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  #1  
Old 05-07-2021, 12:10 PM
DebbieE DebbieE is offline
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Default McPherson Sable on the way....

I found a McPherson Sable with EVO frets and satin nickel (silver) tuners at Acoustic Music Works in Pittsburg. They are shipping it out this afternoon and I should have it in AZ next Thursday! I'm pretty excited to have a guitar that I don't have to worry about, has such a good tone to it, is easily playable in the dry heat of AZ. I don't think I'll get rid of my wood guitars but I may get rid of a few.

I'll let you know how I like it when I get it. Thanks for all your help and responses to my previous posts about the Sable and other carbon fiber guitars.

Thanks,

Debbie
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Old 05-07-2021, 02:48 PM
Masmo Masmo is offline
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Congrats, I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time with it. Personally, despite enjoying all the wood guitars I have, I often wonder whether I could just be content having a Sable. It'd be nice to focus more on playing than wondering about what tone woods I need in my collection or worrying about my humidity in my room.
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Old 05-07-2021, 03:01 PM
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mikealpine mikealpine is offline
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Debbie, I think you're going to enjoy it. It is a very easy guitar to play, if a bit heavy. The two things that took me by surprise were the weight and the rough texture of the back and sides (which keeps it from sliding anywhere). It is much heavier than my RainSong guitars. It has a lovely, balanced tone. Have fun!
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Old 05-07-2021, 04:44 PM
jdinco jdinco is offline
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Congrats Debbie ! I found myself doing the same as what you mention. I LOVE my Sable and I did let a few wood guitars go, but there are a couple that I can't part with. It's a real treat being able to have the variety. I could PROBABLY live with only the Sable, if needed, but it's not needed and that 000-18 makes me melt at times. A lot of awesome guitars out there, we are lucky to have the choices we do.
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Old 05-07-2021, 04:55 PM
Captain Jim Captain Jim is offline
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Congratulations, Debbie - your new Sable is a fine guitar; I have no doubt it will give you many years of joyful playing.

As a side note: The first carbon fiber is a leap of faith... it gets easier to add more after that one. Your statement: " I don't think I'll get rid of my wood guitars but I may get rid of a few,"... good way to cover your bases.

Post some photos when it arrives, along with your initial impressions. Enjoy!
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Old 05-07-2021, 05:34 PM
DebbieE DebbieE is offline
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I did have a Rainsong CH-WS model, the one's they don't make anymore which cost somewhere around $1500 list. But for some reason it just didn't work for me. Perhaps it was the shorter scale length and I definitely didn't get a long with the N2 neck. So this Sable is actually my second carbon fiber guitar. However I was able to try one out a couple of weeks ago and was astounded at the tone I got out of it. That one was sold by the time I made up my mind to buy one so that's why I ended up ordering one from Acoustic Music Works which btw has been excellent to deal with. They answer your emails quickly and are very informative on the phone too. I should be getting it on Wednesday as they upped my shipping so I'd get it a little quicker.
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Old 05-07-2021, 06:00 PM
martingitdave martingitdave is offline
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You're going to LOVE it. Sounds like it's a perfect fit for you. I ended up emailing them to see if they had any plans to make a lager version, which would work for me. No dice. :-(
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Old 05-08-2021, 05:22 AM
Tøf Tøf is offline
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Congrats! I love mine, and the new gig bag made by Reunion Blues is also a really nice upgrade.
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Old 05-08-2021, 06:16 AM
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Congrats on your new acquisition. I've never played a McPherson but one of these days maybe...
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Old 05-08-2021, 06:44 AM
tbeltrans tbeltrans is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by martingitdave View Post
You're going to LOVE it. Sounds like it's a perfect fit for you. I ended up emailing them to see if they had any plans to make a lager version, which would work for me. No dice. :-(
That is interesting. When The Podium closed their Dinkytown location some years ago, I purchased a McPherson wood guitar with maple back and sides and spruce top. It was a gorgeous guitar and I did gig with it several times. However, it was just too large for me. Later, the Camrielle model was introduced, which is the same size as the Sable. If I had the money at the time, I would have bought one of those as it would have been a much better fit.

So when the Sable came along, I figured it was time to get back into a McPherson again since these are so much more affordable than their wood instruments. I have not been disappointed.

I suppose a good fit for you might be a standard wood size McPherson, but as a CF model.

Anyway, congratulations Debbie on your new Sable. That is definitely a lifetime instrument, never needing maintenance beyond the occasional string change and always ready to play.

Tony
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Old 05-09-2021, 05:24 AM
Frettingflyer Frettingflyer is offline
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Congrats Debbie, ditto what is said above about the McPherson, mine is staring at me now from the stand waiting until the morning caffeine kicks in, which won’t be long. Enjoy that and I hope you bond with this one. I have kept a few wood guitars around and play them as well. Could I get along with just the Sable, of course, but why if I don’t have to? Having one out to grab is great, but it doesn’t make the others not worth it to me.
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Old 05-21-2021, 05:17 PM
DebbieE DebbieE is offline
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Okay, so I've had my Sable honeycomb for 2 weeks today. The neck on it is outstanding, the look of the guitar is great, and I really appreciate the rough back because it really helps in holding guitar and it's a nice size. The sound is real good except for something about the B string bothers me from time to time, not so much when strumming the guitar but if flatpicking a single string it's kind of pingy sounding. I definitely love the no worry part of having the Sable. It's on the wall and I don't have to worry about it being out all the time, a very easy grab if I want to play a guitar. I got the McPherson/Reunion Blues gigbag with it which is wonderful. It actually fits all my other guitars (not at the same time ) which really makes the case very useful for me.

I'm trying to figure out which pick sounds best with it, currently I'm using my TP-1R 50 and it's sounding real good, except for the B string sometimes. I'm wondering what kinds of strings everyone else uses on their Sable? They come with medium Elixers I think?

It doesn't sound like a wood guitar but it sounds closer than what I've heard so far and it has a nice sound on it's own. I don't know if part of that is the weight of the guitar and neck or what. I won't get rid of all of my wood guitars but I may be selling a couple so I'll have less to care for.
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Old 05-21-2021, 06:01 PM
steelvibe steelvibe is offline
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Very cool report! I spent some time with one and was very impressed. Best sounding CF guitars I've played for sure. I just wish McPherson would do either a short scale or a completely new shape between the Sable and Touring. I actually asked them about it- they didn't say no but I'm not holding my breath. I think you can custom order a 12 fret wood guitar but I don't think custom options are available on the Carbon Series.

I find that I don't care for the 25.5" scale anymore and would probably go with the Touring for that reason given the choices.
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Old 05-21-2021, 06:28 PM
jdinco jdinco is offline
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I've been trying a lot of strings, but so far the Elixir nano 80/20's are probably working the best for me. I really liked the TI plectrums for a while, but when they went dead, they seemed to go from nice to very very dull overnight. Right now I have D'addario NB mediums on it since they are a little on the bright side, and the Sable seems to like that. They are not bad, but not great either. When they die, I'm going back to the Elixirs. If you find some that you like let us know. And if you decide to sell your Martin M-36, please let me know ! LOL I love the Sable, but there's times I want the wood tone. They seem to compliment each other well.
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Old 05-21-2021, 08:27 PM
boneuphtoner boneuphtoner is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DebbieE View Post
Okay, so I've had my Sable honeycomb for 2 weeks today. The neck on it is outstanding, the look of the guitar is great, and I really appreciate the rough back because it really helps in holding guitar
100% agree on the very grippy back and sides - when I first tried it I admit I didn’t love the look but it is so functional. You can place it in any playing position and it just stays there - so awesome - I love the look of gloss guitars and smooth satin, but there is so much comfort in not having to worry about it sliding around.
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