Video explanation of the Cole Clark 3 Way Pickup System

[BluesKing777]

This looks fascinating to me! (I have never played one).


The CC 3 Way pickup:



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-r-3Da1GpH8



BluesKing777.

[Kip Carter]

I love the looks of that one he is playing !

[Puerto Player]

I liked the video, but....I think you should have explained what the whole system is, how many elements, and then start bringing them in. I wasn't sure at first where we/you were going or what all was going to be demo'd.

I listened a couple times too, with Vic Firth headphones and I went back and forth between just the Piezo system and the Cole, and the Cole was much fuller in the low and low mids, but I could not hear the improvement in the highs. I'm sure playing it live you'd here, but I couldn't make it out demo wise.

[BluesKing777]

Ha, just pointing out that it is not me in the video, or anything to do with me - I just thought the pickup system was a really good idea and thought some would like to see it!


BluesKing777.

[martingitdave]

Brilliant. Makes perfect sense to me. I also like the compact nature of the preamp and the internal "no-pop" jack. I can see why so many international players gig these guitars live. I got to meet and do a little jam session with Jack Johnson for a charity event earlier this year. He's a great guy, by the way. He and his band play Cole Clarks on stage. I will admit that they aren't the best sounding guitar acoustically, but they sound amazing when amplified. Definitely a stage guitar.

[BluesKing777]

Yes, I thought it sounded good. I mean, what more can they do for you? 5 way system? Plus mic? Plus Aura? Plus Tonedexter?

And everyone says they sound ordinary acoustically, these guitars. Sort of a “you can have all this, but you have to play THAT. Ha Ha.....”

They say that about Matons, but my new SRS808 is delightful - they began scalloping braces and other improvements about 2013.... Guess I will have to go try a CC in thhe flesh.




Here is another different Cole Clark review on Reverb.com:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICYYSA345YY



BluesKing777.

[Vancebo]

I think that is a very well thought out system. I don't know if I would go out and buy a Cole Clark just for the system though. If I ever saw one on a music store wall I would certainly give it a spin to satisfy my curiosity.

[Mkel12]

I have owned a half dozen Cole Clarks specifically for the pickup system. I have settled in on the Angel model ( grand auditorium size) as the one that fits me best, and the one that produces an amplified tone that is most desirable to me. I now have only one, which is a custom shop Angel with the old two-way system... piezo and FaceBrace. For live amplification, I have found the Mic on the three-way system to be more of a nuisance than a value-add for tone. For direct recording using a pickup, the three-way system is pretty cool.

[MrErikJ]

Originally Posted by BluesKing777

And everyone says they sound ordinary acoustically, these guitars. Sort of a “you can have all this, but you have to play THAT. Ha Ha.....”

They say that about Matons, but my new SRS808 is delightful - they began scalloping braces and other improvements about 2013.... Guess I will have to go try a CC in thhe flesh.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICYYSA345YY



BluesKing777.

I think guitarists often struggle to appreciate tones they can't specifically reference, i.e. it doesn't sound like a Gibson or Martin. It's hard for guitar makers who try to achieve different sounds with their builds to break through as we're so accustomed to the sounds we've heard on recordings for 50+ years. Something with a different tonal character is often met with hostility, for example, Ovation, Rainsong, Cole Clark, and Maton.

[SpruceTop]

I had a Cole Clark Fat Lady FL2A with the two-way system that sounded pretty good through a PA but the guitar was rather acoustically tonally subdued.

[BluesKing777]

So why would people say they are quiet acoustically or tonally subdued?

For the people that have played the Cole Clarks - do you think the guitar tops are a bit thick to get vibrating?

And the 3rd part of the pickup system of adding the mic is the thing that interests me the most and we have one reply already that thinks the mic is a nuisance - feedback problem or a ‘twoiky’ sound?


BluesKing777.

[SpruceTop]

Originally Posted by BluesKing777

So why would people say they are quiet acoustically or tonally subdued?

For the people that have played the Cole Clarks - do you think the guitar tops are a bit thick to get vibrating?

And the 3rd part of the pickup system of adding the mic is the thing that interests me the most and we have one reply already that thinks the mic is a nuisance - feedback problem or a ‘twoiky’ sound?


BluesKing777.

My Cole Clark Fat Lady FL2A was a 2009 model with a Bunya top and Queensland Maple back and sides. A good deal of the guitar, such as the top with its integral braces was machined from a solid-wood blank. The guitar was rather heavy and solidly-built. I haven't followed the company's products for a few years and maybe they've lightened their builds to be more responsive since 2009? At the time I bought mine, I auditioned a high-end Angel and it seemed more alive than my Fat Lady FL2A. Being close to the U.S. distributor of Cole Clark guitars, a store near me, in Leroy, New York, had at least 20 Cole Clarks of various models at that time.

[Mkel12]

Originally Posted by BluesKing777

So why would people say they are quiet acoustically or tonally subdued?

For the people that have played the Cole Clarks - do you think the guitar tops are a bit thick to get vibrating?

And the 3rd part of the pickup system of adding the mic is the thing that interests me the most and we have one reply already that thinks the mic is a nuisance - feedback problem or a ‘twoiky’ sound?


BluesKing777.

My issue regarding live sound was less related to feedback and more related to "Mic stuffed in a box" tone. If that is "twoiky", then yes. Didn't seem to be as apparent when using the mic in a small amount when recording directly from the pickup.

[BluesKing777]

Thanks for the replies!

The weekend is close and I will try a couple of CC's - they are just everywhere around here.....


BluesKing777.