Reflections on my Sable, 3 years later

[mikealpine]

Originally Posted by ed62

Yeah my offer from boston guitar had a 2 day time limit before it expired so Mcpherson probably holds the guitar for them for that time..after 2 days other vendors can do the same to try and sell that guitar...This is also how the vendor can offer free shipping because Mcpherson ships it direct to the customer at their cost

This is interesting because Eddie's has 5 listed on Reverb right now. I wish there was one nearby to play! The closest place that is a dealer is The Music Zoo, but they have none in inventory.

[GuitarLuva]

Originally Posted by ed62

Yeah my offer from boston guitar had a 2 day time limit before it expired so Mcpherson probably holds the guitar for them for that time..after 2 days other vendors can do the same to try and sell that guitar...This is also how the vendor can offer free shipping because Mcpherson ships it direct to the customer at their cost

I was talking with Justin at McPherson a couple months ago and he said the Sable sales picked up. I promised him a demo of the Schatten HFN pickup in the Sable but I haven't got around to it yet.

[Captain Jim]

Like most curious folks here, I did look at Eddie's on Reverb. You can only return a guitar if it was "not as advertised" - nothing about a trial period.

Although I can't imagine if you got this far that you'd be surprised or disappointed by the sound of a McPherson.

What can I say - I'm still happy with the sound/tone of the guitars I have.

[steelvibe]

Originally Posted by GuitarLuva

I was talking with Justin at McPherson a couple months ago and he said the Sable sales picked up. I promised him a demo of the Schatten HFN pickup in the Sable but I haven't got around to it yet.

I think that could be safely called "The Polecastro Effect".

[Carmel Cedar]

Yesterday during my visit, Justin said that Sable sales were hot, and the factory was backlogged with orders. They are hitting a real groove with their design, tone and overall offering. Bravo, I say - the guitar has a heavy dose of Matt's innovation, and has been continuously improved by the McPherson team over the last 4 years. Great to see it is a success!

[ed62]

Originally Posted by mikealpine

This is interesting because Eddie's has 5 listed on Reverb right now. I wish there was one nearby to play! The closest place that is a dealer is The Music Zoo, but they have none in inventory.

There must be a good inventory at Mcpherson . Eddies must move quite a few guitars

[tbeltrans]

Originally Posted by GuitarLuva

I was talking with Justin at McPherson a couple months ago and he said the Sable sales picked up. I promised him a demo of the Schatten HFN pickup in the Sable but I haven't got around to it yet.

Well, now you have one!

Tony

[GuitarLuva]

Originally Posted by tbeltrans

Well, now you have one!

Tony

Haha thanks. I could use a few more of those.

[tbeltrans]

Originally Posted by ed62

There must be a good inventory at Mcpherson . Eddies must move quite a few guitars

There are two local shops that seem to carry McPherson carbon fiber guitars, and none that carry McPherson wood instruments.

Fret Central carries both the Touring and Sable, but doesn't seem to consistently stock them, and usually does not have the honeycomb and gold package versions. I did get both my Touring guitars with honeycomb and gold package at Fret Central, but have yet to see a Sable with that package there. They do say they can order it.

The Guitar Center nearest me told me they wanted to be the McPherson Sable dealer around these parts. They seem to carry the Sable with the honeycomb and gold package, but their Touring guitars seem to be the regular configuration with the chrome (nickel?) package. I got both my Sables there, with my second one sliding in just under the wire as they were preparing to shut down due to COVID-19, and thereby completed my McPherson collection.

In my dealings at either shop, I didn't pay anywhere near the list price (whatever that is called: MSRP? - the pricing game in guitars is always confusing to me even though some have tried to explain it in these forums).

All that was pre-COVID-19, so I don't know what is happening these days. At either shop, there would only be one or two McPhersons in stock at any one time, and when one was sold, long periods where none were in stock.

But, then, according to Justin at McPherson, they only make 500 carbon fiber guitars per year. Those are rather low production numbers. But they do put a lot of care and attention into building top quality products, so they are always stellar with no weirdness about them. Some people might not like the stock pickup in them, but I have yet to read of anybody seeing weirdness in the guitars themselves such as bubbles or pit marks in the finish, wolf tones, or other artifacts of the manufacturing process.

I don't know what other shops in other parts of the country carry and whether their respective patterns match what I saw around here pre-COVID-19. I do know that showing a particular guitar on a web site is no guarantee that it is really in stock, which can be quite frustrating. Even locally, I can check the web site, see the item, go to the shop in person, and it is not in stock. It doesn't happen all the time, but enough to be worth the caution.

Tony

[ed62]

Originally Posted by tbeltrans

There are two local shops that seem to carry McPherson carbon fiber guitars, and none that carry McPherson wood instruments.

Fret Central carries both the Touring and Sable, but doesn't seem to consistently stock them, and usually does not have the honeycomb and gold package versions. I did get both my Touring guitars with honeycomb and gold package at Fret Central, but have yet to see a Sable with that package there. They do say they can order it.

The Guitar Center nearest me told me they wanted to be the McPherson Sable dealer around these parts. They seem to carry the Sable with the honeycomb and gold package, but their Touring guitars seem to be the regular configuration with the chrome (nickel?) package. I got both my Sables there, with my second one sliding in just under the wire as they were preparing to shut down due to COVID-19, and thereby completed my McPherson collection.

In my dealings at either shop, I didn't pay anywhere near the list price (whatever that is called: MSRP? - the pricing game in guitars is always confusing to me even though some have tried to explain it in these forums).

All that was pre-COVID-19, so I don't know what is happening these days. At either shop, there would only be one or two McPhersons in stock at any one time, and when one was sold, long periods where none were in stock.

But, then, according to Justin at McPherson, they only make 500 carbon fiber guitars per year. Those are rather low production numbers. But they do put a lot of care and attention into building top quality products, so they are always stellar with no weirdness about them. Some people might not like the stock pickup in them, but I have yet to read of anybody seeing weirdness in the guitars themselves such as bubbles or pit marks in the finish, wolf tones, or other artifacts of the manufacturing process.

I don't know what other shops in other parts of the country carry and whether their respective patterns match what I saw around here pre-COVID-19. I do know that showing a particular guitar on a web site is no guarantee that it is really in stock, which can be quite frustrating. Even locally, I can check the web site, see the item, go to the shop in person, and it is not in stock. It doesn't happen all the time, but enough to be worth the caution.

Tony

To be honest I really wanted to try one out before I bought mine and was ready to call guitar center as soon as covid gets under control...Just a stroke of luck I got the offer sent to me from Reverb...I really don't know if Guitar center would have matched that price but I would have easily paid MSRP having played the guitar and what I know now about it...I would still suggest for someone to try one out if they see one in a store even if they're not in the market for a new guitar....they are fun to play !!!!

[tbeltrans]

Originally Posted by ed62

To be honest I really wanted to try one out before I bought mine and was ready to call guitar center as soon as covid gets under control...Just a stroke of luck I got the offer sent to me from Reverb...I really don't know if Guitar center would have matched that price but I would have easily paid MSRP having played the guitar and what I know now about it...I would still suggest for someone to try one out if they see one in a store even if they're not in the market for a new guitar....they are fun to play !!!!

What would really great (in my opinion) is for shops to have a carbon fiber guitar room, just as some have a high end guitar room, while others have a Taylor room, a Martin room, A Gibson room, etc. Unfortunately, there is a kind of Catch-22 situation in which the market isn't (perceived to be) big enough to support the cost to a shop of setting aside the space and holding the inventory, with the result being that far fewer people are exposed to carbon fiber guitars.

The situation is a bit like when you are starting out in a career and you can't find a position in your field because you don't have experience, so you can't get the experience you need to get the position.

Internships are a solution that technical fields use to resolve that, and I suppose to a limited degree, the idea of shipping a sample guitar around to interested folks with the implicit trust that such folks will pass it on, is one step in the right direction.

Tony

Carbonware parties would be cool. A person spreads the word of a possible guitar sharing event, gets a number of interested people on line, gets the maker to sent the guitar(s) of choice) and then everyone parties down. It worked for Tupperware.

[mikealpine]

Originally Posted by EvanB

Carbonware parties would be cool. A person spreads the word of a possible guitar sharing event, gets a number of interested people on line, gets the maker to sent the guitar(s) of choice) and then everyone parties down. It worked for Tupperware.

A buddy hosted a party where half a dozen guitar builders came with spec guitars, attendees brought their own, and it was a blast.

Guitar Center has some "in stock and ready to ship", but no stores within 200 miles have any. I'd happily drive to road test one. And if they were negotiable, I'd buy if I liked it.

[ed62]

Originally Posted by EvanB

Carbonware parties would be cool. A person spreads the word of a possible guitar sharing event, gets a number of interested people on line, gets the maker to sent the guitar(s) of choice) and then everyone parties down. It worked for Tupperware.

I like it !!!...of course the world has changed a bit since those days so you may have to advertise it as a covid friendly atmosphere and make everyone sign waivers when they arrive

[tbeltrans]

Originally Posted by ed62

I like it !!!...of course the world has changed a bit since those days so you may have to advertise it as a covid friendly atmosphere and make everyone sign waivers when they arrive

Make it a "Back to the 60s" party, since it would attract those with the disposable income. Set up a bong and make it into an old fashioned acoustic college dorm jam session. I suppose this would go over better in the states where such activity is legal.

I have known a few women who were into the Tupperware thing. It was one of those pyramid structures where everybody has fun and a few make a bit of money. Usually, the host would demonstrate the use of the products, so food and treats were involved. Apparently, everybody had a good time, as it was as much a social event as a sales pitch.

Since the cost per unit of interest (i.e. a guitar vs a plastic container) is much higher, fewer would be sold at the party, and it is likely that the host would be doing it for the love of it, rather than earning a few bucks along some sort of pyramid chain. Munchies would be a must, as would lots of beer for that cotton mouth. Also, in that environment, COVID-19 would very soon be long forgotten. Yeah, man, like, Steven Stills played one of these back in the day. How cool is that?

Tony