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#17
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#18
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As some others have mentioned, I have no problem with the price structure of CF guitars in general, and Rainsong in particular. Love my parlor. I could have purchased any of a number of cheaper wooden parlors and even something of high quality like a Martin 0-15 would be about the same price. But the issue of durability living in the heat of the south, very light weight, and a superb but slightly different sound justify the cost. I still love my wood guitars as well, but the Rainsong was well worth what I paid for it.
Jon |
#19
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When will carbon fiber guitars come down in price?
I agree with all regarding price and affordability. My Rainsong is still my least expensive acoustic and the quality rivals my Gibson's.
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Frances |
#20
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And no you can't 3-D print it, it's hogged out of a giant aluminum billet on a CNC.
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Larrivee OM-03RE; O-01 Martin D-35; Guild F-212; Tacoma Roadking Breedlove American Series C20/SR Rainsong SFTA-FLE; WS3000; CH-PA Taylor GA3-12, Guild F-212 https://markhorning.bandcamp.com/music |
#21
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There's something about this mould cost thing I don't understand given how flexible Emerald is in so many custom options, and at very reasonable and competitive prices. Has Alistair developed a unique, adaptable production process that other composite manufacturers have not figured out. It's likely that no one really knows except Alistair, but given Emerald's flexibility and relatively quick turnaround, the referenced mould costs just don't seem to make sense.
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Tom '21 Martin D-18 Standard | '02 Taylor 814c | '18 Taylor 214ceDLX | '18 Taylor 150e-12 | '78 Ibanez Dread (First acoustic) | '08 CA Cargo | '02 Fender Strat American '57 RI My original songs |
#22
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When they can get a robot to "hand-weave" the carbon fibers.
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#23
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That is not a unique process for composite structures, but other guitar makers have chosen to go a different way. (Please correct me if I got something seriously wrong here)
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Breedlove, Landola, a couple of electrics, and a guitar-shaped-object |
#24
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#25
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I suppose we might see some CF instruments at lower than usual prices, produced by companies willing to take a loss in order to reach a market. But, in general, I see no reason for CF guitars to become less expensive. first, the market is clearly growing--Where there used to be one major CF maker there are now four makers. Second, the durability of CF guitars make them serious heirloom possessions that might last generations of players. And third, CF guitars have a consistency and precision that is just not possible with wood.
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#28
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The trade-off is that pre-preg costs more on the materials side, but the labor savings is significant. Older instruments, such as my WS-3000 used the more time-consuming method. Rainsong has gone to all pre-preg (for many good business reasons) but that means that the older molds (like their 12-string molds) are not usable with the new process. Also, autoclaves big enough for a Guitar probably are not inexpensive either. This is one of the things that is slowing down the adoption in the aero-space industry as well. NASA has an autoclave for curing large CF components that cost $100 million to build.
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Larrivee OM-03RE; O-01 Martin D-35; Guild F-212; Tacoma Roadking Breedlove American Series C20/SR Rainsong SFTA-FLE; WS3000; CH-PA Taylor GA3-12, Guild F-212 https://markhorning.bandcamp.com/music |
#29
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Acousticado, I too have wondered about how Emerald pulls off the custom jobs so quickly and at their price points. I haven't seen a virtual Emerald factory tour and Alistair's secret leprechauns are not saying a word.
Kudos to Emerald for filling this niche. I can't believe the price of the Synergy. I better get one before his prices go up
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Don't chase tone. Make tone. |
#30
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While production CF guitars are justifiably expensive, CF custom guitars strike me as incredible deals. I've had three custom guitars from Emerald and one from Blackbird; those guitars were roughly half the cost of similar custom wooden instruments.
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