Reflections on my Sable, 3 years later

[DavidE]

Originally Posted by GuitarLuva

Your whole post sounds like a Ryan Johnson guitar script for "The Empire Strikes Back". Funny that you would buy an ugly tin can sounding guitar with a terrible sound and keep it around for such a long time. Is the purpose of this thread to try and tick off all of us who have been praising the Sable the last few months? I actually find your post hilarious and it made me laugh hard since in the big scenario it makes no sense and is a complete 180 from my experience. Yes I would put the Sable up against practically any guitar, wood or carbon fiber, any day of the week.

I don't doubt his personal perception and opinion at all. It's just as valid as everyone else's and he's entitled to share it. No need to denigrate it. I just disagree with it. From my subjective perspective.

[GuitarLuva]

Originally Posted by DavidE

I don't doubt his personal perception and opinion at all. It's just as valid as everyone else's and he's entitled to share it. No need to denigrate it. I just disagree with it. From my subjective perspective.

Yes, you're right. However, it's not his opinion that's the issue it's the whole underlying motive behind the thread. There's been a heavy increase in Sable love the last few months, no doubt about that. He posted in a different thread that he basically didn't understand why the sudden influx of Sables. Most new owners were chiming in left, right and center saying how much they loved their new Sable. Than there was the X30 vs Sable thread which owners and previous owners of both favored the Sable to the X30 and now, out of nowhere, we have this thread. Also, to make matters worse, the Emerald X20 gets dragged in as well. Yes he can hate both guitars for whatever reason but to describe them as sounding like "tin cans" is a little on the extreme side and we owners know the difference. It's the innocent lurkers who read this information I'm worried about as they might run away and miss the opportunity to own one or both of those great guitars in question. Threads like these shouldn't exist as they don't do anybody any good at all.

[ed62]

Originally Posted by DavidE

I don't doubt his personal perception and opinion at all. It's just as valid as everyone else's and he's entitled to share it. No need to denigrate it. I just disagree with it. From my subjective perspective.

Im doubting his perception.....To me his video review of the X30 makes that beautifull guitar sound like a rubbermaid garbage can with strings on it.....Just kidding...I ran out of cans of worms in the other thread and have to resort to stirring the pot in this one.

GuitarLuva;

I see your point, but I don't think there's a problem. Yes, there's some strong provocation in this thread, and it's received considerable response. If some innocent bystander were to drop by and be shocked he or she would also have to continue reading to see if the story gets any better (or worse).

[Tøf]

Nothing rude or insulting in what he wrote, perhaps a bit provocative... but freedom of speech is welcome and it’s important to hear opinions that don’t follow the consensus. The comments (including mine) about the X30 wolf note weren’t exactly flattering either

[ed62]

Originally Posted by EvanB

GuitarLuva;

I see your point, but I don't think there's a problem. Yes, there's some strong provocation in this thread, and it's received considerable response. If some innocent bystander were to drop by and be shocked he or she would also have to continue reading to see if the story gets any better (or worse).

This is true Evan but I think he goes too far when he uses descriptive terms like 'tin can" and "sounds terrible" in his post yet when I was considering buying his blue X30 in the AGF classifieds he describes the tone of the sable as thin compared to an X30 which I can accept....You are right though as I definitely looked at other threads and opinions and found many more positive comments about the sables tone which swayed my decision back towards the sable....I love that tin can by the way !!!

[mikealpine]

For me, this highlights the notion of "play before you buy". Having been torn between the Sable and the X30, adding in the RainSong V-WS or Dread for good measure, I am no closer to feeling comfortable to choosing one. I'm going to have to wait until I can get my hands on one. Good think I have my trusty H-OM to get me through.

What I find interesting is that the OP has a "For sale" thread going with the McPherson. When I inquired about it, he replied, "I may hang onto this guy though; I never play it but it's so nice I hate to give it up." And then to see this post and hear that it sounds terrible and looks horrible.

Somewhat confusing.

[GuitarLuva]

Originally Posted by mikealpine

For me, this highlights the notion of "play before you buy". Having been torn between the Sable and the X30, adding in the RainSong V-WS or Dread for good measure, I am no closer to feeling comfortable to choosing one. I'm going to have to wait until I can get my hands on one. Good think I have my trusty H-OM to get me through.

What I find interesting is that the OP has a "For sale" thread going with the McPherson. When I inquired about it, he replied, "I may hang onto this guy though; I never play it but it's so nice I hate to give it up." And then to see this post and hear that it sounds terrible and looks horrible.

Somewhat confusing.

See, and that only comes back to my main point of what is the real purpose of this thread.

Originally Posted by ed62

This is true Evan but I think he goes too far when he uses descriptive terms like 'tin can" and "sounds terrible" in his post yet when I was considering buying his blue X30 in the AGF classifieds he describes the tone of the sable as thin compared to an X30 which I can accept....You are right though as I definitely looked at other threads and opinions and found many more positive comments about the sables tone which swayed my decision back towards the sable....I love that tin can by the way !!!

Thanks Ed, looks like we're on the same page. I have A/B'd the Sable & X30 a dozen times over and the X30 doesn't make the Sable sound thin at all, not even close. He said his Sable was 3 years old, I wonder if it's a Kevin Michael version and different than today's version. I'm not that familiar with the history of the Sable I only know it went through some changes over the years.

[GuitarLuva]

Originally Posted by EvanB

GuitarLuva;

I see your point, but I don't think there's a problem. Yes, there's some strong provocation in this thread, and it's received considerable response. If some innocent bystander were to drop by and be shocked he or she would also have to continue reading to see if the story gets any better (or worse).

Yes Evan I suppose you're right I'm sure there'll be a few more twists and turns before this thread is done.

Originally Posted by Tøf

Nothing rude or insulting in what he wrote, perhaps a bit provocative... but freedom of speech is welcome and itÂ’s important to hear opinions that donÂ’t follow the consensus. The comments (including mine) about the X30 wolf note werenÂ’t exactly flattering either

I somewhat agree with you about the wolf note. It wasn't presented in a hostile or provocative way though. I would love to be able to get rid of it altogether but can still enjoy the X30 with it if I use it strictly as a strummer. People who are considering buying an X30 should at least be aware that there's a potential for it to be there.

[ed62]

Originally Posted by GuitarLuva

See, and that only comes back to my main point of what is the real purpose of this thread.



Thanks Ed, looks like we're on the same page. I have A/B'd the Sable & X30 a dozen times over and the X30 doesn't make the Sable sound thin at all, not even close. He said his Sable was 3 years old, I wonder if it's a Kevin Michael version and different than today's version. I'm not that familiar with the history of the Sable I only know it went through some changes over the years.

I looked at the pictures when he put it up for sale and it didnt have a kevin michael logo on the headstock...It did have a white nut and saddle though which he said he colored in with a black sharpie .

[raysachs]

Originally Posted by steelvibe

...and much to David and Earl's points, that Emerald you liked A LOT can easily be re-ordered someday and you can catch up where you left off. That is one of the coolest things about CF. You can't do that with wood, hence the "one that got away" threads.

Well, you'd think that, but there's plenty of evidence of people who owned an X20 and loved it, then later ordered another one and it sounded tinny. I only owned one and it sounded too tinny to my ears, so I didn't end up having it long. Same with X30s, some great, some not so great, from people who've owned more than one.

Haven't heard any complaints of that type about the X7, for whatever reason, so I'm sure if I decided to buy another, I'd probably like it as much as the last one. Only reason I sold it is that as I got more into fingerpicking, I realized it didn't fit me very well for that application - because of the body dimensions my right hand hung down waaaaaay forward of the bridge and it was really cumbersome to try to move my hand back there for palm muting or anchoring. Other than that I'd still have it. I thought it might be a lifetime guitar and except for that, it might have been.

-Ray

[David Eastwood]

Originally Posted by raysachs

Well, you'd think that, but there's plenty of evidence of people who owned an X20 and loved it, then later ordered another one and it sounded tinny. I only owned one and it sounded too tinny to my ears, so I didn't end up having it long.

This highlights how difficult it is to talk about this stuff. The evidence you cite is not easy to find, and I’ve spent a while searching for it.

One man’s ‘tinny’ is another’s ‘bright’ and yet anothers’s ‘clear as a bell’.

I own two X20s, made about a year apart. Neither of them, by any stretch of my imagination, could ever be described as ‘tinny’, which I think is an unnecessarily pejorative adjective. My first was a tad bright with the supplied D’Addario EXPs (which are among my least favourite strings) - but sounds beautifully warm and balanced with the D’Addario Nickel Bronze strings it’s worn ever since.

The second, which also arrived with D’Addarios, was maybe a tad warmer out of the box, but it’s a 7-string, fan-fret, so a rather different configuration. I’m using a custom Newtone PB string set on it now, and, again, it’s very well balanced, and not the slightest ‘tinny’ or ‘shrill’ in any register.

In addition to the sensitivity of CF to string type, I’ve also noticed that my Emeralds, at least, are much more sensitive to my right hand. Generally, I play with thumb and fingers alone; if my nails get a little too long, things can start to sound a little crystalline at the treble end, but a little clip’n’file easily takes care of it and restores the balance.

I hate to see the only permanent outcome of this discussion be that Emerald X20s sound ‘tinny’.

That’s grossly unfair.

[tbeltrans]

Originally Posted by eatswodo

This highlights how difficult it is to talk about this stuff. The evidence you cite is not easy to find, and I’ve spent a while searching for it.

One man’s ‘tinny’ is another’s ‘bright’ and yet anothers’s ‘clear as a bell’.

I own two X20s. Neither of them, by any stretch of my imagination, could ever be described as ‘tinny’, which I think is an unnecessarily pejorative adjective. My first was a tad bright with the supplied D’Addario EXPs (which are among my least favourite strings) - but sounds beautifully warm and balanced with the D’Addario Nickel Bronze strings it’s worn ever since.

The second, which also arrived with D’Addarios, was maybe a tad warmer out of the box, but it’s a 7-string, fan-fret, so a rather different configuration. I’m using a custom Newtone PB string set on it now, and, again, it’s very well balanced, and not the slightest ‘tinny’ or ‘shrill’ in any register.

In addition to the sensitivity of CF to string type, I’ve also noticed that my Emeralds, at least, are much more sensitive to my right hand. Generally, I play with thumb and fingers alone; if my nails get a little too long, things can start to sound a little crystalline at the treble end, but a little clip’n’file easily takes care of it and restores the balance.

I hate to see the only permanent outcome of this discussion be that Emerald X20s sound ‘tinny’.

That’s grossly unfair.

There have been a number of opinions of the guitars being discussed, so a person will take from the discussion whatever s/he chooses from a smorgasbord of opinions.

I think some folks here confuse "opinion" with "fact" and feel the need to defend their own opinion against another person's. That ends up shooting the messenger so that unless one has something good to say about a given guitar, don't say it.

To me, that is what would be unfair to those looking for information about a guitar a reader may be interested in. Let people know how you feel about a guitar you own. Not everybody will agree, but that is rarely the case unless we only have a choir of praise, giving a one-sided view of the instrument.

That is the short form of my earlier post. As this thread proceeds, I think it bears repeating in condensed form.

Tony

[steelvibe]

Originally Posted by GuitarLuva

He said his Sable was 3 years old, I wonder if it's a Kevin Michael version and different than today's version. I'm not that familiar with the history of the Sable I only know it went through some changes over the years.

His Sable is not a Kevin Michael version. The early version has "Kevin Michael" emblazoned in bright red and white, whereas Ryan's Sable has the new prominent McPherson badge

[GuitarLuva]

Originally Posted by steelvibe

His Sable is not a Kevin Michael version. The early version has "Kevin Michael" emblazoned in bright red and white, whereas Ryan's Sable has the new prominent McPherson badge

Thanks for the clarification, and I'm glad you circled it as I might not have seen it in that particular picture