CA GX, wide neck/narrow neck comparison?

[mchalebk]

I really wouldn't get hung up on the lack of a truss rod. Wood guitars need them because the amount of relief changes over time (or due to environmental changes). That's not the case with CF guitars. I still have to wonder if the GX you tried wasn't cut a little high at the nut.

I wonder if a smaller Emerald might be the answer: X10, X7-OS (though I would have thought the X20-OS would have gotten the job done).

[mikealpine]

Brian, the Emerald was nice, and it was close. I have only good things to say about the company and the local representation. Still, it wasn't for me.

Regarding the action, my gut told me it was more than nut height/saddle height at work. Artisan put in a saddle before shipping that was as low as they were comfortable with, and the action was still high (in my estimation, using my other non-buzzing acoustics for comparison). Perhaps we could have shaved down the nut height a bit, but I truly feel there was too much relief. I could be wrong, but that's how it felt. Returning it came down to a few things, though, not just that. I appreciate the input, though!

I've had some great discussions with Ted, and I believe the answer is going to be a Rainsong H-OM. Looking forward to receiving it.

[mchalebk]

Hard to see how too much relief would make a 1st fret barre chord tough. Peavey put a lot of work in the neck angle,etc., for those guitars. I could see a pre-Peavey perhaps having too much relief. I would expect too much relief to result in high action as you moved up the fretboard. Heck, the standard way to measure relief is to fret a string at the first fret and where the neck joins the body and measure how high the halfway point is. This method takes action at the first fret completely out of the equation.

Checking the nut height is easy. I realize you probably don't have the guitar in hand at the moment, but this Frets.com article explains it pretty well.

RainSong makes some great guitars, so it wouldn't surpass me if you found one you liked. You won't find the body sculpting, though, that Emerald and CA offer. (I think Blackbird does this to some extent, too.)

[mikealpine]

At the first fret the height was ok. It was more where the joint in my index finger hit the third string that was the issue there. It was more pronounced the higher up the fretboard I went. If it were only at the first fret, I'm sure I would have found a way to adjust. The neck looked bowed a touch. I should have taken a picture. Again, maybe it was just my perception, but that really is what is looked like. And there wasn't much saddle to remove. I played a Taylor 814 today at a local GC, no issues. As I said, there were other things, and when I added them up, it made more sense to return the guitar.

Yes, I will miss the contours. Not a deal breaker on the slightly smaller body size, though. Time will tell!

[slewis]

Interesting, Mike. My GX plays like buttah... but all guitars, players and hands are not created equal, I suppose. Good luck with the search!

[mikealpine]

Sean, that's what I expected. The guitar looked beautiful! I wanted to be able to adjust it, and couldn't. I got uncomfortable not having the truss rod adjustment available, even if CA/Peavey say it isn't necessary. I want to be able to fine tune the guitar to my specific playing style. Like a vehicle, some features mean more to some than others. I'm sincerely glad that you and Brian both are so at home on yours.

[mchalebk]

Mike, sounds like the guitar might have had an issue if the action got worse as you moved up the neck. I was under the impression it was worst at the first fret.

The reason I suggest not worrying about a truss rod is that, if the guitar is built properly with standard relief, it should be good forever. If that was the only problem you had with the GX, a replacement guitar would probably fix it.

[mikealpine]

Brian, I do really believe that. I'm absolutely not against trying again, as the GX was really comfortable to hold. It felt much smaller than its size would indicate, and it sounded much bigger. I'd much rather find one I can play locally before going through the shipping thing again. I really don't want to waste anyone's time or money on shipping. If I find the Rainsong to be comfortable in terms of neck width, I can easily see that as my "car guitar" and then getting another GX as the "hang-on-the-wall-in-my-house" guitar. I'm honestly surprised that there aren't more dealers carrying these. Thanks!

[tundraspyder]

So is the narrow neck better for some one with smaller hands?

thanks

[mikealpine]

I'm not convinced that it is. The neck is really very thin, and while I don't have small hands, I'm not a big guy (5' 5") and the GX body was very comfortable, and if I do try again, it will be the 1 3/4" neck.