If I had 5 Cargos

Acousticado; "This neck of the interwoods." Very nice


Kramster; The first time is almost always good.

[GuitarLuva]

Originally Posted by Acousticado

There was a time around 10 years ago when CA was all the rage. It was still pretty early in the CF game. I still own an ‘08 Cargo since new, then an ‘08 GXi (offset soundhole) for about 3 years. The GXi was nice, albeit a little heavy compared to what’s come along since. Under Peavey, it seems that CA stopped innovating where others have and continue to. As a result, they seem to have fallen under the radar...at least in this neck of the interwoods.

Yeah that's too bad. I was certainly impressed by the models I played by them. Hopefully one day they can make a comeback.

[tbeltrans]

Originally Posted by Acousticado

There was a time around 10 years ago when CA was all the rage. It was still pretty early in the CF game. I still own an ‘08 Cargo since new, then an ‘08 GXi (offset soundhole) for about 3 years. The GXi was nice, albeit a little heavy compared to what’s come along since. Under Peavey, it seems that CA stopped innovating where others have and continue to. As a result, they seem to have fallen under the radar...at least in this neck of the interwoods.

Agreed. In my personal opinion, currently owning both the original Cargo (x3) and McPherson Touring and Sable, the Touring is what the Cargo could have been if it had been allowed to mature through sufficient R & D. As I understand it (correct me if I am wrong...) Ellis Seal was involved in the development of the current crop of McPherson carbon fiber guitars. If so, maybe that would bring a sense of closure for him that he was able to do it better the next time.

Make no mistake, the Cargo is as cool as it ever was, but the Touring just has that "finished sheen" about it.

Tony

[tbeltrans]

Originally Posted by kramster

I still play my OX often... did my first YouTube with it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gl8G1rPUE6c

I remember the Ox. Though I never owned (far too taken with the Cargo!!!), I thought it was a fantastic comprise for those who didn't want a full sized guitar, but the Cargo might have been a bit too cramped. Did Peavey ever make the Ox?

Tony

[Acousticado]

Tony, I think you’re right about Ellis and I hope that was the case. Personally, I’m not a fan of the look of McPhersons, wood or carbon with their soundhole placement. Likely, the Touring is better made than the Cargo overall, but since you have experience with both, do you attribute any improvement in tone to the placement of the McPherson soundhole?

[tbeltrans]

Originally Posted by Acousticado

Tony, I think you’re right about Ellis and I hope that was the case. Personally, I’m not a fan of the look of McPhersons, wood or carbon with their soundhole placement. Likely, the Touring is better made than the Cargo overall, but since you have experience with both, do you attribute any improvement in tone to the placement of the McPherson soundhole?

I think the Touring is much more balanced. I think the main thing I noticed is that the Cargo (and I have three that were picked by Marty at The Podium) plays somewhat stiffer than the Touring. I believe that the Cargos did have at least some bit of neck angle issue, even among the best of them. Other than that, the Touring just looks more finished.

The Cargo, though, is a very unique guitar and seems timeless to me, so it will never go out of style because it was never really in style. It is just a really cool little guitar.

Just about anything about the look of a guitar is a matter of personal taste, so I can certainly understand some not liking the offset soundhole. The Cargo has that too. Fortunately, it doesn't matter to me. What does matter is having a balanced sound and playability. To me, the Touring and Sable feel very much like a Taylor with a good setup.

Because I prefer a balanced sound, I suspect that is why I particularly like the Taylor K14ce Builder's Edition, where many people seem to want a boomy bass.

Tony

[CityFolk]

I got a CA GX many years ago before Peavey. It’s been my go to guitar for when we do outdoor gigs. Also, got a Cargo for when I went on business travel. It puts out an amazing amount of sound. Too bad they’ve fallen by the wayside. Although I heard rumblings Peavey might be reactivating the line, but that’s just rumor at this point.

[philjs]

Originally Posted by Earl49

I cannot help but hear the tune of "If I Had a Million Dollars" by Barenaked Ladies when I see this topic. All together now.... "If I had myself five cargos.....".

I'm pretty sure that the original lyrics were actually "If I had a million cargos..."

Of course, he later got rid of some of them and that's where If I had a Cargo Launcher came from...



Phil