CA raw versus gloss
 

I am considering purchasing a CA Cargo and wondering if anyone has opinions (both wear and sound) on the raw finish versus the gloss finish. A salesperson at a CA dealer told me that the satin finish on the raw models will show wear very easily. Any advice is appreciated.

I prefer the raw finish myself, but the wife went for a gloss blue Cargo and loves it. The raw might show some playing wear eventually, like any satin finish, but it's biggest drawback is extra handling noise if you are recording with a mic.

I've heard some say that the thicker glossy finish dampens the sound a bit, but we could not perceive any difference. This comfy little guitar plays like butter and sounds bigger than it has any right to. The only reason I don't play it more is the shorter Cale (plus I have a Rainsong WS-1000 and several other guitars handy.

deleted ...wrong thread

The original CA Cargos also offered a 'Road Tough' (RT) textured finish. I own one in grey. I don't know if it's offered anymore, but having read many comments over the years about the Cargo finishes, my sense is that the RT has been most preferred for tone. Ted @ LA Guitars may chime-in here, and for what it's worth, I recall his past posts about this and I believe he has played all the Cargo finishes and prefers the RT.

I've had both but can't speak to any differences since I had them at different times. There were both very nice instruments.

Hi dgsped, and welcome to the forum.

Tom is correct, I have owned, and played them all and I do prefer the RT finish for the intended purpose, but sadly the current owners of CA do not offer this finish.

Between the gloss and the RAW, I actually prefer the slightly livelier tonal qualities of the RAW, but the difference is small enough that given the same price, I would go with gloss for durability. The RAW is plenty durable, but it will show everything from scratches to grease stains that are tough, if not impossible to remove. My current arsenal has two RT models, and one custom black gloss that was gifted to me by the previous owners of CA, all three are keepers.

I also prefer RAW finish which has given a bit more liveliness. I believe it is a thinner finish.