Carbon Fiber (gasp!) Guitars - Page 3

whamonkey · #31 09-04-2008, 06:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by btdvox

You need to try them out.
I thought the plugged in sound, was utter well... you get the idea.
It sounded worse than modding an electric guitar with a roland piezo to me.

Acoustically it was ok, wasnt spectacular, it seems most people on this forum gasp at them and find the tone nice, which is odd seeing as most users here critique on tone and tonewood like crazy.

Interesting......that would not be my experience at all. Maybe you got a dud.

dandy505 · #32 09-04-2008, 07:39 AM

Back to the initial post of this thread, you will still have to buy sight unseen. I had a Cargo for a few days but returned it; not for it's sound but for the short scale length, couldn't get used to it. The thing felt too tiny for me. <my intentions were not to travel with it so the small size didn't make sense for me>

My words of wisdom are if you are going to buy a CA, buy one from a dealer that will accept the return should it not float your boat. I wish some of my local dealers stocked them; I would love to have some full sized CA instruments to try and consider.

MJH · #33 09-04-2008, 10:21 AM

Here is a plus 1 for a Rainsong WS1000. Mine sits out all of the time and it nevers bothers me to grab it and play for whatever reason. I've left it in the car on a pretty hot day with no problems. Used it for an outdoor concert this summer on July 5th in the very hot Midwest. Again, not a problem and it sounds good plugged and unplugged and it always stays in tune!

CA or Rainsong (think Martin or Taylor), I don't think you can go wrong. I've said before that if I had to get down to one guitar for everything, it just might end up being the Rainsong.

Go buy one.

unimogbert · #34 09-04-2008, 10:43 AM

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Flatter Picker · #35 09-04-2008, 12:16 PM

Thank you all for the great input. I am always amazed at the helpfulness and sincerity of musicians. Without a doubt, I've been inspired enough to (by hook or by crook) get a listen to a CA!

690MBCOMMANDO · #36 09-04-2008, 12:26 PM

I've played a number of Composite Acoustics and I recently bought 2 of them.

At first, I was expecting to sound artificial and lame....

Call it love at first strum and fingerstyle. These are the real deal guitars and sound GREAT!

3rd_harmonic · #37 09-06-2008, 07:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rick.broussard

I have the Rainsong WS-1000 and couldn't be happier. I've been out in fog and light rain with it then back in the house and never lost tuning.

I also tried the CA COT dread. I liked the sound of the CA. Like most people here, I agree that the CA's sound a little more like wooden guitars than the Rainsongs.

However, that's exactly why I decided to go with the Rainsong. There's something about that "carbon" sound that I really like. It's a good companion to my D-28. They get equal playing time depending what I'm in the mood for.

carbon that's been made to sound like wood is like vegetable protein that's made to taste like sausage.... if that's the standard, it will never be equal. Instead, I prefer to take carbon (and tofu) for what it is and enjoy it in its own right.

emmonsh · #38 09-06-2008, 10:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by whamonkey

Interesting......that would not be my experience at all. Maybe you got a dud.

i agree. any forum you go to they rave about the ca,s. first person i seen say negative. but whatever floats your boat. some people think that taylor are the end to all guitars and some martin.whatever sounds good but i beleave even if you bought sight unseen you would be amazed at the ca.

mcphersonnut · #39 09-06-2008, 10:14 AM

I prefer all wood guitars. But i have never played one that wasnt.

SongwriterFan · #40 09-06-2008, 10:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mcphersonnut

I prefer all wood guitars. But i have never played one that wasnt.

You should try one!

I think you'd like the sound.

As far as asthetics and uniqueness go, though, hard to get that in carbon fiber compared to wood.

BillBob · #41 09-06-2008, 01:02 PM

This thread has degraded into the standard discussion when it comes to CF guitars. The original post stated that he wanted a guitar to stand the different climates of his home. CF guitars make that possible. Nothing else can handle this and still provide wonderful tone. If you don't like that tone then don't buy a CF guitar. Since he doesn't have a dealer nearby, he needs to find an internet dealer that is willing to take a return. Just in case he can't stand the sound qualities of that particular guitar.

Now, after having nursed the care of many high end wood guitars for 40 years, I was thrilled to find a guitar that could actually put up with total abuse. Not that I have. But I don't EVER need to tune it, much less humidify it! That is how stable my CA is. The fact that I fell in love with the sound of my CA at first strum (actually, I'm a finger picker) was just a bonus.

I find that many of the folks that I have heard negative comments from concerning CF guitars have never played one. Don't knock it 'till you've tried it.

TonyC · #42 09-06-2008, 02:21 PM

I heard David Wilcox playing a JM1000 Rainsong 2 years ago- now he uses dual Pendulum preamps, has 2 pickups and a mic on the Rainsong, and it sounded every bit as good as his Olson did.

He shifted to the Rainsong when he spent a year traveling in an Airstream trailer, all over the country. Wood guitars simply would have had a "hard time" dealing with the temperature and humidity shifts.

I was saving up for a DDSM... got about 1/2 way there, and happened upon a used JM1000 in a guitar shop. Bought it on the spot. I flat love the tone, the volume, and the action. Stays in tune, and does not mind dropping down to open C tuning either. In addition, I've flown this guitar twice, since getting it, and I've CHECKED IT AT THE MAIN CHECK IN. No TSA hassles, no "gate check" hassles. Bottom line for me is minimal worries about transport, temperature or humidity.

I'm thinking about another guitar now, simply because my Jumbo doesn't have a cutaway, and I'd really like to move higher up the neck. The CA 7i might be the answer, but I'll try a Cargo first- the sound clips from their web site just ring out... only bummer is, no CA dealers in Denver!

If you'd like to hear a clip from my JM1000, click on the link.

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page...songID=5762754

3rd_harmonic · #43 09-06-2008, 02:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TonyC

I heard David Wilcox playing a JM1000 Rainsong 2 years ago- now he uses dual Pendulum preamps, has 2 pickups and a mic on the Rainsong, and it sounded every bit as good as his Olson did.

He shifted to the Rainsong when he spent a year traveling in an Airstream trailer, all over the country. Wood guitars simply would have had a "hard time" dealing with the temperature and humidity shifts.

I was saving up for a DDSM... got about 1/2 way there, and happened upon a used JM1000 in a guitar shop. Bought it on the spot. I flat love the tone, the volume, and the action. Stays in tune, and does not mind dropping down to open C tuning either. In addition, I've flown this guitar twice, since getting it, and I've CHECKED IT AT THE MAIN CHECK IN. No TSA hassles, no "gate check" hassles. Bottom line for me is minimal worries about transport, temperature or humidity.

I'm thinking about another guitar now, simply because my Jumbo doesn't have a cutaway, and I'd really like to move higher up the neck. The CA 7i might be the answer, but I'll try a Cargo first- the sound clips from their web site just ring out... only bummer is, no CA dealers in Denver!

If you'd like to hear a clip from my JM1000, click on the link.

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page...songID=5762754

so you checked it in its rainsong case with the regular baggage?

FLDavid · #44 09-06-2008, 02:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 3rd_harmonic

so you checked it in its rainsong case with the regular baggage?

Don't know about TonyC, but I've done that a couple of times
. . . came out smelling like a rose--zero issues

Flatter Picker · #45 09-07-2008, 10:07 AM

Hey BillBob -- thank you for a great post. You managed to sum/distill the whole discussion and clarify matters for me greatly. I'm thinking that I'm going to give MacNichol a try. I have heard good things about their dealings, they have a risk-free trial of 30 days, and they are a strong supporter of carbon fiber guitars. Thanks again!