tailoring™ options allow you to find your unique “voice”. For those whose style requires the sound characteristics of a well-aged traditional wooden guitar, we offer the Vintage Acoustic Tailoring™. If you need a more articulate and pronounced midrange, the Enhanced Traditional Acoustic Tailoring™ is for you.

My CA has Sperzel tuners, but they're not locking. Oh, and for the record, the guitar *does* have some wood on it, namely an ebony fingerboard.

gerardo1000 · #5 07-13-2004, 01:08 PM

I had the opportunity to play and compare both the Vintage and the Enhanced Acoustic tone. The Vintage is more bass focused and it is great for
strumming oir flatpicking. If you prefer fingerpicking, I would recommend
the enhanced acoustic. This is what I have in my Bluegrass Performer.

Gerardo1000

Pat · #6 07-13-2004, 01:43 PM

Great to hear from you guys!! So far I intend on staying with Elixirs. I have, however tried Polyweb instead on Nanoweb. I like them both but I think I'll go back to Nanoweb. I haven't heard the Enhanced model yet but I REALLY love my Vintage Legacy AE. I sold a Flextone amp, a Carvin DC120(12 string electric) and Carvin AE185 to pay for my Legacy AE and I've never looked back. I can't say enough about the awesome tone and of course, durability of this guitar. I think eventually when the word really gets out about this company they will really cut into everyone else's sales. I bought mine from Shoreline Acoustic without ever hearing it or seeing it until it arrived and I couldn't be more happy with mine. Now this is only my personal opinion but to me it really doesn't make sense to buy a wooden guitar if you can afford a CA. It really says a lot to hear you Bluegrass folks praising these guitars because you are sticklers for great tone. I use to play bluegrass as a kid(5-string banjo) but now I play mostly worship music. If I could have any guitar in the world I would take a CA.

jalbert · #7 07-13-2004, 05:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pat

I think eventually when the word really gets out about this company they will really cut into everyone else's sales.

Agreed; I just hope they don't get too big for their britches.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pat

I bought mine from Shoreline Acoustic without ever hearing it or seeing it until it arrived and I couldn't be more happy with mine.

I, too, bought from Shoreline during their moving sale. Fortunately I live(d) about three miles away from John--who moved the shop to Durango, Colorado--so I got to demo both the vintage and the enhanced in person. I'm much more of a strummer than a picker; plus the CA was meant to replace my Ovation. So far I am very pleased.

mikeo2 · #8 07-13-2004, 07:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pat

It really says a lot to hear you Bluegrass folks praising these guitars because you are sticklers for great tone.

CA's Bluegrass preformer model is especially sweet. Side-by-side with an HD-28, I actually perfered it tonally--not to mention the playability on the CAs is fantastic.

Pat · #9 07-14-2004, 09:19 AM

I'd like to hear an enhanced traditional model just to compare. I can't believe how balanced my vintage Legacy is. It has such a warm, balanced tone.
I have always loved the way a flamed Koa top looks on a guitar but I now actually think the graphite top with a gloss finish looks equally cool. I never thought I'd say that but these are really beautiful guitars.

guitaniac · #10 07-14-2004, 11:01 AM

Pat,

I presume that you're using your Legacy with the Aura when you plug in. Would you tell us what sound image (among the factory downloads) works best with that guitar?

I'd also be curious to know if the complete Aura sound image archive (which is accessable only to Aura owners) contains any sound images which were created with CA Guitars.

I'd think that every guitar company which sells Fishman-equipped models would want sound images (for their specific models) in the Aura sound image archive. A big plus for CA Guitars, as I see it, would be that CA guitars of a certain model would have more consistency in sound than wood guitars of a certain model. In other words, a sound image made from one specific CA guitar would work consistently well with other CA guitars of the same model.

Thanks,
Gary

Pat · #11 07-18-2004, 11:27 PM

Hey Gary, I do plug into an Aura most of the time for live use. So far I like the Martin D28 sound image best. I was using a Taylor model also but I think I like the Martin better. I will try a Collings model when I get a little more time.
Unfortuneatly Fishman doesn't have a CA Guitars sound image yet! I've asked them several times about this and they say that they are working on it. I will be thrilled when they get one!! CA's have incredible tone so I can't wait until Fishman gets that image done!!
I do want to mention that my CA Legacy AE has a really nice Fishman premium blend system that includes a mic, piezo and great preamp w/tuner. When I use my Aura it sounds REALLY GREAT to use a stereo Y cable and run the mic into one channel and the piezo into the AURA and then into another channel. I have gotten a lot of compliments on that set-up. I have to say though that the Fishman system alone sounds really good even without an AURA. I recently had a small gig with a friend and we were just filling in for another band during their break so I had to just plug in the Fishman without my Aura (to save time) and I was very happy with my sound. OF COURSE THE AURA WOULD HAVE SOUNDED BETTER BUT IN A PINCH THE FISHMAN SYSTEM (Premium Blend) DOES SOUND GOOD!!

guitaniac · #12 07-19-2004, 10:45 AM

Pat,

Thanks for the interesting observations. If/when a sound image for the Fishman-equipped Legacy does become available, please let us know how it works out for you. My guess is that composite guitars of the same model will be very consistant in tone, and that a sound image created from one Fishman-equipped Legacy will work very well with other Fishman-equipped Legacys.

Thanks again,
Gary

Matt McGriff · #13 07-19-2004, 04:13 PM

These CA guitars are very intruiging. Can anyone compare the Fishman and the Baggs electronics? I like the COT model as a worship guitar, but are the benefits really worth the $300? Budget is $1800, so a Legacy AE ($xxxx) and a Fishman Aura or Yamaha AG Stomp ($300) or a COT. Any thoughts? BTW, I figure the price discussion rule can't possibly apply to CA guitars, since they don;t discaount off list in the first place.

jalbert · #14 07-19-2004, 05:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matt McGriff

These CA guitars are very intruiging. Can anyone compare the Fishman and the Baggs electronics? I like the COT model as a worship guitar, but are the benefits really worth the $300? Budget is $1800, so a Legacy AE ($1500) and a Fishman Aura or Yamaha AG Stomp ($300) or a COT. Any thoughts?

IMO, Legacy AE plus the Aura/Stomp. You'll get more flexibility.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matt McGriff

BTW, I figure the price discussion rule can't possibly apply to CA guitars, since they don;t discaount off list in the first place.

I'm sure at least one of our moderators will disagree...

Matt McGriff · #15 07-19-2004, 05:04 PM

I thought about it somemore, looked at them on Elderly, and decided (from past experience) that I like the Fishman preamp better than the Baggs. Plus, I am spoiled with onboard tuners. I had my worship leader tell me the other day I was out of tune when I was playing my Yairi with the new Fishman Natural II in it. I had to unplug, go get my tuner, hide away from the band, and tune up. Maybe the COT can be ordered with the Fishman. I'll ask CA, I guess.