Today I went to Twin Town Guitars and played the Klos. Though they had both the hybrid (wood and CF) and the all CF models, I only played the all CF model. To me, mixing wood and CF defeats what I feel is the primary advantage of CF - being completely (not partially as adding wood might do) impervious to changing environment conditions.
Anyway, my initial impression of the guitar was surprisingly favorable. I had to agree with JP Cormier that it is loud and resonant. The action seemed too high to me, that could easily be adjusted. I wonder if the guitar might lose some tone in the process though.
If the guitar had at least a 1 3/4" nut, I would likely have been sorely tempted to buy it. The 1 11/16" nut and whatever the saddle string spacing was did seem to have enough room to play fingerstyle. The frets are low and fat, which I think worked quite well.
As for JP Cormier's comment that he felt this model sounded better than other CF guitars, I think that is a matter of personal taste. I would think those who own another maker's CF guitar are probably used to that sound and would likely prefer it over this model. Somebody coming from a wood guitar would probably like this model because it has a resonance and fullness that not all CF guitar makers seem to aim for.
The guitar itself is very plain - no bling and the entire body is carbon weave. The top appears to have three different layers sandwiched together. The guitar is light, quite a bit lighter than either my McPhersons or Cargos.
This guitar has a short scale like my Huss & Dalton (probably 24.9 or close to that, rather than like my McPherson Touring and Cargo which are around 22"). The neck is full, sort of like a club for somebody such as myself who is used to Taylor and McPherson necks. It is comfortable though, and I had no problem adjusting to it.
My own sense is that my McPhersons seem more refined, both in sound and appearance. But then I believe there is close to $1k difference in price between the Klos and the Touring.
The shape of this guitar is like that of a dreadnaught. I don't care for that look and seeing people playing a dreadnaught with the picking hand elbow sticking way up in the air looks awfully uncomfortable. However, the Klos, being a small guitar (maybe between the size of an 00 and a 000) is comfortable and actually easier to sit on my knee without having to use a strap. So its shape works quite well in my opinion.
Overall, it is a decent guitar and at approx. $1,999 (essentially $2k) seems to be a the lower end of the decent CF spectrum. I would expect Klos to produce follow-on models and typically we might see various improvements as that happens. If so, I think Klos could very well give everybody else a real run for their money.
As an aside for those living around the Twin Cities area, there was no hint of a threat for being car jacked. I parked right on Lyndale close to the shop and had no trouble at all.
I have not been into the city itself since COVID, so it was good to be around the area once again. If you do go in, remember that Minneapolis has pretty strict guidelines about masks and distancing, and at Twin Town, they will politely ask you to put on a mask upon entering. Everybody in the shop when I was there had one on.
They really have expanded their acoustic offerings since I was last there pre-COVID. Lots of Taylors and Martins and I saw some Seagull guitars (not birds). Also lots of Telecasters, Strats, and especially Gretsch, and of course, lots of really cool pedals. Not good for GAS!
What is still weird for me going into Twin Town is that years ago, that was Roger Benedict's shop. He custom built guitars and basses. He built one classical guitar and I owned it for a number of years. I got to know him and his wife fairly well. Sadly, he died all too soon of Leukemia, and sometime after that, Twin Town came in. When I walk in there, I still expect to see Roger come out of his shop in the back, wiping his hands of the dust from his latest build. I will probably never get over that.
Tony