New Cargo Day !

[revive]

I finally pulled the trigger on a Cargo RT from fellow AGF member Muzicmaken (thanks!). The Cargo arrives yesterday in its original box, which doesn’t look like a guitar box because it’s quite short. So when I saw the box, a thought crossed my mind, “This doesn’t look like the Cargo. Maybe this is the replacement air filters for the A/C. UPS must have messed up again.”

But sure enough it’s the Cargo. I couldn’t be more pleased. As twice-an-owner of Little Martin, the Little Martin naturally becomes my point of reference when evaluating the Cargo. The Cargo gig bag is nice, well-padded, sturdy; I like it better than Little Martin’s gig bag. I love the Cargo sound. While IMO Cargo is s not that much louder than Little Martin, it sounds fuller, much more pleasant, and more balanced (Little Martin is way too middy). The Cargo is not as boomy as what I expected; it sounds balanced with a slight emphasis on the low-end. I found the bass quite satisfying. Ergonomics, playing comfort, nut width are much better than Little Martin. With the offset soundhole, no more pick-falling-into-the-soundhole problem anymore

It will be interesting to compare Cargo vs. Emerald X7. Can’t wait for MacNichol's road trip!

Some "stock photos" from the seller...

[Cannon]

Cargos are great guitars. Pretty well indestructable also. Enjoy!

[K III]

Congratulations. I have a charcoal RT, too, and am enjoying it a lot. Everywhere. It already got 100,000 airline miles :-)

The downside is: It doesn't have a truss rod

[chistrummer]

Congratulations, these are great little guitars. I have two Cargos (bought a spare when CA closed) and the first one has been in my SUV since I got it.

BTW, I had a chance to compare the Cargo to the X7 a few months ago at LA Guitar Sales and I must say I was pleasantly surprised by the X7. One thing that struck me right away was the weight difference, the X7 is much lighter. The X7 has a cleaner tone with much better note separation but the Cargo does have more bass. Emerald ships their travel guitars with 11's so they are very easy on the fingers but I think 12's will give it a fuller sound.

For what these guitars will be used for I think either will work fine and if the X7 was out when CA went down I probably would not have bothered wit an extra Cargo, but I'm glad I have it.

Congrats again on acquiring one of the last original Cargos.

[Jaygits]

good for you --- I have the same charcoal at home. The more rare find would be the original Cargo Natural --- we made a few that showed the carbon weave with a clear finish over the top. These were eventually voted down due to production issues but we still felt it was important for marketing purposes to show the weave in some manner. That is why you have a kind of carbon weave purfling around the top. Otherwise on the dealers wall the guitar just looks like a grey guitar.

Enjoy!

Jay

[JasonA]

I had one of those first Cargo naturals, the ones where you could also see the brace pattern. I currently have one of the later raw models, the ones with the rougher back finish and different tuners. I must say, the raw sounds better to me, but they were both excellent guits. Congrats on your acquisition!

[revive]

I used to own an OX Raw. I've never tried Cargo Raw, though. But to me RT sounds a little bit warmer than Raw, while Raw is a little bit more responsive than RT.

The RT finish looks really bulletproof. Even though my Cargo is 2 years old, the RT finish is still intact, probably 95% mint. The carbon fiber purfling looks really cool.

[revive]

Originally Posted by petelor

Congratulations, these are great little guitars. I have two Cargos (bought a spare when CA closed) and the first one has been in my SUV since I got it.

BTW, I had a chance to compare the Cargo to the X7 a few months ago at LA Guitar Sales and I must say I was pleasantly surprised by the X7. One thing that struck me right away was the weight difference, the X7 is much lighter. The X7 has a cleaner tone with much better note separation but the Cargo does have more bass. Emerald ships their travel guitars with 11's so they are very easy on the fingers but I think 12's will give it a fuller sound.

For what these guitars will be used for I think either will work fine and if the X7 was out when CA went down I probably would not have bothered wit an extra Cargo, but I'm glad I have it.

Congrats again on acquiring one of the last original Cargos.

Interesting post!

I haven't tried any Emerald guitar. But FWIW here's my hypothesis on Cargo vs. X7:

Cargo: woodier, bassier, darker, slightly louder, fuller & warmer, better strummer, better vocal accompaniment

X7: more balanced, brighter, slightly longer sustain, better fingerstyle guitar, better pickup/construction/gigbag


I don't know if you'd agree with this hypothesis...

[chistrummer]

Originally Posted by revive

Interesting post!

I haven't tried any Emerald guitar. But FWIW here's my hypothesis on Cargo vs. X7:

Cargo: woodier, bassier, darker, slightly louder, fuller & warmer, better strummer, better vocal accompaniment

X7: more balanced, brighter, slightly longer sustain, better fingerstyle guitar, better pickup/construction/gigbag


I don't know if you'd agree with this hypothesis...

Interesting to read a an evaluation based on nothing more than imagination. Is this what the Internet has become?

[revive]

I don't know how you came to that assumption. Or perhaps presumption, I should have said, because that is what invalid assumptions are called.

My hypothesis is an 'educated guess' based on various reviews, specs, Youtube clips, audio clips, etc. I'll have an opportunity to try out X7 very soon. So it will be interesting to see if my hypothesis holds!

I'm sorry if my curiousity has offended you

[patticake]

congrats on your cargo - i also have an rt, and i love it! lots of bass, a surprisingly big sound and the right strings make it sound amazing

[Acousticado]

I bought my Cargo in March 2008, charcoal RT (pre-CF purfling). I remember the see-throughtop such that the bracing showed through. I was one who didn't like that effect. In fact, almost immediately after buying the Cargo, I was so impressed, I was ready to buy a high-gloss carbon burst GXi, but the offset soundhole models with that finish all revealed the bracing. I bought a GXi in HG tobacco burst instead, which I love. I believe that toward the end, CA found a way to hide the bracing in the carbon burst GXis.

[revive]

Originally Posted by patticake

congrats on your cargo - i also have an rt, and i love it! lots of bass, a surprisingly big sound and the right strings make it sound amazing

THanks!
Yes it's an amazing little guitar, which basically sounds like a dread (only with a little less volume). Btw, what strings would you recommend? I currently use D'Addario EXP17 (medium PB). I think medium strings can gauge more tones out of this amazing little box than light strings.

[revive]

Originally Posted by Acousticado

I bought my Cargo in March 2008, charcoal RT (pre-CF purfling). I remember the see-throughtop such that the bracing showed through. I was one who didn't like that effect. In fact, almost immediately after buying the Cargo, I was so impressed, I was ready to buy a high-gloss carbon burst GXi, but the offset soundhole models with that finish all revealed the bracing. I bought a GXi in HG tobacco burst instead, which I love. I believe that toward the end, CA found a way to hide the bracing in the carbon burst GXis.

Wow I've never seen the see-through top models. I've never tried a GXi either, although I've heard wonderful things about it. Since it also has an offset soundhole, I imagine it sounds like a much-bigger version of Cargo.

[Acousticado]

Originally Posted by revive

...I've never tried a GXi either, although I've heard wonderful things about it. Since it also has an offset soundhole, I imagine it sounds like a much-bigger version of Cargo.

Like I said, I was so impressed with the Cargo, I thought the GXi would be a bigger version of it but with more umph, so I ordered one. I was only just a bit right. Although the design and construction is a bigger Cargo, for whatever reason, the tone of the GXi is another beast entirely -- much more complex and different than any guitar I've ever played (not that I've played a whole lot of brands). Like the Cargo, the GXi has a very strong bass (which I love), but that's where the similarity ends. The GXi has this very unique stereo-like ambiance and piano-like ring to it. I play both with a pick and without, and without, the guitar sounds very soft/mellow, yet still loud. With a pick, it's a cannon. As a result, it has a lot of range. I've read that some guys don't like it when they first try it and I can understand why. It's a guitar that can fool someone because it takes time to get used to it to draw out all it can deliver.