Believe it or not, humans have been making music on guitars since the 1200s. Up until very recently, all those instruments were made out of wood with the same basic construction principles. Find out why the KLOS carbon fiber travel and full-size guitars have changed the game forever.
Wood Guitars
If you’ve ever played an acoustic guitar, it was probably made out of wood. Wood guitars sound great, but want to know why your favorite wood guitar really sounds good despite the wood and not because of it?
Wood for guitars is selected for its strength and ability to transfer mechanical energy. The wood used to make an acoustic guitar is approximately 1.5-3mm thick and is reinforced throughout with bracing. In case you don't know, that is super, super thin. The bracing adds rigidity and strength to the top soundboard which prevents collapse. Sound is influenced by the shape of the guitar’s cavity and its internal bracing among other factors, of course.
Fundamentally, wood acoustic guitars have two main flaws that carbon fiber guitars solve...
- The tonewood used to make acoustic guitars is very fragile and susceptible to environmental changes (physical force, temperature, humidity, UV, etc)
- The bracing used throughout wood acoustic guitars reduces the sound transfer and resonance of the guitar
Carbon Fiber Guitars
Carbon fiber acoustic guitars are 100X more durable and stable than wood acoustic guitars. The carbon fiber soundboard on a KLOS carbon fiber acoustic guitar is so strong that no traditional bracing is required. Material is removed from the KLOS carbon fiber soundboard to enhance vibration and resonance to unparalleled levels.
Carbon fiber guitars solve the two biggest problems plaguing traditional wood acoustic guitars.
- Carbon fiber guitars are extremely durable and stable
- Carbon fiber guitars archive maximum resonance through a reduction in bracing
Opinions from Lucas
We recently sent Lucas Fowler our full carbon fiber series travel guitar for a review. He put the KLOS carbon fiber acoustic guitar up against his amazing vintage Gibson B25. His full video review is full of amazing sound examples, but here are some of his consolidated thoughts on each instrument.
Vintage Wood Acoustic (Gibson)
"Magic sounding acoustic guitar"
"Finicky"
"I would never take this on a camping trip or on a plane"
Carbon Fiber Acoustic (KLOS)
"It will fill up the room in a balanced kind of way"
"Great for open mic nights, gigs, trips, or going to the beach with family"
Sound
A great vintage wood guitar like the Gibson sounds phenomenal, but Lucas remarked "the KLOS would be a lot easier to mix into a full band with electric guitars and bass, whereas the Gibson sounds the best all on its own." Some other carbon fiber guitar brands have been accused of sounding like toys, but the KLOS carbon fiber travel acoustic guitar can hang with any serious vintage guitar.
Durability
We already told you that carbon fiber acoustic guitars are 100X more durable than wood acoustic guitars, but take a moment to reflect on how massive the difference is. For example, the wood used to make a soundboard can easily be snapped in half between your fingers. A KLOS ukulele has been run over by a car.
Just a few of the ways wood acoustic guitars can be permanently damaged include sudden temperature shock, pick wear, accidental damage, wood aging over time, and many more.
Consistency
At the time of purchase, a wood guitar may be perfect. Great luthiers and instrument makers can achieve an amazing level of precision on par with that of any machine. Unfortunately, the stability of your wood acoustic guitar is guaranteed to change over time.
Effective energy transfer in your guitar produces a full-frequency sound with depth. The variability of organic materials used in wood acoustic guitars will lead to variance based on things as simple as the season or weather that day. Precision craftsmanship and fit and finish combined with bombproof stability make KLOS carbon fiber guitars more consistent than the wood competition.
Conclusion
Already got a beautiful wood acoustic guitar in your collection? Maybe it’s time to consider adding a KLOS carbon fiber acoustic to your stable. If you’re a new guitar player, there’s no better first instrument than a KLOS guitar. The instruments are perfect for learning, and you will never feel the pressure to upgrade down the line.
If you made it this far, check out 10 Reasons to Consider a Carbon Fiber Guitar. Tag us on social media @KLOSGuitar on Instagram and @KeepItKLOS. Feel free to slide in our DMs with any questions or requests.
Follow Lucas on YouTube. Massive thanks to him for collaborating! We are huge fans of his channel.
