CA GXi string recommendation?

[Brushwood]

Hey all, I’m trying out my potential first carbon fiber guitar! I have three questions and would love some input. It’s a used Composite Acoustics GXi. I think it’s a 2009 pre-Peavey from what research I’ve done with a serial number of GXi109041-1 and has an LR Baggs Stage Pro pickup. My final choice will be between this one and a 2017 CA GX with a Peavey Prefix Plus-T pickup, but I’m leaning hard towards towards this GXi. Btw, I’ll be using it tuned down a full step. Right now I think it might have Elixir Nanowebs 12-53’s on it. I usually land with D’Addario Nickel Bronze lights or light top-medium bottom, depending, with my wood acoustic guitars though I’m currently trying out the D’Addario XT phosphor bronze on a couple. I mostly play fingerstyle with just my bare fingers without nails.
1) For those familiar with this model or even its GX sibling, do you have any string recommendations and why?
2) Any ideas on where to get blank carbon fiber nuts for this model? I’m going to carve a new nut for a bit wider string spacing if I keep it.
3) Any positive or negative effects, mainly concerning sound, with using a bone nut and saddle instead of carbon fiber?
Thanks a bunch for any suggestions

[Chipotle]

I have a GX. I felt my normal D'Addario EJ16s were just too "zingy". I settled on DR Rares--just enough top-end brightness without being brash. Granted, it's a GX, not a GXi, and I play with a pick or nails, so YMMV.

Honestly, any tonal difference from saddle or nut material will probably be swamped by the difference in strings.

[Greyhound]

I have owned and played a GXi (pre peavey) for at least 15 years. I have strung it with Elixir PB 12’s and love the sound. You might want to go 13’s for tuning down. I keep mine out on a stand in my living room full time. Love it. Plug it in and stand back…you can get a huge sound.
I did owna GX at one point and i vote for the GXi for my ears.

[Brushwood]

Thank you for your input Chipotle and Greyhound. I replaced on the GXi what I think were Elixir strings with D’Addario NB 12-53’s. Even that those are my usual go to strings, I liked them less than the Elixir’s on the GXi. It just ended up having a bit too much of a metallic type tone that I didn’t hear with the ones that came on it. I think the coating on those probable Elixr strings might have helped keep that from happening. I’ve got a set of Elixir Nanoweb 80/20 Lights and a set of Nanoweb Phosphor Bronze Mediums I’m going to try and see what happens. I did finally plug in both the GXi and the GX into my Bose S1 to hear that difference. To me, the GX won that contest hands down. The GX just seemed more balanced across all strings including a better bass response than when I played it acoustically. I think the strings on the GX are Elixir. Even though I liked it unplugged, the GXi plugged in just sounded kinda muddied up more with its bass response having a more cavernous sound. This was even after playing with the controls on the guitars pickup, the Bose S1, then an added MXR ten band EQ and even when I tried a Red-Eye added to the chain or my Krivo Micro Manouche instead of using its Stage Pro Element. I wished I’d done this “plugged in comparison test” before I put the D’Addario NB’s on the GXi. I’ll see what happens after I try switching to the Elixir I mentioned. Another one of the things I noticed was the 1st string (.012” on each guitar) sounded a lot louder and harsher than the other strings when I plugged both guitars in. No control adjustments or different additions I tried helped much with this. I even tried loosely placing a T-shirt in the body of the GXi through the soundhole to see if it helped for the better with the plugged in bass and 1st string issues…not much. Of course sound is very personal and subjective, but this is my CA carbon fiber journey so far.

[RB3]

Hi Brushwood, congrats on exploring the carbon fiber guitar world! It's an awesome journey to embark on and I've become a bit of a carbon fiber guitar enthusiast since I bought my first one in 2009.

I currently own several CA guitars, including both models you mentioned but in reverse generations. My CA GX is a pre-Peavey with raw finish (2009), and my GXi is Peavey-made with a high gloss carbon burst (2012). I've tried the Elixir 80/20 bronze strings once or twice but always seem to come back to the Nanoweb PB 12s for the tone. I've also tried medium gauge but prefer the lights better. Seems like CA fine-tuned the construction of these instruments to sound the best using the Elixir Nanoweb lights.

I like the deeper, rich tone available from the carbon fiber so I've also been playing both of these guitars tuned down a whole step. They currently have Nanoweb PB 12-53s on them and sound incredible both acoustically and plugged into my church's sound system. The GX raw has an LR Baggs Element Stage Pro on-board system and the GXi has a Fishman Prefix Plus T on-board system.

While I haven't tried them yet, someone online recommended Martin Retro Acoustic strings made of Monel (nickel/copper blend). On the package they claim enhanced longevity, warm natural tone, and great sound plugged in. They're half the price of the Elixirs so I bought a set at my local guitar store the other day and will try them down the road when the Elixirs wear out.

CA and Peavey installed Graph Tech TUSQ nuts and saddles on these guitars from the factory. Might be worth a phone call to Graph Tech to see which spec nuts & saddles they supplied to CA/Peavey and if they still manufacture ones to those dimensions. Check the Peavey-made guitar to see if it's the narrow neck (1.69" nut) or wide neck (1.75" nut). Most pre-Peavey guitars have the wider 1.75" nut.

I've thought about it but have no experience trying a bone saddle. Were you looking at the ones available from MacNichol Guitars in SLC?

If your budget allows, and if they're an excellent deal, I recommend buying both guitars so you have plenty of time to try different options while deciding which guitar to keep long-term. Also, maybe try plugging that GXi into several different sound systems if you have that option. Unfortunately, Stage Pro Elements can fail over time and that one could be having issues.
With mine, the onboard tuner stopped working, but the rest of the system still works fine so I haven't done anything with it yet.

Hope this helps and that you find the tone you're looking for!

[Brushwood]

Originally Posted by RB3

Hi Brushwood, congrats on exploring the carbon fiber guitar world! It's an awesome journey to embark on and I've become a bit of a carbon fiber guitar enthusiast since I bought my first one in 2009.

I currently own several CA guitars, including both models you mentioned but in reverse generations. My CA GX is a pre-Peavey with raw finish (2009), and my GXi is Peavey-made with a high gloss carbon burst (2012). I've tried the Elixir 80/20 bronze strings once or twice but always seem to come back to the Nanoweb PB 12s for the tone. I've also tried medium gauge but prefer the lights better. Seems like CA fine-tuned the construction of these instruments to sound the best using the Elixir Nanoweb lights.

I like the deeper, rich tone available from the carbon fiber so I've also been playing both of these guitars tuned down a whole step. They currently have Nanoweb PB 12-53s on them and sound incredible both acoustically and plugged into my church's sound system. The GX raw has an LR Baggs Element Stage Pro on-board system and the GXi has a Fishman Prefix Plus T on-board system.

While I haven't tried them yet, someone online recommended Martin Retro Acoustic strings made of Monel (nickel/copper blend). On the package they claim enhanced longevity, warm natural tone, and great sound plugged in. They're half the price of the Elixirs so I bought a set at my local guitar store the other day and will try them down the road when the Elixirs wear out.

CA and Peavey installed Graph Tech TUSQ nuts and saddles on these guitars from the factory. Might be worth a phone call to Graph Tech to see which spec nuts & saddles they supplied to CA/Peavey and if they still manufacture ones to those dimensions. Check the Peavey-made guitar to see if it's the narrow neck (1.69" nut) or wide neck (1.75" nut). Most pre-Peavey guitars have the wider 1.75" nut.

I've thought about it but have no experience trying a bone saddle. Were you looking at the ones available from MacNichol Guitars in SLC?

If your budget allows, and if they're an excellent deal, I recommend buying both guitars so you have plenty of time to try different options while deciding which guitar to keep long-term. Also, maybe try plugging that GXi into several different sound systems if you have that option. Unfortunately, Stage Pro Elements can fail over time and that one could be having issues.
With mine, the onboard tuner stopped working, but the rest of the system still works fine so I haven't done anything with it yet.

Hope this helps and that you find the tone you're looking for!

Hey RB3, thank you for all of your insights. Lots of really good info! Though it was a tough decision, I decided yesterday to go with the Peavey GX (it’s the 1.75” nut width one) over the pre-Peavey GXi for my needs. I ended up putting on Elixir Nanoweb PB strings on both with Lights on the GXi and Light Top/Medium Bottoms on the GX. For some reason, with them both being tuned down a full step, the GX’s bass 6th string was a bit too loosey goosey and tended to rattle on the frets some when played using Lights whereas the GXi was fine with Lights. Also, two friends of mine helped me with their opinions when they A & B’d them with and without my Bose S1Pro. One friend is a talented luthier who plays fingerstyle and the other is an excellent flatpicker who has a GX and an Emerald X10 among his collection of great guitars. My luthier friend was really surprised how the tone of each sounded so much like a solid wood guitar as he’d never played a CA before. It was also very helpful for me to hear what both sounded like when someone else played them. Btw, I did notice the onboard tuner seemed to go in and out just a bit with the pre-Peavey GXi, but maybe the pickup battery was on its last legs. I’ve purchased a few bone saddles from MacNichol and if I decide to give a bone saddle a try I’ll definitely reach out there. I’ll also check with Graph Tech about the nut replacement and thanks for that tip. If anyone’s interested, I’ll be returning the GXi to the Knoxville, Tn Guitar Center in a few days as GC is where I recently found both online and as many know they have a very generous return policy on used items. This Composite Acoustics GX is going to be very helpful with a lot of situations and I’m glad I took the plunge into the carbon fiber guitar world.