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-   -   new to carbon fiber looking at cargo. help (https://www.acousticguitarforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=546270)

varmonter 05-08-2019 07:00 AM

new to carbon fiber looking at cargo. help
 
As the title says im new to cf world.
I would like a cargo . as it sounds pretty good
on utube and its small. I need a pickup and was
wondering what types were put in these guitars
over the years, and which pup youall think was
the best. Obviously a soundhole pup is out of the
question. But from what ive read there has been a multitude
of factory pups installed in these. Also from what ive read
there was some issues hit and miss with necks moving
in the earlier CA models and difference in tone with the finishes.
The RT finish being prefered. which is not produced by peavey.
Is the raw close to the Rt in tone?

Methos1979 05-08-2019 07:34 AM

I don't have a lot to say to help you as I've never owned or played any Cargo CF guitar but I will say that I saw a guy playing one a few months back at a couple open mics and it sounded really, REALLY good amplified. So whatever they put in that was really good. It was more of a full size model, not the smaller travel one. If I run into him again I'll ask him about the model and pickup system.

penny 05-08-2019 07:48 AM

I have a RT Cargo and regret having the K&K pickup installed. I have that same pickup in most of my wood guitars and it sounded great, but it just doesn’t work well in the Cargo. Love the guitar, tho.

Guest 928 05-08-2019 09:01 AM

I've owned two Cargos. They were both good guitars, but I would recommend the Peavey version. Peavey put a lot of effort into improving the fit and finish of the guitar and it paid off in a great instrument.

Red_Label 05-08-2019 11:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EvanB (Post 6056971)
I've owned two Cargos. They were both good guitars, but I would recommend the Peavey version. Peavey put a lot of effort into improving the fit and finish of the guitar and it paid off in a great instrument.

Agreed. I had a pre-Peavey model and my current Peavey model, both at the same time, and the Peavey one is still with me (for now). The pre-Peavey did have both a tone and volume knob in the sound hole, whereas the Peavey has a single volume in the hole. But honestly I prefer just having a volume... since the pickup tone is great as-is. The tone control would just be something to fiddle with.

I prefer the raw carbon finish of the Peavey to the painted pre-Peavey that I had. I also prefer the Peavey open-gear tuners to the pre-Peavey Schallers (or whatever they were).

I've been toying with selling or trading the Peavey Cargo. I bought it as a travel/camp/whatever guitar that I could just not care about regarding temp/humidity changes. It's perfect for that. It plays flawlessly and sounds great. But I usually play my full-size guitars most of the time, or my mandolins. When I do feel the need to play on a small/parlor size instrument, I have a Yamaha CSF1M that also sounds great. Though it doesn't have a cutaway and active electronics like the Cargo does. I've got a room that's overflowing with acoustic instruments... and I'm TRYING to thin the herd a little as I prepare for semi-retirement. But I'll-be-darned if they don't just keep multiplying in there! I think I have at least 20 acoustic instruments to feed (water) and care for right now... in that respect the Cargo has them all beat. I should just sell EVERYTHING and keep the Cargo! Would make my life very easy.

Guest 928 05-08-2019 03:03 PM

Red;

I entered your sound cloud, very nice. You are an excellent player and I'll be spending some time reviewing your work. Thank you for the listen.

varmonter 05-08-2019 04:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Red_Label (Post 6057061)
Agreed. I had a pre-Peavey model and my current Peavey model, both at the same time, and the Peavey one is still with me (for now). The pre-Peavey did have both a tone and volume knob in the sound hole, whereas the Peavey has a single volume in the hole. But honestly I prefer just having a volume... since the pickup tone is great as-is. The tone control would just be something to fiddle with.

I prefer the raw carbon finish of the Peavey to the painted pre-Peavey that I had. I also prefer the Peavey open-gear tuners to the pre-Peavey Schallers (or whatever they were).

I've been toying with selling or trading the Peavey Cargo. I bought it as a travel/camp/whatever guitar that I could just not care about regarding temp/humidity changes. It's perfect for that. It plays flawlessly and sounds great. But I usually play my full-size guitars most of the time, or my mandolins. When I do feel the need to play on a small/parlor size instrument, I have a Yamaha CSF1M that also sounds great. Though it doesn't have a cutaway and active electronics like the Cargo does. I've got a room that's overflowing with acoustic instruments... and I'm TRYING to thin the herd a little as I prepare for semi-retirement. But I'll-be-darned if they don't just keep multiplying in there! I think I have at least 20 acoustic instruments to feed (water) and care for right now... in that respect the Cargo has them all beat. I should just sell EVERYTHING and keep the Cargo! Would make my life very easy.

What pickup is in your pv cargo? What year did pv buy composite acoustics? anyone know?

tbeltrans 05-08-2019 06:21 PM

I have three pre-Peavey Cargos from back when they were still using GOTOH 510 (high quality) tuners. Fortunately, I had the foresight to order spare parts for my Cargos from CA Guitars through The Podium, so I have spare sets of those quality tuners, and carbon fiber nuts and saddles.

All three of my Cargos have the K & K pickups installed. They have to be EQ'd to sound good. I came up with a number of ways to do it, but now have settled on the Empress ParaEQ. It is simple enough and works very well:

https://empresseffects.com/products/paraeq

There was another guy, I think jonsfield45, that found that installing two of the three K & K elements resulted in a much more balanced sound. Since I have the Empress, I have not bothered experimenting with that.

Though the K & K pickups work well for me, I would not recommend them on the Cargo. The Cargo has a VERY strong lower mid-range component that has to be EQ'd, so with the K & K pickups, you can't just plug it in directly to an amp or board and expect to get a good sound.

I also have two McPherson Touring guitars. To me, these are what the Cargo could have become IF either CA Guitars or Peavey had sunk enough R & D into it. Fortunately, McPherson did, and the result is absolutely stellar.

It has the same 22 3/4" scale, same body size as the Cargo, but is deeper. It sounds very good and balanced and it has the LR Baggs Element pickup, which has been EQ'd specifically for use in the Touring guitar. That system has tone (with center detent) and volume controls just inside the sound hole, as well as one of those Velcro battery bags inside. You can just plug the Touring in and it sounds fine. I don't need to EQ it at all, and it does not have an of that silly "quack" sound.

If you are willing to spend the extra money for the Touring, it is well worth it, especially if you intend to keep the guitar for a long time. McPherson is not a half-assed company. They are known for making some of the finest carbon fiber hunting bows, which is what my nephews know them for, so expect them to make an equally fine guitar. :)

Anyway, for a small guitar, I recommend the McPherson Touring:

https://mcphersonguitars.com/product...-fiber-guitar/

If you opt for one of these, get the version with the honeycomb top, the gold German Schaller tuners, and the gold EVO frets. It is the top of the line of that model, and that is what both of mine are. I would not get any of the earlier Kevin Michael versions, as I played a few and did think they were nearly as good as what these instruments have evolved into today. Even if in the future, McPherson makes more changes, today's model truly is more than good enough. I can't see how it could be improved, but the earlier models just didn't have it yet.

I have had my Cargos since around 2006 or 2007, and plan to keep both them and the McPhersons for a very long time.

Tony

varmonter 05-12-2019 05:16 AM

thnks tbeltrans very informative.

birdsong 05-12-2019 06:49 AM

Composite Acoustics went out of business in late Feb or 2010. Peavey purchased the company soon after.

I very much my CA GX player with the RT neck (2008 model). I take it camping or places where I do not have to worry about leaving it in the car for a while. I do not know what type of pickup it has - I can't quite tell but I also have not done a "medically thorough" investigation. It works, but since I no longer play out, I don't really need to know.

I also really enjoy my CA Cargo. I take this to northern Nicaragua, where I work each year for 4-6 weeks. The coffee farm is within a very humid forested area, and we are way off the grid. The Cargo is perfect for the situation. And it fits in the overhead of most planes.

I have read comments over in the Classifieds (from which I bought both of mine), that ping between those who prefer the Pre-Peavey vs. those who prefer the Peavey-made models (as stated in a couple posts here). I wish I could find some to do the comparison. All I can suggest is that if you don't need "the best" then buy on price. And you can't beat the prices over in the Classifieds (some Cargo's and larger sizes are posted now).

John


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