Maton, Cole Clarke, Takamine Or Other For Plugged In Sound?

[JackB1]

Played some Cole Clarks last night thru a Schertler amp and I just can't decide if I like their tone. IT's very good in that there's absolutely no piezo like quack, but it just sound "different" to me and I can't put my finger on it. It's a very mid-rangy, punchy sound. Not a lot of fullness to it....more focused. If you listen to a bunch of CC's plugged in, they all share that characteristic. There is a forum member here that just bought a bunch of CC guitars and made some videos of them and you can also hear that sound in his videos. The good side of it is it's very distinct and different. I'm just not sure if its for me. Also, there a lot of noticeable string squeaking and pick attack noise going on.

[Methos1979]

I'm the AGF'r that recently went over to all Cole Clarks that Jack refers to in the above thread. I still love them plugged in but lately I've come to really notice the less-than-great unplugged tone. This is mostly because I've been practicing a lot unplugged. When I bought my Cole Clarks I went with the all-blackwood models. Blackwood is very much like Koa in that it's a dense, tight wood that requires a lot of time to open up.

This is very obvious when comparing my Fat Lady and Angel guitars. The Fat Lady is brand new and it is very tight and mid-rangey and has very little low end. Amplified that low end can be easily added back in to a certain degree. The good news about the natural lack of low end is that it helps eliminate low-end feedback when playing loud. My Angel on the other hand is a 2016 and has opened up considerably and has a much better unplugged sound. Some of this might be due to the different body construction and lighter build and also it has a larger soundhole than the Fat Lady I noticed recently. But the Angel also has a much smaller body compared to the Fat Lady and yet it has a much better unplugged tone with deep bass.

If I'm playing unplugged I'll often grab the Angel for the better tone unless I'm playing the heavy pick strumming songs then the Fat Lady is best. As for the mid-rangey tone and string squeak and pick noise when amplified Jack commented about in my videos, most of that is due to the recording being done on a mobile phone. Those videos always lose a whole lot of the low end just because of the way sound waves travel. I've had this issue with all videos I've recorded for my guitar reviews. I'm always disappointed with how they sound especially after I upload them to YouTube.

But after playing unplugged for a long time and I plug back in I'm instantly once again extremely happy with the amplified sound of my Cole Clarks.

[Charmed Life Picks]

Great thread. I'd be inclined to not bet against Tommy E. and Maton.

sm

[Sonics]

Originally Posted by Charmed Life Picks

Great thread. I'd be inclined to not bet against Tommy E. and Maton.

sm

Indeed, but it should be noted that TE tours with his own sound guy. That's right, he must furnish said person with plane tickets, hotel accomodation, food and water...and as an employer probably contributes money to the sound guy's pension. That's how seriously TE takes his sound, and that's why he's willing to pay for someone who can GUARANTEE a great sound EVERY NIGHT!
Sure a good pickup can help, but you also need a sound tech who knows what they're doing.

[PetesaHut]

Originally Posted by jklotz

That's some really nice playing. Thanks for posting. Although I'm not a big fan of the Maton sound, he certainly makes his sound really nice.

Correct me if I'm wrong is that not a Cole Clark.

Anyway, a great performance of one of John Lennon's greatest songs.

I haven't been a fan of Matons for a while (and I'm an Aussie), I did own one in the 80s (high end) but sold it.

However something has changed with Matons recently, the ones I have tried recently were impressive.

[Ludere]

I am far from an authority, but I believe the headstock bears the Maton script branding ...

[JackB1]

Yes that is the biggest issue many folks have with CCs...the unplugged sound.
The Bunya tops sounded the best to me unplugged. Any of the others were severely lacking in pure acoustic tone. The heavy midrange sound of the CC pickup system however is not due to your phone recording. It’s there in person. I tried a bunch of CCs in person with a great Schertler amp and they all sounded that way. It’s not a bad sound...just “different”. I was just pointing out it may not be for everyone.

Originally Posted by Methos1979

I'm the AGF'r that recently went over to all Cole Clarks that Jack refers to in the above thread. I still love them plugged in but lately I've come to really notice the less-than-great unplugged tone. This is mostly because I've been practicing a lot unplugged. When I bought my Cole Clarks I went with the all-blackwood models. Blackwood is very much like Koa in that it's a dense, tight wood that requires a lot of time to open up.

This is very obvious when comparing my Fat Lady and Angel guitars. The Fat Lady is brand new and it is very tight and mid-rangey and has very little low end. Amplified that low end can be easily added back in to a certain degree. The good news about the natural lack of low end is that it helps eliminate low-end feedback when playing loud. My Angel on the other hand is a 2016 and has opened up considerably and has a much better unplugged sound. Some of this might be due to the different body construction and lighter build and also it has a larger soundhole than the Fat Lady I noticed recently. But the Angel also has a much smaller body compared to the Fat Lady and yet it has a much better unplugged tone with deep bass.

If I'm playing unplugged I'll often grab the Angel for the better tone unless I'm playing the heavy pick strumming songs then the Fat Lady is best. As for the mid-rangey tone and string squeak and pick noise when amplified Jack commented about in my videos, most of that is due to the recording being done on a mobile phone. Those videos always lose a whole lot of the low end just because of the way sound waves travel. I've had this issue with all videos I've recorded for my guitar reviews. I'm always disappointed with how they sound especially after I upload them to YouTube.

But after playing unplugged for a long time and I plug back in I'm instantly once again extremely happy with the amplified sound of my Cole Clarks.