Sable revisited

[tbeltrans]

Having a collection of guitars as apparently many of us do around here, I tend to cycle among them. This can be fun because it becomes like a NGD to take out a guitar that hasn't been played in a while. That is my current experience with my McPherson Sable and Touring.

In my experience over the years, carbon fiber guitars have really come into their own and each brand and model has their unique appeal. Comparing them is about their differences rather than establishing any sort of pecking order based on quality since they are all fine instruments. So this post is about a level of playability that might be unique to the Sable.

As I get older especially, playability has become a top priority. To that end, the recent discovery starting with another poster around here that the McPherson neck angle can be adjusted, has brought a whole new life to my Sable. I don't mention my Touring from this perspective because it didn't have that adjustment made.

Out of the box, the Sable played very much like a Taylor in my opinion. Even with Taylor's reputation for playability, I still had mine set up. This involved deepening the nut slots and adjustment of the neck angle, which in the case of Taylor is done with shims. The before and after playability with the much lowered action is very noticeable and, and least for me, very much welcomed.

I posted recently about similar set up work being done on my Sable and Touring, and wanted to revisit that here. After the set up, these two guitars are noticeably easier on the hands than any other guitars in my collection except for my archtops, which are wood. These archtop guitars are as easy to play as my McPhersons, but certainly not any better. I don't know that there is a "better". except maybe a Telecaster with really light strings.

What this means is that I can play a lot of guitar over the course of a day without strain to my hands. Being retired, this is important to me. Having "aging hands" this is really important because we read from time to time of hand injury due to over use, forcing some players to completely abandon playing for some period of time.

It has been hinted in one or two threads discussing this adjustment to the Sable that maybe this particular model isn't all it is cracked up to be. However, I feel that this interpretation is exactly opposite of the way I see it. A good guitar is made even better, and in my opinion, I wish some of the other CF guitars had this adjustability.

To get in the ballpark for playability on my Emerald X20-7 7 string, I tune the pitch down a whole step. This is not a knock on the Emerald because it is a fine instrument and I am perfectly happy with it. However, now that I have experienced the adjusted Sable, that level of playability is what I want in all my guitars.

The original owner of the Emerald had a set up done that involved deepening the nut slots and a bit of adjustment to string height at the bridge, which (in my opinion) helps ANY guitar regardless of maker because builders have to find a happy medium between those strumming with a pick and those playing light fingerstyle. We expect a guitar to be adjusted to our taste when we acquire it. Some, such as myself, want the action as low as is practically possible.

My Cargos are what they are and have no such adjustability either. I have the nut slots deepened and the string height adjusted at the saddle. With the lower tension due to the very short scale and the fact that The Podium inspected each Cargo and sent back the ones that exhibited issues with neck angle, my Cargos are as good as it gets. While they are fine guitars, if they had the neck adjustment that the McPherson has, they would be even better.

Having the neck angle adjusted can allow for (as Ron at St. Paul Guitar Repair says) "freakishly low action" without buzzing. This translates into extremely easy on the fingers, which in turn translates into being able to play much more guitar in advancing age. Such adjustment is not an indication that anything was wrong with these guitars, but instead a testament to the quality and thought that McPherson puts into their designs.

Clearly, in the hands of a skilled guitar tech or luthier, the Sable does not have to be sent back to the factory to have this done. Like all McPherson's guitars, the Sable is excellent quality and very well engineered. This is not said to make McPherson as being superior to other carbon fiber makers (though McPherson has long been recognized for its high end instruments), but instead to hopefully dispel any concerns about having such a neck adjustment on the Sable made. Not everyone wants or needs this level of playability, but for those who do, knowing this about the Sable can help when looking for that perfect carbon fiber guitar.

Tony

[Captain Jim]

There is no downside to working on a great guitar to make it better for the player's specific use. The one carbon fiber guitar I had that had unusually high action was a RainSong Shorty. A set-up by Michael (at McNichols when he had a shop) made such a difference is the playability.

Seems that some folks expect an expensive (yes, a relative term) guitar to come in perfect... what is good for someone who plays fingerstyle might buzz for a strummer and picker like me.

McPherson makes very nice guitars, and they're savvy enough to include a low and mid-height saddle with their CF offerings. While a change of saddle might be enough to get you close, you have the opportunity to fine-tune (pun intended) the action to what best suits you.

Being well into that "aging hands" stage, I sure appreciate it what a set-up can do for playing comfort. Thanks for this post Tony.

[tbeltrans]

Thanks Jim. For me, all this has been a learning experience. I know what it means to have real expertise in a small area, resulting from my education and career in that area. But knowing and experiencing that, I also then can recognize how little I know and understand in so many other areas. My area of expertise is in a relatively small area of technology - embedded devices and to a lesser extent, AI. Even in technology there is so much more to know that I recognize how small my little area is.

I have done set ups on some of my own guitars with varying degrees of results - enough to recognize that those who are trained in this type of work can do so much better. It is only in recent years that I even became aware of such small adjustments as nut slot depth and neck angle and the really noticeable impact these can have on playability, but also how so little adjustment can go a long way. Most of us older players have sanded down saddles, which is but one aspect of the set up procedure. Then, there is the interaction of these such that any such adjustments have to be coordinated. I will readily admit that these things are beyond my abilities, not that they can't be learned over time, but that I don't possess these abilities and don't have the inclination to do so.

So my post above is from a satisfied customer's view of how much impact having an expert do these things has had for the future of my guitar playing and to dispel any negative connotation that recent threads on the Sable and neck adjustment might have had for those reading such threads.

I can definitely say that the Sable is well designed for the "geezer crowd".

Tony

[Captain Jim]

And if it works well for a "geezer," imagine how good it will be for a "whippersnapper!"

[tbeltrans]

Originally Posted by Captain Jim

And if it works well for a "geezer," imagine how good it will be for a "whippersnapper!"

Kids these days. Why, when I was a yungun, I walked 12 miles each direction to school, uphill in deep snow, and that was in Los Angeles! We carried our guitars on our backs back then and life was good. Action was so high that we had to use the heel of our hands to fret the notes. Hrrrrrrmph!

Tony

[DownUpDave]

Although a different animal and in a different league I found the same result with my Journey OF660. It has an adjustable truss rod and comes with a high and low saddle. I actually put 13-56 Elixir PB on it tweaked the truss rod to lessen relief and with the low saddle noticed a favorable difference in playability.

I find the medium gauge drives the top better and with a short scale length of 24.5" the tension is still low. Glad you are loving your Sable they are fantastic instruments

[Doubleneck]

A great setup often does not come from the factory cause any setup is a compromise. They often go for the middle ground. My Rainsong BI - JM1000 came for the old McNickel shop where they did their own set ups. The saddle was replaced with a bone one carved like a piece of art. The setup is perfect really. Lately I tried extra light strings and this guitar really takes to them. I know when I say extra light many will doubt but strings are cheap give it a try. It’s surprised the heck out of me. Playability unmatched

[tbeltrans]

Originally Posted by Doubleneck

A great setup often does not come from the factory cause any setup is a compromise. They often go for the middle ground. My Rainsong BI - JM1000 came for the old McNickel shop where they did their own set ups. The saddle was replaced with a bone one carved like a piece of art. The setup is perfect really. Lately I tried extra light strings and this guitar really takes to them. I know when I say extra light many will doubt but strings are cheap give it a try. It’s surprised the heck out of me. Playability unmatched

Agreed about setup from the factory. They don't know who will be playing and buying the guitar and everybody has their own touch (i.e. heavy/light, finger/flatpick, etc.). So it is up to the buyer to get the setup that s/he specifically wants.

I was absolutely amazed at what a difference the setup on my Sable made. Maybe some other CF builders already allow neck angle adjustments? It sure made a huge difference on my Sable, not that it was bad prior, but that it is better than I could have imagined after.

Tony

[Captain Jim]

Originally Posted by Doubleneck

A great setup often does not come from the factory cause any setup is a compromise. They often go for the middle ground. My Rainsong BI - JM1000 came for the old McNickel shop where they did their own set ups. The saddle was replaced with a bone one carved like a piece of art. The setup is perfect really. Lately I tried extra light strings and this guitar really takes to them. I know when I say extra light many will doubt but strings are cheap give it a try. It’s surprised the heck out of me. Playability unmatched

I hadn't used extra lights on anything since my rock n roll days. For grins, I put a set of those on my X10 a couple weeks ago... it sounds good plugged in, but I'm bending strings when I don't mean to. As you said: strings are cheap... I'll be going back to something a bit... sturdier.

[Doubleneck]

Originally Posted by Captain Jim

I hadn't used extra lights on anything since my rock n roll days. For grins, I put a set of those on my X10 a couple weeks ago... it sounds good plugged in, but I'm bending strings when I don't mean to. As you said: strings are cheap... I'll be going back to something a bit... sturdier.

Only works on my JM-1000. Need that huge resonant body so strings don’t have to work hard. Sounds like a joke but its true. A bit magical. But this does add to the cost of the experiment for some. (That part is a joke)

[kramster]

Good reading here.. thanks kids