In praise of Composite Acoustics....?

[PTL]

I learned something interesting recently. I was shopping for a friend who needed an affordable Composite Acoustic because he was on a budget, serving in the non-profit sector overseas.

So in the hunt, I ended up chatting with a number of owners offline here and in other groups. Many of these owned many carbon fiber guitar brands including some of the latest and greatest that are popular here.

Obviously CA are no longer in production. But to my surprise, a number of owners of multiple brands mentioned that CA remained tied with their favorites because it sounded most like a 'wood guitar.' I had thought that by now, CA would be far surpassed with the continued advancement in CF guitars.

But apparently CA guitars are still very viable even compared to the latest and greatest. And there are some great deals to be had too, in part because the manufacturer is no longer active.

[Captain Jim]

Probably because they have been around long enough that they have "opened up."

[David Eastwood]

Originally Posted by Captain Jim

Probably because they have been around long enough that they have "opened up."

Originally Posted by PTL

Obviously CA are no longer in production. But to my surprise, a number of owners of multiple brands mentioned that CA remained tied with their favorites because it sounded most like a 'wood guitar.' I had thought that by now, CA would be far surpassed with the continued advancement in CF guitars.

To the OP - I’m always puzzled by this kind of post.

What does a wood guitar ‘sound like’?

[RP]

Originally Posted by David Eastwood

What does a wood guitar ‘sound like’?

Excellent question - I've owned dozens over the years, and they all sounded different to a greater or less extent...

[PTL]

Originally Posted by Captain Jim

Probably because they have been around long enough that they have "opened up."

Yeah...you should hear them after Tonerite!

Yes, tongue-firmly-planted-in-cheek.

[PTL]

Originally Posted by David Eastwood

To the OP - I’m always puzzled by this kind of post.

What does a wood guitar ‘sound like’?

Well....I've had a few Rainsongs and they do not sound like wood guitars to me. I do have a CA that, if I closed my eyes, I would not know that it not wood. Just me perhaps?

However, I'm not alone. That's the common refrain I do hear back from other owners.

There is a difference - at least to my ears.

[SpruceTop]

Although I kinda grew to like the brand, the following are related to the CA dreadnoughts (two high-end and a RAW) I've owned for very brief periods of time):

Yes, they do sound quite woody when played moderately loud but to my ears, they become brash and non-woody-like when driven hard. Of similar construction with a one-piece, composite body and a carbon fiber top with composite top bracing is the Enya X4 Pro AcousticPlus which can be bought today for $899 and less depending on promotional offers. See my recent initial review in this Carbon Fiber section of AGF.

The neck shape, neck-width flare, and sharp fingerboard edges weren't compatible with me for playing any of the CA guitars for any extended playing times.

There were quality control issues in two of these guitars: The bridge peeled away from the top when tuning up a new $2700, 2007 Legacy dreadnought for the first time. The 2011 Peavey RAW had a "swale" or dip in the fingerboard on its bass side between the 11th fret and 13th frets.

A high neck relief (.015 inches), along with the aforementioned cumbersome neck qualities were a struggle for me with a new 2009 Tim Stafford Signature Dreadnought.

All the above guitars were sent back to their dealers within three days of receiving them.

[kramster]

Good ole CAs… just sayin’

[Doubleneck]

Mine sounded very wood like but it was very heavy. Sold it but kept my Rainsong Black-Ice JM1000. Has its own sound but crazy light for a Jumbo. But never play it either.

[SpruceTop]

Originally Posted by Doubleneck

Mine sounded very wood like but it was very heavy. Sold it but kept my Rainsong Black-Ice JM1000. Has its own sound but crazy light for a Jumbo. But never play it either.

CA guitars are heavy indeed, as is my new Enya X4 Pro. I just received my replacement Enya X4 Pro for the first one I sent back last week due to a lack of adhesive being applied to the central rear portion of the bridge/top interface. This new replacement is perfect with construction right up there with the more expensive brands--Yes, that's what I just wrote!

[tbeltrans]

Originally Posted by kramster

Good ole CAs… just sayin’

Yup! Taste like chicken and sound like Brazilian Rosewood. Just sayin'.

Tony

[Captain Jim]

Originally Posted by tbeltrans

Yup! Taste like chicken and sound like Brazilian Rosewood. Just sayin'.

Tony

I've heard of people sniffing the soundhole of their wood guitars, but this is the first I've heard of someone taking a taste of their carbon fiber.

[tbeltrans]

Originally Posted by Captain Jim

I've heard of people sniffing the soundhole of their wood guitars, but this is the first I've heard of someone taking a taste of their carbon fiber.

Awwwww, gwan, take a bite! At the cost of food these days, why not give it a go?

Tony

[PTL]

Originally Posted by Doubleneck

Mine sounded very wood like but it was very heavy. Sold it but kept my Rainsong Black-Ice JM1000. Has its own sound but crazy light for a Jumbo. But never play it either.

Curious how heavy is heavy. My CA dreadnought is 4 lbs 14 oz. The Ox is less.

[Chipotle]

Originally Posted by PTL

Curious how heavy is heavy. My CA dreadnought is 4 lbs 14 oz. The Ox is less.

Now I'll have to go weigh my GX. Yes, it is heavy, but I do like the sound, and the toughness of carbon fiber plus the built-in Fishman Aura pickup make it my prime gigging guitar.

It looks to be 4lb 4oz, so a bit less than the dread. And that's still half as much as the ES335 I tend to alternate with during gigs, so in the end it doesn't feel so heavy to me.