#91
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Thank you for your kind words, Ken! Yes, I'm very happy with how it turned out.
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#92
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Ernesto, I got to spend some time at Chris' house and shop over the weekend.
One of the highlights for me was playing this guitar. I have played a number of Saddle Pals over the years, and had an idea what to expect. But this one really surprised me. To my ear, it's his best one to date. He has coaxed a richness out of it Lilliputian size which seems nearly impossible to achieve. I won't go on and on, but let me add this prediction that you will be pleased! Congratulations, Steve |
#93
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All the best, and thanks again! Last edited by Ernesto; 11-10-2019 at 03:27 PM. |
#94
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Dear all,
I wanted to give you a quick update as I just picked up the guitar at Lame Horse in Mansfield, TX. First of all I have to say that it was a pleasure meeting Chris Jenkins. We spend a very nice evening together, with some really good Texan food. He showed me his workshop including an amazing woodlocker, and gave me an introduction to acoustic physics and the art of finetuning a guitar in order to avoid wolfe notes. Honestly, I understood only half of it. What I understood a bit better was the wood. If I were to order another Lame Horse, I would probably go with either Sinker Mahagony, Quilted Sapele, Myrtle, or South East Asian Rosewood. Chris has some really great sets. There was a perfectly straight grained South East Asian, with just a bit of sapwood in the middle, for an upcoming built (@Kenbike, is that you?), absolutely beautiful… And maybe the best thing was that I slept in a bed that had already hosted Steve Klein, Bob Taylor, and Ervin Somogyi, maybe that’s why I slept so good The bottomline: great people, great guitars. The Saddle Pal has definitely surpassed my expectations, both sonically and aesthetically. The design is genius, the Koa looks killer, the rosette is a work of art. And all the little details, such as the laminated neck, the soundport, the inside with the colourful lamination, the adjustable neck system (I think theirs is the best there is, very precise, easy to handle even under tension, and, even more important for me, you can't mess it up)… all perfectly executed. The sound is everything I had hoped for, and more. The guitar is very responsive, as to be expected from Cedar, with surprising sustain, and great clarity and shimmer. Especially the high notes are ethereal. And that thing is loud: I had a Collings DS1A, 12 fret Dread, for some time, a powerhouse of a guitar, and the Saddle Pal seems to be in the same league, with only 13’’ at the lower bout. These are just my first impressions after playing it a few times... I really couldn't be happier. The only thing that worries me now is how to keep away my three year old son and eleven month old daughter from the guitar haha. Hope all is well! Best wishes Last edited by Ernesto; 12-13-2019 at 08:14 AM. |
#95
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Hey Ernesto, now you have a fantastic guitar and some great memories to go with it. I am very happy for you!
I wish you were not on the other side of the world as it would be fun to compare our new koa guitars in person, but it has been great following your build via the AGF. Wishing you any happy hours with your Saddle Pal. Col |
#96
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Felix (Ernesto) Come Back and Visit Anytime
Thank you for the kind words. We are glad you like your Saddle Pal. We like it very much, also. We will have a new one ready for BIG 2020! It is too bad you can't be there, but we hope to meet many members of the Acoustic Guitar Forum there!
We hope to see you again soon. Chris and Jeremy |
#97
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Last edited by Ernesto; 12-15-2019 at 05:14 AM. |
#98
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Beautiful guitar and great to see such a nice conclusion to the build. It's great when a guitar impresses like this one does!
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#99
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Ernesto
Yes my build will be with the East Asian Rosewood, great to here it looks as good in person as the photo. Going Spruce top with a burst finish. Still working with Chris on the design. Enjoy your new Saddle Pal!
__________________
Guitars come and go. |
#100
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Enjoy the build process, I hope to see a few pics here Last edited by Ernesto; 12-17-2019 at 12:23 PM. |
#101
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Hi Ernesto,
Saw you posting on Juston's thread and it made me wonder how you are going with the Saddle Pal. Any updates on its sound, or your understanding of its characteristics? Colin |
#102
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Hi there, good to hear from you, Colin!
I have not been very active here the last weeks, crazy times. But I have played my Saddle Pal pretty much every day since I picked it up in December. Frequently, I take it out it's case and just keep looking at it, it is the most beautiful and unique guitar I have ever owned. I have it in DADGAD all the time, and, due to the 25.5 scale, it works great. I put a medium gauge low e string on (56 instead of 53, I like to have more tension on the low e in DADGAD), after asking Chris if that would be ok. Soundwise, what impresses me most is the sustain, which must have to do with the bracing and the design. It really goes on and on, and the sound port transmits it very well to the player. The guitar is very responsive to a light touch, it surprises me how much. In general terms, I would describe the sound as warm, mellow, clear, balanced. High notes are beautiful and 'airy', and the guitar does not lack in the bass department. This is my first Cedar guitar, and the difference to Spruce is obvious. The price for the sensitive response, maybe, is a little less dynamic range. I would not do very heavy strumming (which I never do) on it, and for a blues with a lot of bite, I would prefer an Adi top. But this somehow restricted frame leaves room for subtleties. I play banjo tunes lately, with finger picking parts, strumming parts, and that shooting out of your middle finger with the back of your nail technique, and the guitar allows me to modulate the tone very well in each case. Same goes for Celtic fingerstyle. Here the guitar excells with its sustain, and it does not sound boxy at all. In spite of its size, I never have the impression to have a small guitar in my hands. The tone has developed a bit during these months. I would say the bass has increased and improved, it sounds more 'precise' now. I realised the guitar is quite sensitive not only to humidity, but also temperature. We had a very hot summer here in Chile, and when I played it during the night, it definitely sounded better than during the day. I made use of the action adjustment feature and it works, very precise. This calmes my nerves, there are no good luthiers around here. And I really like the magnetic armbevel. First I thought it was exaggerated since this is a small guitar, but you can take it on and off whenever you want. Surprisingly, I never take it off, it just looks and feels good. And it does not touch the soundboard, great design. Just a few impressions. I hope you are well and enjoy your Baranik as much as I enjoy my Saddle Pal! All the best Last edited by Ernesto; 05-02-2020 at 01:42 PM. |
#103
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Thanks for the great update! It is good to know that you are playing it a lot and enjoying it.
(My new Baranik is being enjoyed as well. Like you, I am impressed at the “big” sound, sensitivity and sustain that a good luthier can get from a small guitar.) |
#104
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Hi there,
I just thought you might enjoy this podcast the wonderful people of TNAG did with Chris Jenkins. Chris is such a great person, and it's really a joy talking guitar (and life) with him, I know because I did. They discuss my Saddle Pal as well (Cedar seems the way to go), and also plans for a larger version of the model. The question is: could you still call this a "Saddle Pal"? https://www.podbean.com/ea/pb-siaiy-e134f1 I am in love with mine and hope to add a sound file once I'll have figured out how to make a decent one. I hope you are well (11 weeks of quarantine here, and still no end at sight). Cheers Last edited by Ernesto; 07-01-2020 at 11:27 AM. |
#105
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Thanks Ernesto. I guess a new larger model could be named after the seat on a wagon or stagecoach, but I have no idea what those seats are called!
Hang in there with the lockdown; our state came out of one a couple of weeks ago and we are now going back into a partial lockdown after the case numbers rose again. |