I am a little over 70 years old, a child of the 60’s, and up until recently an unabashed fan of solid wood dreadnaught guitars. I have owned (or presently own) a Martin D18, a Martin HD28, an Alverez MD60, a Takamine F350-M, and an Art & Lutherie HG Hi Gloss. My first step away from dreadnaught orthodoxy was to purchase two parlor guitars, A Gretsch Jim Dandy, and a Larivee PO-3ZW. My latest wood purchase is a Martin 000-15M, which is currently my very favorite piece of wood (solid mahogany).
Then, a friend of mine introduced me to his Composite Acoustics Legacy dreadnaught. Admittedly, I am a little hard of hearing, but I was surprised at the richness and clarity of the sound produced by an instrument without a stick of wood in it. The action was also superb. He explained that his guitar made of carbon fiber, was completely impervious to climate, built to the finest tolerances, and never needed any adjustment. To my mind, carbon fiber was associated with high end bicycles, fishing rods, golf clubs, and Ferraris –not acoustic guitars. But, hearing was believing. I was lucky enough to find a mint condition Composite Acoustics OX guitar online. Not a dreadnaught, but I was over my dreadnaught fixation.
To make a long story short, I love the OX and play it now almost exclusively, particularly when I play out somewhere. I leave it in the car in all weathers without worry. It has a strong bass, bright trembles, and a superb balance of tone. It is extremely comfortable to hold and play. The action feels like an electric guitar. It rarely needs tuning. Everyone who plays it loves it as much as I do. In fact, Frankie Revell, a Howlin’ Kitty recording artist, went right out and bought one of his own. I would be interested to know if anyone else has had experience with carbon fiber instruments and what you think of them.
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