Composite Acoustic Guitar
I think it’s safe to say that there is a stigma attached to non-wooden guitars. Although technology wasn’t ready until recently for an innovation in acoustic guitar design, even if the technology was there 20 years ago the hearts and minds of the people were even less ready. Simply put, acoustic guitars absolutely had to be made of wood; no compromises.
We gave ourselves a little bit more leeway when it came to solidbody electrics. I think Parker helped us to overcome those reservations. But for acoustic guitar it has always been wood, wood, wood.
Well, I’m here to tell y’all that wooden acoustic guitars are no longer the be-all end-all. Yep, I done said it, there’s something better out there. I’ve heard it, I’ve played it, and I want it. I’m talking about a composite guitar.
My friend Scott and I took a trip up to Mandolin Bros. in New York a few months ago. We had never been there and decided to go just to check it out and drool over all of the great guitars they had for sale. We walked around for a while, and as we were just about finished and ready to head out we noticed a few painted acoustic guitars in the corner. On a whim I picked one of them up and started playing.
I’ll probably be losing my Political Correctness blogging award for saying this, but: INSTANT BONER!
(Sorry, Barb!)
Yeah, I was completely floored by how amazing this guitar sounded. I have never, ever played a guitar as responsive. (I was playing one of the Composite Acoustic guitars.) With every chord I played, I could feel the air pulsing through the guitar’s body. I have never felt that before, and it’s the first time that I felt organically connected to a guitar I was playing. I truly felt as if the guitar and I were working together. I had always thought that feeling was just a myth perpetrated on us stupid players by famous people.
I really didn’t want to put it down. I eventually handed it over to Scott and his reaction was similar to mine (though I don’t want to speculate on his erection status).
The CA acoustic instantly went on my “must-buy” GAS list. Great sounding guitar, great feel, played and looked amazing, and I never have to worry about humidity, heat, or getting the neck adjusted. The only thing I’d ever have to worry about would be fret wear!
After putting that one down I checked out a RainSong graphite guitar. This guitar was also very nice, but it didn’t quite resonate with me as much as the CA (pun slightly intended). Don’t get me wrong, it was very nice, but the CA just spoke to me right away – kismet.
I know there are a few other composite material guitar companies out there, I just haven’t had any experience with them yet. But I’m hear to tell you that the days of an acoustic guitar having to be made of wood are very much over. If you are in the market for a nice acoustic guitar that could literally survive WWIII, then I strongly suggest you check out a composite guitar. I know Sam Ash is now selling some models from CA, so I’m sure you can find one to check out.
Don’t walk, RUN!
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It stinks that their website doesn’t work. I wouldn’t mind seeing their different models.
fgv recently posted: Get More from Your Teacher
Yeah, I noticed that, too. As much as I would love to say all of the traffic from Fretterverse caused their site to crash, I can’t take that credit.
But I’m sure they’ll have their site up again soon. They are worth the wait.
hmmmm…. gosh, I just have a hard time believing this. I’ve never played a non-wooden acoustic guitar that sounds better than a wooden one. I suppose though there is a first for everything, so I’ll have to keep my eye on this one you’re talking about. Even if it does sound as good as you’re saying, I can’t help but to feel like it looks a tad ugly… (yes I’m one of those people who likes aesthetics). hah, I just have a hard time warming up to the idea. I’ll take your word though
Brett McQueen recently posted: Major Guitar Scales Lesson- Eb Major Scale Positions
That’s cool, Brett. Composite Acoustic makes a wine red color that, to me at least, looks awesome. As for the sound… I stand by my statement.
Interesting. I guess it was always going to happen. The great thing about composite materials and modern production techniques is the consistency – once you get it just right every single one could be just right. I look forward to seeing them start to appear and trying them out…there is all that nature/beauty/organic’ness missing in man made materials, but if it sounds great then you can’t argue with that!
JAW
JAW recently posted: Recording- plugged in
Yeah, JAW, it was first and foremost the sound that did it for me.
Sounds (and looks) awesome Josh, you always manage to find interesting thing to write about. No doubt I won’t be able to try them, but I’ll keep an eye out for their website coming back up.
Neal recently posted: Restringing A Right Handed Guitar Upside Down
Thanks, Neal. Sometimes I have to rack my brain, other times it’s easy. I’m sure you know where I’m coming from.
Have you seen Flaxwood Guitars? They’re a Finnish company that make guitars out of a their own proprietary compound.. basically they break the grain structure of real timber, to create a sort of wood that’s uniformly consistent and can be injection moulded, and doesn’t rely on felling endangered species to get great tone.
They’re not doing acoustic guitars yet.. still, it’s pretty exciting stuff!
Jim E James recently posted: Guitarist Trivia – Johnny Thunders
Haven’t heard of them, Jim, but thanks for the heads up. Sounds very intriguing; I’m going to have to check them out.
According to this message board thread, Composite Acoustic is out of business. So I guess their resale value just increased
http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=178268
fgv recently posted: How to Leverage Your Band’s Mailing List
Really? That sucks! Man, I should have robbed a bank and picked one up when I tried it out.
Quite a few classical guitar makers have been using carbon fiber to reinforce construction for a few years now. Some even paint a carbon fiber style paste on the braces underneath the top. My own guitar has a rod of carbon fiber running up the neck.
It’s interesting, the non wood stuff. I wonder how far they’ll take it. I know one builder that makes entire fret boards out of carbon fiber. Maybe it is the future, but let’s face it: wood is prettier. Just sayin’.
Do a search of the acoustic guitar forum ( http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/forums/index.php ) or the macnichol forum ( http://macnichol.com/forum ) which focuses primarily on carbon fiber guitars, and you will find that Peavey purchased the entire assets of CA and is currently hiring and plans to again produce the Composite Acoustic guitars at the beginning of next year or earlier. As before, made in Louisiana, but a nearby city. The Cargo will certainly be the first guitar back in production.
That’s great news!