Thoughts on the Blackbird Savoy

[Fixedgear60]

Had the honor and privilege to spend a couple of hours talking and playing guitars with Joe at Blackbird Guitars at his shop or should I call it the Blackbird nest. After all these years and watching videos of Joe and the great work he and his team are doing it was a real treat to sit and chat!!!... Joe is a great guy and a wonderful sense of humor and got to sit down and really hear these guitars side by side especially the eKoa models. The Savoy is an amazing guitar that combines every one of the elements that Joe has been working on all these years. Small and comfortable to play but warm and sounds like an OM. It finger picks wonderfully as you would suspect from a smaller guitar but under full strum NEVER sounds boxy or small. This is a premium offering that should be compared with the best that martin, taylor, mcpherson ...<insert your fav guitar> that is being putting out. It is BOTH articulate for finger picking but warm and full under full strum... frankly... I do not fully get how he does it. It defies explanation .. I had to stop playing and constantly look down at the guitar look at the back and sides.

On the El Capitan... this too in real life is much smaller (thinner) then you would expect from a jumbo and the slotted headstock it an amazing piece of sculpture that look better in real life. Picture do not do it justice just as the new tobacco burst finish that starts dark and the edges and goes lighter toward the center. This size guitar plays just as easy as the Savoy and has a wonderful deep and well balanced sound. It is VERY well balanced between the high/mids/lows. Truely amazing....

I could see being very happy owning both to filling the needs of a broad range of playing styles.... For me this hits a sweet spot of both vintage feel and sound while being high tech.....

If you every get the chance to play either of these I highly recommend it or get a chance to talk to Joe you will not be disappointed.

Now the hard part.. start saving my pennies....

[tdq]

Was that you I saw on their facebook page? Oh, and jealous you got to try the Savoy!

[TheChicagoTodd]

I agree that the headstock doesn't translate well in pics....it was one of the thing when I first ordered my El Capitan that I wasn't sure about....I think you described it best...sculpture. As for the tone.....😆😆😆....I urge folks to try it in person, which is a pretty big challenge actually.

Still loving mine....A LOT!

Cheers...

Todd in Chicago

Sent from my SM-G928V using Tapatalk

[sirwhale]

I'm looking forward to seeing a new range of eKoa guitars. For me it is a promising material.

Now, I'm going to join the EvanBandwagon and hope there will be an eKoa crossover nylon string in the future. As I'm officially moving in the that direction.

[Fixedgear60]

Originally Posted by tdq

Was that you I saw on their facebook page? Oh, and jealous you got to try the Savoy!

Yes.. that is me... a fun day!!!

[Earl49]

I second everything you said about Joe - a great guy. I got to spend some time with him and the guitars last April at the Reno Ukulele Fest. I almost went home with the show demo El Capitan model, but was holding out for the Lucky 13 (which I now have). El Capitan sounds great and holds its own against any of my Taylor's sonically and for playability, plus has the advantages of being composite. And it is much smaller in person than it appears in pictures - truly a 000 or GA size, and NOT a big jumbo J-200 as the shape suggests. Up close, the eKoa top looks a lot like wood too.

I plan to go to the uke festival again on April 06-09, where I hope to demo the Savoy, plus their ukulele line (also quite impressive on both CF and eKoa).

[Ted @ LA Guitar Sales]

Originally Posted by Fixedgear60

Yes.. that is me... a fun day!!!

Sounds like a fun visit, Chris. I've met Joe many times, and we speak on the phone quite often, but I've yet to make the trek to the "nest".

[thaichine]

Sounds like a fun time! Wish I could try out a Savoy. Did Joe happen to mention when they will start shipping?

Sir;

The Savoy does look like it would be a natural for nylon strings. A number of years ago five people indicated to Joe that they would buy a nylon version of the Super OM if he would make one; he did. I wonder if he would do the same with Savoy? I'm certain Kramster would join in on such a project.

[Purfle Haze]

Originally Posted by Fixedgear60

The Savoy is an amazing guitar that combines every one of the elements that Joe has been working on all these years. Small and comfortable to play but warm and sounds like an OM. It finger picks wonderfully as you would suspect from a smaller guitar but under full strum NEVER sounds boxy or small. This is a premium offering that should be compared with the best that

Fixie, I hadn't heard of the Savoy, thanks for the review. I'm in the market for a small, good, maybe CF guitar. I am wondering what the width of the lower bout might be. Also, do these Blackbirds with the hollow necks have truss rods? Is lack of same an issue?

Also, the woodgrain ekoa looks nice in the photos, but I wonder about the wisdom of making an artificial wood look- makes me think of kitchen tables with formica tops. I think the Emerald guitars with the woody tops are beautiful, because it's actually a wood veneer. On the other hand, the fake wood look makes for a successful emulation of the traditional Big Brown Thing that we guitarists crave.

[tdq]

Originally Posted by Purfle Haze

Also, the woodgrain ekoa looks nice in the photos, but I wonder about the wisdom of making an artificial wood look- makes me think of kitchen tables with formica tops. I think the Emerald guitars with the woody tops are beautiful, because it's actually a wood veneer. On the other hand, the fake wood look makes for a successful emulation of the traditional Big Brown Thing that we guitarists crave.

I haven't seen the Savoy in person, but I have seen the El Capitan, and I didn't get the formica vibe from it. My impression is that the grain comes from the cloth that they use, and it's not really a deliberate attempt to make it look like wood - but it certainly "suggests" wood, which I'm sure helps with the "CF is plastic" crowd.

I'm not overwhelmed by the look. On the other hand, I see this new material as being a great palate for some really cool black line drawings or maybe some color?? Maybe tomorrow?

[kramster]

I am thinking it is the grain from the material as well. As soon as I spotted that first prototype hanging on the wall calling my name at NAMM (I think it saw my name tag...but anyway) I knew I wanted one before even playing it. I really like the way it looks of course and how it feels. A little hard to tell with all the noise at NAMM just how good it sounds, but from what I could tell all is great. I prolly played it 10 times over 4 days and listened to others as well. Remember this one was the only one made at the time and a prototype and it was that good ... no doubt the production ones are refined some knowing Joe .... so it must be over the top now.
Just sayin'.
.
People still play nylon strings? No... really?... nawwww... really?

[Dancehallking]

Did the sound of the savoy lean towards a certain maker/model for comparison purposes? Have heard many comments of the capitan compared to Taylor sound.

[Ted @ LA Guitar Sales]

Originally Posted by Dancehallking

Did the sound of the savoy lean towards a certain maker/model for comparison purposes? Have heard many comments of the capitan compared to Taylor sound.

When I tested the El Capitan against a dozen similarly sized guitars in the store, the closest in tone was the Collings MJ, which is about the same size and feel as well. I will need to play the Savoy in a quiet room alongside some other guitars to see where it falls tonally, but I don't expect it to sound much like a Taylor. We'll find out soon enough.