Andy P
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Post by Andy P on Apr 28, 2020 16:54:53 GMT
Hi
Hope you're all keeping well.
Do any of you have any experience of Cole Clark guitars? Thoughts?
Thx.
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Post by andyhowell on Apr 28, 2020 19:53:11 GMT
Interesting. Not so hot acoustically but a great pickup system. There’s dealer in Halifax and we often pop in when there.
They are about like an advanced Takermjne. They play well.
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Post by dawkins on Apr 28, 2020 22:24:47 GMT
I haven’t used a Cole Clark but I’m a massive maton fan. I have three Matons and have had six in total.
I suspect that they are like Maton: strong when amplified but not going to be as good acoustically. I only ever take Maton to live gigs because I cannot get my Bourgeois to sound any near as good despite LR Baggs dual source. I’ve had about fifteen very expensive acoustics in the last ten years and been through god knows how many different pickup combinations and nothing competes with my Maton 808 Artist — not even close.
I expect that Cole Clark are similar to Maton and as mentioned the Clark’s and Maton’s are like Takamines in that they are awesone stage guitars.
My current Matons are the only guitars I have never considered selling and never will.
I’d go and play the Cole Clark in person.
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Welshruss
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My main instrument is: Turnstone, Wandering Boy & Santa Cruz
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Post by Welshruss on Apr 28, 2020 23:24:57 GMT
I believe the two guys that formed Cole Clark where working at Maton. I've played lots of Matons since being down under not many Cole Clarks, although I really like the Cole Clark Lap styles like the Lapdog model. Maton get a bad wrap on he guitar forums, but some of the older guitars are really good acoustically, not just plugged in. I really like the EA80 model. I bought a Maton 225 when I backpacked round Australia 20 year ago. I have a friend who prefers his Fat Lady Cole Cark to his 000 Santa Cruz.
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Post by dawkins on Apr 29, 2020 6:08:32 GMT
Yeah that’s correct, they were former Maton guys.
I’ve never understood why Maton’s get a bad rap but I agree they do. I haven’t had one bad Maton but I’ve had a lot of Martin, Taylor, Larrivee and others that I consider were really bland. In fact I got sick of underwhelming big brands and my last non Maton was an Atkin which was phenomenal. I only sold that because I fell in love with a Bourgeois—both of these are copies of Gibson and Martin respectively.
And when it comes to playing live I am blown away by my Matons to the point where people actually ask me about how I achieve the sound. If people who dismiss Maton actually looked around they would see that they are played by a lot of professional players. In a way they are a bit like Takamine in that on stage you still see a lot of them being played. In my view there’s a lot of brand snobbery and what’s called ‘Myth’ at work. Myth is an established theory of semiotics which adequately explains why we react to clever advertising campaigns. So it is the ‘American - ness’ of Martin which works on an emotional level that hooks people in, and if anyone remembers Mr Kiplings cakes it is the myth that they are ‘homemade’ in granny’s kitchen when in fact they are made in a massive factory. Or the brand Clinique’ that has sales assistants in white doctors coats to convey a sense of ‘medicalness’ with the name ‘clinic’ cleverly slipped into the brand name. The bigger guitar brands use this concept of myth to great effect.
At the moment I’m playing my cheaper Maton SRS808 acoustically in the house and I hate to say it but I’m preferring it over my £4000 Bourgeois in every department.
The main forum where they get a bad rap is a forum where it’s clearly American dominated and you can tell that they have a biased to certain brands. They are also really searching and searching for the pickup that gives them the sound they feel they should here. I went down that road with virtually absolutely every pickup brand and combination I could get and it was incredibly costly and left me frustrated. I had heard of Maton because my friend has one and one day he quite assertively said “just get a Maton”. I can remember when my first Maton arrived and being very very happy.
My main guitar is the 808 Artist and every time I pick it up I smile. It’s now like a pair of slippers and it will never be sold.
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Post by skyetripper on Apr 29, 2020 9:51:02 GMT
I have no experience of Cole Clark, but I thought I'd jump in on the Maton bit. I have a friend who has two Maton's and played through his AER amp, they sound massive. It's actually very hard to compete when we're playing amplified together! Acoustically, his older dreadnought type (don't know the model) is great to play and has a very distinctive sound which I like. The other one is an EBG808 and I'm not as sure about that one. It seems very dead acoustically to me, but still sounds great plugged in.
What I can say is that they seem incredibly well built and I would guess the Cole Clark would be similar.
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Post by andyhowell on Apr 29, 2020 10:21:11 GMT
What I can say is that they seem incredibly well built and I would guess the Cole Clark would be similar. I liked the build and the action on them. They are a decent price for what they are but they do lack something acoustically.I seem to remember that they use a fair amount of unusual indigenous woods. I've never plugged one so can't say much about that although the store owner reckons they sound amazing. The pickup system — like Maton's — is a proprietary design and I think the last one I played had three elements to it!
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Welshruss
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My main instrument is: Turnstone, Wandering Boy & Santa Cruz
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Post by Welshruss on Apr 29, 2020 11:04:12 GMT
There are lots of used Matons obviously in Australia. Some of the 1980’s ones I’ve played are excellent especially if they have Aussie Blackwood back and sides. They also do a vintage style OM from their custom shop which is great. I don’t play plugged in, so all my experience with Matons is as pure acoustics.
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Andy P
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My main instrument is: Taylor 312ce, Guild D25, Deering 5 string banjo
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Post by Andy P on Apr 29, 2020 13:03:23 GMT
Thanks for the responses guys, really interesting. A general theme seems to be that both Cole Clark and Maton are great plugged in but may disappoint acoustically, although being well made and nicely playable. I've never played either and only know of Maton from firstly seeing Tommy Emmanuel about 15 years ago. I see he still uses them and they clearly have some big fans amongst you. I asked because I was doing a bit of wistful window-shopping and came across some Cole Clarks on the GuitarGuitar site. I was struck by their handsome appearance (I'm a sucker for a looker), particularly the sunburst blackwood Angel 2. My wife noticed what I was drooling over and thrillingly said that I should maybe treat myself, especially as I have a big birthday in July and I'm saving money during lockdown. I wouldn't buy anything without playing it first, but I thought I'd solicit a few opinions. If they're not great acoustically that would probably be a no-no as, not doing much gigging these days (and probably even less so going forward), it would be mainly for non-amplified home use. I see there's recent thread about what guitar would you next buy with a £3K budget. Mine would be £1K less than that.
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ocarolan
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Post by ocarolan on Apr 29, 2020 15:21:20 GMT
...... My wife noticed what I was drooling over and thrillingly said that I should maybe treat myself, ......... ...how about a wife swap? I failed miserably to gain special privileges for my special birthday, though it's partly my own fault for not getting on with pestering Roger early enough! Keith
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Post by andyhowell on Apr 30, 2020 7:44:08 GMT
I wouldn’t say these are disappointing acoustically in the sense that they are very reasonably priced, say 50% oft Henig acoustic brands.
However,if you want a great acoustic for just a little extra you could buy Brook.
Like Takermjne they are a tool for gigging musicians, that being said I know a lot of players for whom their Takermjne was a major life investment and they are still happy with them after many years.
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brianr2
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Post by brianr2 on Apr 30, 2020 10:36:45 GMT
...... My wife noticed what I was drooling over and thrillingly said that I should maybe treat myself, ......... ...how about a wife swap? I failed miserably to gain special privileges for my special birthday, though it's partly my own fault for not getting on with pestering Roger early enough! Keith How very, very sad. But surely you are not suggesting that the saintly Viv played any part in this failure? Brian
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ocarolan
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Post by ocarolan on Apr 30, 2020 11:00:33 GMT
...how about a wife swap? I failed miserably to gain special privileges for my special birthday, though it's partly my own fault for not getting on with pestering Roger early enough! Keith How very, very sad. But surely you are not suggesting that the saintly Viv played any part in this failure? Brian ...of course not, Brian - I wouldn't dare! Just overtaken by events really. Keith
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brianr2
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Post by brianr2 on Apr 30, 2020 11:30:39 GMT
How very, very sad. But surely you are not suggesting that the saintly Viv played any part in this failure? Brian ...of course not, Brian - I wouldn't dare! Just overtaken by events really. Keith Phew, that’s a relief! A slighted domestic line manager can be fearsome. I am sure Roger would help you celebrate an un-birthday, an altogether more novel prospect than just another anniversary of arrival on this planet. Brian
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Andy P
C.O.G.
Posts: 4,982
My main instrument is: Taylor 312ce, Guild D25, Deering 5 string banjo
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Post by Andy P on Apr 30, 2020 14:28:50 GMT
However,if you want a great acoustic for just a little extra you could buy Brook. I was thinking the very same thing. When lockdown is relaxed I'll take a little trip up to Celtic Chords at Stonehaven and maybe try a few. I may have saved a bit more money up by then
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