Carbon fiber acoustic guitars are getting increasingly popular and sought after. Since their inception in the 20th Century, they have been slowly but steadily gaining momentum and popularity, until the current day when they have exploded in popularity with the biggest brands and manufacturers trying their hand at designing the best carbon fiber acoustic guitars.
Many experienced guitarists have been starting to get fatigued because they’ve been playing the same kinds of guitars over and over again their whole lives. The best carbon fiber guitars represent a new opportunity for these guitarists to play a new and fresh instrument unlike any other on the market.
Besides just the novelty factor, the best carbon fiber acoustic guitars have several practical benefits. These benefits include a good quality design, a fresh look, a body that is resistant to rain and extreme weather,and a material that is very lightweight and has a low density which can easily be carried around for hours on end and which is used by many traveling musicians around the globe.
So, without further ado, let’s take a look at the best carbon fiber acoustic guitars you can get your hands on today.
This guitar designed by Enya is a sleek, classy and elegant carbon fiber acoustic guitar.The X4 was developed by Enya Music Inc., a company based in Houston, Texas. The X4 is the latest inline in the popular X series of guitars, succeeding the X2 and the X3.
It is extremely well built with a very stylish design and a sturdy body, with a very low weight, which can be expected from carbon fiber guitars due to the material’s low density.
It functions excellently as an acoustic guitar offering a clear tone and a very loud sound. The sonic quality gets even better when considering the relatively low price point. Beginners, intermediates and experts alike can use this guitar without any issues due to the extremely accurate sound it produces. Reviewers have stated its sound is extremely close to the sound of traditional wood guitars.
However, as the name suggests, this guitar can also be played in electric mode. This gives the guitar anextra layer of versatility and adaptability and is sure to fit every guitarist’s play style. The X4 uses Enya’s AcousticPlus pickup system, which picks up on vibrations produced by the strings to generate reverb and other associated effects, essentially allowing you to play without an amp. It also has a soundhole that doubles as an EQ.
Due to this guitar’s low weight, durable design, and versatility, the X4 can be recommended to almost any guitar player, whether you are a beginner, an intermediate, or an expert
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McPherson is a well-known brand in the field of high end guitars. After several years of making quality instruments fit for use by professionals, they have finally ventured into the carbon fiber guitar space starting from 2014. The latest in their line of carbon fiber guitars is the McPhersonTouringCarbon Guitar. This guitar has a special focus on usability and sound quality, as is McPherson’s trademark.
Since this guitar caters to professionals and traveling musicians, the sound is perhaps the most important quality. For that reason,McPherson has paid special attention to making sure that the guitar produces a rich and loud sound, with a clear tone and ample amounts of timber.It is also extremely accurate and is comparable to the sound the highest and wooden guitars produce.
The build quality is excellent. Once again, the guitar is made out of carbon fiber which allows it to be extremely light and durable while still having all of the qualities that guitarists desire, like excellent sound quality and playability. As the name suggests, it is meant to be played on tour and is used primarily by the traveling musician. That is why its lightness is a very important quality. It can be played in any weather, and it is extremely unlikely to be damaged or deteriorated in any meaningful way, so you can expect to be able to use this guitar in top condition for years, if not decades.
The truss rod is non-adjustable, which means there won’t be any deviation no matter how long you play the guitar. You will be getting maximum performance from this guitar 100% of the time.
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The X20 acoustic guitar designed by Emerald Guitars is perhaps the biggest visual stand out on this list. This guitar is a labor of love, and it shows through the sheer comfort and playability of the guitar and the striking visuals and beautiful color options.
The sound is clear and technically perfect. Professionals will have no issues with how this guitar sounds or plays. The projection is brilliant, with listeners being able to feel the full body of the sound even at large distances.Reviewers have compared its sound favorably to that of wooden guitars.
Special attention has also been given to the comfort and playability of the X20. Due to its low weightof 4.4 lbs. (or 2 kg) and ergonomically designed body, the X0 can be held and played for hours at a time without any issues.
It is also highly durable and can be played outdoors no matter what the weather is like. It features a high gloss finish on all surfaces and can be thoroughly customized on the Emerald Guitars website.This means customers will be able to pick the colors and build that they most prefer.
Specifications:
Our next entry on this list is the black carbon fiber travel acoustic guitar manufactured by KLOS.
KLOS is a long-standing and tenured brand that has gained the respect of thousands of customers over the years it’s been active. KLOS specializes in producing carbon fiber guitars, so if anyone can produce a highly convenient and well-made carbon fiber guitar package, it’s them.
This black carbon fiber travel acoustic guitar is lightweight, sleek, and fashionable. The neck is made out of premium mahogany. The guitar itself can also be easily disassembled. You need to unscrew 4 screws to remove the neck from the body. The guitar also comes with a stand and a gig bag with special compartments for different guitar parts.
The sound quality is excellent. KLOS has described the sound its carbon fiber guitar produces as being “very rich, loud and resonant,” and reviewers attest to this fact. Projection is great, with listeners able to hear the full range of nuanced sounds guitars of this level produce.
Of course, since it is a carbon fiber guitar, it is very light, with an excellent height-to-weight ratio. It’s built to be as easily transportable as possible while at the same time not sacrificing sound quality and durability. KLOS manages the balance between ergonomics, convenience, durability, sound quality and price quite well with this guitar.
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As the name suggests, this travel guitar produced by journey instruments is a top-of-the-line guitar with a special focus on ease of travel and transport.
The Journey Instruments Carbon Fiber Traveling Guitar has been marketed as a traveling musician’s best friend. Thanks to the patented removable neck specially produced by Journey Guitars, this guitar can be disassembled and reassembled in under 20 seconds since there is just one screw holding everything in place.
The body is expertly designed to be as comfortable as possible. It’s perfectly comfortable in the lap, and the shape of the neck complements that of the guitarist’s hand quite well. If you’re the kind of person who likes to stand up and play the guitar, the trademark low density of the material will ensure you can play for hours without your hands or shoulders ever getting tired.
The body is also very rigid and well-made. Scratches will be rare, and actual damage will be almost impossible. The design is elegant and eye-catching, sticking out in a sea of generic guitars.
When it comes to sound, this guitar doesn’t skimp out. Journey knows the main concern any serious musician will have with any instrument they’re interested in is the sonics. The sound is rich and detailed, with a distinct timber and a clear tone.
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The LAVA ME 2 is the sequel to the popular and well-liked LAVA ME, which was also an acoustic-electric guitar. LAVA has learned a great deal since its first venture into the carbon fiber guitar market, using that knowledge to produce a greatly improved guitar over its already excellent predecessor.
The first thing anyone will notice about this guitar is how it looks. It features a bold, new-age design, unlike anything else you can currently buy. It ditches the traditional all-black color scheme of other carbon fiber guitars for something else entirely. The colors are bright and vivid, the body is shaped unusually but is still comfortable, and the neck has a distinct tapering shape. This is the guitar you want to turn heads in a crowd.
LAVA has designed a special neck that it terms the Fly+ neck. According to LAVA, it was “designed by tracking the different forces of shifting positions while players are playing.” This unique neck is very durable and fits players’ hands quite well, so you can play this for a long, long time before your hands begin to cramp or get tired.
The L2 pickups built into the ME 2 double as speakers using the patented FreeBoost technology developed by LAVA. This allows guitarists to essentially use the ME 2 as an electric guitar on the go, with special effects such as reverb, among others, being included. This is a guitar that truly caters to all playing styles.
The special formulation of carbon fiber LAVA has used to make this guitar has once again been given a name: the “AirSonic.” This material has the same stiffness and durability as regular carbon fiber but with 70% of the weight.
The sound produced by this guitar is rich and lavish, with an impressive dynamic range. It greatly resembles the sound produced by high-end wooden guitars. Add to this the fact that it is affordable, sturdy and extremely convenient, and you have a strong case for the LAVA ME 2.
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Buyer’s Guide
Though you might have an almost overwhelming amount of information about different guitars, their prices and their good and bad qualities, it’s still important to be able to decide which one to buy, or if you should buy any at all.
To help you reach a decision, we’ve summarized what we feel are the main points or concerns interested customers will have.
Why you should consider carbon fiber guitars?
Carbon fiber guitars have rapidly been gaining popularity over the last few years. This is because the best carbon fiber acoustic guitars are highly durable, lightweight, weather-resistant, and sleek-looking, features that traditional wooden guitars often don’t have.
Living in weather conditions that are too hostile for guitar playing is a big issue faced by a significant chunk of the general public. For these people, buying a carbon fiber guitar is convenient due to its weather resistance.
These guitars are also usually chosen by trendsetters and those who are tired of having the same-old generically designed guitar. If there’s one thing that’s true about all carbon fiber guitars, it’s that they are guaranteed to turn heads wherever you take them.
The pros of having a carbon fiber guitar
- Carbon fiber is extremely low in density while being as powerful as steel. This means that guitars made using carbon fiber will always be extremely light, allowing you to play them and use them for hours at a time.
- Since carbon fiber is as durable as steel, carbon fiber guitars are very tough and damage-resistant.
- Carbon fiber is very rigid, so you won’t have to realign the truss rod on your guitar all that often.
- Carbon fiber is weather-resistant, so that these guitars can be played in the rain or any other weather conditions.
- Carbon fiber produces a clearer tone than wood.
- Carbon fiber has a distinct all-black look, a quality that translates to most guitars made with this material. This means carbon fiber guitars typically look sleek and very unique.
Deciding on a suitable guitar
When there are so many options, finding the guitars that fit you and your lifestyle the best isn’t easy.
Do you find yourself cramping up while playing the guitar? Maybe you want to play for hours, but your shoulders are tired and need a break. Maybe it rains frequently where you live, and you can rarely ever take your guitar outside without fear of it getting damaged.
If you commonly face any of these issues or have similar complaints, then the carbon fiber acoustic guitar is for you. It’s specifically designed to alleviate these complaints.
Picking the guitar that’s right for you
By now, you’ll have decided on whether or not you want a carbon fiber guitar. For those that do, the next step is to figure out which guitar they should buy. While having a multitude of options is always good, sometimes it serves to confuse the customer.
Lower priced guitars cater towards the traveling musician and the everyday man. While they do offer solid sonics playable at the highest level, these guitars mainly appeal to those who want the convenience associated with the best carbon fiber acoustic guitars. This includes travelers who carry their instruments with them wherever they go, regular guitarists who live in a region with frequent rain, and everyone in between.
Higher-priced guitars are for stern professionals who want a carbon fiber guitar but are not ready to sacrifice even the tiniest bit of sound quality. For guitar players at the highest level, the main complaint with carbon fiber acoustic guitars is that they sound inferior to or just different than traditional wooden guitars.
These high-end guitars work to remedy that complaint, packing all of the characteristic conveniences of owning an instrument made of carbon fiber while still having a luxurious, rich sound that is virtually identical to that of professional wooden guitars.
If you are a traveler or anywhere below the professional level of guitar playing, consider the lower-end guitars. If you’re a professional for whom sound is the most important, high-end is the way to go.
FAQs
What should my budget for a carbon fiber guitar be?
The best carbon fiber guitars will set you back anywhere from $700 to $4000.
The sweet spot for most people will be the $700-$1200 mark. In this range, you’ll find guitars that are the highest quality in terms of build, and the sound quality is good even at professional levels of play.
However, professionals and guitarists for whom sound quality is very important should consider the higher-end guitars on this list. These are some of the best carbon fiber acoustic guitars, and have a special focus on providing the best sonic experience possible. The sound produced by these guitars is unmatched by all but the priciest of wooden guitars.
Will I benefit from playing a carbon fiber guitar?
You most likely will. Compared to wooden guitars, carbon fiber guitars are more useable for the average person, with benefits including a durable body, low density, ease of transport, etc.
In short, you’ll gain many advantages over traditional guitar players and will be able to play your guitar anywhere in any circumstance.
How long will my guitar last?
Thanks to the rigidity of the base material as well as its toughness, you can expect your carbon fiber guitar to last a long time. With a material that’s as tough as steel with only a fraction of the weight, you can be sure these guitars will last a long time.
With proper care, you’ll be looking at a guitar that is still in top shape years if not decades down the line, probably with minimal damage.
Check our guide for buying Best Acoustic Blues Guitars…
Can I play my guitar if it’s raining?
Yes, you can. Carbon fiber doesn’t corrode or waste away and is water-resistant so that you can play these guitars in any conditions.
Why is the price so high?
The high price can be justified by the many benefits you can get from the best carbon fiber acoustic guitars.
If you consider the price to be a bit too high, consider the fact that even with sub-optimal care, any guitar made out of this material will be in near perfect condition years and even decades down the line. You’ll pay more now but will eventually save money by not having to replace your guitar again and again.
Do carbon fiber guitars sound good?
Thanks to all the time and resources spent researching carbon fiber guitars and finding ways to make them better, their sound quality has improved overall. These days you’ll be hard-pressed to find any difference between the sound of a wooden guitar and that of a carbon fiber one if you are anything short of a professional.
Conclusion
Carbon fiber guitars are rapidly becoming the go-to instrument for many beginners, intermediate and advanced guitarists, and for good reason. Whether it’s the durability, the low weight, the adaptability, the sound quality, or the sleek design, it’s clear the best carbon fiber acoustic guitars have something for everybody.
However, our personal pick would have to go to the KLOS Black Carbon Fiber Acoustic Guitar. It offers a robust build with excellent sound quality at a low cost.
But whatever your pick maybe, it’s clear that all carbon fiber guitars have things going for them. So, what are you waiting for? Get your first carbon fiber guitar today!
