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  #46  
Old 04-21-2017, 08:05 PM
thaichine thaichine is offline
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Glad they are finally ready! Looking forward to more hands on reviews. Looks great. Time to start saving my pennies!
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  #47  
Old 04-21-2017, 11:50 PM
TheChicagoTodd TheChicagoTodd is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Strumalot View Post
Well yikes... I've been checking this thing out on the Blackbird site and it was love at first sight. Didn't know it wasn't readily available.

Anyway, I thought it would make a great guest guitar to compliment my GX and something to throw in The Jeep or take hiking, kayaking, etc.

Just not sure about that sound port. I didn't like it on the Levoria ~ I stuffed a rag in it ~ and it looks like the port on this guitar is too small to be converted to a beer holder.

Any thoughts on that?
Joe offered some plugs for the sound hole on other models, maybe he'll do the same for the Savoy.

Todd in Chicago

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  #48  
Old 04-22-2017, 06:27 AM
Strumalot Strumalot is offline
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Todd, a sound hole plug would be a perfect solution for my purposes. Thanks, I will check into that!
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  #49  
Old 04-22-2017, 08:49 AM
Ted @ LA Guitar Sales Ted @ LA Guitar Sales is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jdinco View Post
Sorry if I missed it....but what is the Savoy listing for? Thanks!
They are $2495 without, and $2695 with MiSi electronics.


Quote:
Originally Posted by Captain Jim View Post
Interesting guitar. The specs show it is a bit smaller than the Lucky 13; a sweet spot scale of 24.5 on a small guitar is going to make it not feel cramped. The images on Blackbird's site don't show a detail shot of the back - I'm wondering what the shape is... flat? Rib bevel? What is the texture/feel of the back and sides? Smooth? Semi-gloss? Hard to tell from the photos.
I'll have some photos up later, but the back is arched, a bot more glossy than the top, and the entire guitar is silky smooth.


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Originally Posted by Strumalot View Post
Todd, a sound hole plug would be a perfect solution for my purposes. Thanks, I will check into that!
A plug will work if you want the option of being able to remove the plug, but as I said, we can order them without the sound port.
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  #50  
Old 04-22-2017, 09:36 AM
Sharon M Sharon M is offline
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I had a Lucky 13 and it was a Great little guitar but I did not like the Soundport and put duck tape over it. I really think it should be a requested option rather than standard. As soon as I saw it on the new Savoy I was turned off. It makes the sound to much in your left ear, imo.
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  #51  
Old 04-22-2017, 09:51 AM
Ted @ LA Guitar Sales Ted @ LA Guitar Sales is offline
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Sharon, the sound port is a very popular option, so most dealers order Blackbird Guitars with them, but for future reference, keep in mind that you can omit the option if you don't mind waiting for a fresh build.
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  #52  
Old 04-25-2017, 11:25 AM
slewis slewis is offline
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Joe at Blackbird!! -- don't you have some El Capitans to finish up???
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  #53  
Old 04-25-2017, 12:46 PM
Strumalot Strumalot is offline
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Can anyone give me an idea of what the neck is like on the Savoy?... profile, radius, etc. I am mostly used to the thin neck CA GX and a Strat (they are similar).

I also have an Emerald 1.75 X10N and a RainSong with an N2 neck. They're OK, but I am always happy ~ neckwise ~ to get back to the GX or Strat.

Curious how the Blackbird would fit into the collection.

Any thoughts or comparisons would be helpful.
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  #54  
Old 04-25-2017, 01:03 PM
Earl49 Earl49 is offline
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Not having ever played the new Savoy, I can only comment in terms of my Rainsong N1 and the Blackbird El Capitan, Lucky 13 (own one), Rider, and Super OM (played them all). These all feel somewhere between a thinner Taylor neck profile and the new fuller N2 Rainsong neck. A bit toward the C-shaped profile, and very comfortable to play. Hope this helps.

Maybe Ted can chime in, since he probably has the only Savoy in captivity at the moment.
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  #55  
Old 04-25-2017, 03:59 PM
Ted @ LA Guitar Sales Ted @ LA Guitar Sales is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Strumalot View Post
Can anyone give me an idea of what the neck is like on the Savoy?... profile, radius, etc. I am mostly used to the thin neck CA GX and a Strat (they are similar).

I also have an Emerald 1.75 X10N and a RainSong with an N2 neck. They're OK, but I am always happy ~ neckwise ~ to get back to the GX or Strat.

Curious how the Blackbird would fit into the collection.

Any thoughts or comparisons would be helpful.
The Savoy would be closest to the GX with standard 1-3/4" nut.
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  #56  
Old 05-02-2017, 10:37 PM
pandaroo pandaroo is offline
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I am not sure what the Savoy should be compare to, as a start, how do you feel about the Savoy (tonewise) to say other CF of similar size say the Lucky 13 and the Journey Roadtrip CF?
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  #57  
Old 05-03-2017, 08:34 AM
Ted @ LA Guitar Sales Ted @ LA Guitar Sales is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pandaroo View Post
I am not sure what the Savoy should be compare to, as a start, how do you feel about the Savoy (tonewise) to say other CF of similar size say the Lucky 13 and the Journey Roadtrip CF?
I touched on the tone last week. Here is that comment:

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ted @ LA Guitar Sales View Post
...I only had a short time with it before Helene took it from me so it can be shipped off to it's new home, but it was enough time to realize that Joe has something very special here. As I did with the first El Capitan we got in, I decided to play it alongside a number of guitars in the store, and as with the El Cap, I quickly realized that I would need to compare it to wood guitars, and wood guitars that were bigger than the Savoy. After eliminating some of my favorites, I found that the SCGC OM and the Martin OM-42 came close, but in the end it was the Rosewood/Cedar Lowden S25 that sounded the most like the Savoy. For those of you not familiar with the S25, the guitar is somewhere between a 00 and 000 in size, but with a deeper body, and with more projection than a standard Rosewood/Spruce 000/OM.

So what we have here is a guitar that fits in to the same case as the Cargo, can be left in my car indefinitely, looks a little like it's made of Koa, and plays and sounds like a $4000 Lowden! Not too shabby, Joe!
As to how it compares to the Lucky 13, or the RT660, I will try to spend some time with all three today and will share my findings here.
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  #58  
Old 05-03-2017, 02:30 PM
Ted @ LA Guitar Sales Ted @ LA Guitar Sales is offline
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Ok, just spent some time with the Savoy, L13, and the RT660, and here is my take.

The Journey RT660 Carbon RoadTrip model is lightest, it's responsive, extremely ergonomic, with a carbon tone very similar to your Emerald X20 Woody. In fact, although a bit smaller, it has about the same volume. Journey is definitely doing everything right, and this new RT660 might be my favorite offering from them.

Moving to the Blackbird Lucky 13, you'll find the guitar a bit heavier, but still plenty light for travel, and extremely ergonomic. Tonally the L13 has more volume mostly in the form of it's outstanding low end, and mid range growl. The L13 is the least CF sounding CF guitar.

The Savoy takes the L13 voice more towards wood, so a more natural earthy tone, with tons of volume, (maybe more than the L13) with excellent sustain and note separation. And probably because it's not CF, the Savoy doesn't sound anything like what we've learned to expect from CF guitars. As I said in my earlier post, this guitar really needs to be compared to higher end wood guitars tonally.

Bottom line, I would be happy with any of these guitars on an extended vacation, maybe even as my only guitar, although I don't like to think of such things. Obviously at $1199 with K&K style electronics, the Journey is a killer deal, and like the L13, it feels like a full size guitar. The L13 is a premium acoustic, with a warmer, more natural tone, with a higher price to go with it. The Savoy is something else all together. At $2500 without electronics it's the most expensive of the three, but well worth it, IMO. It's slightly smaller than the other two, fits in a case about the same size as what comes with a cargo, so it's the most travel friendly. And while it feels a bit smaller than the other two, once you start playing it you will forget all about the size. The voice is huge!

So there it is three great options for your summer travels.
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  #59  
Old 05-03-2017, 03:34 PM
mot mot is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ted @ LA Guitar Sales View Post
The Journey RT660 Carbon RoadTrip model is lightest, it's responsive, extremely ergonomic, with a carbon tone very similar to your Emerald X20 Woody. In fact, although a bit smaller, it has about the same volume. Journey is definitely doing everything right, and this new RT660 might be my favorite offering from them.

Moving to the Blackbird Lucky 13, you'll find the guitar a bit heavier, but still plenty light for travel, and extremely ergonomic. Tonally the L13 has more volume mostly in the form of it's outstanding low end, and mid range growl. The L13 is the least CF sounding CF guitar.
When did you compare the Journey to the X20? I haven't played a Journey, but I have played a Lucky 13 and X20 Opus a lot. I find that the Lucky 13 does have a nice sound. Very similar to something like a CEO-7 but somewhat crisper. However the Lucky 13 gets a bit jangly with moderate to hard strumming, so I use it mainly for finger picking.

What does an amazing job across the board is my 2013 X20 which is why it will be the guitar I grab on the way out the door if the house is on fire. I can live without the Lucky 13, but I would probably get another X20 if I lost this one. So I am wondering when you had a chance to sit with and play with a woody X20 as your experience doesn't square with what I have seen.
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  #60  
Old 05-03-2017, 03:52 PM
Ted @ LA Guitar Sales Ted @ LA Guitar Sales is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mot View Post
When did you compare the Journey to the X20? I haven't played a Journey, but I have played a Lucky 13 and X20 Opus a lot. I find that the Lucky 13 does have a nice sound. Very similar to something like a CEO-7 but somewhat crisper. However the Lucky 13 gets a bit jangly with moderate to hard strumming, so I use it mainly for finger picking.

What does an amazing job across the board is my 2013 X20 which is why it will be the guitar I grab on the way out the door if the house is on fire. I can live without the Lucky 13, but I would probably get another X20 if I lost this one. So I am wondering when you had a chance to sit with and play with a woody X20 as your experience doesn't square with what I have seen.
Hi Tom,

A local client bought his X20 woody in to compare to some other guitars so I was also able to play them side by side, as well as hear them being played.
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