Members blanketman Posted January 7, 2008 Members Posted January 7, 2008 I'm really liking the idea of an acoustic guitar with little or no wood on it to be damaged, warped, or lose it's setup due to climate issues. What opinions do y'all have on any such guitar? Any preferences about the brands I named? I don't remember being blown away by CA I played. I've heard people talking about all these brands saying they excel when plugged in. Whatcha say?
Members brahmz118 Posted January 7, 2008 Members Posted January 7, 2008 I found the unplugged tone of the Martin Alternative X to be somewhat anemic and Ovation-esque. It almost seems as if the materials trap the tone instead of projecting it. The CAs and RainSongs are in a higher league, quality-wise and price-wise. If you've already been underwhelmed by a CA, try a RainSong Classic Series guitar. They sound crystal clear and fully-opened up, right out of the box. (The new Advanced Series RainSongs aren't as good.) For pure durability, the current CAs are tops -- they have the advantage of stainless steel frets. But be careful about buying older CAs, which had ebony fretboards that were affected by humidity. I played one of their new GX Performers and really liked the sound. I own a RainSong jumbo that might represent the biggest and richest tone of all the composite guitars. And it's great to have a worry-free guitar in the winter. I don't think I'll ever buy another wooden 6-string flattop.
Members Queequeg Posted January 7, 2008 Members Posted January 7, 2008 I'm with Brahmz118 on this one, blanketman. Martin X didn't do much for me, personally, although they have their fans out there.I recently purchased a CA GX Performer as described by Brahmz118. Admittedly, I had to jump through some mental hoops to get used to the feel of the fretboard (carbon-fibre, just like the rest of the instrument) but the workmanship & playability (up to the 20th fret) is more than simply good.Shipped with a LR Baggs iMix. street price is $2200.I bought this because I live in Michigan and when I started playing out I was afraid to travel with my good wooden guitars in cold, winter climes.On balance, I still prefer the sound of my nice wooden guitars. Until I plug in. GX Performer with iMix sounds wonderful through my Crate Acoustic amp in a large room where I play on Saturdays. And it is warmed up and ready to go immediately (unlike the musician behind it).pictureslistenreview
Members JasonA Posted January 7, 2008 Members Posted January 7, 2008 I've tried the Martin (bleh), owned a Rainsong (brilliant bell-like quality, but just didn't sound enough like a guitar to me and I didn't like the playability), and currently have a CA GX Player. The GX is terrific, and the Player version is reasonably priced if you don't need the fancier dual-pickup system of the Performer. Plus the CA came setup almost perfectly with spot-on intonation.
Members Samilyn Posted January 7, 2008 Members Posted January 7, 2008 I love my D12X1, but am less enthusiastic over the 6-er. The "X" 6-ers I've played just don't seem have the resonance and ring that my 12-er puts out and I don't think it's just a string thing. Micarta fretboard: I don't mind it a bit. Feels good to me. Micarta bridge: Haven't a clue as to how mine would sound if I replaced the Micarta bridge with rosewood or ebony. The git sounds very nice with the Micarta one, so won't bother to change unless something goes wrong. (highly unlikely)
Members Queequeg Posted January 7, 2008 Members Posted January 7, 2008 I love my D12X1, but am less enthusiastic over the 6-er. The "X" 6-ers I've played just don't seem have the resonance and ring that my 12-er puts out and I don't think it's just a string thing. Micarta fretboard: I don't mind it a bit. Feels good to me. Micarta bridge: Haven't a clue as to how mine would sound if I replaced the Micarta bridge with rosewood or ebony. The git sounds very nice with the Micarta one, so won't bother to change unless something goes wrong. (highly unlikely) Graphite feels a bit different than micarta. (and leave us not relive the micarta wars of yore). Samilyn, you are living in CA's back yard.
Members Scott Fonseca Posted January 7, 2008 Members Posted January 7, 2008 There is a guy who posts here who makes Aluminum acoustics, they sound pretty good too.
Members Samilyn Posted January 7, 2008 Members Posted January 7, 2008 Graphite feels a bit different than micarta. (and leave us not relive the micarta wars of yore). Absolutely. Synthetics are not for everyone. I just happen to find mine satisfactory. Samilyn, you are living in CA's back yard. CA Sorry - I must be slow on the uptake this morning.
Members pk1fan Posted January 7, 2008 Members Posted January 7, 2008 The Martin's I have played , the DX all composite guitar sounded very dull on the treble end no matter what strings I tried , while the DX1 with a spruce solidwood top sounded pretty good comparable to the Martin DM series .
Members Samilyn Posted January 7, 2008 Members Posted January 7, 2008 The Martin's I have played , the DX all composite guitar sounded very dull on the treble end no matter what strings I tried , while the DX1 with a spruce solidwood top sounded pretty good comparable to the Martin DM series . My D12X1 has the solid spruce top.
Members pk1fan Posted January 7, 2008 Members Posted January 7, 2008 My D12X1 has the solid spruce top. BIG difference in sound on the 6 string to have the solid top . Did you get to play a D12X all composite ?
Members Queequeg Posted January 7, 2008 Members Posted January 7, 2008 CA Sorry - I must be slow on the uptake this morning. CA= Composite Acoustics, Composite Acoustics is located in Lafayette, Louisiana - the heart of Cajun country.
Members Samilyn Posted January 7, 2008 Members Posted January 7, 2008 BIG difference in sound on the 6 string to have the solid top . Did you get to play a D12X all composite ? Nope. Didn't get to play any of them before buying. No Martin dealers in town. Was diddling around on the web, looking for a vintage Tak F400 12-er and stumbled upon a sweet deal for this Martin, ($400 w/ HS case, shipping included) so took a chance and hoped for the best. Fortunately, I got a beautiful, barely used git and didn't get ripped off.
Members Samilyn Posted January 7, 2008 Members Posted January 7, 2008 Yes, I actually thought that micarta felt more like ebony than the graphite on the CA. CA= Composite Acoustics, Composite Acoustics is located in Lafayette, Louisiana - the heart of Cajun country. Oh, yeah, those guys. duh. I played a CA thinbody a couple of weeks ago when I went to buy some strings. Nice, fast neck, but my overall impression was "meh - nice boat paddle." Sales guy asked me what I thought of it and I grinned and shrugged and said "Carbon fiber belongs on cars, not gits."
Members flip333 Posted January 8, 2008 Members Posted January 8, 2008 I got to play a GX performer last month. I liked it, but the Breedlove C25 masterclass sounded better that day. I will have the chance to compare the GX player to the GX performer. It has different bracing and is not supposed to have as much bottom end. We'll see, maybe its enough.
Members JasonA Posted January 8, 2008 Members Posted January 8, 2008 I got to play a GX performer last month. I liked it, but the Breedlove C25 masterclass sounded better that day. I will have the chance to compare the GX player to the GX performer. It has different bracing and is not supposed to have as much bottom end. We'll see, maybe its enough. Not as much bottom end? The one description I read from the CEO was that the Performer bracing was supposed to make the notes clearer, or some such thing, and the Player has the "vintage" bracing which should be warmer. In any case, I think the Player sounds great and certainly not lacking on the low end, but I haven't played a GX Performer. The dealer I bought it from said he can't tell much difference between the two. IMO it's not the equal of a really fine wood guitar (Collings, lots of small luthier guitars), but more than an equal for a lot of factory wood guitars I've owned.
Members flip333 Posted January 8, 2008 Members Posted January 8, 2008 I was hoping you would chime in Jason. Good! I'm glad to hear more about the player model. The performer sounded very nice to me, so I'm excited to go see how the player stacks up.
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