Carbon Fiber Dreads ???
 

Howdy again everyone. After all of your great advice you gave me on my crossroads post. I have decided to keep trying and maybe write some songs.

I have always wanted a carbon fiber dread, so I think now might be the time to do it.
So not thinking high end dreads, which ones should I look at for good bass and strumming ?

Will prob sell or trade a nice hollowbody electric I never play to fund one.

Thanks
Bill

Hey Bill,
There's been a couple recent posts praising the Rainsong dread that should still be near the top of the page. Of course being a Emerald fan boy, I have to mention their X30. A lot is going to depend on your needs, wants and budget, there's a number of great CF dreads from different manufactures available. Emeralds are sold direct, so you may have to try and find a local owner to try one, for any other brand, I would call Ted at LA Guitars. He is a wealth of knowledge and great to deal with. Best of luck to you.

Thanks John ! Will prob be looking more towards used or lower budget.

Thanks again
Bill

I like my Composite Acoustics Legacy. I think you can find used for a reasonable price. I think it has a very wood like sound and is comfortable to play. I like best with 80/20's.
Again, Ted at LA Guitars is a great source for all things carbon fiber.

Hi, Bill

I can’t speak to their dreads, but I have a RainSong concert hybrid parlor. I do own and play wood guitars, as well. For example, I have a Martin and a Taylor, with a Collings on the way. All I can tell you is that I love my CF parlor and I play it frequently. It is very comfortable to play and very loud for its size. It seems to be well built and I expect it will last a long time with little maintenance or preventive care. I like the peace of mind that comes with knowing I can have it with me just about anywhere, pretty much worry free. I was a bit hesitant to buy a CF, but I’m so glad I did. RainSongs aren’t inexpensive, but they don’t break the bank and you could probably find one (new or used) for reasonable price. So, to sum it up, I love my CF and in my limited experience RainSong builds a quality, comfy, relatively nice sounding guitar. Get yourself one!

Love the CA Legacy, the ones with the RAW finish should be priced right if the OP can find one.

I have a Rainsong Black Ice dread that sounds great for strumming and flatpicking. This one is 14-fret but apparently Rainsong does a 12-fret also as someone posted recently.

https://i.imgur.com/5hRtRvQ.jpg?1

Thanks for all of the great advice and sharing your wisdom guys.

I have been looking online and looks like I will be keeping an eye out for a good used

Thanks
Bill

I've been playing my RainSong H DR1000 as my primary guitar for the past 7 years. It is by far my favorite for any kind of playing I do. :)

You can see and hear the different styles I play with my RainSong Dred by checking out my YouTube channel. I play it plugged in mostly, but there are several examples of just acoustic.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7I..._as=subscriber

Over the years I've owned a Legacy, CO-DR and H-DR. I think the H-DR is the best CF dreadnought of those options.

If you're still in the market, there's a CA dread listed in the AGF Classifieds.
Not mine, although I have bought 2 off of the AGF Classifieds in the past...

It's almost a consensus at this point that the RainSong Hybrid H-DR is the most "dread-y" dread on the market. There are a few other options out there, from both RainSong and CA, but it seems like the H-DR is where a lot of folks on this particular search will land.

I spent about a year searching for carbon fiber dreads but the only thing that sounded remotely like a Martin was the Rainsong Hybrid. And, even then it was much more in the D-18 camp than a D-28. Nonetheless it was a very nice guitar. My plan was to buy it when I came back from a trip. But, it sold while I was gone and I haven’t had CF gas since.

Pre Peavey CA Legacy comments and questions
 

First time posting. I own a pre Peavey CA Legacy that I purchased in 2004. I also own a Martin D18 I purchased in 1974 and a Martin GPC PA5 that I won in a raffle a few years ago. Of the 3 I prefer the CA Legacy by far. I bought it for the sound and tone and not the clijmate benefits one gets from carbon fiber. I find that I can also slide my left hand up and down the neck far easier than I can with either of the Martin guitars. Those are all big pros for me. The on board Fishman electronics work great. I'm legall blind, so the tuner is not easy for me to see. I bought a Snark tuner, but I actually prefer the old tuning for and using my ear to electronic tuners. Only con is I wich it had a cutaway. It was the only carbon fiber guitar in the shop where I bought it, so I was unaware of other models (GX, OX) at the time.
Questions: What can anyone thell me about the bracing of this guitar? I have felt inside and can surmise it is an X bracing using real wood. The newer Peavey models use carbon fiber bracing, I believe. And are there strings that work better for carbon fiber guitars? I currently have Martin Authentic Lights on the guitar and really like the D'Addario EXP coated phosphor bronze. I did not like Elixer nor Dean Markley as well. I hear good things about Santa Cruz strings. But are there strings that work best on a carbon fiber guitar?