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  #1  
Old 04-17-2023, 08:52 AM
PassingThru PassingThru is offline
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Default Switch to Carbon Fiber Only

Has anyone on the forum switched to carbon fiber only guitars and sold their classic wooden guitars?

Been on my mind for a good while due to humidity control in my fifth wheel RV. Might be able to make the switch if I bought a X20 to go with my X7.
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Old 04-17-2023, 09:06 AM
Earl49 Earl49 is offline
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Not quite a total conversion, but I am well on my way. At this point the only wood guitars remaining are an all koa Taylor 424 and an Alvarez ABT60 baritone. Taylor remains because I love koa wood and Hawaiian music. The baritone is here because I like to play it once in a while as a novelty, but not nearly enough to justify going CF baritone. I even have a composite Blackbird Farallon ukulele, and the nice wooden ukes never leave the closet anymore.

I enjoy grabbing any one of the CF's and tossing it in the car for trips and for jams, without much consideration for weather conditions. I'm driving to AZ in a couple of weeks to visit friends there and along the way. Not a chance that a wood guitar goes on that road trip.
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Old 04-17-2023, 09:56 AM
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Methos1979 Methos1979 is offline
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I have done so on two occasions. But since I'm always on the prowl to try something else, I soon find myself with wood guitars again. But I could easily be very happy with all carbon fiber. It certainly does make life easy not worrying about humidity or other detrimental environmental concerns. If I lived in a RV I would definitely almost surely be all CF!
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Old 04-17-2023, 10:04 AM
Nama Ensou Nama Ensou is offline
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お昔に変えたのね。木製のやつは最近に買ったけれでも、お友達に上げちゃったね。
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Old 04-17-2023, 11:02 AM
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Had gone through at least 60 guitars since 2010 keeping at least 5 at a time I had to make a switch to all carbon in 2018 reason being I moved to the high desert to the Kern river area of California. The idea of having to keep the wood humidified 24/7 didn't work for me so I went with carbon fiber, the first being a Rainsong Smokey which blew me away when I bought it and still does. I added a Enya Pro 4x this last Christmas when the price was low and though being a little on the heavy side it plays well and sounds great. I bought it in case someone stopped by and wanted to jam a bit. I have no regrets going to carbon fiber only. There are a few on this forum that knows some of the great guitars that went through my hands.
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Old 04-17-2023, 05:13 PM
jdinco jdinco is online now
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I was another that was almost there, but missed that special tone of wood guitars. Now I have several fine wood ones and only one CF.
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Old 04-17-2023, 06:53 PM
Markcarl Markcarl is offline
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I haven’t switched over as I still own some Collings, Martin, and Taylor guitars. Having said that, the last 5 guitars I’ve purchased are all carbon fiber - 3 Rainsongs and 2 Emeralds. I live in South Dakota and I love being able to leave the carbon fiber guitars hanging up around the house. These are the guitars I play the most!

I will say this, the quality of the Rainsong and Emerald carbon fiber guitars I’ve played is at the same level as the Collings, Martin, and Taylor guitars I’ve played. I have no reason to doubt the same doesn’t apply to the other carbon fiber guitar builders. I never feel like I’m settling / compromising when it comes to tone or playability! I love not having to baby the carbon fiber guitars and worry about temperature and humidity!

My friend Jerry visited over the weekend. He brought his Martin D28 and C Fox OM guitar. We stayed up late 2 nights and played all our guitars. I really enjoyed hearing him play the different guitars. There were Martins, Collins, Taylors, Rainsongs, and Emeralds. I love the tone of wood guitars and carbon fiber guitars. None of the guitars were duds!
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Old 04-17-2023, 07:43 PM
Captain Jim Captain Jim is offline
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Right there with you, Markcarl - I haven't felt that any of my carbon fiber guitars were a compromise to get that humidity/temp indifference that brings most of us to carbon fiber in the first place.

The good folks in this sub-forum already know how good CF is... or, they're interested in learning more about it. For now, I'll run with carbon and wood; if the time comes for me to pare down more, it will be my CF guitars that will stay.
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Old 04-17-2023, 08:27 PM
K20C K20C is offline
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I recently bought a Rainsong APSE and have several nice wood guitars. I wouldn’t replace the wood guitars with CF ones but I was thinking the other day that if I had to pare down to just one guitar, it might be the APSE. It sounds that good for what I play, I love the 12 frets and short scale and, of course, the worry-free aspect of it is wonderful.
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Old 04-17-2023, 10:28 PM
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I was down to an X7 for a while in 2019, but the scale was shorter than I liked and I missed the feel of wood. Got a CEO-7 and then an 000-28EC and was totally besotted with the Mod-V neck on those two Martins. I now have those two and my carbon tastes have moved me into a McPherson Sable. The Sable is an amazing guitar and if I liked the neck even ALMOST as much as the neck on eith of those Martins, I could get by with just that guitar, but I don’t like the Sable’s neck anywhere near as much as the Mod-V, so it gets by far the least play time of my three acoustics. Plus, we just moved from Pennsylvania to Oregon, where humidity is much friendlier to wood guitars and I’m not sure I even need a carbon fiber guitar. I’m sure I’ll keep the Sable, but it feels a lot less necessary now…

So, the short answer is “yeah, I did, but it didn’t last long”…

-Ray
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Old 04-18-2023, 09:17 AM
Melt in the Sun Melt in the Sun is online now
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I am currently there - my only acoustic is an X20. I've never had all that many guitars, but I did sell my Taylor dread to partially fund it. I'm happy right now! Comfort and playability is second to none (I sent it out for plek after I received it), and the sound is good enough. Is it the best sounding guitar I've ever played? Not remotely - but it is a well balanced sound with tons of headroom and thus there's nothing to complain about, even if nothing to rave about either.
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Old 04-18-2023, 10:29 AM
Earl49 Earl49 is offline
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At the moment I still have the luxury of owning multiple CF guitars. If it someday came down to keeping just one, I would be torn between my Emerald X20 and my Rainsong WS-1000, with the Rainsong having a slight edge this month. The Emerald X7 might be in the mix too, as it is my wife's favorite and I can play it too. But the wooden instruments would lose outright. I have suffered several lifetimes worth of humidity care for wood guitars and ukulele after living in Alaska for many years.
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Old 04-18-2023, 10:33 AM
Kray Van Kirk Kray Van Kirk is offline
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I've been CF only since about 2004. I lived in Alaska for 25 years and got a pair of Rainsongs; the cold had cracked the finish on all my wooden guitars. :-p I've a pair of Leviora CF now.
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Old 04-18-2023, 02:35 PM
Marshall Marshall is offline
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CF, or another artificial material will never overtake my love for the sound of a good wooden guitar. But the alternate materials can be a great roll player for inclement conditions.
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Old 04-20-2023, 01:07 AM
koa&cedar koa&cedar is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PassingThru View Post
Has anyone on the forum switched to carbon fiber only guitars and sold their classic wooden guitars?
I will as soon technology and their voicing knowledge/experimentation allows them to make CF dread or jumbo guitar with realy thick, fat, round, beautiful and ringing trebles. I still have to check if Rainsong APSE can mybe deliver trebles like that, but if not, the wooden ones will stay...
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