thinking of CF guitar

[AZLiberty]

Originally Posted by eyesore

thank you guys! this is a whole new field for me . i've just begun to explore. never knew anything about them. i was shocked at the $$ ! i just figured they wer banged out at like candy bars. i didn't think there would be anything special. ...well i guess i'm dead wrong ,as usual,wife would say.

A lot of the cost is the custom tooling. The materials are not inexpensive either, but aluminum molds like Rainsong uses probably run somewhere between 50 and 100K.

(actual cost is obviously proprietary, but similar molds I have ordered in the past were in the $60K range.)

[Earl49]

Originally Posted by eyesore

.....i was shocked at the $$ ! i just figured they were banged out at like candy bars. i didn't think there would be anything special.....

As AZ said, they need a really expensive aluminum mold. The carbon fiber material that many builders use is call "pre-preg" (pre-impregnated with resin). This has to be kept frozen and has a limited working life -- about three hours -- once it thaws. If it is not laid up by then, $$$ of material is a throw-away.

Then the CF material for one guitar far exceeds the cost of the tonewoods going into a conventional wood guitar. Think of CF guitars more like a custom fairing or spoiler for an Indy car than something dropping out of an injection mold or a 3D printer made from cheap plastic.

[mot]

Originally Posted by Res Ipsa

@eyesore: Ditto on Reverb.com, you might find it there. Local dealers might cut price breaks too if you ask. I got my new OF660 that way for under $900. Good luck in your search.

Talk to me Ghostrider. You have piqued my interest.

I currently have two carbon fiber guitars (a Blackbird Lucky 13 since 2014 and an Emerald X20 Opus since 2013). They are so good that I am letting go all my other acoustic guitars. I don't think I would ever buy another wooden acoustic. If I were in your shoes, Eyesore, I would probably get by on whatever guitars I have handy while I save up for the carbon fiber guitar than seems to be the one. You'll probably be right.

[eyesore]

hi mot; you read my mind. keep what i'vr got and save for a CF when i'm ready.

[Earl49]

Originally Posted by mot

.....They are so good that I am letting go all my other acoustic guitars. I don't think I would ever buy another wooden acoustic. .......

I'm in exactly the same boat. I like my low-maintenance, great sounding CF guitars so much that the wooden ones are slowly going away. (I will keep one all-koa Taylor 424-LTD and one all-koa ukulele however).

[hess]

I have a CA GX. It’s expensive but sounds and plays as good as any wooden guitar in the same price range imho. The CF is great here in Florida where high humidity can be a problem. Also, the CA GX has stainless steel frets which hold up extremely well compared to other more standard fret material in my experience. I’m not sure if the other CF guitars have stainless steel frets. Finally, the body is shaped for comfort in playing.

[Earl49]

CA, Leviora, Journey, and Emerald take advantage of the CF medium to build ergonomic, non-traditional shapes with contours and bevels. Blackbird has a fairly conventional model (Lucky 13, now on production hiatus) plus others like the El Capitan in ekoa linen composite. Rainsong is the most conventional shaped in the CF market. But all of them make fine guitars. As a material, CF is too expensive to mess around with building low-end instruments.

The only "dud" CF I've ever run across was an extra thin bodied Rainsong OM size with very heavy metal flake paint, at least fifteen years ago. A shop in Anchorage was stuck with two of them for several years. They sounded pretty bad acoustically (thin and quiet) but were obviously intended for plugged-in use.

[kramster]

From "eyesore" to "happy eyes" (and ears.)... in just one CF guitar purchase. Just sayin'.

[BT55]

Originally Posted by Song

https://reverb.com/marketplace/acous...ce%7Casc&page=

This should help get you started...

I have a Rainsong CH-OM on backorder from MF. They’re currently running a 15% off sale on Rainsong and 0% financing for 6 months. I was on Reverb today and emailed a seller listing a 2017 Emerald X20 Opus. We agreed on a price and I sent the offer. He emailed back letting me know that he couldn’t ship the guitar for a month! I was blown away. What a hoser!