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  #16  
Old 02-17-2020, 07:18 PM
AZLiberty AZLiberty is offline
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I live in Arid-Zona.... er Arizona.

Even with being careful with humidifiers I have still had 2 guitars crack their tops.
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  #17  
Old 02-17-2020, 08:45 PM
Captain Jim Captain Jim is offline
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Carbon fiber? You mean those "plastic guitars"??

Nah, I'm kidding. I've been playing carbon fiber guitars long enough to have heard all the cliches about CF. I bought the first CF guitar to be a travel guitar, and not having to be concerned about the climate differences in our travels.

It was a RainSong Shorty that was mightly close to a Taylor Grand Concert in size and general feel... and I had a half dozen Taylors that I particularly enjoyed. I was taken from the first strum with that Shorty... who knew that carbon fiber guitars could sound like... guitars?

Over the next couple years, I got to play other carbon fiber guitars, and enjoyed every one of them. Then, I bought an Emerald... game changer! It not only sounds great, plays great, and is gorgeous, these Emeralds are the most comfortable acoustic guitars I've played. You can do things with carbon fiber molding that would be near impossible and VERY expensive to do with wood. And the wood wouldn't be impervious to differences in humidity and temperature.

The real upside: I love the tone I get with all three of my Emeralds (3 different models/sizes). Because: looking great, feeling great, and being tough isn't enough... a guitar has to sound great.

For full disclosure, I still have some wood guitars. Nostalgia maybe, 'cause they don't get 1/10 the play time that the Emeralds get. I'm exaggerating, of course... more like 1/100.

Seems like we are regularly called upon to "convince" someone that they should consider carbon fiber. I got curious... I tried one... I like 'em. You might. Only one way to find out.
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  #18  
Old 02-17-2020, 09:14 PM
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Hey Dru. The CA Cargo was also my gateway CF guitar. Back in ‘08 while my wife and I were beachbumming around Florida with a Baby Taylor, she inadvertently placed the BT in the “no place zone” in the convertible trunk when I was putting the top down. Crunch! It was ruined.

At that time, there was a buzz on the AGF about the Cargo, so with the help of a fellow AGFer who put me onto an available Cargo in Texas, I ordered it and received it in Florida within two days. I was, and am still impressed with the Cargo for the small thing it is. IMO, it is the perfect travel guitar and plays much bigger than it is. After that, I became very open to all that composite guitars offer as part of the overall guitar offerings. I still love and have wood guitars. I’ve been through a number of CFs, but still have the Cargo and an Emerald X20.
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  #19  
Old 02-17-2020, 09:30 PM
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Camping and Late night jamming at festivals is why I picked up a Rainsong.
It can get hot and humid during the days and cold at night and a carbon fiber guitar is worry free.
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  #20  
Old 02-17-2020, 11:09 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dru Edwards View Post
Hey Everyone, I don't visit this sub forum very often but I've always been intrigued by carbon fiber guitars. Why did you buy, or why are you considering, a Carbon Fiber? Is it mostly because of the humidity/ temperature/ environmental reasons or something else?

Perhaps you're like me. You have wood based acoustics and you're just looking for something different?
Hi Drew, -- I'll tell you in about 3 or 4 weeks when I get my Emerald X30 lol.

As you know I've been Mr. Gibson for decades, but --
  1. Environmental concerns, since I live in the desert
  2. The appearance of the Emerald
  3. The tone of the guitar in videos from dozens of people
  4. The reasonable price
  5. The testimony from all the Emerald lovers at AGF
. . . . have conspired together to put a CF instrument in my hands. -- Mark
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  #21  
Old 02-17-2020, 11:57 PM
douglasfan1 douglasfan1 is offline
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Here are my reasons to go for Carbon Fiber Guitar:
1. Remain stable with various environmental change (Especially important for playing outdoor)
2. minimum maintenance is required
3. Can stand with any gauge without worried (I'm now using medium gauge in standard tuning)
4. It looks beautiful
5. Much tougher than wooden guitar
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  #22  
Old 02-18-2020, 06:10 AM
Frettingflyer Frettingflyer is offline
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As a pilot traveling every week I wanted a guitar that sounded good as my “travel” guitar with at least 1.75” nut and a scale longer than my GS Mini. The Rainsong Shorty was the gateway guitar for me as well, great instrument. I now favor the McPherson Sable for the feel and sound and keep the Lucky for when I need something smaller.
We also RV and they are great for that as well. So, one in the bag ready to go, one on the stand in the living room.
Like others, not ready to give up wood, so I have them too.
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  #23  
Old 02-18-2020, 06:56 AM
jwellsy jwellsy is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Acousticado View Post
Hey Dru. The CA Cargo was also my gateway CF guitar. Back in ‘08 while my wife and I were beachbumming around Florida with a Baby Taylor, she inadvertently placed the BT in the “no place zone” in the convertible trunk when I was putting the top down. Crunch! It was ruined.
Come on man, you need to work in el Kabonging an alligator into that story.
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  #24  
Old 02-18-2020, 10:17 AM
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I purchased a Rainsong CH-1100NS a few years back for the reason that many of us do. I wanted an environmentally stable guitar that sounded decent.

We have a beach cottage in New England where there is no air conditioning so temperatures in the house range from 50-100 degrees F and the % RH ranges from 50-100% as well. We spend much of August and some of September there each year and I wanted a guitar to play. Additionally, I wanted a guitar to take with me when driving to friends and relatives for short trips. The temperature and %RH are totally uncontrolled in most cases and in winter can be bone dry.
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  #25  
Old 02-18-2020, 01:39 PM
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Came for a robust beater. I was considering something from Emerald, Rainsong or CA that I could take into the woods without worry and also could survive a curious toddler if left on a stand. Alistair replied to an email query the fastest. Got an X20 a few months later.

Stayed for the incredible sound, playability and comfort. The X20's sound and playability is superb, but I have had or played other guitars that are comparable in sound and playability. Some have price tags that are more than triple or quadruple what I paid for the X20. Amongst all the woods I have played so far, I haven't found one that is anywhere as comfortable as the X20.

Now I have three carbon fiber guitars and don't play my other guitars anymore.
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  #26  
Old 02-18-2020, 01:49 PM
nickv6 nickv6 is offline
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I stumbled across a Blackbird Lucky 13 whilst trying a different guitar. I absolutely loved the bluesy sound (very like my old Gibson LG) and the neck was fantastic. I bought it and when I came to gig it I discovered the amazing pickup which charges up in 2 minutes and plays for many hours. Totally reliable. A really great gigging machine. However, for personal use, there's something about a wooden guitar that gives more to me. But the Lucky is a great guitar.
This lead me to buying another smaller carbon guitar as a traveller. A macpherson traveller.Another astonishing instrument which I only sold when I discovered the Furch Little Jane which packs away more easily.. the sound of the Macpherson is way above it's size. People used to offer me money for it every time I used it.(they are hard to find here in UK)
Then I bought an older Rainsong Jazz guitar which was also a great gigging guitar.
Overall I'd say carbon has alot to offer, lacking only that "soul" that is a wonderful piece of wood.
Nick
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  #27  
Old 02-18-2020, 03:58 PM
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Nick;

I know what you're saying regarding the soul of wood--I spent 40 years working with that soul (Google, blythinart.com). One of the things I like about Emerald guitars is that Alistair is bringing in a lot of soul with his exotic veneers.
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  #28  
Old 02-18-2020, 07:04 PM
philjs philjs is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dru Edwards View Post
Yes, our Canadian winters can bring on dryness in the winter and humidity in the winter. I don't think I've ever played a CF guitar before ... actually, perhaps once at a store but I really can't recall.
Hey Dru. My spouse is retiring soon, and we'll likely be on the move (and we're again considering the RV "snowbird thing"), so I decided to try one of these "indestructibles" and have now jumped in with both feet. Just before the holiday I took RP's Rainsong hybrid off his hands and, to be blunt, I fell in love with the sound.

I've always been drawn to warm fundamental tones and have been happiest with cedar or redwood on mahogany or walnut but these CF instruments take it to the N'th degree...a crisp, clean, direct, warm and fundamental tone that really pleases my ear. Shortly after the holidays I had a chance to take a '15 Emerald X7-OS from a friend. The parlour was too small for my needs and I sold it right away but it gave me the build quality info that I needed to order an X30. I ordered it with 25.5" to 27" fan frets to replace my Crosby fan fret baritone (someone made me an offer that I couldn't refuse).

Now I've ordered another Rainsong, the new Nashville jumbo with the spruce/CF fused tops. So I'll shortly, within a couple of weeks for the Rainsong and, hopefully, by late spring for the Emerald, have three CF guitars...you're welcome to stop by anytime to try them out.

Phil
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  #29  
Old 02-19-2020, 06:32 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by EvanB View Post
Nick;

I know what you're saying regarding the soul of wood--I spent 40 years working with that soul (Google, blythinart.com). One of the things I like about Emerald guitars is that Alistair is bringing in a lot of soul with his exotic veneers.
I think the veneer is only eye candy. I have done some informal and slightly formal blind listening sessions with handy guitars (Eastman, Taylor, Gibson, Ibanez, Washburn and a few others) when time permits against and X20 and/or a Lucky 13. I should get more data on the Kestrel. It's a little premature though it looks like the player can bias the outcome on the Kestrel more significantly than the flat tops. I have more anecdotal experience with the Lucky and X20, so I will stick with observations on those two only. This is more observational than experimental and has a bunch of reasons why it should only be taken with a grain of salt, but I try to get feedback whenever I can and am summarizing below what I think is valid so far.

Sometimes there is one guitar after another played by one player and sometimes two guitars playing at same time by two players. The results so far are that the player can almost always guess which is the CF and which is not for the X20 even with their eyes closed. I suspect this outcome is confounded by the shape with the material because of its sound hole and also people don't always have their eyes closed effectively. This is less of a sure thing for the Lucky 13. If the player is playing their instrument and the other is the Lucky, then they know. If the player is playing two instruments they are not familiar with, then the results are mixed.

On the audience side they can't tell a difference. Usually it's people sitting in a different part of the house having a conversation, so it's not like they are listening too well anyways. Even when asked to listen, they mostly have no clue which is which.

My theory is that "soul" is in the mind of the beholder and can exist in any instrument. My best guess is that CF guitars sound like guitars. Wood guitars sound like guitars. Some of them sound good or even great to our ears and some do not.
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  #30  
Old 02-19-2020, 06:57 AM
jwellsy jwellsy is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by philjs View Post
it gave me the build quality info that I needed to order an X30. I ordered it with 25.5" to 27" fan frets to replace my Crosby fan fret baritone (someone made me an offer that I couldn't refuse).


Phil
Another fan fret X30

It'll be interesting to hear your impressions of it. I consider mine a D35 gas killer.
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