XOX Audio Tools: The Handle Carbon Fiber Electric Guitar
The first one up is the coolest carbon fiber guitar I could find. It’s made by XOX Audio Tools, and they call the “The Handle”:
The design was done by Peter Solomon, and the guitar is being called the most revolutionary electric guitar of our time.
The entire guitar is a single body where extra material is removed. With the use of carbon fiber, the guitar cannot be broken, so don’t expect to smash it after your concert. The carbon fiber also adds a wider harmonic range and is very slim and lightweight. The first 100 guitars are a limited edition and only available through XOX Audio Tools. Expect to pay around $2,800.
Here’s a video I found of the guitar being used:
Gus: G1 Ten Silver Carbon Fiber Guitar
The next guitar on the list is a very limited edition one (only 10 were made) made by Gus Guitars. This specific edition guitar is called the G1 Ten, and it was especially made to celebrate the company’s 10 year anniversary:
The guitar features a silver carbon fiber finish with a silver carbon laminated fingerboard. It also has turquoise carbon inlays and laser engraved 10th anniversary detailing with a serial number plate.
The G1 Ten also comes with a specially developed case that is a piece of art within itself. It is a form-fitting case that essentially cocoons the guitar into it:
The G1 Ten is by the most expensive on the list, coming in at about $10,000.
Rainsong WS3000 12 String & WS1000 Carbon Fiber Guitar
Acoustic guitars can also be made with carbon fiber, and the Rainsong WS3000 12-string and Rainsong WS1000 are perfect examples:
The WS3000 features an all-graphite body with no body braces. An all-graphite neck and epoxy fingerboard fabricated using RainSong’s Performance Shape Casting as a single piece and no truss rod. There is a urethane UV protectant high gloss finish as well. Since graphite is used, there is almost no dampening. You can expect to spend about $2,300 for one of these.
I found this video of somebody playing on a WS1000:
New Millenium Acoustic Design Carbon Fiber Mandolin
A company by the name of New Millenium Acoustic Design makes a gorgeous carbon fiber mandolin:
NewMAD went with carbon fiber because of its strength, lightweight, and durability features. Carbon fiber is not affected by temperature extremes or moisture, issues that stringed instruments are used to. NewMAD offers your natural black/gray weave, but also yellow/bloack, blue/black, red/bloack, and green/black for a really unique look.
Expect to pay between $3,500 and $6,000 for one of these.
Blackbird Rider Carbon Fiber Guitar
We’ve already featured this on our block, so head over to that post to read more about it. The guitar features a unique design, lightweight (3lbs), an all-hollow design, and a rich sound. Expect to pay about $1,600.
Miller Instruments: Superstring G6 Carbon Fiber Electric Guitar
Miller Instruments offers their Superstring G6 carbon fiber electric guitar which is more of a standard style:
It’s a two-piece guitar that gives off a very fat blue sound without using any pedals. You pick this one up for about $1,900.
Make sure and check out our carbon fiber guitars section of our store.
Damn, never knew they made cf guitars.. and the acoustic sounds so good.. almost wooden like.
I know I never realized they did either! Surprisingly enough, from what I’ve found, people still seem to think wood is better than carbon fiber in terms of a richer sound….at least for the acoustic guitars.
hello all, thanks for the nice compliments on the Handle guitar, one big correction though, the Handle is produced and sold by one company only XOX Audio Tools, the other company ‘JR’ you have cited is not a producer of this guitar (and I kindly ask the editor of this site to remove their name. I will send you more updated photos upon you r request)
A bit of extra technical information, not only does carbon fiber sound as good as wood, but rather they have better acoustic qualities than wood and a much higher gamma. The Handle was designed from the ground up based on these specific qualities of this incredible material and combining it with very advanced construction techinques to produce a truly powerful and unique sound!
check it out and let me know what you think!
thanks,
Peter
Peter - Thanks for posting on here. A big congrats on such a gorgeous guitar that you have designed!
I’m not sure about an electric guitar, but it seemed like a lot guitar gurus online thought that acoustic guitars sounded better with wood. This is just based on what I read online, as I don’t have the expertise to know myself.
I do have a really good friend who I would consider a guitar guru, if you wanted to possibly send one out to us for a review on here (loaner of course) shoot me an e-mail on the contact us page and we can arrange something.
I’ve edited the article accordingly to credit the correct makers and sellers
Thanks,
Dave
Hey, Dave! Thanks for stopping on my blog and thanks for commenting, I hope to see you back for more!
Sure thing, thanks for the link love!
I have a Rainsong WS-1000, a Tacoma Chief C1C, and a Takamine G-series 12-string, so I have plenty of opportunity to compare the sounds of wooden and carbon fiber guitars. I think the Rainsong is brighter, perhaps lacking some of the deeper undertones of the wooden guitars. But it is much louder and clearer; when I strike a chord on the Rainsong I can hear all the notes, whereas the blending of notes on the wooden guitars can sometimes seem a little muddy. And the Rainsong is impervious to changes in temperature and humidity, which drive the Chief crazy. The carbon guitar is definitely my favorite.
Paul
I recently played the New Mad mandolins at the NAMM Show and they are amazing — all models. I had been wondering about carbon fiber mandos and was thrilled to see them at NAMM. The tone is exactly what you’d expect — the funky, unique carbon fiber tone. Peter Mix has done an incredible job.
Just thought I’d call your attention to the other large (i.e., more than one or two people) maker of carbon fiber acoustic guitars. Composite Acoustics (www.compositeacoustics.com) has been in the business for close to a decade, and within the last couple of years has completely revamped its production shop to greatly improve the consistency and aesthetics of their guitars. And, of course, in a pinch you can use them to paddle a boat…try that with a wood guitar. (The pickup and the strings probably won’t like it, though.)
@Eric - Thanks for the info and link. I’ll definitely take a look, and possibly feature them in a future post.
Here are some more guitar mfgs. who use Graphite.
Status Graphite, U.K. Bass and 6 string electrics.
http://www.status-graphite.com/status/carts3/frames/frame4.htm
Composite Acoustics:
http://www.compositeacoustics.com/
Luis and Clark, carbon fiber violins and upright bass
http://www.luisandclark.com/violin.php
It’s popping up everywhere!
Thanks for the links Steve!
Have played a Composite Acoustics “Bluegrass Performer” side-by-side with the Rainsong. No comparison: CA is much stronger in the bass, a lighter guitar, and simply has a better sound all around. The Rainsong is nice, but the CA even costs less.
You guys should check out the carbon fiber Emerald guitar made in Ireland. I bought one with a quilted Honduras mahogany top veneer and the thing looks amazing and sounds as crisp and clear as a piano. I used to have a Larrivé but because I live in Costa Rica, next to the beach (Nosara), I needed something that would handle the elements. I love my Emerald and wouldn´t trade it for the world.
Steve
I own one of the last RainSong WS9000’s made before the company discontinued it. It is a nylon string carbon fiber guitar. Infinitely superior in sound quality to other classical guitars I have played in the same price range ($2k-$3k). The problem is in convincing people that an industrial composite material is worth trying. There is just no way that any wood on the planet can be as dense, uniform and stiff as carbon fiber.
One of the great things about carbon fiber for a classical guitar is that the sound and sustain of a nylong guitar is largely a function of the bracing. A carbon fiber guitar needs no bracing.
I played the Rainsong 12-string yesterday, and it was superior to my previous Ovation in playability and sound quality. It just might be my next guitar. (I currently have a Martin DC-16GTE, a Fender acoustic 3/4 bass, and a Fender strat). But I’m holding back for one big reason.
My only concern is adjusting the guitar. I have a wizard-like luthier that I (and many pros) send their guitars to. The Rainsong, as mentioned above, has no truss rod. If that’s the case, is the factory adjustment as good as it gets? If so then I probably won’t buy it, because I like my action to be set based on my playing, not some vanilla setting for the average guitarist.
Don’t get me wrong … it played better than any 12 string I’ve ever put across my knee. But I said the same thing about my Martin, and my luthier took it from damned good to insanely perfect. I’d like to see the same results for the Rainmaker.
Gentlemen
Why do people call turbostratic carbon fiber graphite? is it because they do not know much
about carbon? Why not say your
wedding ring has a beautiful graphite stone or tell people the
core of your pencil is made of
diamond? The carbon fiber used
in musical instruments is derived
from polyacrylonitrile (pan) and it
is turbostratic not graphite.
holy geese, sign me up!!!!!
Check out my guitars,
Please tell me what you think.
I am in the marketing process right now and they do sound nice.
Regards Mark Edgington
Mark
What do you mean check out
my guitars? Which guitars are
you talking about?
Regards
Jim
James - click his name for the link
Just a comment in response to sturdi’s. I’ve built many guitars and worked with carbon fiber myself so I do know what I’m talking about here :-). Action is adjusted at the bridge. The truss rod adjusts relief, not action. Relief is mainly a fudge factor for an inherintly unstable wood neck. Sure the strings do arc a little but anyone who has ever played something like a parker (a carbon fiber coated wood neck) knows that you can have an absolutely dead flat playing surface with only a few hundreths of an inch of action and never buzz. Another huge part of playability is the fret work itself which a good luthier can and should do a lot to improve during a setup. Chances are rainsong and these others manufacture their necks and fretboards true and flat which means with string tension you’ll end up with just a hair of relief. That’s all you’ll ever need. Your luthier can screw with the frets, the bridge, and the nut to get it to play absolutely any way you desire.
I have tried a few of these. As far as electric, the XOX I find the most intriguing. For acoustic.. well nothing beats an Ovation. I will say the Rainsong and others sound more “wood like” and if you think that’s what a guitar is supposed to sound like, than obviously guitars of other materials aren’t going to cut it. Personally, I don’t like the sound of a wood guitar. I want to hear the notes, full range, rich and clear. I guess it comes from being primarily an electric player. I want my Acoustic to sound as bright and clear as an electric on a super clean high-end amp.
But that’s just me.
Miles
Since you brought up the subject of muddy
wood instruments VS clear carbon fiber instruments our company obbligato Inc
has a turbostratic isotropic pytolytic carbon
saddle that makes a wood instrument as clear
as a carbon fiber instrument and as loud yet
still having wood tones more sustain longer
string life and best of all no feed back with
out any busters or electronic devices. in time
we or someone else will find a alloy of the
turbostratic carbon to give all carbon fiber
acoustic instruments any wood tone that is
now known today. With the carbon saddle
you can play a wood acoustic guitar through any
type of amp including a tube type electric
amp with out destortion or feed back. My
FG-335 Yamaha has much better tone
than my Les Paul Custom. My Martin D-41
will sustain for 16 seconds and very loud
for 10 seconds crystal clear tones. you can
hear all of the tones at once even with bar cords.
Regards
Jim
Have you ever encountered an issue as described below ;
While holding the Rainsongs guitar body with the right arm and either pushing or pulling a little on the head of the guitar (end of neck where tuning machines are located) with the left hand .There is a slight ‘crackle’ noise at the heel of the neck where it joins the body .? We just utilized a .0015 “feeler gauge” and slid it about 1/2 inch deep between(the ‘upper’ half of) the heel of the neck and the body …would this mean the ‘bond’ between the heal of the neck and the body is insufficient, ? How is the neck attached to the body and with what type of adhesive ?
“not only does carbon fiber sound as good as wood, but rather they have better acoustic qualities than wood and a much higher gamma.”
This is an untrue statement. Carbon Fiber guitars can not sound like wood as they are different materials. As to being as good or not, that is subjective.
An honest salesman would state these facts.
To be more correct, the quotes was what is untrue.
Jefroo
I think you need to reword your
statement it should say (carbon guitars do not sound like wood
guitars now) . You said that they
can not sound like wood and you
are wrong about that. For example Luis and clark make
carbon fiber violins, Cellos etc.
and he uses wood bridges and
wood dowels to get a wood tone.
the same can be done with a guitar there are saddle materials
today new to the market one is
a carbon material that can be alloyed with just about anything
so someday someone will find
alloys that make the carbon
guitars sound like woods it is
only a matter of time.
http://www.luisandclark.com
is the website for Luis and Clark
Jim
Mark,
Your guitars look great. I’m particularly impressed with the looks of your semi-acoustic. Have you considered doing an arch-top?
Hi Carbon Fibre guitar lovers, yes i am currently designing a 335 type .The method of production i use to produce Carbon components which i get manufactured by my Formula One guys have an extraordinary acoustic quality .I am experimenting with UD Carbon (Uni Directional)for extra strength and sustain.Send me an email @ meguitars@hotmail.com and i will send you some current photos.
Regards Mark Edgington
Mark,
Where did you go to learn how to work with Carbon Fiber for instrument building? Is there a book, a course, etc.? I have a great desire to learn this. Thanks in advance.
One can get a glimpse of what goes in to a CF acoustic instrument at caguitars.com. I have owned and played (forsaking all the other guitars I have owned) a Composite Acoustics guitar for five years. They, while being different than wooden instruments, are every bit as tonally pleasing and are superior in stability and strength, of course.
A look at Luis and Clarke’s web site is also worth the effort. Good enough for Yo Yo Ma is good enough for me!