CA Guitars 5iM-CE and 7iM-CE Differences August 25th, 2008 . by MacNichol CA Guitars new Integrated Series is creating a lot of buzz these days. The models feature integrated bracing, along with an offset soundhole, to produce a resonant guitar with a deep, mellow bass response along with a good overall balanced tone. For those who would like one of the new CA i Series, but plan to take the guitar on the road, to the beach, mountains, etc, the 5i is built exactly for that. The 5iM-CE and 7iM-CE share many similarities, but the two differ in the following ways. First, and most obviously, the 5i has CA’s “road tough” satin finish, a fine, gritty finish that is built for those who plan to take their guitars traveling frequently and would prefer not to worry about little dings and knicks, which will not be so obvious as on a high gloss finish, which the 7i model has. Second, the 5i comes with a thickly padded gig bag that has built-in shoulder straps - again, this is for those who want to take their guitars on adventures. The gigbag will be lightweight, take up less space, yet nevertheless has thick padding to keep the instrument secure. The 7i, on the other hand, comes with a hardshell case. To sum up, the 5i is for those whose guitars will see some adventure, whereas the 7i is for those whose guitars will primarily reside at home. People often buy carbon fiber guitars for the convenience of not having to worry about humidity and temperature changes. And, certainly, the 5i is a great guitar for any weather situation. However, with CA Guitars new i Series, I believe that people will buy for the sound first, and the worry-free aspect will simply be a nice bonus.     Posted in CA Guitars, Carbon Fiber Guitars | Comments are closed.