I tried this Carbon Fiber "Smart" Guitar so you don't have to

[@agufish]

*Weird non-chug acoustic noises* » More details about the LAVA ME 3 amzn.to/3Qc2o40 » LAVA MUSIC official website - shence.lavamusic.com/t/qA

[@SoundForgeStudio]

i can never find my name on the patron list

[@mccloud273]

"I'm not much of an acoustic player" he says, pumping out a dope demo track and forgetting he has 4 playlists of acoustic covers

[@TylerJohnstonGuitar]

A Positive Grid Spark and an acoustic guitar had a baby and this is what popped out.

[@fastelder]

I've had the guitar for about two months. I bought it myself, so I wasn't as biased as some reviewers that were given guitars. If you're interested here's my pros & Cons: Pros: Guitar does sound great. it is a decent electric/acoustic, but really shines in being able to get on board effects without amplification The guitar has nice finish & feel, however I'm used to playing a well set-up Taylor 614 so the action is just a smidge high for my taste. I may shave the bridge a bit eventually. FX are great. Playing un-amped they add a good flavor. Forget about the distortion setting unless you're running through an amp. Case is nice and solid and protects the guitar well. More on the case below. Charger cradles the guitar snuggly and automatically charges the guitar. It's USB-C and doesn't come with a charger, so you may need an adapter for the cable. Other than that, most reviews give a far better report on the capabilities of the instrument, so check them out like I did. Cons. These are things no reviewer seems to be addressing: My lava has a nice blue metallic finish. Looks very cool. While the guitar is made of carbon fiber, I'm not sure how well the finish will hold up. I'm pretty careful with all my guitars and most I've owned for decades and they still look almost showroom. My lava has a couple of minor scratches already that I have no idea where they came from. ELECTRONICS. The touch screen is very sensitive and at the same time has a bit more of a lag than you would be used to on a smart phone. Most notable is the absence of any home button. You'll have to page back to get there. Additionally, due to the rounded shape, I have a tendency to lean over the body when I'm sitting and playing and my chest triggers the screen. I can tell when that happens, because the most annoying loud click accompanies any changes. If you're playing out, be prepared to settle on a set sound or template for the whole song. Shifting to another one is not as easy as hitting a button on a pedal. I mentioned my chest activating the touch screen. Usually that would not be a problem. What is a problem is the Lava uses a nice machined strap peg THAT DOESN'T FIT ANY STRAP. If you like any kind of strap lock, forget about using it. Dimensionally the strap pegs are larger than the throat of any standard peg. I would have bought the Lava strap, but they have been out of stock. I use d'Addario straps with locking ends and it would take major modifications. So I broke down and bought a ice leather strap which I now have to ream out the hole to make it fit. I'm not sure if you could even swap out the stap pegs as they have no screw and I'm not ready to twist them off and create another problem. CASE: It's amazing that you can drop a thousand bucks on a guitar and have to pay extra for a proprietary case, but hey, I'm made of money so I went for it. Case fits very well and is form fitting. It doesn't leave room for a strap (If I finally get one to fit) The case has nice padded shoulder pads, and looks like the type that a Japanese school girl would have. I personally don't care to strap a guitar on my back unless I'm trail hiking. The straps do not come off so love them or live with them. The case has a nice soft handle, but is nowhere near the center of balance and like a Gibson SG, suffers from severe neck dive. Seriously walk with this case for twenty steps and you'll opt for the school girl straps. MOST DISSAPOINTING FEATURE: Support, period. Guitar came with no instructions other than to turn it on. The web site is absolutely no help. As I mentioned, being intrigued by the novelty of the guitar, I had to rely on reviewers, most of which were given the guitar. I do wonder what will happen when the rechargable battery goes south, or worse the electonic module. As far as I can see there's no parts support on the website. CONCLUSION:With all this, I bought the guitar for the FX novelty and more importantly for the Carbon Fiber construction. I bought it so that I could have a guitar I could leave out in my studio and grab as I needed to practice or work out asome inspiration. My studio is in my basement and although it's dry, the winter requires me to fill a 5 gallon humidifier to keep optimum moisture levels. So it's a guitar that is not subject to temperature and humidity. That said,I'll keep it for what I intended. I doubt it will ever play out unless it's a barbeque or around a camp fire.

[@WhatsUPwithDJ]

I absolutely agree with everything you said. I'm still trying to figure out the guitar and the support is lacking. The carbon fiber is very nice because it makes it lightweight. But I do agree about the touch screen tremendously because every time I lean towards or forwards the screen changes and I noticed that quite a bit so I 100% agree with you on that and the straps. I had a locking strap that I loved and you're right the nuts are so thin that you can't find a strap to fit it I'm going to have to use my Dremel tool to remount my locking strap and see if I can get it to work. Also I agree with the action being too high unfortunately you have to sand it instead of having a truss rod. The bottom line is it's a great guitar and has a lot of effects but it also requires a lot of learning. For instance my biggest problem right now is that I can't seem to find when it's plugged in anyway a great acoustic sound. I did find an amp I like but I can't seem to get a EQ'd to the point where it sounds like an acoustic guitar. when you're playing it when it's not plugged in it is very cool having the effects by the way I do agree on that but plugged into a PA system you have to be careful and you had to find the right sound. Very good take on this guitar and I agree with you very much sir!

[@Humiliated1234]

how is it a year later?

[@Humiliated1234]

@@WhatsUPwithDJ how is it for you as well a year later

[@deadpants182]

I don't anticipate buying one for myself (mainly because I'm not in the market for a new acoustic guitar right now), but I'm not opposed to it existing. I think it's great that guitar makers are trying new things. Will it be a game changer? Who knows? But at least it exists for those who want to try it.

[@ragetobe]

I'm not really sure how you can really say this "I'm not opposed to it existing"! It's a very strange sentence. It may not suit any purpose you require it for but I imagine there are many things in the world that fit that description, regardless this little guitar has a lot going for it and there is room for all of the guitars :)

[@notquitehuman7402]

I LOVE the Hyvibe system. A proper wooden guitar (sitka spruce top, bocote/snakewood back and sides) giving that recognisable guitar sound, enhanced with the super responsive electronics. I was worried it would be gimicky but it totally isn't. The modern look of the Lava makes me uneasy, and the plastic tone puts me off. It could sit well in a mix, but I can't imagine it holding its own solo.

[@andybungert]

HUNTER WE NEED THE NEW VALIANT JUPITER DEBI 🤘

[@andybungert]

Demo*

[@andybungert]

YT SQUAAAAAD

[@andybungert]

Finally the LAVA

[@agufish]

In fairness, the first one got rekt by FedEx haha

[@andybungert]

@@agufish I recall 😭

[@profipfuscher]

Hmm, Acoustufish, I'm curious

[@WattchomanBrandySavage]

Kinda wish It had a truss rod (just in case) and a bridge that allows you to play with the action.. Otherwise It's pretty cool. We're pretty spoiled these days and it's nice that manufacturers are still looking for unique ways to innovate and present new ideas.

[@ky9999]

Its not wood, truss rod isnt going to bend the carbon fibre neck for you to do adjustments lol.

[@WattchomanBrandySavage]

I realize the whole point of carbon fibre is to be resistant to temperature change and humidity but eventually the string tension will bend that neck forward. If these things are still kicking perfectly fine in 20 years, I owe you a beer XD

[@FINsoininen]

@@WattchomanBrandySavage if treated right when built it will be exactly the same in 100 years.

[@AstroSully]

You can still adjust the action.

[@ShawnRandallWolfe]

New models have a truss rod.

[@SoCalGuitarist]

I own one. Honestly, kinda meh. As a parlor guitar it’s comfortable, and plays nice. As a Smart Guitar, it’s pretty sub par. The effects sound kinda poo from the onboard speaker, and you can only use one effect at a time. I mostly use the onboard smart app for tuning, then typically just turn it off again. Honestly, save your money and get an external effects plug from mooer or fender or something and get yourself a decent low end Taylor or Martin instead. It’s a nice guitar, but a meh “smart” guitar.

[@zachpetersonguitar]

Looks like I'm first lol. Did you see Ola shouted you out recently?

[@agufish]

Featured on SWOLA #69, I can die happy now

[@zachpetersonguitar]

@@agufish lol I would feel the same way

[@shirok3284]

New vid time

[@B31L]

thats a cool looking guitar

[@DavidRamos-nz4bh]

Great demo

[@oversword6024]

Great demo vid!! I bought an ME3 and I too am no acoustic player but since I got it, it takes up most of my noodle time. This guitar truly plays well and one thing I haven't seen mentioned in any reviews is that it actually is louder than most acoustics and brighter. I have jammed on the ME3 along with people playing a classical Spanish guitar, a nice Epiphone acoustic, and a very nice Martin and each time my ME3 actually is brighter and louder. More than half the time I play it I don't even bother to turn it on. My main concern is that the electronics will give out years before the rest of the guitar but will cross that bridge when I come to it.

[@vwharman]

I don’t need an acoustic, but since I saw the lava me2, I’ve been super interested in what these things do. Really intriguing.!

[@MashaT22]

I am really disappointed that you failed to remind people that this guitar originally arrived with a smashed soundboard. It would have been a great opportunity to educate people that this guitar is an injection molded composite made of ground up CF and resin. It's not a tank by far, as it's not made of bidirectional carbon fiber material (the same type used to build planes and spaceships). It upsets me that these import brands aren't specific to distinguish that they're using a form of composite that is really not any stronger than most wood. It will resist temperature changes, but people who need a durable guitar would be better off buying a really strong wood guitar or a bidirectional like those from KLOS. Is it a bad sounding guitar? It's okay, but not great for that price point. There are other guitars like the HyVibe with on board effects that are MUCH better sounding -- and the electronics can be swapped because they sell kits that can be easily installed into ANY guitar (not just their own brands models) by any guitar tech or people who know how to install pickups. Then there's also the issue of the fact that there's no way to repair the Lava guitar if it gets damaged or there's an electronics issue. And while the OS can be updated, we all know that hardware eventually cannot support the latest updates -- and they've made no way to swap electronics in the future via an upgrade kit. So this sort of guitar will likely end up in garbages after they become outdated. That's sad for the environment and is a huge waste of money for a guitar at it's price point. Anyway, I hope people will go back and look at the unboxing video from about 2-3 months ago where he showed his Lava arriving with a smashed soundboard. If you bump it or it gets knocked over once, you won't have any way to fix it. If you really want a CF guitar that has a lifetime warranty against defects (not wear and tear), go to KLOS. They sell the most affordable bidirectional instruments -- acoustic and electric guitars, basses, ukes, and more! They have sales, b stock, and are willing to cut deals too. I have had a KLOS full sized hybrid acoustic deluxe since 2018, and it's truly an instrument for life.

[@piplup10203854]

The reverse delay was sick, I like that. I’d pick one of these up 👀

[@WEIRDONG_MARINO]

First

[@jacobbockover1628]

So i have had to file the bridge on about 60 percent of a coustics ive had. I have an old bridge i use as a guide. Its a trend to have high action out of the box

[@agufish]

Ah thanks for clearing that up! My only acoustics have been bought used so I guess they were pre-sanded.

[@whyuyellinginmyear3476]

It will be real cool when robots can play guitars....

[@Superjet113]

LMAO

[@samfrenchguitar]

I demoed one of these for the brand during Covid and while it was a cool sounding guitar and easy to play, half the electronics fell apart after a few months. A cool guitar, but overpriced

[@somedvl]

Can you elaborate on that?! I just bought one.

[@nmbr1slayer]

I bought one simply as a fun toy to play around with...it will never match a great acoustic, but it's not meant to be. For what it is, it's very cool and I enjoy using it to write music I would later use other guitars to play.

[@aldenwilkins]

Digging the demo. A little Days of the New/Tantric vibe.

[@tylersloan1470]

Fun review bro! Keep it up!

[@DeadMansHand1977]

Eat this Tonewood. 🙂 The future of guitar making..

[@GregSobek]

Nice tunes man! Cheers!

[@cheebsgod]

I love the skippy from cyberpunk preset!

[@michaelconner9904]

Wanted to say ,I appreciate all your advice found me a epiphone matt heafy (white one for 800 with case. Take care. Appreciate it bro.

[@A_Brainless_Goblin]

well i have never seen anyone play them who wasnt sponsored.

[@agufish]

Just responded to another comment with the same sentiment, and I get what you're saying with the large marketing push, but it's also been all over IG Reels and TikTok with small creators and players that don't have large followings. Maybe "why is everyone playing this smart guitar" would be a better title haha.

[@pickledparsleyparty]

All of the people I've seen take the sponsorship are electric players. And I imagine acoustic players just like the sound of wood too much to even bother. Even I've thought about buying one a few times. But I imagine the future, and it's 95% electric guitar for me anyway. So I refrain.

[@A_Brainless_Goblin]

@@agufish yeah, i'm not mad at the title lol, just a snarky comment for the comment section about their marketing push, all love. seems cool for what it is, lots of neat little stuff. even if not for me all good. as for smaller creators on IG and tiktok i'm basically an internet boomer so no exposure but thats cool. TL:DR not trying to come across hateful in the comments. so hope it didnt seem that way.

[@wintlock]

does the guitar have a 1/4" output for the pickup and effects? with how toy-ish the effects sound through the onboard speaker i cant see them being useful for any kind of recording/live where you could do the same in post or with effect pedals on another guitar with a piezo or otherwise

[@freesk8]

Thanks!

[@DanzoSrife]

Sounds ok actually, but no truss rod and no action adjustment is a big fat no for me. Maybe in 2.0 they will, but its a good start!

[@seahuntersammy]

Demo track was awesome man! like well deserved!

[@ericsebena1734]

Looks fun! At a price that won't break the bank, I could see picking one of these up to dink around with while watching tv in the future. Doesn't seem like a serious gigger but I don't gig anyways, so.

[@pizzaman1973]

that tuning is fucking dope

[@Superjet113]

No truss rod? Well its just for cowboy chords... 😂

[@marcwieder669]

but WILL IT CHUG???? oh damn, sorry, wrong channel :D nice demo, as always, you're incredible mate! has it built in fuzz sounds?

[@woahsarah]

the only thing i was hoping to see was some sort of overdrive effect to make it sound like a hard rock electric or some sort of indie rock filter but unfortunately there aren’t any and i’m sad ab that ☹️

[@Alex-bl6oi]

I wish it had an adjustable bridge height. Without having to do the sanding method 😪

[@WhatsUPwithDJ]

Great video thank you for explaining how to adjust the action because that was one of my biggest problems with it coming out. Question for you that I can't seem to find answer to anywhere. When you set up a template or if you did set up a template how did you get it to work? Every time I set a template it seems like I highlight one of the effects in the template and that's the only effect it plays I don't understand how to get the entire template to play. Am I missing something? Or did you even attempt to work at that? Great video and thanks again

[@pyromaniaxe1187]

I know this doesn't really relate to this video but I wanted to ask, do you know if Harley Benton might make versions of the EX and the Victory that are reminiscent of the 70s Gibson explorer and Flying V? I mean the ones that were all white, maybe cream, had the white pickguards, and a stop tail on the V. Or maybe even something like Hetfield's Electra flying V.

[@tntisbased]

But the true question is… does it run doom?

[@Scottsyearbook]

I’m interested in this guitar as a travel guitar that will spend a great deal of time on a sailboat floating in saltwater. The klos carbon fiber guitar is also on my radar. However I can’t seem to put my hands on either. Can’t seem to pull the trigger on either without testing the feel/tone. Do you actually use the guitar regularly? Would you recommend it to someone that doesn’t have 1k to spend on gimmicky junk? Many thanks, great content.

[@RokDAWG1]

Interesting guitar.I’m up in the air with my thoughts on it.

[@charlottelawrence6284]

It looks so cool, but I still like the tone of wood guitar

[@nikkoberserker]

Hi Hunter , for me it's a big NO ! It's a just electro acoustic with effects and built in speaker.... I prefer to put my electro-acoustic harley benton ST-acoustic (look like strat body very confortable ) , i put in my amp for use effects and it's enough ! Most of time , i play it with nothing ! This guitar is a gadget , not a bad guitar just not my taste ! thanks for the video !

[@RetroKid]

So is it basically just a guitar with a built-in speaker?

[@DawsonLoudon]

I don't know why but I feel like collab w/ Stevie T. on these bad boys would be great 😎

[@wadeguidry6675]

Pull the interface out of the Lava and put it in one of your other plastic guitars: the Sonex.

[@agufish]

Lol how did you know what Wendell and I were just talking about...

[@SlyHikari03]

Reminds me of the Rimworld ost.

[@yobanyhernandez125]

I don’t play acoustic but had another channel for acoustic covers. Share the link!

[@simplytarun2010]

How much it cost???? I am Tarun sharma from India🇮🇳 plz tell me how can i get it

[@jpncompany6275]

If it sounded good it'd be just ok. Is carbon fiber easy to smash?

[@rockmovieswithtyler1989]

Heard it also has an overdrive!

[@Burnt_Gerbil]

Our technology has made us all dumber and dumber. That’s why we need a “smart” guitar. 😆

[@anestisgr1772]

To expensive, I will wait for the Harley Benton version 😁

[@christopherlonergan2708]

Does it stay in tune well?

[@MrFrosteyes]

I can imagine that people are asking for the "Why?" whenever they see a smart guitar. For me as a beginner, it could be a great step for the future. With a built in screen, guess what could be coming next. Maybe a possible built in guitar lesson/trainer. Since it got a tuner, it would be able to check if you played things right. Sure, you can always watch some videos on the go with your phone, but would be totally nice to have it already on your guitar without having to be connected to the internet. So had been interesting into this, most comments on other channels were disgusting and useless like "Looks like a toilet" yeah yeah so what?.. Anyways. Thanks for your review :)

[@sadblob4577]

This!! I played piano when I was really little but quit after 5 years and I wanted to finally give music another try. I played violin for a while too and liked that much better, and wanted to give guitar a go, so these smart guitars seem like a good place to try it out since it’s not horribly expensive and as high maintenance as the real thing.

[@jaykay0401]

Trash

[@MrFrosteyes]

@@jaykay0401 If you talk about your comment, then you are right (: You could have given a proper well written out argument, but decided to take the kid path of a one word insult. Great job!

[@patrickwakefield2297]

can the effects be adjusted to full on or not so much as required, does any one know?

[@JohnMarshall-NI]

For that price (probably less) you could buy an extremely well made acoustic from a brand like Faith, that will play almost as well as an electric guitar due to how well they are set up out of the factory. This seems like a gimmick, where the ‘smart’ part of it is destined to quickly become obsolete, and you are left with just an ‘ok’, severely overpriced acoustic guitar.

[@benjaminlawrence2719]

“I don’t play acoustic” Proceeds to shred it in acoustic 😅

[@Canadianwheelchairguitar]

I'm just against anything digital other than my computer & TV. It just feels like if something goes wrong, I can't fix it. That's just me though, also why I don't own a cell phone.

[@cdnpunk2270]

no truss rod? i'm out.

[@agufish]

No aluminum or glass necks for you either?

[@Masterfighterx]

Not even 1 good chug from the Engl, Mesa, Peavey or H&K just for shiggles? ☹

[@agufish]

I tried after. It does not sound good hahaha. More feedback than tone, unfortunately

[@emptyroomd9567]

I can just get a Martin guitar or Taylor for that same price of the lava

[@pedrocampos17]

Dude, what would you prefere? a ESP LTD EC-1001T CTM with EGM 57TW and 66TW or a Charvel DK24 HH with passive Seymour Duncan shred and tremolo bridge?

[@markrosenquist8259]

For $1100 I would have to pass. You could put that towards a nice real acoustic guitar.

[@CraigFlowersMusic]

Maybe when they make one that doesn't sound like carp and look like carp.

[@agufish]

Lol in fairness yeah, like why not make a normal acoustic with the fun stuff built in?

[@alecmullaney7957]

It doesn't look like a fish

[@CraigFlowersMusic]

@@alecmullaney7957 lol

[@Til_What]

This kind of guitar has a really small target audience. At a 1200€+ price point you can get regular acoustics that sound so much better. Sure, all those built-in toys might appeal to some people, but the sound audibly suffers compared to classical guitars at that price. Additionally, if you are willing to spend over a thousand bucks on a guitar, you'll most likely be unsatisfied by the other features too. The effects are pretty "meh", the looper is too restricted, everybody already has a tuner on their phone and so on. As they are now, I don't see smart guitars ever becoming a big market without major changes.

[@Forest_Fifer]

So anyway, here's Wonderwall...

[@dddd717]

Now make it run doom

[@miguelmontoya1320]

I can't play my guitar....it ran out of batteries.

[@maximilianbar5974]

you should make the video again but build the song with looper.. there is no need for anything else...

[@Paul_Lenard_Ewing]

It's a toy. There will be others that play leap frog every time a new affordable chip allows for uping the silly game. Just buy a guitar as a guitar and keep the gadgets in small cheap plastic near disposable boxes Like the nano Fender gadget or the even .'more' better NUX one that just came out :-)

[@rickeymitchell8303]

Dude why would you say you're not a big acoustic player when you say as well used to run an acoustic channel on KZbin

[@rc8757]

it's so unbelievably ugly I can't get over the look. the weird sound hole, the headstock, just rough

[@cheebasbass-ment9673]

Kinda silly..imo

[@agufish]

Oh definitely lol. That was the point of the video. Kind of silly, but that’s what makes it pretty fun

[@jellojelly8902]

I bought this carbon fiber smart guitar so u don't have to..

[@TwistedStrummer]

To lower the action, sand down the bridge on your factory new guitar...........I'm out.

[@horrifyinggelatinousblob]

wait... no truss rod? WTF. so this thing is basically useless for thicker strings and weird tunings like DADEAE DAEF#AE etc.

[@transmundanemusic]

It's a no from me.

[@agufish]

*it’s a no from me, dawg - Randy Jackson

[@transmundanemusic]

@@agufish hahaha I'm an aging traditionalist. My opinion counts for very little lol

[@21stcenturymetal31]

You mean why has nobody heard or bought this guitar? That's simple no one would

[@Exercise-01]

That got be the ugliest design ever for an acoustic guitar,it looks like a box or a travel bag.

[@stuckinprogress1449]

The problem with this carbon fiber construction is that it is injection molded rather than weaved carbon fiber. It is nowhere near as durable as a real carbon fiber guitar!

[@NissEhkiin]

The only reason these show up is that they spend tons on marketing. They pay all these youtubers to show them. But have never seen anyone actually buy them and have only seen these gathering dust in stores and often on sale a short time after coming to a store. So not sure about these tbh but seem cool at least. But wouldn't buy one

[@Joshua.M.S.]

it sounds good. I think its extremely ugly

[@dsargent724]

Buy a Yamaha Transacoustic guitar instead. It's a real guitar with real effects.

[@Rysee88]

Software updates for an acoustic guitar? Stop this world, I want to get off.

[@danielsgrunge]

I’m kinda of a boomer when it comes to built in things for guitar not gonna lie It’s just stupid to me

[@Octopussy1999]

another sponsored video. All you can find for smart guitars are sponsored videos, and you know that these youtuber "reviews" aren't really objective.

[@RByrne]

These are made for kids who wont play past a few months. That finish will start to look all worn out and yellowed, and the screen will get scratched up like a 5 year old iPhone in a year. People are already having issues with them. Just get a real guitar and an modelling amp.

[@existinthenow7443]

You lost me at you never play acoustic guitars

[@stevewhite8178]

Lava Meh

[@timesurfingalien]

Just look so plain, uninspired

[@evilpnut4550]

Looks cheaply made.

[@roosky203]

Why is no one******