NAMM 2022: Meet the Rising-G Pro, the Donner strummer that is made of carbon fibre

• GEAR EXPO SUMMER 2022: all the latest gear from NAMM and beyond

NAMM 2022: Donner Music has unveiled an acoustic guitar that eschews the typical tonewood combinations, and indeed all but does away with the stuffy idea of wood altogether, with the Rising-G Pro leaning into the onrushing wave of technological progress to debut an all-carbon fibre build.

That’s right, mahogany – take the rest of the week off. Hit the road, Adirondack, and don’t you come back no more. But there is method behind this iconoclastic luthierie, with Donner promising that the carbon fibre used to manufacture the Rising G-Pro is “thinner and more durable” than your common or garden tonewoods. 

It’s not the first time we have heard this. But just before you renew your subscription to Rosewood Monthly, it should be noted that Donner says the Rising G-Pro is not just another carbon fibre acoustic, it is 35 per cent more resonant, with “a new improved classic tone that is brighter with a fuller low-end”.

We can all get down with that. The Rising G-Pro has a parametric soundhole – sounds painful, but really it's located on the guitar's shoulder – and is constructed of Japanese T1700 carbon fibre, which, with a tensile strength of 4900 Mpa, sounds like it would stand up to Pete Townshend in his guitar-smashing pomp.

There is some wood on the Rising G-Pro, some some HPL used for the fingerboard. Donner has had a big NAMM 2022 so far, also launching a smart guitar with light-up frets and a number of features to aid beginners.

No prices for the Rising-G Pro just yet but expect this to hit stores in July. Mid-summer for the northern hemisphere, but with a carbon-fibre build, there should be fewer issues with climate and all that business. 

Head over to Donner Music for more on their 2022 releases.