Journey carbon fiber travel guitar, thoughts?

rmsstrider · #1 08-28-2016, 12:59 PM

I got to play one the other day both plugged in and unplugged. I was impressed with the sound of this little (00 body?) Guitar. I like the detachable neck and backpack storage. I would have liked a little bit bigger headstock, but overall I was impressed. Of course it can't take the place of a full size wood guitar but for its purpose, I thought this was the best I've seen so far. Anyone own one and spend some time with it to be able to share yor thoughts? I am very tempted.

steelvibe · #2 08-28-2016, 01:17 PM

I'm also very intrigued by this little guitar. Here is a thread I started a week or so ago.

http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/f...=439043&page=3

tonyo · #3 08-28-2016, 02:35 PM

I've had mine for 3 months now. Very happy with it. Enjoy it more the longer I have it and the more I've played it.

gerardo1000 · #4 08-31-2016, 09:59 AM

I had one for two days and the returned it because I didn't like the fret work, the action had to be set too high to prevent strings buzz. But the tone was very good. Afterwards, I played two more at Elderly and again I found that the fret work was sub par in my personal opinion. Other than that, I think it it is an excellent guitar with a great sound (although I prefer my Emerald X7OS).

#5 08-31-2016, 05:55 PM

Gerardo;

Good on You! It's good to praise our CF makers, but it's also important to let them know what might be problematic. Journey has been pretty fastidious in getting into the CF market and I suspect that your comment will receive some attention.

pandaroo · #6 08-31-2016, 07:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gerardo1000

I had one for two days and the returned it because I didn't like the fret work, the action had to be set too high to prevent strings buzz. But the tone was very good. Afterwards, I played two more at Elderly and again I found that the fret work was sub par in my personal opinion. Other than that, I think it it is an excellent guitar with a great sound (although I prefer my Emerald X7OS).

Uh oh, I am a bit concerned now, i have mine on order and I am very particular with my set up because my action on all my guitars are super duper low

gerardo1000 · #7 09-01-2016, 06:37 AM

I had no intention to create a case or to worry potential customers ! It is just that I am very picky, perhaps too much, with guitars. The first Journey, the one that I returned, as already said had in my opinion an uneven fretwork that required a higher than usual action in order to prevent strings buzz. But I liked the sound of the guitar so much that I decided to drive one hour and a half to Elderly in Lansing to try two more Journeys and eventually buy one. The two that I played there had flat frets, i.e. the frets had been flattened after being inserted in the fret board in order to make them even. Usually, flat frets is something that you find in very inexpensive guitars because it is a fast and cheap method to prevent fret buzz. In more expensive guitars, you may expect that each fret is accurately inserted so that there is no need to flatten the whole frets afterwards. So finally I didn't buy a Journey , and ended up with an Emerald X7 that I am very happy with and that has no flaws of any kind even after having been scrutinized in great detail :-). But other customers may be perfectly happy with the fret work of their Journey carbon fiber guitar. More over, this is based on my experience of one year ago, it is very possible that the latest Journeys are different and improved.

Earl49 · #8 09-01-2016, 08:56 AM

Gerardo, it is pretty normal to file the frets flat on initial installation to avoid high spots from uneven fret seating. But you don't want to take off too much, and they should be re-crowned afterward to maintain good intonation.

gerardo1000 · #9 09-01-2016, 09:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Earl49

Gerardo, it is pretty normal to file the frets flat on initial installation to avoid high spots from uneven fret seating. But you don't want to take off too much, and they should be re-crowned afterward to maintain good intonation.

Yes I know. The frets on the two guitars that I tested at Elderly had not been re-crowned and in my humble opinion a bit too much was taken off. But as already said, perhaps I am just too picky !

#10 09-01-2016, 02:46 PM

Given that this has not been a commonly noted problem, could it a problem with a particular batch of instruments? It seems to me that Rob would want to check the numbers on the Elderly instruments and see if they had a common origin/time/whatever that might account for a slip in quality control.

gerardo1000 · #11 09-01-2016, 08:39 PM

It is very possible that it was just a defective batch. Also, what is "defective" for me could be perfectly OK for other players. I just think that when you start spending over 1K on a guitar, it is reasonable to expect perfectly rounded and flawless frets, even if it is just a cosmetic thing and it does not affect the performance of the guitar. When you look at my Emerald X7, which costs less than 1K included Global Express shipping to US from Ireland, you could not believe at the perfection of the fretboard and of the frets.I remember that, when I returned the first Journey to Ted at LA Guitar Sales, I told him that I didn't like the fretwork. I am not sure he believed me, may be he thought that I just had cold feet and wanted my money back. Actually, it is true that immediately after ordering the guitar I changed my mind, and asked Ted not to ship it, but the guitar was already on his way. So I decided to give it a try, play it, and keep it only if I really liked it. When I decided to return it, I had to pay the return shipping expenses, which was fine to me because, as already said, I think that some times I am too picky ! Having said that, I confirm that I love the sound of the Journey carbon fiber guitar and I think that for the price it is an excellent choice.

steelvibe · #12 09-01-2016, 08:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gerardo1000

It is very possible that it was just a defective batch. Also, what is "defective" for me could be perfectly OK for other players. I just think that when you start spending over 1K on a guitar, it is reasonable to expect perfectly rounded and flawless frets, even if it is just a cosmetic thing and it does not affect the performance of the guitar. When you look at my Emerald X7, which costs less than 1K included Global Express shipping to US from Ireland, you could not believe at the perfection of the fretboard and of the frets.I remember that, when I returned the first Journey to Ted at LA Guitar Sales, I told him that I didn't like the fretwork. I am not sure he believed me, may be he thought that I just had cold feet and wanted my money back. Actually, it is true that immediately after ordering the guitar I changed my mind, and asked Ted not to ship it, but the guitar was already on his way. So I decided to give it a try, play it, and keep it only if I really liked it. When I decided to return it, I had to pay the return shipping expenses, which was fine to me because, as already said, I think that some times I am too picky ! Having said that, I confirm that I love the sound of the Journey carbon fiber guitar and I think that for the price it is an excellent choice.

And all this is okay. Sometimes dealers use that same discretion. I was recently at Denver Folklore Center playing a certain brand of guitar. I asked the owner when/ if he would be ordering a particular guitar from the same brand but is new to the market. He stated that when he saw the guitar that I was asking about at Winter NAMM, the guitar just wasn't up to par with his expectations of an instrument at that cost. He held high respect for the builder and said something along the lines of "I'll wait to stock them after a few hundred guitars have been made first".

I think that we have every right to be picky unless of course you are purposely buying a cheapee. Anything over a grand and I'm starting to get picky. Having said that, you get a lot for your buck nowadays regardless of builder. Technology has come a long way- I was just watching Martin's "PLEK" video the other day- amazing!

PeteCady · #13 09-02-2016, 05:16 AM

To save bandwidth, please refer to my post on the "Emerald X7 - I need a little convincing" thread. I think it's the 6th post.

ac · #14 09-02-2016, 06:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PeteCady

To save bandwidth, please refer to my post on the "Emerald X7 - I need a little convincing" thread. I think it's the 6th post.

Hi. If you post the link to this thread, more people will take the time to read it. Thanks.

lotis · #15 09-04-2016, 08:24 AM

I have had a Journey CF Overhead for a year. I have no complaints about it at all. It does a great job at what it was designed to do. Sounds, good, plays good, travels good. I can't really think of any negatives. Maybe a tad light on the high end. Thats it. Great little guitar if you travel!