Lucky 13

The Bard Rocks · #1 05-02-2021, 07:43 PM

I acquired a Blackbird Lucky 13 for a (nice) beater. A friend played it last night and was totally wowed. All night long he kept saying that it was the best guitar he'd ever played. He owns a couple of Martins and a Gibson; I have no idea what else he has played. Me? I think it's nice and it certainly met what I was looking for quite well. But I am not nearly so wowed.

steelvibe · #2 05-02-2021, 09:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Bard Rocks

I acquired a Blackbird Lucky 13 for a (nice) beater. A friend played it last night and was totally wowed. All night long he kept saying that it was the best guitar he'd ever played. He owns a couple of Martins and a Gibson; I have no idea what else he has played. Me? I think it's nice and it certainly met what I was looking for quite well. But I am not nearly so wowed.

Well, you could sell it. Since they are not being made anymore they are commanding a pretty high price in the used market. If your friend wants to buy it you could always show him the pricing of the 2 on Reverb right now. Even knocking a few hundred bucks off from those prices gets you more than what those were going for new back in 2014 when I was deciding whether I was going for the RainSong Shorty or Lucky 13. I wish I would have gotten the Lucky because I think I would have liked the neck better.

Mbroady · #3 05-02-2021, 09:55 PM

The fact that they are not being made any more kinda supports the OPs point. There was not enough wow factor (sales) to keep the production of the 13 financially viable.

I had one and though it was a good guitar it was definitely not the best, or even one of the top 10 guitars I played. Still it was a good guitar to travel with and a great guitar to have as a beater.

steelvibe · #4 05-02-2021, 10:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mbroady

The fact that they are not being made are any more kinda supports the OPs point. There was not enough wow factor (sales) to keep the production of the 13 financially viable.

I had one and though it was a good guitar it was definitely not the best, or even one of the top 10 guitars I played. Still it was a good guitar to travel with and a great guitar to have as a beater.

You might be right but I'm not sure that is why Blackbird stopped making the Lucky. They discontinued all of their CF offerings in favor of ekoa designs. Could have been sales but could have also been to position themselves in the market of composite instruments while not doing what every other niche manufacturer was already doing with CF. Whether that is paying off for them I have no idea nor did I ever play the Lucky.

casualmusic · #5 05-02-2021, 10:34 PM

Blackbird Guitars is a tiny workshop. Most of their business is eKoa ukuleles that they advertised through booths at ukulele festivals and word of mouth.

They did not want to equip themselves with the stuff needed to meet Califirnia's newish regulations for handling noxious epoxy and carbon fibre.

So hello eKoa (hemp fibre and plant based resin) and goodbye CF (carbon fibre and petroleum based epoxy).

And keeping their catalog manageable (Clara concert uke, Farallon tenor uke, Savoy small guitar, Capitan small jumbo guitar) for a small workshop.

So keep it for your own use, pass it to your friend as a favour, or sell it to eager buyers.

Cheers.

Frettingflyer · #6 05-03-2021, 06:37 AM

I have always enjoyed my Lucky13, but it isn’t the “best” guitar I’ve ever played. I actually didn’t bond really well with it compared to my other CF guitars(Rainsong, Emerald and McPherson) until I took it on a longer trip and played it every day for weeks. Then I found it’s voice, I guess. It is easier to travel with than my other options are/were and so it still gets plenty of use.
If your friend likes it so much sell him that and grab a used Rainsong Parlor or shorty for a beater. Of course, you could just keep your nice find and let him find his own. Enjoy.

NoodleFingers · #7 05-03-2021, 06:44 PM

As far as I know, Ekoa is formed into shapes the same way regular CF is—with heat and pressure in aluminum molds. Those molds are very expensive to make, so I would imagine they still have the Lucky 13 molds.

I am left to wonder how difficult it would be for them to bring back the Lucky 13 as an Ekoa guitar. Interesting to think about.

The Bard Rocks · #8 05-03-2021, 07:58 PM

I am not planning on selling mine. Bought it in great condition from an AG member who priced it to sell. Today, as far as I know, I cannot get another CF guitar without a cutaway. (If you guessed I am not a cutaway fan, you'd be right.)

Tøf · #9 05-04-2021, 12:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NoodleFingers

I am left to wonder how difficult it would be for them to bring back the Lucky 13 as an Ekoa guitar. Interesting to think about.

I'm still a bit puzzled by the current lineup.
The Savoy is nice but arguably too small for most people (me at least!)
The El Capitan is a fantastic guitar, ergonomics close to an OM, but Blackbird probably wanted to show off a bit with this weird looking slotted headstock... makes it also more expensive than it could be.

I liked the Lucky 13 looks, playability and responsiveness. I would order immediately an eKoa Lucky 13! A L-00 inspired body shape in eKoa, with a sunburst and a matte finish, I have my ideal composite guitar!

mot · #10 05-05-2021, 05:38 AM

The Lucky13 is an awesome guitar. I have one with no electronics that I got through Michael new in 2014. I meant to use it to help decide in my effort to minimize my foot print in how to drop down to one acoustic. Now I have three acoustic CFs which are all awesome in their own way, so there you go. Still trying to get to one 6 string acoustic, but I seem to be going in the wrong direction.