CA Cargo,Is the hype for real?

Started by Stringdancer, July 24, 2008, 01:07:47 PM

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In my opinion...yes it is. I have been intrigued by these little guitars since they hit the market several months back.I have been reading all of the rave reviews and checking on line dealers where it seems that no one could keep these things in stock.FedEx just delivered one to me yesterday and my jaw has carpet burns from dragging the floor.

This little box has a HUGE sound,with light gauge strings no less.I am hearing the most deep, resonant,mellow bass coming from this little jewel than I have ever heard from any other small guitar,not to mention tons of full sized guitars.

Now for the down side,if you can call it that.The RT= road tough finish will remind you of course sandpaper,so if you use a pick very rarely,like me,and you don't have very much control of one, also like me,you get a gritty,not very musically appealing sound when your pick strikes the guitar top...same thing for nails,and although I haven't tried one yet that could probably be eliminated with a stick on mylar pickguard.Also if your a heavy strummer the bass might over Shadow the mids a bit.In that case  you might try EAD lights and GBE mediums or EAD extra lights and GBE lights.

Having said that large mouth full,I believe that most finger pickers will love this little box where In my opinion it really shines.
Larrivee D-05
Larrivee L-05MT
Larrivee P-05
Martin D-18GE
Martin 0M-42
Rainsong JM1000
Beard Gold Tone round neck
Ibanez AS 103- NT custom
CA Cargo
Collings 01



What I like to do when I'm not murdering perfectly good guitar tunes.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/shutterdancer/

Your post made me go looking - Never heard of them before.

Out of my price range, but someday.....

-Scott
2000 L-03-E
2012 Epiphone Nighthawk Custom Reissue
1985 Peavey Milestone
2004 SX SPJ-62 Bass
2008 Valencia Solid Cedar Top Classical
2015 Taylor 414ce - won in drawing
2016 Ibanez SR655BBF
???? Mitchell MDJ-10 3/4 scale dread
???? Squier Danocaster

My Sound Cloud

So many songs - so little time...
Finger Picking good Folk, Blues, Gospel, Roots, Rags, and Originals
www.davidberchtold.com

Bill Hammond, over at the Acoustic Guitar Magazine Discussion Forum has been waxing poetic about his CA for a couple of months now. It would appear they're the real deal. I trust Bill. He's owned some very nice instruments including a couple of Goodalls.

Haven't played the cargo. I have a CA GX Performer which I like pretty well. Some people just can't get past the "no wood" aspect of these guitars, though. If that's the case, there's just no talking to them, so I don't try. [post below this one is a case in point]
I bought a Larrivee SD-50MT TSB from those boys at Dream Guitars (the url in dberch's link). Nice folks, but not where I got the CA.

The shop where I bought my L-03R  (Artisan Guitars) is a CA dealer.
I tried one. It was ok but not that good to my ear and certainly not worth that much money to me.

It sounded metalic to me. If fact, I think of it more as a different kind of instrument rather than a guitar.

I prefer a traditional wood sound. It had volume but I did not care for the sound as far as comparing it to a real wood guitar.
If it was 1/2 the price I think it would make a good travel instrument or for campfire, beach house......etc

Considering you can get a good Larrivee 03 series for about the same price --  no comparison in my book.

- just my .03 cents worth  ( adjusted for fuel charge ).

- Larry
PLAY SONG , LIVE LONG !

Larrivee OOO-60 - Lady Rose
Pavan TP-30 classical - nylon
Takamine 132s classical -nylon
former Larrivees  L-03R  SD-50

Quote from: lw216316 on July 24, 2008, 04:07:13 PM
The shop where I bought my L-03R  (Artisan Guitars) is a CA dealer.
I tried one. It was OK but not that good to my ear and certainly not worth that much money to me.

It sounded metallic to me. If fact, I think of it more as a different kind of instrument rather than a guitar.

I prefer a traditional wood sound. It had volume but I did not care for the sound as far as comparing it to a real wood guitar.
If it was 1/2 the price I think it would make a good travel instrument or for campfire, beach house......etc

Considering you can get a good Larrivee 03 series for about the same price --  no comparison in my book.
- just my .03 cents worth  ( adjusted for fuel charge ).

- Larry

Its a good thing that all of our ears are different...thats why we have so many guitars to choose from...to my ears it sounds more woody than any other so called travel guitar that I have had the underwhelming opportunity to play,even though its carbon.

I didn't buy it to replace my Larry's or Martins,I bought it because there are simply certain places that I go where I don't feel comfortable taking a good all wood guitar.

It is of course more costly than most other travel guitars,but it was worth it to me to get a travel guitar that actually sounded good for a change.The baby Taylor and little Martin,to name only two, sound boxy, tinkly, and metallic to me.

  Of course it might be that I have blown my hearing out listening to too much rock music in the 60's,and I can't tell what sounds good any more.In that case,I should probably just trade all of my guitars even for one good Estaban.  :wink:

Larrivee D-05
Larrivee L-05MT
Larrivee P-05
Martin D-18GE
Martin 0M-42
Rainsong JM1000
Beard Gold Tone round neck
Ibanez AS 103- NT custom
CA Cargo
Collings 01



What I like to do when I'm not murdering perfectly good guitar tunes.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/shutterdancer/

Hey Stringdancer, congrats on becoming a Senior Member with your 100th post  :thumb :donut2 :coffee

Yea, I totally understand your satisfaction with the CA and the purpose it serves for you.
If money were not an issue with me (and it is) I could easily buy one and use it for travel or whenever a more 'delicate or expensive' guitar would be a risk.

When I listen to the sample audio provided in this post, even on my computer speakers, my ear hears the difference.
Recently, I went to a concert that had 2 solo guitar instrumentalists. They took turns playing , first - one by himself and then the other by himself. The first player had nice all wood guitars. The 2nd player was using a CA.

My ear was sensitive to the CA sound - and each time the guy played I kept thinking - I wish he was using one of the all wood guitars.

When I played the CA, it sounded ' good '  to me but different than a solid wood guitar. For purposes of travel etc I think it is the best of class - although expensive.

If someone buys it thinking to use it as a substitute for a wood guitar sound, and they are sensitive to the differences, then they may be disappointed.

- Larry
PLAY SONG , LIVE LONG !

Larrivee OOO-60 - Lady Rose
Pavan TP-30 classical - nylon
Takamine 132s classical -nylon
former Larrivees  L-03R  SD-50

I haven't played the Cargo but I have to agree with Larry about the CA I've played. There's was no question this was not a wood guitar. It sounded harsh and reminded me of a plugged in acoustic. I wasn't impressed with the soundclips either; there was no body to them, about all I could here were the strings.

Thanks for the congrats on the milestone Larry..and yes you and Jeremy are right,.. the sound clips of the Cargo on the CA site sound a little overly processed and EQ'ed to me as well,and the drooped D wasn't necessary either :winkin: All of us are never going to agree on the carbon sound,but I happen to love it.My Rainsong has a spot in the rotation with my wood guitars,and my new Cargo,when its not in the woods or by the water will be a very welcome couch companion.One mans metallic sound is another mans bell like quality :cheers
Larrivee D-05
Larrivee L-05MT
Larrivee P-05
Martin D-18GE
Martin 0M-42
Rainsong JM1000
Beard Gold Tone round neck
Ibanez AS 103- NT custom
CA Cargo
Collings 01



What I like to do when I'm not murdering perfectly good guitar tunes.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/shutterdancer/

I haven't played one of these but I have heard lots of good things. Having said that, the price is a little too high for my taste.

Not to steal a thread but for the same out of pocket outlay, I have a Martin Backpacker and Larrivee Parlour Flamed Maple (Both all wood) and I had almost enough left over to buy my son a Little Martin (LXM) made of high pressure laminate.

I have had the BP since 1995 and it has been from Seattle to Key West in all kinds of conditions. I just returned from a week long business  trip to WV and Tennessee and I took the Parlour along. It stayed in the car when the AC was on and either stayed in the hotel room or the back of the conference room for the meetings I attended. My son has the LXM in Iraq with 115 degree temperatures and absolutely no problems. Not sure I would have wanted to subject a high priced composite to that type of bench test.

Adverse conditions are where the composites really shine teh,of course their not bullet proof.Check out this youtube video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IR9I-hMGLFA&eurl=http://www.caguitars.com/artistyoutube
Larrivee D-05
Larrivee L-05MT
Larrivee P-05
Martin D-18GE
Martin 0M-42
Rainsong JM1000
Beard Gold Tone round neck
Ibanez AS 103- NT custom
CA Cargo
Collings 01



What I like to do when I'm not murdering perfectly good guitar tunes.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/shutterdancer/

Stringdancer:

Thanks for the clip, it made my day and those two guys never seemed to miss a beat in those conditions.

How do you like your Rainsong? I played a couple @ Elderly Instruments a few years back and saw Leo Kottke playing one during a summer gig. Regarding the materials used to build guitars, it looks like the debate still rages on:

Brazilian Rosewood versus East Indian Rosewood
Mahogany versus Sapele
Real Wood versus Composite Materials/Laminates

My son's first deployment ends and he is heading back to his post @ Fort Lewis, WA in late October to go to the opposite in weather extremes. 












Or you could go cheap like I did and get an Art & Lutherie AMI Almond, an all-laminate parlor for $229. Not going to win any beauty contests, but a surprisingly nice little guitar for very little money. BTW, the all-laminate ones (at least brand new ones) are getting hard to find...
2008 Larrivée L-03SO (Grevillea Robusta)
2008 Art & Lutherie Ami Almond
2000 Larrivée OM-02

teh,
I really like the Rainsong jumbo,it has a nice clean bass and a very balanced sound...BTW,the next time that you talk to your son tell him hello for me,to stay safe, and we all appreciate his service!!
Larrivee D-05
Larrivee L-05MT
Larrivee P-05
Martin D-18GE
Martin 0M-42
Rainsong JM1000
Beard Gold Tone round neck
Ibanez AS 103- NT custom
CA Cargo
Collings 01



What I like to do when I'm not murdering perfectly good guitar tunes.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/shutterdancer/

thanks for the pointer to the clip from Iraq. God Bless our troops.  :+1:
Randy R., Georgia, USA
Opinions available. Inquire about qty discount.
Forum Guitar III LS03 #15 ser no 108519

I strongly suggest you play one for about a half an hour before you buy one.  I found the neck too small for my hands.  I wanted it to work.  It is a great travel guitar.  I have a CA Legacy vintage voiced pre-Katrina model that I use when I play outside of the house.  Just make sure it fits your hands.:guitar
Peace,
Rip

I posted this July 15th on the SCGC Playere forum......



I had to brag with a post and tell everyone I ordered a Composite Acoustic Cargo.  I truly think this will be the ultimate travel guitar! Those things sound so good and are worry free. I have traveled with all of mine and have worried every step of the way when I do.  Especially this time of year.  HOT!!!  Bill ordered me one and will be delivered with his next batch.  Looks like a late July arrival.  I can wait.... I still have a Cruz to play when at home.  Thanks Bill & Ellie!!!


I posted this on August 5,2008

Well Folks.... It has arrived!  What a fabulous GUITAR!!!!!  I am so amazed at the tone and volume this little thing puts out.  This is "THE" ultimate travel guitar without a doubt.  I was at Artisan when they pulled it out of the box.  They received several in today.  The one I ended up with is "Range Rover" green and it has the Fishman Matrix p/u factory installed.  I didn't know what to think of the green in the pics on the web site, but it is an awesome color up close.  I have yet to plug it into an amp as I just checked in my hotel room and just started playing.  This truly sounds like a full size guitar and it rivals so many guitars I have played at any level.  When they first anounced these were comming out, I turned my nose up at the idea of an all synthetic parlor guitar..How dare they I thought to myself...  Those doubts are in the wind.  If you love your Cruz's, you would appreciate and love this little guitar.  I have no doubts about that....  I bet the remaining ones that are at Artisan will be gone before the week is out.  Get em while they still have em...


These are AWESOME travel guitars.  They all sound different, so you gotta play em first.  The one I ordered sounded like a rosewood guitar.  The one I came home with sounded more like mahogany.  I love mine.
:cheers :guitar :thumbsup :roll :bowdown: :nana_guitar :bowdown: :nana_guitar :bowdown: :nana_guitar :bgrin:


A bunch of great guitars I don't deserve and a gaggle of fly rods.... Aint life grand?

I bought one strictly on reviews (no where to try one out locally) but ended up returning it. Nice enough guitar untill you factor in the price. And I found the scale length is too short and couldn't get used to that. IMO and for my needs I found it is too much $$ for what I ended up with. Not waht I was after I suppose.

The sound was good for it's size but nothing compared to my L03R which is about the same price. Unless you are actually going to "travel" with a guitar you may want to reconsider.
Larrivee L-04  .  Fishman Rare Earth  .  Roland AC-60  .  Tascam DP-02CF

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