The 7 Best Carbon Fiber Guitars (2024)
Carbon Fiber guitars offer a great sound while being strong, light, and very easy to travel with (especially those with a detachable neck).
We have seen carbon fiber guitar makers come up with some very cool-looking designs in recent years. If you’re thinking about getting one, then check out my pick of the best carbon fiber guitars.
My top pick among carbon fiber guitars is the KLOS Deluxe Carbon Fiber, a great ultra-lightweight hybrid acoustic guitar with a carbon fiber body and high-quality wood neck as well as a detachable neck making it more portable.
If you want a more affordable guitar, you should check out the Lava Me 2 Carbon Fiber, as it is a great value for the cost with its lightweight design, great accessory bundle, and high-quality features that you find in higher-end models.
Contents
- The 7 Best Carbon Fiber Guitars (2024)
- 1. KLOS Deluxe Carbon Fiber
- 2. Lava Me 2 Carbon Fiber
- 3. Rainsong Black Ice Series
- 4. Enya EA-X4E Pro
- 5. Lava Me Pro 41
- 6. Journey Instruments OF660M
- 7. Smartguitar Lava Me 3
- What is a Carbon Fiber Guitar?
- Are Carbon Fiber Guitars any good?
- How do you clean a Carbon Fiber Guitar?
- What is the difference between Carbon Fiber and Wood Guitars?
- What to look for in a Carbon Fiber Guitar when buying?
- Verdict
The 7 Best Carbon Fiber Guitars (2024)
Let’s compare these in more detail.
1. KLOS Deluxe Carbon Fiber
KLOS Deluxe Carbon Fiber is one of the best carbon fiber guitars on the market, which combines the portability and durability of a carbon fiber body with the great playability of a high-quality wood neck. The guitar features a removable neck elevating the portability, a mahogany neck with Brazilian cherry fretboard and 19 frets, as well as a Fishman Sonitone pickup.
Pros
- Highly portable with its lightweight and detachable neck
- High-quality wood neck, providing the feel of an authentic guitar
- Comes with an accessory kit including a gig bag
- Good tones with warmth and punch
Cons
- A bit pricey
The electro-acoustic guitar shines with its great tones as well as its lightweight, around 4.29 lbs. It is a bit smaller than regular guitars, which adds to the portability, but some players may find it uncomfortable. Also, the neck is completely detachable, but you will have to tune the guitar every time you reattach it.
The carbon fiber body is extremely durable and can withstand environmental conditions as well as bumps and hits. The Fishman piezoelectric pickup, along with the built-in 9V Fishman Preamp, is a great addition giving you the flexibility to play the guitar plugged or unplugged.
| Body Material | Carbon Fiber |
| Top Material | Carbon Fiber |
| Fretboard Material | Brazilian Cherry |
| Frets | 19 |
| Pickups | Fishman Sonitone Piezoelectric |
Overall, the KLOS Deluxe Carbon Fiber is one of the best acoustic-electric guitars for traveling musicians who are after a versatile and great-sounding musical instrument.
2. Lava Me 2 Carbon Fiber
Lava Me 2 Carbon Fiber is one of the most popular carbon fiber guitars today, thanks to its innovative design and relatively affordable price. It features the so-called FreeBoost technology, which allows you to play with built-in effects unplugged, using the back of the guitar as a speaker.
Pros
- Innovative technology with active L2 pickups and FreeBoost effect system
- Ultra-lightweight and highly durable
- Highly sonic versatility and sound quality
- Different color options
Cons
- Plain aesthetics
- The FlyNeck may take some time to get used to
The guitar comes with the innovative L2 Freeboost active pickup, which you can charge with a cable. The cool thing about this pickups and preamp system is that it has reverb, delay, and chorus effects that you can use unplugged. The battery lasts 10 hours without the amp and 20 hours with an amp while it gets fully charged in 4 hours.
It is an ultra-lightweight guitar weighing around 3.3 lbs. The Airsonic body is highly durable and can withstand extreme humidity and temperature changes. The scale is relatively short with 18 frets which makes the guitar more suitable for rhythm playing, rather than lead guitar soloing.
The new design FlyNeck is made of Super Airsonic carbon fiber composite, which is 20% stronger than Airsonic. It is relatively more comfortable than other carbon fiber necks, yet it may take some time to get used to the feel.
| Body Material | Airsonic (Carbon Fiber Composite) |
| Top Material | Super Airsonic (Carbon Fiber Composite) |
| Fretboard Material | HPL |
| Frets | 18 |
| Pickups | L2 |
Even though I personally am not a fan of the futuristic look of the guitar, there are many colors to choose from. Everything considered, the Lava Me 2 Carbon Fiber hybrid guitar is a great choice for beginner guitarists looking for a portable, innovative, versatile, and relatively affordable carbon fiber guitar.
3. Rainsong Black Ice Series
Rainsong is one of the premium-quality carbon fiber guitar manufacturers on the market, and the Black Ice Series offers professional guitars with great sonic performances. There are 5 models in the series with slightly different features. There is a 12-string option along with 4 6-string options with different body shapes.
Pros
- Great and balanced sound, deep lows, and bright highs
- Highly durable
- Fishman prefix electronics with tuner on-board
- High-quality construction
- Adjustable truss-rod
Cons
- Pricey guitar
- The aesthetics are not for everyone
The WS1000N2 model, which is the 6-string with a large, deep chamber and a narrow waist, provides deep bass and bright treble. The guitar performs well plugged with the Fishman pickups as well as unplugged. The onboard tuner is also a great addition.
The guitar features a comfortable U-shaped neck and an all-graphite fingerboard with 21 frets. The deep cutaway also elevates the comfort allowing you to reach higher frets easier. All the guitar parts are top-quality, such as the tusq nut saddle, mother-of-pearl inlays, the adjustable truss rod, and UV-protective finish.
| Body Material | All-Graphite |
| Top Material | All-Graphite |
| Fretboard Material | Composite, RainSong’s Performance Shape Casting |
| Frets | 21 |
| Pickups | Fishman Prefix+T / LR Baggs Stagepro Element |
There is no doubt the Rainsong Black Ice Series offers some of the top-quality carbon fiber guitars on the market. Although they are pricey and the designs are not for everyone’s taste, they are highly versatile guitars with premium quality sound.
4. Enya EA-X4E Pro
Enya EA-X4E Pro is a great carbon fiber acoustic-electric guitar with a relatively affordable price tag and high-quality construction. The guitar shines with its acoustic properties with an offset soundhole design providing a great unplugged sound.
Pros
- Lightweight and high-quality build
- Affordable, great value for the price
- Loud output
- Clear and balanced tone
- Good accessory bundle with a hard case
Cons
- The action is a bit high
- Built-in effects are not the best-sounding
The guitar features a clear and balanced tone with or without an amp. There are built-in effects like Lava Me 2 has, but the effects do not sound as good as with the Lave Me 2. The guitar’s unplugged sound is quite loud, clear, and balanced, thanks to the offset soundhole design.
Furthermore, the guitar is highly portable and comes with nice accessories such as a hard case, which is quite good when the price is considered. The users report that the action is set too high, so you will have to make some neck adjustments when buying the guitar.
| Body Material | Solid acoustic carbon fiber |
| Top Material | Carbon Fiber |
| Fretboard Material | Richlite |
| Frets | 20 |
| Pickups | Enya S4 AcousticPlus |
In short, Enya EA-X4E Pro is a good semi-acoustic carbon fiber guitar with a great value-for-price ratio. It is highly recommended for traveling musicians who are after a relatively affordable carbon fiber travel companion.
5. Lava Me Pro 41
Lava Me Pro 41 is a professional-level carbon fiber semi-acoustic guitar, offering highly comfortable playability, great tones, and sonic versatility with built-in effects. With its 41-inch dreadnought body, which is relatively slimmer, and U-shaped neck as well as its lightweight design, it is one of the most comfortable guitars in the market.
Pros
- Comfortable playability
- Great build quality, classic dreadnought shape
- Versatile with built-in effects and onboard tuner
- Great tones, loud output
Cons
- A bit pricey
- The action is a bit high
The guitar fully features a soundhole mounted preamp providing decent-sounding built-in effects such as choruses, delays, reverbs, and more. Plus, there is a boost mode for increasing the volume output by 50%, along with an onboard tuner.
The guitar has a short scale length of 25.59” with 19 frets, which can be a bit limited for some players. The guitar’s L2 Pro pickups and preamp system, HPL fretboard, and Airsonic Carbon Fiber composite soundboard are all high quality, providing you with a relatively lightweight yet durable and high-quality instrument.
| Body Material | AirSonicTM Carbon Fiber Composite |
| Top Material | Carbon Fiber |
| Fretboard Material | HPL |
| Frets | 19 |
| Pickups | L2 PRO |
There is not much to say against Lava Me Pro 41. If you have the budget for it, it is one of the best carbon fiber guitars for professional use. The pickup and preamp system is especially hard to beat.
6. Journey Instruments OF660M
If you are a traveling musician and looking for a portable guitar, Journey Instruments OF660M might be the ideal choice. The guitar is highly compact and lightweight, while the foldable design, with which you can detach the neck, makes it fit into a backpack-sized traveling case.
Pros
- Extremely portable with a collapsible neck system
- Durable construction
- Decent sound with a good passive pickup
- Different color options
Cons
- High action
- Not the greatest sound without amplification
Besides the unique design making the guitar extremely portable, the carbon fiber construction is highly durable and can withstand extreme environmental conditions as well as minor hits and bumps.
With an amp, the guitar sounds pretty good with a clear sound. However, unplugged, it is not loud enough, and the balance between the lower strings sounds more than the higher ones. Also, the guitar comes with two different saddles for different action adjustments, but even with the low action, it is a bit high, making the instrument a bit less comfortable to play.
| Body Material | Carbon Fiber |
| Top Material | Carbon Fiber |
| Fretboard Material | Carbon Fiber |
| Frets | 20 |
| Pickups | Under-saddle Passive 3-Piezo Transducer |
Overall, Journey Instruments OF660M is an ideal guitar for traveling and playing with an amp in gigs or anywhere you want.
7. Smartguitar Lava Me 3
Smartguitar Lava Me 3 is a futuristic carbon fiber electric acoustic guitar with handy features like the built-in touchscreen to control the effects, loops, tuner, metronome, recorder, and more. You can also connect the guitar to your smart app for further control and customization.
Pros
- Extremely versatile feature-packed design
- Built-in touch screen and app connectivity with Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and Cloud-syncing
- Great acoustic sound
- Different color options
Cons
- The sound quality of the built-in speaker is not great
According to the company, the guitar’s body has a unique honeycomb design with Super Airsonic 2.0 material that provides 20% deeper bass and 30% longer unplugged sustain along with 30% better shock resistance.
The battery life of the pickup is quite good, with 9 hours of playing time. Furthermore, there are many different color options to choose from for your taste. The short scale length with 18 frets can be an issue for lead guitar players, but for rhythm guitar playing that is not a problem.
Although the guitar sounds pretty good and loud unplugged, the sound quality of the built-in speakers is not the best. So, using it with an amp is the best choice if you want to use the handy features of the digital side of the guitar.
| Body Material | Super AirSonic 2.0 |
| Top Material | Airsonic |
| Fretboard Material | HPL |
| Frets | 18 |
| Pickups | L3 Smart Preamp with FreeBoost 2.0 Technology |
In short, Smartguitar Lava Me 3 offers many innovations for guitar players who want a durable and portable carbon fiber travel guitar. This design might be the future of guitars in general and the price point is relatively good for such a design.
What is a Carbon Fiber Guitar?
Carbon fiber guitars are made from carbon fiber or similar materials to elevate the durability of the instrument and make it lighter and more portable. They are highly resistant to environmental conditions and sound almost as good as wooden guitars. These guitars also look futuristic and unique.
Carbon fiber guitars are excellent choices for traveling musicians as they are very durable and resistant to extreme temperatures or humidity changes as well as shocks. Furthermore, they have around the 2/3 weight of an acoustic or classical guitar, making them relatively easy to carry around.
Some designs feature foldable necks for more portability, while some have built-in preamps and speakers, making them highly versatile. Carbon fiber design guitars can be the future of these instruments.
Are Carbon Fiber Guitars any good?
Carbon Fiber Guitars are highly durable and resistant to extreme environmental conditions. Plus, they are extremely portable and lightweight to carry around. Moreover, the sound quality and volume are barely different from traditional wooden guitars.
So, yes, carbon fiber guitars are a relatively new design, and they are here to stay. They offer so much versatility, durability, and portability for players that I believe they will be used much more often in the future.
How do you clean a Carbon Fiber Guitar?
To clean a Carbon Fiber Guitar, you can use a saline solution along with a clean microfiber cloth. If you want a deeper cleaning to get rid of scratches or dings, a polyurethane-friendly buffing compound or a car polish is recommended. You can use the traditional lemon oil to clean the fretboard.
You can check out the following video to learn more about how to clean a carbon fiber guitar.
What is the difference between Carbon Fiber and Wood Guitars?
Carbon Fiber guitars are made from carbon fiber and similar materials. Compared to wooden guitars, they are lighter, much more durable, and resistant to temperature, humidity, and shocks. Wooden guitars sound slightly better, but the gap is getting closed with new designs.
Carbon fiber guitars are relatively new to the guitar world, so the manufacturers are still progressing with their design to create the instrument’s timbre as strong as the wooden guitars. The difference is minimal with the high-end models, and as most carbon fiber guitars offer electro-acoustic designs, the sound quality is pretty good.
The only problem for guitarists is to get used to the material and the feeling of carbon fiber guitars. Besides that, they are ideal guitars to carry around and travel with as they can withstand almost everything a wooden guitar can’t. Plus, they have the 2/3 weight of a wooden acoustic guitar.
What to look for in a Carbon Fiber Guitar when buying?
When choosing a carbon fiber guitar, you should look for the material, build quality, body style, portability, and electronics, as well as the price. Depending on your needs, you should go for a durable, portable, and good-sounding instrument with good electronics to get the most out of the guitar.
Material
The first thing to check is the material, and there are different carbon fiber materials such as Airsonic, Graphite, and Composite bodies along with High-Pressure Laminate (HPL) and Richlite fretboards.
Build Quality
Another critical factor is the build quality, as the primary reason to choose a carbon fiber guitar is the portability and durability; you want to get a guitar that lives up to its name. The design, the soundhole, and the neck construction are also highly important in terms of sound quality and volume.
Portability
Portability is one of the main reasons for having a carbon fiber guitar. There are carbon fiber guitars with foldable necks to carry it around more manageably, which can be an excellent choice if you are an on-the-go musician. Besides, you can check the weight and the size of the guitar to make traveling around with the instrument easier.
Body Style
Body Style is more of a personal choice, but it is important if you want to play lead guitar and reach higher frets. For that, buying a cutaway design guitar is important.
Electronics
Electronics are crucial for carbon fiber guitars as their sound shines with amplification. There are many electric acoustic models with built-in preamps, also with effects. The quality of the electronics is the key to having high-quality sound on stage, in the studio, or while practicing.
Price
As with any purchase, price is another vital aspect when buying any guitar. If you have a limited budget, you should decide on the most important aspects for you and go for the ideal model. There are some great models with high portability, durability, and sound quality you can go for.
Verdict
Carbon fiber guitars are getting more and more popular each day, thanks to their innovative designs, high portability, sonic versatility, and of course, highly durable constructions. They are the best travel guitars for musicians to be ready to play music whenever, wherever.
My top recommendation is the KLOS Deluxe Carbon Fiber which is a great innovative guitar, combining the durability and portability of a carbon fiber guitar with a smooth wooden neck for playability.
I recommend the Lava Me 2 Carbon Fiber guitar for tighter budgets, which features an excellent value for its price with its ultra-lightweight design and Freeboost built-in preamp and effects system.
Featured Image (Left) by Nagarazoku, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Featured Image (Right) by JourneyInstruments.com (Gloss Black Carbon Travel Guitar – OF660)
