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Old 12-02-2022, 01:51 PM
JackDaniel JackDaniel is offline
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Default Sound hole in McPherson sable

So I find the sable to be somewhat muted sounding. I think the audience does not hear it the same, though. I wonder if putting a sound hole on the side of it would rectify that problem. Thoughts? Anyone want to go first? Lol!
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Old 12-02-2022, 03:46 PM
jdinco jdinco is offline
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I'd like to hear it, but I won't even be second ! LOL Wonder what McPherson would say about it?
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Old 12-02-2022, 06:07 PM
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So I find the sable to be somewhat muted sounding. I think the audience does not hear it the same, though. I wonder if putting a sound hole on the side of it would rectify that problem. Thoughts? Anyone want to go first? Lol!
Did you see this thread?

https://www.acousticguitarforum.com/...d.php?t=659395

After reading Ray’s accounts of differences he found between Sables, I’m tempted to ask what vintage yours is.

And, no, I wouldn’t dream of trying to drill a sizable hole in the side of a $3k+ guitar

How much experimentation have you done with strings? Many of us have discovered that CF guitars *seem* to be rather more sensitive to string type than their wooden counterparts.
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Old 12-05-2022, 06:03 PM
JackDaniel JackDaniel is offline
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Did you see this thread?

https://www.acousticguitarforum.com/...d.php?t=659395

After reading Ray’s accounts of differences he found between Sables, I’m tempted to ask what vintage yours is.

And, no, I wouldn’t dream of trying to drill a sizable hole in the side of a $3k+ guitar

How much experimentation have you done with strings? Many of us have discovered that CF guitars *seem* to be rather more sensitive to string type than their wooden counterparts.

I did see Ray's account. I'm curious about whether others have found the same to be true, however. My understanding is that nothing has changed internally for the sable and only the headstock badging is different. Not sure how that could change the tone. Mine is a Pre-2021 model (not the Kevin Michael).

The strings definitely do change the tone a ton, but what I'm referring to is the "muted" feeling you get from the sable compared to the Emerald selections. With Emerald, you get blasted in the face with your sound because of the sound hole placement. That and perhaps the internal bracing of the McPherson's may dampen the vibrations of the top a bit.

Still cant beat that balanced tone of the McPherson's though.
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Old 12-05-2022, 06:11 PM
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I did see Ray's account. I'm curious about whether others have found the same to be true, however. My understanding is that nothing has changed internally for the sable and only the headstock badging is different. Not sure how that could change the tone. Mine is a Pre-2021 model (not the Kevin Michael).

The strings definitely do change the tone a ton, but what I'm referring to is the "muted" feeling you get from the sable compared to the Emerald selections. With Emerald, you get blasted in the face with your sound because of the sound hole placement. That and perhaps the internal bracing of the McPherson's may dampen the vibrations of the top a bit.

Still cant beat that balanced tone of the McPherson's though.
Understood. I spent a couple of hours with Tony (tbeltrans here) a while back, passing his Sable and my X20 back and forth. Our mutual conclusion was that if either of us had encountered the other guitar first, we’d have been quite happy with it. My overriding impression was that the Sable sounded a tad ‘polite’, and the X20 was more forward - but each had their own perfectly valid voice.

My X20 currently has a set of Newtone Masterclass PBs on it, and has definitely taken a turn for the ‘polite’, and I miss hearing it yell a bit
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Old 12-05-2022, 07:57 PM
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Originally Posted by JackDaniel View Post
I did see Ray's account. I'm curious about whether others have found the same to be true, however. My understanding is that nothing has changed internally for the sable and only the headstock badging is different. Not sure how that could change the tone. Mine is a Pre-2021 model (not the Kevin Michael).
I feel like I’ve stirred up a bit of a hornets nest here. I’d really like to check out another new one to see if it’s really like the new one I bought or more similar to the two older ones I’ve played. So if my new one is some sort of an anomaly, I’d be happy to report that. Unfortunately I’m not in a position to buy another new one at this point to check. The difference in weight was the other odd thing - my new one is definitely notably heavier than the older one I was able to compare it to. Sables are pretty heavy to begin with but this one is at least a half pound heavier and maybe closer to a pound. I did weigh them but didn’t think to write down the weights. Nonetheless, it did confirm my impression that the newer one was clearly heavier.

Sometime in the Summer or Fall when we’re ready to head out to our daughter’s place out west again, I’ll hopefully be able to buy another new one and see how it compares. If it doesn’t sound very much like the one I own, though, I probably won’t keep it.

-Ray
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Old 12-05-2022, 08:07 PM
jdinco jdinco is offline
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My X20 currently has a set of Newtone Masterclass PBs on it, and has definitely taken a turn for the ‘polite’, and I miss hearing it yell a bit
I just tried some of those strings on my Martin M36...."polite" is being a bit kind. Sounded very thin with no resonance, no body, sounded more like extra extra light strings. After a month they did have a very sweet mellow tone though. I replaced them with some Martin Lifespans and was shocked at the difference in volume and body of the tone. Mucho better ! Certainly won't put them on my Sable ! Now what am I gonna do with the other pack I have? Humm....
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Old 12-06-2022, 07:55 AM
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I just tried some of those strings on my Martin M36...."polite" is being a bit kind. Sounded very thin with no resonance, no body, sounded more like extra extra light strings. After a month they did have a very sweet mellow tone though. I replaced them with some Martin Lifespans and was shocked at the difference in volume and body of the tone. Mucho better ! Certainly won't put them on my Sable ! Now what am I gonna do with the other pack I have? Humm....
I wouldn’t describe them as thin on my X20 - they’re really warm and mellow, and I prefer something with a bit more ‘snap’. I’ll leave them on for a while - may as well get some use out of them!
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Old 12-16-2022, 11:53 PM
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Most of my playing for others is amplified, and I just love the Sable for gigging out. It's the best I've used so far.

I am gonna install some locking Schallers on it, though.
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