A visit with kramster and his guitars, thoughts regarding several models. (Review?)

[kramster]

Originally Posted by jdinco

A really nice review you did there Winzzy ! Thanks, I've been wanting to try a Sable for a year now, but haven't had the chance, you make me want to try one even more now!

Evan cracks me up....but makes a lot of sense doing it.

Guess a certain OX and Sable are do for a lil road trip

[Winzzy]

If anyone is doubting the sable, try it...

[kramster]

Originally Posted by Winzzy

I have already promised a baby grand as soon as we have a house that can fit it. The inlaws is a good angle, I wonder if I could make that happen.

I smell a second and maybe third job happening. I think they call it CF love , which might just be another song.

Winzzi; Good thinking. As you can see, the folks on this forum are here to help you.

[Nama Ensou]

Kramster is a true gem in the desert and really goes out of his way to make the visit special and satisfying for anyone interested in carbon fiber guitars, but anyone visiting should also take time to ask him to play the piano. Incredible musician and great guy to visit.

[tbeltrans]

Originally Posted by Nama Ensou

Kramster is a true gem in the desert and really goes out of his way to make the visit special and satisfying for anyone interested in carbon fiber guitars, but anyone visiting should also take time to ask him to play the piano. Incredible musician and great guy to visit.

I seem to remember hearing kramster play piano in a video or two over at the old MacNichol forum. As I recall, he had a digital piano built into a baby grand cabinet, very cool! His playing is really enjoyable, but then we wouldn't want him to hear us say that.

Tony

[kramster]

Originally Posted by Nama Ensou

Kramster is a true gem in the desert and really goes out of his way to make the visit special and satisfying for anyone interested in carbon fiber guitars, but anyone visiting should also take time to ask him to play the piano. Incredible musician and great guy to visit.

Hey, how have you been?

[kramster]

Originally Posted by tbeltrans

As I recall, he had a digital piano built into a baby grand cabinet, very cool!

Indeed... works out well enough... looks and sounds like a piano of all things

[kramster]

Originally Posted by Earl49

Once was for the FEB 2018 Phoenix Carbon Fest, where he hosted as ten of us gathered to sample a total of 24 composite guitars.

[raysachs]

Originally Posted by Winzzy

Emerald X30
The X30 is huge, I mean monstrously big, but ultimately is one of the most comfortable acoustics I have held. The Taylor I compared it to was much smaller but did not fit nearly as nicely in the lap. The sound of this guitar is really amazing. The X30 has such a satisfyingly rich base response with beautiful clear highs. If you know anything Bout electric guitar amos, think fender blackface cleans. Slightly scooped mid range. It doesn't sounds flubby or artificial in anyway and is one of my favorite guitars I have ever played. I cannot recommend the X30 highly enough, especially for heavy strumming. It does sound equally good fingerpicked though.

McPherson Sable
Towards the end of my time with kramster he mentioned he had a McPherson and asked if I wanted to try it. I am so glad I did. Every bit of this guitar oozes quality. It feels a little smaller than the X20, but has a richer base response I think. This is the guitar that sounded the most like "wood" to me. Is doesn't have the lows that the X30 does, but has much more mid emphasis. I would think of this more like Marshall cleans as apposed to blackface. Is playing with a full band it may have a better a lot in the mix because of that. This is a world class guitar all the way.

Man, if I ever decide to buy a longer scale high end guitar than my current X7, these two guitars both really intrigue me, and have well before this review re-confirmed my interest.

I'm really gonna have to find a way to try an X30 someday. Every description I read of it (and every video and sound clip I hear of it) suggests it would be a great sounding guitar for me, given my preferences. I had an X20 and liked it, but ultimately like the current model X7 even more and I sold the X20 when I found myself always picking up the X7 and almost never the X20. But part of that was a certain zingy high end on the X20 that I really didn't love. The problem for me is the SIZE of the X30. I recently did some cheap guitar shopping and the best sounding cheap guitars I found were dreads, but I just can't play a dread for any period of time comfortably. I know everyone says the X30 is incredibly comfortable FOR A GUITAR OF ITS SIZE, but I'm just dubious I'd be comfortable playing a guitar of that size, even if designed perfectly for comfort. But, hey, I'd love to play one someday and find out. Definitely not a guitar for me to buy without playing one first.

The Sable sounds like it could also be up my alley, but those things are PRICY. I suspect any such guitar would still be a #2 to my X7, so there are limits to how much I'd spend on a #2. My fallback would be going back to wood (as long as I have an X7 to leave out all the time, I guess it wouldn't be that bad to have to case a wood guitar during times of humidity extremes) and probably something fairly economical that I know I like, like something in mahogany from the Martin 15 series. Which, depending on which model, I'd be spending half or less of the cost of a Sable. If I liked an X30 enough I could maybe stretch for an in-stock, just carbon model - no veneer. This is probably well into next year at the earliest in any case. I don't spend much time thinking that far ahead, but this post got me thinking again...

-Ray

[Winzzy]

Originally Posted by raysachs

I know everyone says the X30 is incredibly comfortable FOR A GUITAR OF ITS SIZE

Let me just clarify, it is incredibly comfortable period. It is possibly the most comfortable full size guitar I have played period. The for it's size comment is just because it is visually huge when looking at it alone and it so much more comfortable that it has any right to be.

The x30 fits your lap like your favorite pair if worn in shoes. I am positive no small amount of witchcraft went into it's design process.

[Nama Ensou]

Originally Posted by kramster

[SIZE="3"]

Hey, is the guitar really small or is the guy playing it really that big???

[kramster]

Originally Posted by Nama Ensou

Hey, is the guitar really small or is the guy playing it really that big???

I'll guess yes

[kramster]

Originally Posted by Winzzy

The x30 fits your lap like your favorite pair if worn in shoes.

Lap shoes...got it

[Captain Jim]

Originally Posted by kramster

Radar Love... could be a song in it

I heard that... Brenda Lee's comin' on strong.

Nice review of the experience from Winzzy, and very gracious (once again) of Kramster.