#16
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One additional comment for anyone reading this thread that might be contemplating a McPherson Sable purchase...
If you have played Taylor guitars and like how they play, then you will like the Sable because it has similar string spacing and can be set up with VERY low action. I would say, generically that a Sable plays like a Taylor, but sounds closer to a Martin. Tony
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“The guitar is a wonderful thing which is understood by few.” — Franz Schubert "Alexa, where's my stuff?" - Anxiously waiting... |
#17
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John |
#18
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Very interesting comment. When I had a custom shop Martin J-40 my fondest wish was keeping that rich tone while having the playability of any Taylor. |
#19
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Maybe some of it has to do with what we like to play? I play a lot of what some call "jazz" chords with a lot of barre'ing and fretted extended color tones. So I am usually playing complex chords up the neck. I have read Adam Rafferty and Joe Robinson both talk about having the strings set as low as possible too. That doesn't justify my own preferences (which don't need justification), but does show that I am certainly not alone. It really just depends on the individual player and what s/he wants. To be very clear about my comments regarding the Sable... A Sable has the same string spacing at the saddle and nut as is typical of a Taylor (i.e. 2 3/16" at the saddle and a 1 3/4" and if you measure string to string of 1st to 6th, it will be similar). To me, the neck on a Sable feels very much like that of those on Taylors. As for comparing the Sable sound to a Martin, I don't buy into that wishful thinking I sometimes see around here that a carbon fiber guitar sounds like wood. So my comparison of the sound normally identified with Martin is a deeper, bassier sound of, say, a D18, D28, etc. as compared to the brighter sound of a Taylor. The Sable has more of that bass-heavy, deeper sound, but as from a carbon fiber instrument. That is what CA Guitars went for in their designs and as I understand it, Ellis Seal went for with the McPherson carbon fiber series too. Read the patent for the CA Guitars method of construction and it will seem very similar to what I understand has been done with the McPherson carbon fiber series too. Tony
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“The guitar is a wonderful thing which is understood by few.” — Franz Schubert "Alexa, where's my stuff?" - Anxiously waiting... |
#20
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Cool! I’ll be waiting along with you! Every indication from those who own fan fret guitars is that they love them and are surprisingly easy to play.
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Don't chase tone. Make tone. |
#21
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Tony
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“The guitar is a wonderful thing which is understood by few.” — Franz Schubert "Alexa, where's my stuff?" - Anxiously waiting... |
#22
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I appreciate that distinction. There were no delusions / illusions that any CF guitar can fully replicate a fine wood sound. But they still sound good to my ears. Perhaps another way to say it would be that Sable tends toward a more Martin-esque sound overall, whereas the other CF brands that might be more closely compared to a modern Taylor-esque sound. That is how I would describe my Emerald X20. |
#23
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Martin 0-16NY Emerald Amicus Emerald X20 Cordoba Stage Some of my tunes: https://youtube.com/user/eatswodo |
#24
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I've mostly been playing my all-koa Taylor lately. A test set of Elixir strings was sent to me, and that guitar had the oldest strings among all my guitars. Last night at a bluegrass jam, one fellow said that he liked the sound of my Taylor better than the CF guitars that I normally play. But I think it sounds way too bright, especially with this new set of strings. They sound more like 80/20's to me despite being labelled Phosphor Bronze. I'm more a fan of older strings and don't like most new sets in their first week until they lose the "sizzle".
We all hear differently. He is ~75 and clearly has some hearing loss. I'm younger and still have good hearing. Beauty is in the ear of the beholder.... |
#25
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I agree with the "Martin-esque" description and am glad that you said it. I wanted to be really clear about the carbon fiber vs wood thing and therefore described what about the Sable had similarity to what I hear from the Martin without anybody reading into my post that I am saying it sounds like a Martin. I think that with our respective posts on these things, folks should have a very clear of the points being made, so I appreciate all your comments on it. Tony
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“The guitar is a wonderful thing which is understood by few.” — Franz Schubert "Alexa, where's my stuff?" - Anxiously waiting... |
#26
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Tony
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“The guitar is a wonderful thing which is understood by few.” — Franz Schubert "Alexa, where's my stuff?" - Anxiously waiting... |