CPX 600 and CPX 700

[heitorknzou]

Hey! I'm looking to buy a guitar and I came across these two which, based on my research (and little knowledge on the subject) seem to be the best for the proposed budget (I live in Brazil so it wouldn't be very proportional to convert the values ​​from dollars to reais because here everything is more expensive due to high taxes, but I consider that my budget is in the same range as those two guitars I mentioned).

Basically the price of the used CPX 700 is the same as the new CPX 600, so I wanted opinions on how much better the CPX 700 would be and whether it's worth getting used (of course if it's in good condition).

I've been playing for about 5 years, mainly folk (James Taylor, Nick Drake, Bob Dylan, etc.) and I play 90% of the time disconnected, since I'm not a professional musician and such. I mentioned the style I play frequently because I imagine it makes a difference if I want to focus more on fingering and arpeggios.

[Saul]

The CPX700 is a really nice guitar. I owned one for a couple of years and loved playing it. I was not that impressed with the onboard electronics but I rarely play plugged in so it was not a huge issue.

If the price of the two guitars is the same I would probably go with the CPX700, depending on condition. Check fret wear, make sure the neck is straight and there is no damage anywhere.

There are a couple of reasons I would go with the older guitar. First, the solid top will have aged and as such will provide for a warmer overall tone. And seond, Yamaha's quality control has not been great over the past couple of years. The older guitars are, in my opinion, better made.

Having said that, have you considered any other brand of guitar? The reason I ask is that you mentioned James Taylor, Nick Drake and Bob Dylan. So, more fingerstyle than strumming, which the CPX excels at. I tend to use smaller bodied guitars for fingerstyle. Of course you can play any style on any guitar but some are better suited to one type of playing than others.

[heitorknzou]

Thanks for the report friend! It's difficult to talk about brands because where I live (Brazil) everything is very expensive, our purchasing power is very low. To give you an idea, this used Yamaha CPX 700 costs R$3000, which is equivalent to two minimum wages here.

The brands that would be more or less at the same price would be Crafter and Takamine (some entry-level models), but for some reason I liked the Yamaha more, even though I hadn't played any of them. The guitar that I learned and played for about 4 years is from a national brand.

Regarding the CPX 700, from the seller's photos and reports it appears to be in good condition, it was used for 5 years in the studio (from what he said).

[heitorknzou]

But if you have other guitar recommendations I would appreciate it! You mentioned that you prefer smaller models for fingerstyle, what do you think of the APX?

[Saul]

In the UK a used original CPX700 would be around R$2216.

Is the model you are considering, the first version of the CPX700 or the later CPX700II?

The APX is a good guitar but due to the thinner body it does not project well acoustically. To my ears it always sounds a bit thin. It lacks in bottom end.

Crafter is a good brand. They are a Korean brand. I have played many of their guitars over the years. The UK is probably the largest market for Crafter and there are usually quite a few available used.

I am not sure what Crafter models are available to you in Brazil but all the ones I have played have been really well made and finished and had great playability. Definitely worth checking them out if you can.

Likewise I have played and owned many Takamine guitars, the last one being the EAN40C which unfortunately is now discontinued. If I were looking for a Takamine at the moment I would probably go for the G50 series or above.

Most of the guitars I have owned and played probably are not available in Brazil so it would be difficult to recommend anything else. If you have a link to one or more guitar stores there I would be happy to take a look for you.

[heitorknzou]

The model I found here is the CPX 700 II Made in China and the CPX 700 Compass (I don't know if they are different models, I emphasize).

The Crafter model that I commonly see here that is perhaps at the same "level" as the CPX would be the Korean De7n, which costs around R$2600 used, since I saw that currently the new ones are all Chinese and the Korean ones were better.

About the website, if it doesn't bother you, you can use this one to see https://www.musitechinstrumentos.com.br ... stico.html.

If you can find guitars that are better up to a price of around R$5000, I'll accept the recommendation. My personal search was only on OLX since I already had in mind these CPX guitars that I was looking for, but I also didn't take into consideration others that might be better in the same price range as I'm quite a layman when it comes to guitar construction. and quality thereof.

[Saul]

The CPX700 Compass is the older branding. That is the guitar I owned. There is very little difference between the old and the new model. Nothing that would determine a buying decision.

I see from the link you provided that they have the Yamaha FG-TA in stock. It is slightly over your budget but it is definitely worth trying, if you can get into the store. That guitar is based on the FG-820 but with the added Transacoustic tech. The FS-TA would also be a good option. I had one here for a few months and loved it.

If you want to go for a more budget guitar but still great playability and sound, look at the FSX-800. It is a lot of guitar for very little money.

Moving away from Yamaha. The Crafter HG-800 CE/N would be a good buy. The solid Engleman Spruce top is not as bright sounding as Sitka Spruce and would provide a mellower tone, very much suited to Nick Drake style of playing.

I also think the Cort GA 5 F FMH OP would be worth considering. I have played quite a few Cort guitars over recent years and they all sounded good and were very well constructed. Which is not surprising considering they make guitars for many of the major brands.

I may have confused things more than helped Sorry about that. If it were me, and I could not quite stretch to the Yamaha FG or FS-TA I would go for either the Crafter HG-800 CE/N or Cort GA 5 F FMH OP.

[heitorknzou]

In fact, you are helping me a lot, I'm happy that I found someone to "guide" me, because I'm really committed to buying a new guitar because I really like playing. Sorry if I'm asking too much, I really have a lot of questions and you're helping me a lot.

I looked at this FSX800 that you recommended, watched some videos and really liked the sound! The price is also very good, as it is cheaper than the CPX. How much worse do you think the FSX800c is compared to the CPX 700?

The Crafter also has a pretty cool sound, and its price is similar to the CPX 700, but I think the CPX is better, right? Another question: I saw two Crafter videos and the sound sounded quite different in both.
In this one: it sounded more "beautiful", it seems more melodic. this one sounded a little more "rustic", not as melodic as the first link. Would that be the way of playing, difference in strings or what?

And just for information, my current guitar that I plan to retire is a Tagima TW29, as I said it is a national brand

[Saul]

There are a few important things to keep in mind when looking at guitar videos.

The sound you hear may not give a good representation of how the guitar really sounds. There are many variables in making a guitar video. Were room mics used and if so what were they? Could be cheap mics with the wrong frequency spread. They would then miss some of the nuances of the sound.

What software was used to record the sound and was any processing added?

When a video is uploaded to youtube it is processed and compressed. This can play havoc with the sound dynamics.

You could buy a guitar based on a video you have seen and then wonder why it does not sound the same when you play it at home. And this is why it is important to always play the guitar yourself before you buy. I know it is not always possible. Sometimes the store is too far away or they don't have the guitar you want to try in stock. In which case always buy from a store that allows returns. Just in case you don't like it.

The FSX-800 is the based on the FS800 and is a smaller bodied guitar than the CPX-700. It is essentially what is known as a Folk Guitar. If you want something closer to the CPX-700 take a look at the FGX-800. As it has a larger body and will project better.

The CPX-700 is actually a sort of mini Jumbo size guitar. Larger than an auditorium but smaller than a full jumbo. So it is larger than the FGX-800.

The reason why I suggested a smaller guitar is because it is much easier to control the dynamics. A CPX-700 sounds wonderful when strummed but it takes more effort to play quietly. You can certainly do it but it is not ideal. This is why there are all these different size of guitars. Some are suited to one purpose more than others. It is why I have more than one guitar. Well, it is my excuse for having a lot of guitars

Do you live too far from the guitar store in order to go in and try a few?

[heitorknzou]

When I referred to being better or worse, I meant really quality (if there is much difference in quality between them). But for example, I would prefer the FSX800 if the main difference was the silence issue, since I don't live alone so playing in my room without the whole house listening would be something cool hahaha. But if the FSX800 delivers greater unplugged silence and a nice quality when plugged in, I see no problem in getting it instead of the CPX 700. In my head, the CPX was much superior in terms of sound quality (despite the measure I mentioned being a bit bad , since sound quality involves many factors).

I'm very far from the guitar stores that would have these guitars... so I'll probably have to get one that I've never played before, that's why I have so many doubts.

[Saul]

There isn't any difference in quality between the CPX-700 Compass and the CPX-700II. The only thing that was changed was the type of battery used for the preamp along with changes to EQ and the panel layout. And some cosemtic updates. The body of the guitar is identical in terms of build and dimensions. For the preamp they went from the 9v battery used in the earlier model to 2 x AA which I guess was for flexibility. It means you can use rechargeable batteries and also AA's are sometimes easier to get hold of than a 9v battery.

I think you will like the FSX800. The build quality is generally good and it is a really nice sounding guitar for the money. Yamaha has also changed the electronics on these models so they work on 2 x AA batteries.

The problem with acoustic guitars is...you can never have enough