Three CF guitars tested at Elderly Instruments

gerardo1000 · #1 11-12-2018, 10:42 PM

I bought my new Journey RT 660 at Elderly three days ago, I already posted about its qualities on a different thread (in summary: great tone, beautiful bass, clear trebles, great ergonomics, fantastic value for the money). While I was there, I also played extensively a new Rainsong dread and a new Composite Acoustics OX. I found the Rainsong great, loud and clear, with lots of overtones, but I did not choose it because that particular model in stock at Elderly was twice as expensive as the Journey. My big disappointment was with the OX. I was expecting a warm tone, and well... it is quite warm but the middle and treble strings are practically muted, very weak. The guitar had a very low volume, the overall tone seemed muffled to me. I play fingerstyle with my bare fingers and boy very little came out from that guitar.
Ah, I forgot: I also played a new Blackbird Savoy made with Ekoa fiber material. The guitar was really excellent, it sounded like a high quality traditional wood guitar, it looked gorgeous and was finely built. Again, I didn't consider it because of the price.
On a side note: I played a few Farida acoustics, in different shapes, which are the guitars produced in China by Elderly, and I was really impressed by their quality also considering the price.

kramster · #2 11-13-2018, 04:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gerardo1000

. My big disappointment was with the OX..

Interesting... mine is loud enough and I don't use a pick. Always something.

Earl49 · #3 11-13-2018, 09:29 AM

Elderly is where my Rainsong WS-1000 came from back in 2001, starting me on the carbon fiber journey. I chose between six they had in stock, finding almost no tonal differences between them. Set up varied slightly, and in the end we chose between two finalists based on really minor lay-up flaws in the CF fabric at corners.

They had CA there too, and I tried those as well but the Rainsong won out. About the time I was giving CA some serious consideration, they went out of business in 2010 shortly after the NAMM show. Our local guitar store stocks a number of CA models, and the owner tells me he has at least 20 in storage, even if they only have three on display in each store.

I'd love to try the Farida's too out of curiosity, but my acquisition of wood guitars is pretty much done these days.

MiG50 · #4 11-13-2018, 04:09 PM

The only time I've played a CA guitar, it sounded pretty dead, not nearly as responsive or balanced as my Rainsongs (not even as good as my wood guitars, honestly). I know they have their fans, but I wasn't impressed by the one I've had a chance to play.

The Rainsongs I've run across in the wild all seem to have a pretty consistent tone and playability. Every time I pick one up, it always comes across as expected. There are inevitably some variations in setup and cosmetics, as Earl49 pointed out, but the tone is always that signature Rainsong sound.

Matt McGriff · #5 11-15-2018, 09:49 AM

Interesting to read your feedback of the OX. I am considering getting one of those and swapping out the Element for the StagePro Anthem to give me an all in one, bombproof stage guitar. I am currently using a Sable, and while I like the guitar, the electronics leave a lot to be desired, IMO. So it necessitates using a pedal board with signal processing, EQ and tuner pedals.

#6 11-15-2018, 01:10 PM

The Ox was my second CF guitar--came right after the Cargo. When I moved toward nylon string CF instruments I sold the Ox to a neighboring fireman who took it to work and everyone at the station got to play it during breaks. He then gave the guitar to his son who is a musical prodigy and the kid has been toting it around since--through Africa, LA, and other third world environments. I think the Ox is a great tool, plows many fields.

kramster · #7 11-15-2018, 01:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EvanB

The Ox was my second CF guitar--came right after the Cargo. When I moved toward nylon string CF instruments I sold the Ox to a neighboring fireman who took it to work and everyone at the station got to play it during breaks. He then gave the guitar to his son who is a musical prodigy and the kid has been toting it around since--through Africa, LA, and other third world environments. I think the Ox is a great tool, plows many fields.

Agreed on plowage...I grew up on a farm...plus I really like my OX a lot.