#1
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Mary Spender Lava update
I don't have a Lava but thought some here might be interested.
Mary Spender reviewed one a while back - here is an update. The original review:
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#2
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TDQ;
Thanks for bringing this to the forum. The Lava has received a lot of attention here and mixed reviews. I think it is interesting and that it sounds pretty good. |
#3
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I think they could sell a lot more of these if they made them look more like a guitar instead of a toy.
Seems like a lot of effort expended to make them look "un-guitar-like". |
#4
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This is the problem with many carbon fiber guitars I see. Too pointy, too toy-ish looking, or terrible names. |
#5
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Oh, and too expensive$$$!!!
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#6
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This. I deeply want a Rainsong, but if I'm going to spend $3k on a guitar then sorry but I'm getting a D-18.
One of these manufacturers could sell carbon fiber guitars hand-over-fist if they made a simple, traditional-looking, full size acoustic-electric in the $1250-$1500 range. No built-in effects processors, just an affordable acoustic-electric guitar.
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Eastman AC422CE - sitka & rosewood '86 Guild D-25 - spruce & mahogany Taylor GS Mini - spruce & rosewood Eastman MD-514 Mandolin - spruce & maple Kentucky KM-250 Mandolin - spruce & maple |
#7
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RainSong's wood veneer top guitars look to me like RainSong made a Martin... and there is a market for that. While I've never found a Martin that I bonded with, you can buy a D-18 for $2499 pretty much everywhere. Look, I just saved you $500! Buy 5 more Martins, and you'll save enough to pay for that RainSong! Yes, I'm joking. Some folks seem to think carbon fiber guitars are kicked out like a Play-Dough Fun Factory and should be less expensive "than wood" (and there are a LOT of wood price points out there). Making a carbon fiber guitar to the same quality as a D-18 is not inexpensive. Come to Crazy Jim's Carbon Fiber Guitar Emporium - we sell 'em so cheap that we lose money on each sale... but, we make it up in the volume. I know: back to my corner... I'm in a weird mood today.
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Some CF, some wood. |
#8
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Phydaux;
The Journey comes pretty close to what you describe. |
#9
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I think this might be the first time I've ever seen 'terrible name' being used as a reason not to consider a guitar.
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Martin 0-16NY Emerald Amicus Emerald X20 Cordoba Stage Some of my tunes: https://youtube.com/user/eatswodo |
#10
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Can you believe that some people think acoustic guitar players are too traditional? I guess you can change the name of a guitar once it is yours. I'm thinking about calling mine Bob... 'cause that's what it does if you drop it in the water. Maybe Art - 'cause it looks good hanging on the wall. I made a joke a while back about a new model of the Enya CF guitar, called "Face." Enya Face - get it? (crickets chirping) A lot of the "2nd tier" carbon fiber guitars are made in China. No disrespect meant (well, maybe a little), but they don't seem to be real good with coming up with names that appeal to westerners. Some of you know I enjoy riding motorcycles and scooters. One of the major manufacturers of scooters is Kymco in Taiwan. They make good scooters. Some of their model names (Like, Bet & Win, X-citing, Grand Dink) leave me scratching my head. For guitars made in Asia, Journey is a great name. So, it can be done.
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Some CF, some wood. |
#11
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True. I’m having a hard time coming up with any currently available CF guitar from any of the major makers which are even remotely ‘pointy’.
I suppose the Emerald headstock *might* qualify, but I’ve never been injured by any of mine, and the very similar PRS shape never inspires comment anywhere. And as for ‘toy-ish’ - I’d really like an example. Not being defensive here, really. I just have a very low tolerance for basic silliness.
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Martin 0-16NY Emerald Amicus Emerald X20 Cordoba Stage Some of my tunes: https://youtube.com/user/eatswodo |
#12
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Who makes the Journey?
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Eastman AC422CE - sitka & rosewood '86 Guild D-25 - spruce & mahogany Taylor GS Mini - spruce & rosewood Eastman MD-514 Mandolin - spruce & maple Kentucky KM-250 Mandolin - spruce & maple |
#13
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OF COURSE Martin doesn't sell a D-18 for $1500. But they DO sell their Road series guitars for that, and I have a feeling you knew that just as well as I did. So just like the Road series fills a niche in the Martin guitar line-up, there is a similar niche in the carbon fiber guitar line-up, and it's empty. A marketing-savvy executive could fill that hole and generate a lot of profit for his company.
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Eastman AC422CE - sitka & rosewood '86 Guild D-25 - spruce & mahogany Taylor GS Mini - spruce & rosewood Eastman MD-514 Mandolin - spruce & maple Kentucky KM-250 Mandolin - spruce & maple |
#14
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There are other sub $2K CF guitar companies too but I'm not impressed with them as much as I am with Journey's offerings. Just my opinion. Horses for courses. I see you have a GS Mini. Here is a good video showing the differences/ similarities Last edited by steelvibe; 09-02-2021 at 07:53 PM. |
#15
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RainSong did make a lesser expensive line for a short time that bit into their more expensive sales. There is a reason they discontinued that line. Unlike the huge wood manufacturers (Taylor and Martin), carbon fiber guitar production isn't easy or profitable to "ramp up" by producing a loss-leader; with the limited number of CF made, each sale counts. I've discussed the business aspects a time or twelve here, but basically, it isn't about marketing savvy, it is about understanding the nature of the niche market for carbon fiber guitars. At the end of the business year, if a manufacturer is showing a 10% profit, they are well above average. If you could make one $3,000 guitar vs 2 $1,500 guitars, it doesn't take a marketing savvy executive to understand that you are doing twice as much work for the same or less net. Nothing snarky about that - it's business. Taylor and Martin has sales that can support manufacturing outside the US, lesser finishes, lesser appointments, less expensive wood, and significantly less labor costs. But, I'm guessing you wouldn't be happy with a $1,500 D-18 made in Mexico with a lesser finish compared to that $2,499 version. The same applies to carbon fiber guitars: look at the finish and workmanship on an Emerald, RainSong, or McPherson... compared to a Journey (better than most of the Asian-made CF), Lava Me or Enya. It isn't about making more of them cheaper, it is about maximizing the sales that the niche market will support. I like my carbon fiber guitars, and I understand why they are priced the way they are.
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Some CF, some wood. |