Which CF guitar sounds most true to a high end wood acoustic?

[tbeltrans]

Originally Posted by raysachs

I thought it might be because the really good one was a newer model, with the etched logo, not the badge o the headstock. But then I bought a second that was actually newer, and it was really good, but not near as good as the first one. I sold the second one because it turned out I don’t need a carbon fiber instrument in the Oregon climate, where we now live eight months of the year. But I’m keeping the one in North Carolina, where we spend winters, because it can get VERY humid indoors there during the winter, where it’s often not warm enough for AC or cold enough for heat…

Yours might well sound better. All I know is the one I have sounds better than any of the others I’ve played, which I believe is at least five or six by now…

-Ray

Mine is one of the older models with the badge. It is so good that Cream wrote a song about it called "Badge".



Of course, the song preceded the Sable and Touring by a few decades, bu what's a few decades between friends.

Tony

[YamaYairi]

I have tried several CF guitars from different companies and to me they all sounded simply awful. Until a friend brought a Lava ME 2 to a party. I was so impressed with the sound I bought one so I don't have to worry about my nice guitars in the trunk of a car. The ME 2 is on sale on Amazon for $450!! I can't believe how good it sounds. Seriously, it sounds like a wood guitar. I did make a slight modification to it. There was a resonance at the F on the D string that gave it a woof-y sound and I found that if I covered a bit of the sound hole it went away, so I cut a 1/2" long piece of closed cell urethane pipe insulation and attached it in the sound hole with double sided tape. Boominess fixed.
The thing is so cheap you can buy it and use as a knock around guitar or flip it if you don't like it. There are dealers, too, so you might be able to try one. The guitar comes with a very nice pickup system designed by LR Baggs.
https://www.amazon.com/Acoustic-Elec...11&sr=8-2&th=1

[shawnco999]

Blackbird Savoy, comparable to the best Martin’s out there of same size.

[SpruceTop]

Originally Posted by hotroad

I have played and owned many CF guitars but let them go because I was disappointed in their tone. Which CF guitar do you think acoustically sounds most like a high end wood built acoustic? I am using a Gibson J-200 for my comparisons but use any wood acoustic.

The Composite Acoustics guitars were braced to try to emulate the tonal characteristics of wood. I can attest that the three CA dreadnoughts I owned, two being high-end (one being the CA Tim Stafford Signature Dreadnought with Onboard Fishman Aura) did kind of sound like wooden guitars when played up to moderate volume levels. When driving them hard, they could get harsh sounding but so do wooden guitars.

When I bought my new Black Ice RainSong BI-DR1000N2 a couple of years ago, the store owner played it for me so I could hear it out front. He remarked something like, "You know, if I close my eyes I wouldn't know whether I was playing a RainSong or a fine wooden guitar.

My take on carbon guitars is I like their tone and I don't care if they sound like carbon fiber or sound like wood or not as long as they sound good.

[RP]

Originally Posted by SpruceTop

...I don't care if they sound like carbon fiber or sound like wood or not as long as they sound good.

And that should be the bottom line...

[Methos1979]

I've owned many CF guitars over the years including 5 Emeralds and 4 RainSongs and of those the closest to wood sounding was the RainSong Vintage models with the infused spruce top. It softens that bright chime of carbon fiber. I only had an OM Shorty in that model and I was quite surprised. I'd bet the dread model would be something very similar to sounding (and looking) like a fine all wood guitar.

[guitarwebguy]

Huh … a bit confused am I … I seem to recall buying a CF guitar (Emerald x20-12) because I wanted a CF guitar. I have several wood guitars that strangely enough, sounds like wood guitars and not CF (;-))

[mountainmaster]

Emeralds, Rainsongs and McPhersons are definitely high end guitars. When you pay $3000 or more you should expect nothing less. Whether or not you like their tone is a different matter.

The "problem" with CF is that there is not a lot of choice. So the chances of finding a CF guitar that you actually like are much smaller than with wood guitars.

[RP]

Originally Posted by mountainmaster

...The "problem" with CF is that there is not a lot of choice. So the chances of finding a CF guitar that you actually like are much smaller than with wood guitars.

Have you visited Emerald's website with its 3D Builder feature recently??? For starters, no other company in the world offers an instrument like the Amicus. Keep in mind that Emerald is more of a boutique builder than a mass production builder like Martin or Taylor...

[Emile640]

Personally, I'm super happy with the tone of my Rainsong-CO-OM shorty. It sounds like a great, high-end guitar except that it is louder, has better sustain, and each note is equal in volume unlike my wood guitars/instruments where some notes are more prominent than others.

[JackDaniel]

Originally Posted by Aspiring

I suppose this is somewhat of the point to this discussion. I have an El Capitan and an X20 along with several other CF that I have tried or own.

The El Capitan and the X20 are the two that I don't find lacking compared to my nicer wood guitars in tone. That said, I give the edge to the x20 for which one to me sounds more like my wood guitars.

FYI, your message box is full. Trying to send you a pm.

[Sarah1F]

I had my mind and heart set on a Martin HD28. Nothing compared to it in my mind, but I just didn’t want to spend that much on a guitar. Even so, I kept going back to it in our local shops….that is, until my RainSong found me….a pre-owned V-DR1100n2, wood top dreadnought.
Oh how I love that guitar!! The sound blows me away every time I pick it up. My comparison is that I have forgotten all about wanting the HD28, until reading your post! It reminded me how much I no longer care about the HD28. lol

[Emile640]

Originally Posted by Sarah1F

I had my mind and heart set on a Martin HD28. Nothing compared to it in my mind, but I just didn’t want to spend that much on a guitar. Even so, I kept going back to it in our local shops….that is, until my RainSong found me….a pre-owned V-DR1100n2, wood top dreadnought.
Oh how I love that guitar!! The sound blows me away every time I pick it up. My comparison is that I have forgotten all about wanting the HD28, until reading your post! It reminded me how much I no longer care about the HD28. lol

You are making me want to do a vintage custom order at some point!

[Sarah1F]

Duplicate and can’t delete!

[Sarah1F]

Wanted to delete