Blackbird @ LA Guitar Sales, I'm in trouble

AndyFrank · #1 07-07-2011, 06:25 PM

I have been happily lugging my old US made Baby Taylor around for years thinking the $240 Sam Ash charged me was the best purchase of my life considering how much use I got out of it. Then LA Guitar Sales starts selling the Voyage air guitars and after a quick demo by Ted I was hooked, and bought an entry level VAOM02 for a very nice price. Well now I see that Ted is stocking Blackbird and it's got me thinking travel guitars once again. I had a chance to try one of Ted's personal Riders last year and it is a dandy, but if I buy one will I still need my Baby and Voyage air? What's a 2001 Baby worth anyway? Are these collectible yet?

P_K · #2 07-08-2011, 01:59 AM

go for the Rider. it is simply an amazing instrument! it is soooo small. sound is loud, defined, clear and complete. doesn't sound like a travel guitar at all. and i think all the rest of your travel guitars would be envy of it, so maybe you end up not playing them at all

i highly recommend to use the 'neck-up' with this guitar

also, remember it is made of carbon fiber, so it is almost undestructable and you will never have problems with humidity, heat or dings. and it is also really light!

enjoy it!

patticake · #3 07-08-2011, 06:07 AM

i've played the same rider. man, does it sound good! nah, i wouldn't say the baby is collectible. would you need to sell your other guitars? only if you need the money to pay for the rider.

ChrisH · #4 07-08-2011, 11:29 AM

Just visited Joe and company at the Blackbird factory in SF yesterday and couldn't have been more impressed. GREAT guy, a simply unbelievable amount of thought, soul, and engineering that goes into the Blackbird. He has a few older (previous production and prototypes that he never sold) Riders in the shop, and it was cool to get the story on the evolution and development of the current Rider. He's constantly thinking and pushing to make the new guitars the best they can be-- I wouldn't be surprised if you decide that a new one is superior to the one you demo'ed. Ridiculously light but with a full scale and wide nut, it "feels" like an OM size guitar when using the Neck-up doodad (highly recommended, just add it to the price of the guitar), but can almost fit in your pocket when you're done playing. I wish that I could have done it justice! I think that he said that they are building to order, so one committed to now would be 6 weeks out. That said, there may be special dispensation for LA Guitars-- dunno.

Your Baby might languish in the corner-- can't see you ever picking it up once you play the Rider. As for the VA, the child-proof characteristics of CF are pretty nice, and you may prefer the Rider regardless of the "ease of care" issues.

FWIW, Chris