What's your favorite CF guitar in your stable?

[Kindness]

Some negative threads appearing lately...I need to turn this titanic around!

Do you have one or more favorite CF guitar in your stable?

Well, I will be down to just my Shorty FLE. This guitar is near and dear to my heart as I had some say in it's design (they were going to just produce the white lines around the sound hole and no sharks), and I convinced Ashvin to produce a limited Edition with Ted.

With my Mono bag, it's been an easy guitar to travel with on the plane. The 12 fret scale is super comfy, and of course, with the perfect set up from my tech, this guitar plays like a dream. I am enjoying experimenting with strings, and look forward to getting my Anthem SL in a few days. My tech will install it at the end of the month. Can't wait.

I am a minimalist, and am not sure I will add anything else to the stable. That being said, I have easy access to Kramster's collection if I have any cravings, lol.

Have a wonderful day!

[Methos1979]

My new Emerald X7. The X20 is technically superior, especially amplified, but the size of the X7 just melts into me when I strap it on. I can't put it down.

[Jim in TC]

I only have the one CA Cargo. When I first saw this wee thing at Elderly instruments I was sure it could never work for me. Until the first chord. If I get another it will most likely (at this point) be a Rainsong CH-OM.

[kramster]

My favorite I don’t have is Kindness’s Shorty.

[lat18]

I love my Rainsong WS1000. I've had it at least 15 years and I still think it's a great guitar. I really like the unplugged sound for acoustic jams. I hated the plugged-in sound until I took out the Fishman preamp, very harsh, quacky, metallic, nothing I tried made it sound better, but I replaced the Fishman with a Seymour/Duncan mag mic sound hole pickup and now I like it plugged in. Get lots of complements on the sound. Plus the hole where the Fishman used to be makes a nice sound port. I can hear myself play a lot better. I'm really happy with the guitar. I also have CA GX which sounds good plugged-in, but doesn't have the volume and the brightness of the Rainsong played acoustic. It's warm and woody sounding, nice guitar but I still prefer the Rainsong.

[gerardo1000]

I currently have a 2004 Emerald X20 with center sound hole, a Cargo, a Composite Acoustics OX Ele high gloss (bought used) a Rainsong H-DR1100N2, a Rainsong CH-OM1100NS, a Composite Acoustics Legacy Raw. Sold a few months ago my Emerald X7 (the old smaller version).
My favourite is the Rainsong dread. I like the Hybrid series sound a little bit better than the Concert Hybrid series, for my taste with this series Rainsong has reached the right balance between volume, clarity, and warmth. The Legacy is a close second. I play fingerstyle, only acoustic not plugged in.
I think that the new Emerald X20 may be a strong contender for the first place, from what I read. May be it will be the next guitar !

[Earl49]

My favorite is my X20 - it just fits me perfectly, is so comfortable with those bevels, sits rock solid on my lap, and sounds wonderful. In second place is my WS-1000, which I bought in 2001. With the Fishman on-board blender set for about 30% microphone, it is the best sounding stage guitar I've ever played amplified. The sound coming back through the monitors was stunningly good the first time.

Hopefully it never comes to this, but if these were the only two guitars I could own going forward I would be content.

I've been spending a lot of time with the thin-bodied X7 electric. But who knows? That could be an overnight sensation.

[jdinco]

The X20 ...the sound still makes me smile. Seems it's that or the 000-15sm that I pick up the most. I know the Martin is wood, but I use a CF pick on it sometimes. Looking forward to an X7 after the prerequisite waiting period.

[tbeltrans]

My favorite is the McPherson Touring. It is about the same size as the Cargo, with the same scale length. For some reason, the short scale on the Touring feels less cramped than on the Cargo. I treat the Cargo as a 12 with some extra reach, while I can play the Touring as a 14 fret instrument.

The Touring represents (to me) a "finished" version of the Cargo. The Cargo is a very unique instrument, and I ended up with three of them back when they were much more affordable. I have no plans to sell them because I still enjoy them as much as I ever did, but the main instrument for me now is the Touring.

My preference is for really small body guitars and very short scale. Carbon fiber seems a better material than wood to get a really small body and still sound like a much larger instrument.

Tony

[TheChicagoTodd]

My favorite actually doesn't quite qualify as it is my Blackbird El Capitan, which is made from ekoa, but does have carbon fiber bracing. ;-)

I do have 2 other carbon fiber acoustics. My Journey OF660 which is now relegated to travel or in places where I don't want to worry about a $3k guitar.

As fir my Emerald X20-12 which I also really love, because it plays and sounds as good as it looks (ziricote woody), I simply don't play a 12 string as much as I do my 6 string.

It will be interesting to see if my incoming X30 ends up bumping the El Capitan from the top spot.

Cheers...

Todd in Chicago

[Tøf]

My favorite is the only composite I kept, an Emerald X20. It sounds great, and it’s super comfortable to play.
I also had a Journey OF660 which I never really bonded with, and a Blackbird Savoy that I sold... a very good little guitar though.

I’m waiting for Blackbird to come with a full size version of the Savoy. I’ve been really tempted to get an El Capitan, but I’m not a fan of the weird headstock, and I feel eKoa wasn’t used to its full potential ergonomically. We’ll see what 2019 will bring

[MiG50]

I just took my Rainsong Shorty out of the case a couple days ago, after having a ton of time with my CH-WS this past year, and I remembered why I got it in the first place. I actually thought to myself, "That's my desert-island guitar." Perfect size, perfect shape, perfect sound, always ready to play and in-tune.

[penny]

Rainsong Shorty

[Captain Jim]

Three Emeralds - previous generation X7, X20 woodie, X10 with Level 2 pickups. They take turns being the favorite.

The X7 is still the most comfortable acoustic guitar I've ever played. It is the guitar that showed me what a difference ergonomics makes. And, I really enjoy the balanced sound. Plugged in, this small guitar really kicks - I am a big fan of the B-Band pickup. It is the "no-frills" Opus model (no longer available), but it is a carbon fiber classic beauty.

The X20 is my favorite for the lovely acoustic sound. I've been doing some recording lately, and when I want acoustic recorded on the condenser mic, this is my go-to. With the louro preto veneer, it is also a piece of playable art. The LR Baggs Element is a good pickup, but I prefer the additional EQ adjustment available with the B-Band on the X7. It is significantly bigger than the X7, but still comfortable.

The X10 is my newest guitar. Almost as comfortable in the body as the X7, and I am delighted with the custom 24.6" scale on the 1 11/16" nut width and thinner profile neck. It has a quieter acoustic tone than then X20, but beautiful balance. Plugged in, it is like no other acoustic I've owned - it really does bridge the gap between electric and acoustic. I love the red carbon weave with just a bit of extra shading on the edges. I thought about what I wanted from an X10 for several months before Emerald released the new version. This guitar is the result of that. If this X10 had the depth and punch acoustically of the X20, it would be "the one." Physics.

While there are similarities with these 3, each fills a need for me. The 3 are my favorites. I would be hard-pressed to choose only one. Together, they cover everything I want in an acoustic "stable."