Composite Acoustics XS-CE Cargo

Charcoal RT finish, fishman pickup pre-installed, carbon fiber etc., 3/4 length, 1 3/4 nut, very light

This guitars sounds really good and unique. Rather than compare this to other travel guitars I am comparing it based on my full sized wood guitars. This alone shows how much potential the Cargo has and speaks volumes about what I think about it.

Compared to wood it sounds similar, but boxier and in a way more defined (doesn't make sense but if you have played carbon fiber guitars before you will know what I mean). It has a great low end and clear highs. They are less clear when strumming than my taylor. Fingerpicked sounds good as there is clear separation and great sustain. Strummed it can get pretty loud, not as loud as my other guitars, but can keep up in a group setting.

The pickup sounds pretty good. Has that "piezo" type attack which I've never cared for, but if you have to plug in I think it sounds pretty good. Tone and volume controls can help you get the most out of sound. Haven't messed with the pickup too much, but I would say it can certainly handle a gig.

The Cargo gets a lot of hype and I can say that it does live up to it. However, as much as I love the sounds coming out of this travel guitar it would never replace a solid wood guitar, but the advantages are so great that you may just end up using the Cargo more than any other.

Very playable thin neck, 1 3/4 nut makes it feel right at home for me. Action is higher than my Taylor, but it doesn't bother me. It plays almost like an electric since the string tension is not too high (don't be worried its not slinky) No defects that I see and the intonation is pretty good. It can handle mediums no problem.

Are you kidding? Just don't stomp on the top and you're good.

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I've been playing guitar for 10 years now and have played many guitars. The Cargo has it's own special place in my collection because it has all the advantages of carbon fiber and a great sound. It's shocking to hear some of the sounds that come out of this (the Cargo is my first carbon fiber guitar) and it is unique and enjoyable.

No it won't replace your solid wood high-end guitar. It will, however, be your go-to guitar because you can play free of worry about damaging it. This guitar sounds great and will be traveling with me from now on for all trips longer than a walk to the store. I'm even going to throw it into my rotation during shows because it really can hold it's own against anything.

Don't compare this to a travel guitar. There really is not much competition. This guitar is capable of so much more so to all those readers out there, don't disregard the Cargo because it is a travel guitar.

To sum it all up, the CA Cargo comes down to this one line: IT HOLDS ITS OWN

cargo compaired to rainsong ws1000. both guitars have a nice sound. the cargo has better low tones than the rainsong and because of that i play the cargo more often. though smaller, the cagro is heaver of the two. cargo's a brick, rainsong's an eggshell. i like the cargo neck shape better, it's not as bulky. the rainsong is beautiful. the cargo looks mas-produced. on my cargo the nut is poorly but adequitly fit and glue is extruding from the fretboard where it was glued to the body. the cargo is ugly but i like it. my only complaint of the cargo is it does not hold it tuning over night. the rainsong holds its tuning for weeks. i think that the cargo will benefit from a truss rod and i imagine that the makers will make that adjustment on later models. the cargo was bought to replace a baby taylor which i found to unstable for a travel guitar. with the heat, air conditioning and the humidity the tayloy was constantly needing retuning. i expect the cargo will do its job nicely, though i will buy the new one with the truss rod when they make it.

what warranty?

Go to caguitars.com!!!

Charcoal with "Road Tough" finish. 3/4 scale, body looks a lot like a Breedlove Concert w/cutaway (which is probably why I love this guitar!) Gotoh Tuners, Think neck with SS frets. All carbon fiber. USA made. Fishman Matrix VT Preamp. Basics for getting around, but better portability.

As stated in another review, this is where this guitar shines. I've tried Baby Taylors, Big Baby, and other portable guitars. I HATED their sound, too tinny. When I tried this guitar out in the store, I was shocked at how such a small guitar can be producing so much bass!!! I'm just a strummer/flatpicker, and it suits my praise/worship/jazz/rock playing. Note that this is NOT a wood guitar, so it may take a while to get used to the carbon fiber sound. Not bad, just different.

Plugged in, it sounds great as well. The Fishman Marix VT is basic, but perfect for what I want. I just leave it up to the sound guy to mix it right!

The guitar had perfect action to strum or fingerpick. No flaws at all. Very stable guitar; it's carbon fiber! This thing's a tank! I just wish that they would come out with a high gloss clear finish of this guitar so we can see the carbon fiber!

Like I said before, this guitar is a tank! Tuners, everything is solid. I'm not too sure about the finish, but I think it should last because I'm a hard strummer and I don't see any scratches yet. For live playing, I would always have a backup, but I think I could just fine with this alone.

Haven't dealt with customer support, but I have contacted them. They're really friendly and responsive.

I've been playing guitar for about a year and a half, learned fast though. I drove 2 hours away just to try the guitar. Glad I risked it because I just ended up walking out with it! If it were stolen, I don't think I'd have the money to buy another one! So I'll hunt the thief down! I love the portability and the sound of this guitar! A lot more full than my Washburn EA20SDL and my Fender GC23S!

The only other CF guitar I tried was a Rainsong, and it had an OK sound. I would recommend that if you get a chance to play one of these, give it a shot. It's definitely different, but it doesn't hurt to try it.

Well, well, well, what have we here? First, allow me to introduce myself, a hard pressed tone freak, who, by the way, hated the notion of composite materials sounding as good as wood.... Fortunately, and to my personal dismay, I found that this lovely little box sounds and plays beautifully.

First off, aesthetically the guitar is quite simple. Mine, in particular, is a gray finish with an exposed natural carbon "faux binding" surronding the edges of the instrument. It is finished in a matte finish which CA guitars calls (RT) for road tough, for those of you, like myself, are a bit slow with the acronyms... This finish is rough to the touch, and is virtually indestructible. The body, another CA hallmark, is literally a mini-GX shape which feels as amazing as it looks. The tuners are gotoh, smallish black/pewter things which work quite well and are in line with the overall look and feel of the instrument. The scale, as one might imagine in a parlor/travel guitar, is conisderably shorter (22 7/8") which yields a lovely buttery feel to the playability (more on that later). The neck is nice and thin, but not too thin, ala Wizard necks (IMHO). Think Taylor and Martin lovechild, and there you go. The Stainless steel frets, medium size, were finished impeccably... Last but not least, the instaled Fishman Matrix pickup works quite well and, while sounding a bit quacky, as one might assume of a piezo, it dones the guitar justic. Vol and tone controls are mounted quite discretly inside the offset soundhole. 9/10 as nothing is perfect, but this thing is close.

This is really where this product shines. The tone is quite full, thick, amd balanced... not at all what one would predict of a carbon box this size. In fact, this thing sounds like a finely made, very lightly braced flat top. As a travis picker, rag picker, chicken picker, progressive acoustic player, I have found this guitar to be quite the surprise. I ordered it sight, unseen, something I never do. I took a gamble and, well, I won. Rich/full sound that is as almost as lound as my Larrivee LV size guitar. Overall, great.

Set up is great, and as this instrument is not affected by climate... it will stay this way forever. Yeah. Everything is as it should be, except better. Intonnation... great Action...great General guitary goodness.... great.


No finish flaws, or the sort.

As this is a new instrument, I can not say that it will, in fact, last forever. However, it should. If it doesn't the good folks at CA will cover the warranty, tough I don't predict I will be calling them anytime soon. Hardware, finish, appointments, tone, feel, and playability... check, check, and check.

Don't know, but I don't think I will ever get to talk to these people becuase the instrument is as solid as a rock (in construction of course).

I have been playing quite a long time, and I have been teaching professionally, privatley, and publicly as a guitar instructor in numerous areas within South Central Kentucky for the past 6 years. I have owned many instruments, more than I care to mention as my wife might read this. I love this litte guitar, nuff' said. If it were lost or stolen, I would deffinatley buy another. I love everything about it, which is saying a lot. If I had one gripe, I would have to say that they are pretty hard to find in stores now as they are a new product and are hand constructed, but good things take time... and I just lucked up I suppose.

Those of you who doubt carbon/composite instruments should really give them a try. I did, despite my reservations, and I found myself blown away. They great note seperation, sustain, eveness in tone, etc. Great little box for rags, fingerpicking, open tunning blues, slide, and it couldn't possibly be any easier to play. I love it.

<Matt H>