Carbon Fiber shocker

[semolinapilcher]

In my local GC there's a used CA acoustic/electric for under $900.

I was totally psyched - I played a couple chords and the thing sounded really good.

But then I saw it had very high action, and then I saw why: the top was totally wavy with a severe belly around the bridge.

This was shocking and disheartening - I thought these guitars were built to be bulletproof. I wonder if it spent a Texas summer in a garage, or got strung with extra-heavy strings, or what???

If it's because they're underbuilt then uh oh.

I am not trying to troll here; just reporting.

[David MacNeill]

That is disheartening. Which model? Raw finish or glossy?

[semolinapilcher]

You can see a little bit of the shape in the way the light reflects off the top...

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Used/Com...r-113197310.gc

[David MacNeill]

Nuts. That’s my exact model — hate it when that happens.

[semolinapilcher]

I always wanted one - still do, really...!

[tdq]

Any idea of the year, pre or post peavey? I've had my CA GX for almost 10 years, in a variety of climates and never had a problem.

[kramster]

My OX is hanging in there...I have an early one

[Doubleneck]

Stuff happens, could be a glue failure of braces. I’ve heard of their bridges failing. Manufacturing is never perfect, still have to have someone mix the glue and put it on right? Doubt it’s a age thing? That’s one tuff neck reset! Lol. Actually does point out one disadvantage of carbon fiber, when things go wrong, not a lot of options except replacement.

[SpiderTrap]

My Guess is someone left in sunlight for too long ...Sun + BLACK dont mix well , that thing may have cooked a wee bit ?

I've never seen anything like this on any CF guitar and would not take it as a deterrent to owning one (except this one). The pre-Peavey CAs had a few rough problems but this is different than anything I've ever heard or seen. Something happened here and what it was isn't exactly clear.

[Earl49]

Can't tell much from that small low-res picture, but since you saw it in person, we'll take your word for it. It is tough to imagine the circumstances that would cause serious distortion on a CF top, and the glues used are generally good to over 300°F. Way hotter than a car will be, even in brutal Texas or Arizona sunshine.

The nice thing about CF -- they come out of the mold fine, and stay that way forever. The down side -- if they come out of the mold with problems, there is no good way to correct them. The defective guitar becomes a throwaway.

The original CA company had some quality control issues and problems with neck angles in their last year of operation. Earlier CA models -- and all Peavey built models -- have reported no similar problems. My 2001 Rainsong is still as pristine as the day it was purchased. Ditto for a PMJ-1000 bought in 2005 or so, with a carbon fiber top.

[AcouStickistNS]

I hate to suggest this, but perhaps it might be knockoff? Not carbon fiber related, but back when I was in high school a friend of mine bought a counterfeit Gibson. Was odd, it was determined by an expert to be a Univox that was close to the same value. They did an awesome job of modifying the looks, but the intonation was off severely, which lead to the discovery of it being a counterfeit. If this problem is not know to these guitars, that's the first thing I'd suspect, and don't expect every guitar shop to be able to spot a fake.

If this is a knockoff it has to have been a very expensive one--materials and construction of cf instruments is not cheap.

I can't imagine what happened with this instrument. If heat was the cause I think the glues would have come undone before the cf wrinkled.

I wonder if the store would allow someone to contact the person who made the trade in?

[AcouStickistNS]

Originally Posted by EvanB

If this is a knockoff it has to have been a very expensive one--materials and construction of cf instruments is not cheap.

I can't imagine what happened with this instrument. If heat was the cause I think the glues would have come undone before the cf wrinkled.

I wonder if the store would allow someone to contact the person who made the trade in?

I’m also into bicycling, a few years back Easton was being counterfeited on their carbon handlebars. Came out of China from what I remember. I’m surprised to see something like this, if it’s real it might have been left in someone’s car trunk for several days in a hot climate. I’m thinking carbon is more like a thermoset plastic, it will not melt but may deform a little under high heat. I find it sad that some stores take in instruments like this. Locally I’ve once pointed out to a local store some 12 string guitars they had new with bridges that looked like they were about to bust right off. The owner wasn’t there and the employee wasn’t knowledgeable, but said he’d pass my info on.

[Nailpicker]

Originally Posted by SpiderTrap999

My Guess is someone left in sunlight for too long ...Sun + BLACK dont mix well , that thing may have cooked a wee bit ?

I've read some of the CF threads over the years. I always cringe when I read people talking about how "impervious" they are. I can't speak about CF guitars as I've never had one, but I've had many,many graphite (which I believe is the same or similar to CF) fly rods. Very, very expensive ones and inexpensive ones. One thing that has always been fairly widely know is that heat and UV degrade, not the graphite, but the resins that holds it together. Also known is that at some certain point X, after X number of flexs in the casting process they are likely to fatigue and shatter. Might some similar hold with regard to sonic vibrations of a guitar? Also known is that if even a very small nick or small impact happens to it (a fly rod), it WILL down the line likely shatter.

NOTHING lasts forever. Nothing is impervious.

I can say that I've played a couple of Rain Songs and was surprised and pleased wth their tone and action, just not enough to purchase one.

I'd be interested in a true, objective analysis of this with regard to guitars.