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BadjerJim wrote:JD Blackwell wrote:Barndoor61, if the issue is "performance" then I'd have to assert that any sized Rainsong or Composite Acoustics will eat the lunch of any of the VoyageAires. I would further assert that the bridge placement on 12 fret guitars makes for a much better sound. If the goal is to put guitars in more places that they currently aren't practical then a OO or parlor sized composite folder would open up a whole 'nother niche. Believe me, if I had a talent for attracting venture capital or won the MegaLotto that guitar would be out there. It wouldn't just be selling in guitar shops either. Boat stores, outdoor outfitters, motorcycle shops and a host of other outlets would be fair game because guitarists like Dirty Ed and myself live in a world that's often far removed from the chair and music stand at home.
JD: Right on. But you're talking about something that might be, or could be, instead of something you can buy right now.
Right now, today, you can get a full-size acoustic guitar from Voyage-Air that works, folds in half, and includes a rugged backpack case for less than $400. A composite version of the same would easily cost $1,000 more. Me? I'm just jammin with my Voyage-Air, that I have right here at my side. It just works.
Perhaps even a *should* be. I look at it not only from the perspective of a guitarist that wishes he had something to play in more of the places he finds himself in but from the standpoint of seeing the huge business opportunity of an unfilled niche. I'll try not to sound too awfully snobby but there aren't very very few $400 guitars I'd waste my time or money on. My priorities are in a place where I'd rather play a $10,000 guitar than drive a new car. Likewise the guitarist who sails a 35' sailboat, flies a small private plane or rides a $30,000 Harley isn't going to choke at $1500 for a guitar he can take anywhere. Hell, if Harvey was making one off composite 12 fret OO's I bet alot of people would be lining up at $5000. There's a market out there that nobody is tapping because he VoyageAire I can buy right now isn't serving the wants, needs and desires of guitarists who happen to have interests beyond the fingerboard.
Zurf wrote:JD Blackwell wrote:guitarists like Dirty Ed and myself live in a world that's often far removed from the chair and music stand at home.
I don't know much about you, but I do myself a favor by trying not to think about the world Dirty Ed lives in. Physically, it's the same as ours. But in other ways... not so much. 
If you ever saw a guitar strapped to the back of my '69 Shovelhead bobber you might think a little more highly of Dirty Ed <g>
cameronkl7 wrote:I guess I'm just old and to much of a traditionalist, but then I bet when Les Paul came up with his idea, the traditionalist were mumbling under their breath. Genius is often looked at as stupidity and misunderstood, now that I think about it, that explains why I'm always getting these odd looks all the time, but no, it's more than likely I'm just stupid.
Cam
PS: Welcome to the board BadjerJim
I'm a bit long in the tooth myself and if I could only have one guitar it'd be traditionally built wood but a lot of us (most?) have a few guitars. The hole in my arsenal is where anything involving motorcycling, playing outdoors (I live in Seattle and the drizzle here would kill a wood guitar in a heartbeat) and a variety of other scenarios where the hassles of storing, transporting and weatherproofing a guitar just aren't possible. With a couple of McAlisters and a custom shop LKSM I have pretty high expectations for whatever I play and the quality I've experienced in the composites is good enough that I'd settle for a little less just to have a guitar wherever I was. It ain't about replacing the traditional, it's about making it possible for a guitar to be in almost as many places as a harmonica.
Barndoor61, if the issue is "performance" then I'd have to assert that any sized Rainsong or Composite Acoustics will eat the lunch of any of the VoyageAires. I would further assert that the bridge placement on 12 fret guitars makes for a much better sound. If the goal is to put guitars in more places that they currently aren't practical then a OO or parlor sized composite folder would open up a whole 'nother niche. Believe me, if I had a talent for attracting venture capital or won the MegaLotto that guitar would be out there. It wouldn't just be selling in guitar shops either. Boat stores, outdoor outfitters, motorcycle shops and a host of other outlets would be fair game because guitarists like Dirty Ed and myself live in a world that's often far removed from the chair and music stand at home.
The whole point of a folding guitar is portability which to me says 12 fret OO cutaway in composite. Such a beast would go on a motorcycle, smaller boat, RV, private plane *AND* be impervious to environmental issues. In my book that's a good enough reason for me to add one to my arsenal but a folding dred or 14 fret wood OM? As a former aerospace engineer with a composite background and more than a passing knowledge of luthiery I'd be eating Rainsong, CA, and VA's lunch if I ever came up with the start up capital to make it happen. Oh, and the answer is yes, I'd buy one if anybody ever got it right.
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