All CF vs solid wood top Laminated back and sides
 

I am posting this in the CF forum because i think i will get the best response here.
I have not been able to bond with my Journey 2018 OF660. I also have a CA Legacy that i love. I just tried a PRS T60E that blew me away. Solid top laminated Zircote back and sides. I beleive i can make a decent trade at my local guitar shop. My concern is that i live on a boat and worry about heat and humidity.
Hense the CF guitars. I dont find myself needing the collapsible neck like i thought i would either.
So , my question is, with laminated back and sides how concerned should i be with climate.? I sold off my 2 wood Martins due to this concern.Any input helpful.

if they have any kind of wood, Laminate or solid, I would be concerned. If they have wood bindings and braces, I would be concerned. All of it will be distorted by humidity and shift and the glues can go. Stick to 100% to CF and you will just not have to worry about anything.

I kept a Ibanez PF10 I got new in the early 90s on a boat for years. Got salt spray on it a couple of times that I wiped off, but generally kept in the case when I wasn't playing it. Played it in the rain once or twice too. I don't think I ever froze or roasted it though. Probably the hottest environment it was ever in (in the case) was 120F in the compartment during the day. Mostly it was in 60 to 70 degree weather.

It still plays great even though I thought I would have ruined it by now. I leave it out on a stand in my office these days and play it whenever the mood strikes or it looks too dusty. It may have a laminate top, but it's probably still one of the best cheap guitars I have ever played.

I never lived on a boat, but I tend to agree with MOT, it may take a little extra TLC once in a while, but I think it would be fine for a number of years. Is your boat docked or out crashing thru the surf?

Mostly docked. I did 5 years cruising East Coast Nova Scotia to Bahamas. Now
plugged in for the time being. Still a bit more hostile environment than a house.
I may look at a Rainsong Smokey Hybrid or a CA OX.
I do like the tone and neck on that PRS though.

I would be concerned about the solid top for sure. Carbon fiber guitars came a long way over the years. I would certainly suggest, if you can afford one, a full carbon fiber guitar. Emerald, Rainsong, McPherson, etc. you can't go wrong with any of them.

I agree, CF is great. I love my composite accoustics Legacy. The Jouney not so much. It is not getting played much these days. Ive tried every string combo, elixirs 80/20's, aluminum bronze, beefed up the trebles to 13 and 17. Still , no joy. Not expecting dreadnaught sound out of a 00 body. But to my ears a good finger picker , not so good struming. Plugged in is a different ball game, but i dont do that so much anymore. The alternative CF guitars, Rainsong, Mcpherson, Emerald, all fantastic, but more than i want to spend, even used. I can buy the PRS for my journey and maybe 375.00 trade. I dont know , with some humidity pacs and a little care , maybe. ? I sure am spoiled by the CF guitars.

What is the neck on your PRS?

I think the odds are pretty good that most production guitars will hold up fairly well under the conditions noted. After losing a few nice instruments, I gave up on playing the odds with wooden guitars.

Oh you can absolutely make it work. Just follow the normal rules regarding wood guitars. Keep it in the case when not played with some sort of humidification. Never leave it out on the stand for too long and all those kind of things and you will be absolutely fine. Wood guitars are delicate, but not as delicate as we all think. Most who bought a carbon fiber guitar got them for the "set it and forget it" aspect and leaving it out anywhere without worry, which is quite convenient I might add.

I carted an Ovation and then a Taylor GSmini on boats before discovering all that is good about CF. Both of those guitars handled the boat environment without a problem. That said, the Emerald X7 that was my second CF purchase sounds better than either of those previously mentioned guitars and has traveled by boat and RV. Happily.

Neck is mahogony , full but not clunky. 1-11/16, which is fine for me, i can switch back and forth to 1-3/4 pretty easily.
I know this is the carbon forum, so i wont present more detail except that the top is hybrid x brace with fan frets lower bout if that affects the top with humidity?
I know many of you have switched to only CF and for good reasons. And looking at some signatures, some hold on to at least 1 wood guitar. Maybe something to that.
Anyway, it seems a waist to me to have the Journey if it doesnt get played. Everyone here has given me excellent advise in the past and set me on the path to Carbon Fiber, so even though i am bringing up a trade of CF for wood/laminate (and this is real wood not pressed something with a picture on it) i know ill get the best input here.

For what you want, the simplest / cheapest choice is an all laminate acoustic guitar. Staying away from solid wood tops solves most of the climate problems for boat life. Keep it in a polyfoam or TRIC case, stowed as low as possible where it stays cooler, and perhaps wrapped in a sleeping bag or blankets to minimize temperature excursions. That is what I did when car traveling with wood guitars, and had no issues. A friend brought a couple of my "spare" guitars down from Alaska in the unconditioned compartment under his RV four years ago, without incident. Granted they did not divert through Death Valley.

Or go with carbon fiber and fear not. Lots of good options from the usual suspects....

Hi Captain Jim, yes, i have followed your journey down the CF path and have learned a lot. An Emerald X7 may indeed be in my future when funds permit. For now the Journey of660 is collecting dust and deserves a better home.

Thanks for the input. Very much appreciated. All laminate not on the table, ...yet. i only consider this guitar becsuse of the tone of the one i played and the comfort.and it is a gentle trade on the pocketbook.
You make a very good point though. I sold my incredible Martin 000-18 and my 1991 Martin D16H because of the worry factor. But they were fairly expensive guitars for me.

Understood. All laminate may be durable, but you do give up some tone. I used to have a laminated Voyage-Air VAOM-02 (now in the Transit series). While it was durable and folded compactly, it did not sound as good as their solid wood models. It sold to a buddy who does motorcycle touring and could ride on his back, saving cargo space for camping gear.