Why CFC?.....MSA explains.
Posted: 15 Nov 2002 6:12 am
I have been asked numerous times to explain what prompted MSA to make the decision to use a Carbon Fiber Composite (CFC) cabinet for the new Millennium.
Our first consideration was tone, and after extensive research we learned CFC has an amazing ability to consistently resonate and perpetuate sound. CFC also provides consistency of tone in all MSA guitars, a characteristic not existing with materials that have been traditionally used.
Another advantage of CFC is that it cancels undesirable overtones that negatively affect tone and intonation. Further CFC greatly enhances the positive overtones necessary for great tone, which includes sparkling highs, growling lows, and remarkable intonation across the entire length and breadth of the neck.
Because MSA has extensive experience with wood, we knew from our earliest beginning that our intentions to advance the steel guitar manufacturing to what we believe is another level, necessitated our consideration of materials other than wood. The inconsistency, lack of strength, and inherent instability makes wood incompatible with high precision tolerance machining procedures.
The following is MSA’s comparative analysis of CFC and wood, upon which the decision to proceed to manufacture cabinets with CFC was based.
EVALUATION
1. “EVERY PIECE OF WOOD IS DIFFERENT!
No two pieces of wood are identical. This inconsistency is the reason why the tone of a particular piece of wood cannot be determined until it is made into a guitar. This inconsistency equates to uncontrollable and unpredictable variances of tone.
Given a consistency in the manufacturing process, every CFC material body is just the same (a “carbon copy”) as every other body of the same size (all double tens are alike, all single twelves are alike)! In addition, by means of a process known only to MSA, we developed a procedure that provides MSA the added advantage of having the ability to consistently manipulate the tone should we so desire.
2. “THE DENSITY OF WOOD VARIES DRAMATICALLY”!
Density is determined by the type of wood, age, moisture content, grain and etc., all of which vary from piece to piece.
The density of CFC can be made the same for each piece!
3. “MOISTURE CONTENT OF WOOD VARIES”!
The moisture content is very important because as wood ages it begins to expand and dry which can result in cracking. Due to the aging process changes occur in the wood with unpredictable impacts on tone and structural integrity.
CFC does not recognize moisture. It could be submerged in ice water or hot water and there would be no resulting negative effect in composition or structural integrity, and no expansion or contraction.
4. “TEMPERATURE VARIATION AFFECTS TUNING ON A WOOD CABINET”!
Expansion and contraction due to even moderate temperature variations when applied to wood, often results in a guitar going either flat or sharp. The re-stabilization of tuning varies between different pieces of wood.
CFC does not recognize heat from approximately 170 degrees above, or about 60 below zero degrees Fahrenheit, thereby greatly enhancing tuning stability.
5. “STRENGTH OF WOOD VARIES”!
Not only does the strength of different pieces of wood vary, the lamination process commonly used in steel guitar body construction varies integrity and creates further inconsistency. The lamination process calls for the use of different pieces of wood and necessitates their being glued together, usually for the front and back apron, and at times a piece of wood is added to the top neck to create the elevated neck.
In some instances, the integrity of the cabinet may be compromised by the lamination process while contributing to a tonal inconsistency between one guitar and another. (even of the same brand)
Further, “cabinet drop”, which results in detuning when pedals and/or knee levers are being used, is commonly associated with wood cabinet weakness.
The strength of CFC has been proven and well documented. In addition, the cabinet is “one piece” of material, which further insures total integrity, consistency, maximum cabinet resonance and strength.
6. “WOOD DENTS AND CHIPS EASILY”!
Have you ever experienced the awful feeling that accompanies a scratch or dent on your guitar?
CFC is much more resistant to denting, chipping and scratching!
7. “WOOD CONTRIBUTES CONSIDERABLY TO THE WEIGHT COMMONLY ASSOCIATED WITH STEEL GUITAR”!
A CFC double neck cabinet weighs less than 4 pounds, and when the guitar is completed, the long standing weight issue is eliminated with an MSA Millennium!
8. “THE EXPANSION AND CONTRACTION OF WOOD”!
Expansion and contraction contributes to integrity issues not only with the wood cabinet, but the parts attached to the wood (e.g. screws constantly becoming loose). The tightness with which all parts are attached to the wood is also critical relative to tone.
As a wood cabinet expands and contracts the screws can become loose which encourages detuning, destabilization, and has the potential to vary the tone in direct proportion relative to the amount of pressure applied between the parts and the cabinet itself. As parts are added during assembly they have the ability to inhibit cabinet resonation, which adversely impacts tone quality as well as stability and consistency.
CFC neither expands nor contracts in the temperature range previously mentioned. This provides consistency throughout the entire cabinet and maintains a consistent tightness relationship between cabinet and parts. All integral parts tightness tolerance has been pre-determined by MSA, and a torque wrench is fully utilized during construction.
CONCENSUS
CFC has a beautiful and durable finish, and there is no doubt that a nicely finished piece of wood is also pleasing to see. However, when MSA considered the combined long term problems associated with, comparative lack of strength, moisture, aging, inconsistency, variances caused by temperature changes, and unpredictability in characteristics from one guitar to the next, any one of those things made the use of wood a less than optimal choice for MSA steel guitar cabinetry.
In addition, a CFC cabinet produces an unparalleled range of sounds from high to low with a conspicuous absence of negative overtones that might have otherwise interfered with the tone of the Millennium.
SUMMATION!
The attributes of Carbon Fiber Composite for consistent and high precision steel guitar cabinet construction are unequalled by any other material and avoid all of the negatives commonly associated with wood body construction.
Our first consideration was tone, and after extensive research we learned CFC has an amazing ability to consistently resonate and perpetuate sound. CFC also provides consistency of tone in all MSA guitars, a characteristic not existing with materials that have been traditionally used.
Another advantage of CFC is that it cancels undesirable overtones that negatively affect tone and intonation. Further CFC greatly enhances the positive overtones necessary for great tone, which includes sparkling highs, growling lows, and remarkable intonation across the entire length and breadth of the neck.
Because MSA has extensive experience with wood, we knew from our earliest beginning that our intentions to advance the steel guitar manufacturing to what we believe is another level, necessitated our consideration of materials other than wood. The inconsistency, lack of strength, and inherent instability makes wood incompatible with high precision tolerance machining procedures.
The following is MSA’s comparative analysis of CFC and wood, upon which the decision to proceed to manufacture cabinets with CFC was based.
EVALUATION
1. “EVERY PIECE OF WOOD IS DIFFERENT!
No two pieces of wood are identical. This inconsistency is the reason why the tone of a particular piece of wood cannot be determined until it is made into a guitar. This inconsistency equates to uncontrollable and unpredictable variances of tone.
Given a consistency in the manufacturing process, every CFC material body is just the same (a “carbon copy”) as every other body of the same size (all double tens are alike, all single twelves are alike)! In addition, by means of a process known only to MSA, we developed a procedure that provides MSA the added advantage of having the ability to consistently manipulate the tone should we so desire.
2. “THE DENSITY OF WOOD VARIES DRAMATICALLY”!
Density is determined by the type of wood, age, moisture content, grain and etc., all of which vary from piece to piece.
The density of CFC can be made the same for each piece!
3. “MOISTURE CONTENT OF WOOD VARIES”!
The moisture content is very important because as wood ages it begins to expand and dry which can result in cracking. Due to the aging process changes occur in the wood with unpredictable impacts on tone and structural integrity.
CFC does not recognize moisture. It could be submerged in ice water or hot water and there would be no resulting negative effect in composition or structural integrity, and no expansion or contraction.
4. “TEMPERATURE VARIATION AFFECTS TUNING ON A WOOD CABINET”!
Expansion and contraction due to even moderate temperature variations when applied to wood, often results in a guitar going either flat or sharp. The re-stabilization of tuning varies between different pieces of wood.
CFC does not recognize heat from approximately 170 degrees above, or about 60 below zero degrees Fahrenheit, thereby greatly enhancing tuning stability.
5. “STRENGTH OF WOOD VARIES”!
Not only does the strength of different pieces of wood vary, the lamination process commonly used in steel guitar body construction varies integrity and creates further inconsistency. The lamination process calls for the use of different pieces of wood and necessitates their being glued together, usually for the front and back apron, and at times a piece of wood is added to the top neck to create the elevated neck.
In some instances, the integrity of the cabinet may be compromised by the lamination process while contributing to a tonal inconsistency between one guitar and another. (even of the same brand)
Further, “cabinet drop”, which results in detuning when pedals and/or knee levers are being used, is commonly associated with wood cabinet weakness.
The strength of CFC has been proven and well documented. In addition, the cabinet is “one piece” of material, which further insures total integrity, consistency, maximum cabinet resonance and strength.
6. “WOOD DENTS AND CHIPS EASILY”!
Have you ever experienced the awful feeling that accompanies a scratch or dent on your guitar?
CFC is much more resistant to denting, chipping and scratching!
7. “WOOD CONTRIBUTES CONSIDERABLY TO THE WEIGHT COMMONLY ASSOCIATED WITH STEEL GUITAR”!
A CFC double neck cabinet weighs less than 4 pounds, and when the guitar is completed, the long standing weight issue is eliminated with an MSA Millennium!
8. “THE EXPANSION AND CONTRACTION OF WOOD”!
Expansion and contraction contributes to integrity issues not only with the wood cabinet, but the parts attached to the wood (e.g. screws constantly becoming loose). The tightness with which all parts are attached to the wood is also critical relative to tone.
As a wood cabinet expands and contracts the screws can become loose which encourages detuning, destabilization, and has the potential to vary the tone in direct proportion relative to the amount of pressure applied between the parts and the cabinet itself. As parts are added during assembly they have the ability to inhibit cabinet resonation, which adversely impacts tone quality as well as stability and consistency.
CFC neither expands nor contracts in the temperature range previously mentioned. This provides consistency throughout the entire cabinet and maintains a consistent tightness relationship between cabinet and parts. All integral parts tightness tolerance has been pre-determined by MSA, and a torque wrench is fully utilized during construction.
CONCENSUS
CFC has a beautiful and durable finish, and there is no doubt that a nicely finished piece of wood is also pleasing to see. However, when MSA considered the combined long term problems associated with, comparative lack of strength, moisture, aging, inconsistency, variances caused by temperature changes, and unpredictability in characteristics from one guitar to the next, any one of those things made the use of wood a less than optimal choice for MSA steel guitar cabinetry.
In addition, a CFC cabinet produces an unparalleled range of sounds from high to low with a conspicuous absence of negative overtones that might have otherwise interfered with the tone of the Millennium.
SUMMATION!
The attributes of Carbon Fiber Composite for consistent and high precision steel guitar cabinet construction are unequalled by any other material and avoid all of the negatives commonly associated with wood body construction.
, Guitar players, and more commonly, Bass players have been working with carbon fiber composites in their instruments. (Anyone remember the Steinberger basses and guitars?). One thing that bass players esp. have been complaining about with wood instruments are 'dead spots' along the neck, so when carbon fiber composite necks came along it tended to be the answwer for these guys. Granted some guys are not about the tone and feel, so a lot of the newer high end basses etc have carbon fiber rode installed in the neck along the truss rod... the result? less dead spots, a stronger neck, and a slightly lighter instrument.... So I can easily see why MSA considereed such a venture...
