Members TimZ Posted February 27, 2007 Members Posted February 27, 2007 I may be able to buy a higher end guitar this year, maybe this spring. I'm interested in a D-18 or a Guild D-40, subject to actually trying them first. I own a 1983 Guild G-37 bought new. But then there are these composite guitars, Rainsong and CA. I've visited the CA website to hear the sound clips and well, they sound nice. Does anyone have any thoughts to share on these? The CA bluegrass edition "sounds" pretty nice based on the website clip.....? Hmmmm....Thanks, Tim Z.....
Members brahmz118 Posted February 27, 2007 Members Posted February 27, 2007 I mention this all the time on this forum, so I'll chime in again. I love my carbon fiber guitars: a RainSong JM1000 and an Emerald X10 12-String. I have no experience with CA Guitars. I'm not a tone connoisseur type, though I can recognize the distinct clarity of carbon fiber the more I play it. I happen to like it, but it's not for everyone. Also, even though the website clips might sound nice, the music / playing might be influencing your impression. I can try to answer any specific carbon fiber-related questions you might have, though my RainSong and Emerald are different beasts than a CA, which is designed to sound more traditional. Though so far I've never had anyone say, "Nice playing, but the tone isn't woody enough!" And I will reiterate that it's nice to be able to take a guitar from 8 degrees to 72 degrees within minutes, and not have any issues at all (other than cold strings -- which are still in tune!).
Members johbren Posted February 27, 2007 Members Posted February 27, 2007 Ive heard alot of good things about them also another is the Ovation Adamas.
Members exhaust_49 Posted February 27, 2007 Members Posted February 27, 2007 To me these type of guitars just sound too clear. I like hearing the notes I play bloom. These guitars are definatly not for me. I'll stick to wood.
Members Phlat Phive Posted February 27, 2007 Members Posted February 27, 2007 I've never tried one. I'd very much like to get my hands on one though.
Members Queequeg Posted February 27, 2007 Members Posted February 27, 2007 CA; when your guitar absolutely positively has to go from freezer to microwave in minutes.
Members T.B. Posted February 27, 2007 Members Posted February 27, 2007 CA; when your guitar absolutely positively has to go from freezer to microwave in minutes. Or, if your hard on guitar/gear. An acquaintance of mine was so destructive our Mom & Pop shop strongly recommended he get a CA guitar. After four months his guitar still looks new. I thought the CA sound was clear as a bell but warm. http://compositeacoustics.com/photos.html Trina
Members Freeman Keller Posted February 27, 2007 Members Posted February 27, 2007 I happen to love the look of wood and the smell of wood and the sound of wood and I love to sand and chisel and make sawdust and glue things together and varnish them and hold them up to the light and look at the growth rings and the medular rays and bearclaw and sapwood and heartwood and I love the way wood ages and color changes and the way the sound it makes improves with time. Some day wood will be all gone ("they cut down the trees and put them in a tree museum, charged all the people....) and our guitars will be made of plywood and pressed board and plastic and HPL and graphite and composits and... They might sound wonderful but they won't be the same. I'll be in my grave then, tightly holding a wooden guitar. my $0.02, YMMV
Members Cripes Posted February 28, 2007 Members Posted February 28, 2007 Dang, Freeman, that just flowed right out of you in one breath, didn't it? I have played the Adamas. Not an unlikely acoustic guitar but it does stray from the breed just enough. I prefer to leave that technology safely in the hands of the techno-crats where such technology needs to stay. I don't doubt borderline technologists, such as Bob Taylor, aren't giving it some serious thought - perhaps wood-grained thought - which will make wooden guitars ever so much more sacred. To each his/her own, though.
Members Terry Allan Hall Posted February 28, 2007 Members Posted February 28, 2007 To me, where the carbon-graphite guitars really shine is as "road guitars", so you can tour w/o subjecting your wood axes to the airlines and their highly trained baggage handlers...
Members Cripes Posted February 28, 2007 Members Posted February 28, 2007 To me, where the carbon-graphite guitars really shine is as "road guitars", so you can tour w/o subjecting your wood axes to the airlines and their highly trained baggage handlers... Thanks for the wake-up call, Terry. I have to travel again this weekend and was thinking about taking my guitar. Your vote of no-confidence is accepted.
Members knockwood Posted February 28, 2007 Members Posted February 28, 2007 I happen to love the look of wood and the smell of wood and the sound of wood and I love to sand and chisel and make sawdust and glue things together and varnish them and hold them up to the light and look at the growth rings and the medular rays and bearclaw and sapwood and heartwood and I love the way wood ages and color changes and the way the sound it makes improves with time. Me too. All of it. And the way that each wooden guitar is, inevitably, its own entity, distinct from all others. Most of the makers do a very good job of keeping things consistent and homogenous, but once you've had a guitar for a while and you've gotten to know its knots and scratches and dark patches, etc., it's as different from any other as night from day. I have nothing at all against composite gits. Just not for me.
Members totamus Posted February 28, 2007 Members Posted February 28, 2007 Wood is personal, crafted by skilled labor (except Taylor, which is expertly machine produced) so it has an essence that many people have an emotional attachment to. I've played composite guitars expecting to scoff at the plastic sounding POS. Instead, my eyebrows raised and I played for some time. Impressive sound, durable construction, less affected by temp and humidity chages, Quite a fewf positives. The negative is that they are different and the jury isnt in yet on longevity or resale value. I bought my Martin new over 25 years ago. It has a cleated crack, many war scars, has to be humidified, must be carefully warmed up in the winter. It was made by craftsmen using materials that have been used for instruments for 1,000s of years. I bought mine when I had a run of overtime and was able to afford it. I have invested more time into that instrument than I care to admit. It is a deeply personal item that you will give your time, attention and dreams to. Corny or not, there is a soul to a handcrefted guitar that isnt there with mass produced instruments. I don't like Taylors for the same reason. So my mixed response is that they sound great (or at least the ones I have played do). You have to decide if an instrument is only judged by its sound, playability, looks and price, or if it also has some kind of intangible personality from its materials and builders. No right answer on this aspect of a composite, just personal choice.
Members brahmz118 Posted February 28, 2007 Members Posted February 28, 2007 I happen to love the look of wood and the smell of wood and the sound of wood and I love to sand and chisel and make sawdust and glue things together and varnish them and hold them up to the light and look at the growth rings and the medular rays and bearclaw and sapwood and heartwood and I love the way wood ages and color changes and the way the sound it makes improves with time. Very well said, Geppetto. If I had half your wizardry skills I'm sure I would feel the same way. But I barely passed shop class after making a bookshelf that collapsed and a gavel that got a huge dent from its inaugural hammering. If I got burned in a helicopter fire, and the doctors gave me two choices 1) human skin grafted onto me, or 2) bionic skin that can withstand gunfire, well then you'd see me on TV fighting crime. Ok maybe that's not a good example. Let's just say that an astronaut can acquire a taste for freeze dried ice cream, which lasts for years, and still enjoy a good hot fudge sundae, which lasts for minutes. Wait, that's not a good example either. Anyway, I think I do get attached to my guitars just like anybody else, even if they're clones poured from a mold, and not unique individuals. I get attached so much that I want to have them with me as much as possible, wherever I go, and the composites can do that. I do appreciate what wood brings to the table. I have a classical guitar made of wood, and I'm hoping to own a Bill Comins handcarved archtop someday. I also appreciate the open-minded comments from folks on this thread. Not really a competition here, just diversity.
Members Terry Allan Hall Posted February 28, 2007 Members Posted February 28, 2007 Thanks for the wake-up call, Terry. I have to travel again this weekend and was thinking about taking my guitar. Your vote of no-confidence is accepted. Did I ever tell you the story about the "Banner" J-45 my grandfather gave me for my 13th b'day?
Members TimZ Posted February 28, 2007 Author Members Posted February 28, 2007 I would like to thank everyone for their input on this subject. I'm on the fence with this issue but it's a wooden fence. I will get a nice wooden instrument, after all it isn't my first guitar but it will probably be my best. It's hard to spend the long saved money and not have the wood. But later in life, on the other side of the fence, after saving again I could see a composite guitar for the durability, not in place of any wood guitar, just in addition too. Thanks again, Tim Z....
Members whit townsend Posted February 28, 2007 Members Posted February 28, 2007 Would love a guitar I could use for a boat paddle, but they are way too expensive.
Members Freeman Keller Posted February 28, 2007 Members Posted February 28, 2007 Tim, I'll just add that in spite of my rant about wood, I really do think technology is good for a lot of things, including guitars. There is a picture of a graphite bodied tri-cone resonator in my history of acoustic guitar book that got me thinking about building one out of titanium - that is about as techie as you could get. And even tho I learned to ski 40 years ago and have owned about every kind of wood, metal and fiberglass skis made since then, yesterday I skied on my shaped composit (very expensive) skis, injection molded (and laser fit) boots, and carbon fiber poles. And enjoyed every turn. So maybe even old RetroGrouch is sitting on that fence with you
Members J. Posted February 28, 2007 Members Posted February 28, 2007 I love carbon fiber composite guitars, especially the CAs. Recently I went on a mission to play both Rainsong and CA guitars at local dealerships and was quite impressed. The CA's are the better of the two in my opinion, but they are very pricey (Rainsongs aren't cheap either). I played a Legacy Vintage and was very impressed with the tone and projection. Carbon graphite guitars require a lot of skill and craftsmanship to put together just like wood guitars - it's just that the two processes are different. Two approaches to the same goal, in other words.
Members Queequeg Posted February 28, 2007 Members Posted February 28, 2007 I would like to thank everyone for their input on this subject. I'm on the fence with this issue but it's a wooden fence. I will get a nice wooden instrument, after all it isn't my first guitar but it will probably be my best. It's hard to spend the long saved money and not have the wood. But later in life, on the other side of the fence, after saving again I could see a composite guitar for the durability, not in place of any wood guitar, just in addition too. Thanks again, Tim Z.... GOT WOOD?
Members tommyld Posted February 28, 2007 Members Posted February 28, 2007 I would heartily encourage you to try a CA, or Composite Acoustic. I've owned two and I have a brand new one on the way. I'm selling my CA Vintage Performer on eBay to make room for the new one. After playing and owning CAs since 2003, I just can't imagine myself ever going back. Their stability, and consistent and great tone, make them well worth the investment. I'd reccomend that everyone who can, give one a try.Among the 5 or so musicians I showed my CA to in the first year (all folk and bluegrass guys), it was only very positive responses...and two of the five bought one right away.Do yourself a favor and check them out!
Members J. Posted February 28, 2007 Members Posted February 28, 2007 Is this your guitar?http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=002&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&viewitem=&item=120090027277&rd=1&rd=1The location doesn't match but it's the only one I can find on eBay right now. I wonder why they made the back and sides blue on the older ones. I do like the graphite checkered pattern on the top ala Rainsong better than the current blackburst. Oh wait, here you are:http://cgi.ebay.com/COMPOSITE-ACOUSTICS-Vintage-Performer-A-E-CA-Guitars_W0QQitemZ220087210045QQihZ012QQcategoryZ2385QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem Anyway, I really dig the CA guitars. What kind of CA are you getting next?
Members Terry Allan Hall Posted March 1, 2007 Members Posted March 1, 2007 In an article in the newest Acoustic Guitar, David Wilcox mentions that his RainSong's strings stay in tune perfectly through his tunings, even when one breaks, so possibly a Carbon Graphite guitar would be advantagious to someone who uses a lot of tunings, too.
Members Queequeg Posted March 1, 2007 Members Posted March 1, 2007 In an article in the newest Acoustic Guitar, David Wilcox mentions that his RainSong's strings stay in tune perfectly through his tunings, even when one breaks, so possibly a Carbon Graphite guitar would be advantagious to someone who uses a lot of tunings, too. That's what I want; is a string that stays in tune even after it breaks. Hell, I'll pay extra for that.
Members AugTPD Posted March 1, 2007 Members Posted March 1, 2007 I gotta admit, I'm a sucker for all the different types of wood..... How they look, sound, etc. But at the same time I would be very interested in owning a composite guitar for playing gigs. I play mostly praise and worship stuff and have played in situations that make me nervous for my wood guitars. I played at a church camp in Texas where the auditorium was outdoors and sometimes at night the temp. would change over 20 degrees really quickly. It was also right next to a lake so it was extremely humid. Would have been nice to have more peace of mind in that situation.
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