Just got my Composite Acoustic 5iM-CE today - A Review

WorksInTheory · #1 10-14-2008, 08:12 PM

Finally got my 5iM-CE from FED-EX today. It actually was delivered on Saturday but I wasn't home. I was taking my 4mo old daughter to the apple orchard and pumpkin patch and that was so worth missing the delivery of my new guitar. I know that Fed-Ex only delivers on Mon - Sat but for some reason they didn't try again on Monday, so I got it today - Tuesday.

So on to the initial assessment...

APPEARANCE
*Charcoal is better than the other colors in my opinion but still not as nice as the old Carbon Reveal. This paint job makes it look a little bit plasticky or toy like probably because of the grainy texture of the RT coat. Maybe if it was just all black it would be better. I am glad they atleast have the carbon reveal binding. Wish they ran that up on the Fretboard too
*The shape of the guitar is very sleek
*The label inside says 5Mi-CE instead of 5iM-CE so that was surprising... anyone know what it should be? The label also looks like it has some small paint splotches on it or the color came off the label in some places.

FEEL
*The guitar feels great. It is light but not fragile or too thin. It fits well onto the leg or my side.
*Fretboard and neck is wider than expected but the fingers fit on it well
*The action is amazing - so easy to play. Responds so well just to a light touch. Bar chords are easily played on this.
*The finish doesn't feel as rough as I expected. Especially around the neck - it's a little more smooth than the rest of the guitar.

SOUND
*Initial playing reveals that the sound is quite loud.
*While there is some bass, the sound seems muffled vs. clear and airy and bright. This is with thumb or finger.
*Playing with a pick helps this somewhat and makes it even louder but still somewhat muffled or compressed
*It does not sound like wood but it is not a bad sound or that far away.
*Sustain is there - a note will ring if you hold it after but the beginning part of the note when played seems different than on my other guitars.
*The body is more thumpy when bumped or tabpped - can be some interesting percussive effects developed there while playing.
*WILL HAVE TO CHECK PLUGGED IN SOUND LATER...

I guess I am not blown away like all the reviews I have read. All this being said, I can already tell that the guitar is growing on me. Maybe I just wasn't used to how the offset soundhole projects. I did play a GX Performer a long time ago (not A-B'd back to back) and I think I liked the sound and look of that one better. However I think this one has a better neck feel and far superior playability. Probably all my imagination as someone will tell me they are both exactly the same except the soundhole (an thus the sound). Definitely more bass on the 5iM-CE though.

I am going to give it more time and post updated assessments as I go. Hopefully it grows on me... if not maybe someone will trade me their GX Performer for this. I seen those used sell for around the same price as the 5iM-CE relatively new.

Any tips and suggestions welcome too from those of you far more experienced with these guitars than I am. By the way - got my guitar from MacNichol and Michael was fantastic to work with. I wish him all the best in his business!

Thanks.

ematsuda · #2 10-14-2008, 09:01 PM

I just think you need to get used to difference in comparison to your wood guitars. It is different sounding but not a bad thing.

Taylorplayer · #3 10-14-2008, 09:03 PM

I have to play a composite guitar some day. I always read good reports about that type of instrument.

mhs · #4 10-14-2008, 09:46 PM

Hi Works,

I'm not even close to "blown away" by the CA cargo I got months back and each time I see a glowing review here, it amazes me. I have a cheap Yamaha that sounds incredible by comparison, but it is a full size instrument.

However, I've gotten used to the thing and it has grown on me somewhat for it's intended purpose.

I can tell you that I had the exact same problem when I got my Cargo regarding the muffled sound, but it was repairable for me.

The problem was a shoddy saddle fit that had the saddle jammed in a little bit above the bottom of the bridge groove. I yanked it out, sanded the sides, adjusted the action a bit and it got rid of the obvious muffled sound.

Yes, the sound is nothing like wood, and the string balance on offset hole CA's is weird. I was able to overcome that by sanding the bottom of the saddle at a slight angle keeping the top 2 strings just a bit higher action than the rest, and I have also gotten by that by using a one-gauge-up string for the high E and B. It sounds surprisingly good to me when amplified. I can't hear the slightest bit of quack so maybe that's a part of the CF equation.

I hated the bumps on the finish so I sanded them off. That solved that problem. It still looks good as well.

Everything else about the guitar is subjective and I've been pretty vocal about it on these forums so I won't belabor any of those points.

Good luck and congratulations!

konavet · #5 10-14-2008, 11:36 PM

I got a 7iM-ce about a month ago, and frankly I was underwhelmed by the sound at first. But now that I've had it a while and played it a lot, I really like the sound. It was just so different that my ears didn't know how to process it. Just like a resonator or an archtop has a very different quality, the CAs have a unique quality as well. It has a very round, full tone with a strong fundamental. It really sounds great with open tunings. Listeners have commented on how good the guitar sounds.

If I have one complaint, it's the electronics. I just don't like the quacky UST pickup, even though it's a good one (Fishman Infinity). I've gotten used to it and I think it will be OK, but I'd love to hear what a K&K PWM would sound like in this.

jbryant · #6 10-15-2008, 06:38 AM

I've had my 7iM-CE for a little over a month and so far I'm very happy with it. I'm pretty much a strummer with a pick so to my ears it doesn't sound muffled at all, just the opposite, very bright and balanced with incredible bass. What I've noticed plugged in at gigs is that the bass response and the sustain are much better than any wood guitar I've owned. Capoed up it sounds just like it does without a capo which is also different from any guitar I've owned. Most get pretty thunky capoed at about the 5th fret. It's been a great gig guitar, very comfortable to stand with. I'm going this weekend to compare it to a 5iM-CE at a local shop and see if possible the RT finish vs the Gloss finish actually sound different. Probably shouldn't but I'll let ya know.

WorksInTheory · #7 10-15-2008, 06:54 AM

Yeah it does have a bright sound but not as open and airy... don't if that makes any sense? It still continues to grow on me.

One thing that is interesting is the difference between the player sound and the audience sound. My wife has a great ear being a singer and former accapella group member and she's listened to all the guitars I have ever had. She thinks this one sounds even more muffled than I do. I'll have to get some one to play it so I can listen from the other side.

Does any one else have:
* the issue with the labels (paint splotch or color coming off)
* the issue Papol had with his saddle?

buzzardwhiskey · #8 10-15-2008, 07:27 AM

Thanks for the review. I have that guitar too and have been auditioning strings. So far, for me, the Dean Markley Alchemy's are my favorites. They help make the guitar as "woody" as I've yet heard.

My second choice is the Newtone Heritage. The feel and sound good, but I can not keep them in tune.

iDavid · #9 10-15-2008, 07:41 AM

I tried a Cargo and didn't care for the off-set sound hole, but thought the sound was pretty good for a small guitar. I bought the 5L (Legacy RT) and it is not muffled at all. Great lows and shimmering highs. I found strings gauge and brand make a huge difference, btw. It blows my Larrivee out of the water. I just can't play the Larrivee at the moment. I am considering buying a higher end wood guitar, cuz I still think a guitar should be wood... problem is, I can't find one that sounds as good as the Legacy...

jbryant · #10 10-15-2008, 10:41 AM

My 7i has the stock Elixir Nano PB lights on it and sounds great. I did find with my Cargo though that when I put Elixir Nano 80/20 Mediums on it it really brightened up the tone and had a lot more volume. So far with the 7i I haven't felt the need for the brighter, heavier gage strings.

I wasn't totally bowled over when I first got the guitar but it has definetely grown on me over time.

WorksInTheory · #11 10-15-2008, 12:19 PM

This is getting very interesting how different our experiences and expectations can be. For example I think my cheaper but all wood Larrivee is fantastic and is the benchmark I use to judge all others. This is very different than iDavid's experience above. To me the 5i does come close in tone but again the tone is bright but it's the space between the note I think... don't how to explain it but definitely does not need brighter strings. The 5i's playability is the best although does seem the neck gets widerf fast the clser you get to the body?

mhs · #12 10-15-2008, 03:23 PM

The different perspectives are so hugely variable that I can't make anything out of them (including my own)

..

I tried 80/20's on the Cargo, and thought I would have to surgically remove my ears after about 20 minutes. The incredible lack of anything resembling tone, to me, was staggering.

The only strings I really like on the Cargo are EJ16's (or the equivalent) PB lights, and when I started with it 6 months back, I would use a couple of high E&B from a medium set. Now I've adjusted some things and have no need for that.

I get the feeling that it's not OK to say that you bought something and you really don't much care for it. That could happen with anything you buy sight unseen over the internet, and it could also happen with things you've only tried in a music store. Price isn't important if you can afford it. You can easily afford to spend every cent you do or don't have on a guitar that you'll find out you dislike. It can happen.

If we were talking about meals in restaurants, I'm pretty sure everyone would (at least once in a while) fess up and say "Hey, that food was utter crap"! but, not with guitars on this forum.

The so-called GAS syndrome referred to incessantly here is so totally foreign to me that I can't begin to explain it. I don't want a bunch of guitars. i just want one that I like playing and another I can bang around the country with. I'm already about 3 over that quota but I only play 2 of them.

WorksInTheory · #13 10-15-2008, 06:33 PM

I agree... I would only need one guitar if it's perfect but maybe that's why we all have GAS... not to collect as many as we can but because most of us are still in search of that one guitar

Also I think "con" comments are every bit as useful and valuable information as "pros" and I appreciate anytime I come across any. It gives a different perspective and sometimes brings up things I hadn't thought about.

WorksInTheory · #14 10-15-2008, 09:16 PM

... I am really getting used to the sound and it is really sounding much better to me!

One thing I noticed appearance wise - the nut does not comepletely fill the slot. It seems smaller than the slot and therefore seems to also lean forward alittle. So not a tight fit and finish like my other guitars.

Do you think this can affect the guitar in a way that makes it sound as I have described?

mhs · #15 10-15-2008, 10:06 PM

Regarding saddle fit: The biggest difference I've heard from my acoustic guitars has been when the saddle fits flush against the bottom and just has enough room to slide in without pressure. If it leans forward noticeably and it's not because there's a deliberate angle to the bottom of the bridge, then it's not fit correctly.

I can't say that I know what type of sound a loose saddle would produce but I would just hazzard a guess that it could cause some sort of audible problem.

I know for sure what too-tight does, and that is to produce the type of sound you were describing (muffled/muted) and that's only when it's not contacting the bottom of the bridge slot. I also doubt that poor saddle contact with the piezo element will do much for the plugged in sound.

Anyway, you can get another carbon fiber saddle from CA for 5 bucks so it's very simple to remedy that saddle problem. I bought mine with 2 spares and am down to 1 spare.