X7 after one month... - Page 2

jdinco · #16 03-09-2019, 04:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tommyld

Aren't you protected by a return policy?

I am....I'll be contacting Emerald tomorrow, not sure I will return it though.

trion12 · #17 03-09-2019, 06:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Methos1979

I've mentioned it in a few threads and can't remember them all, unfortunately. I'll point you to one thread to read (if you have not done so already) where I talk at length about the guitar and I'll also summarize my issues below. Check out the NGD thread I did by clicking on the link below for the Emerald X7 Custom Woody. This will take you to my NGD post where I discuss in detail my thoughts and experiences using the guitar.

Thanks Methos. Much appreciated.

Melt in the Sun · #18 03-11-2019, 03:25 PM

Without knowing any more details than he shared, I suspect that Methos's issues #2 and #3 are both entirely due to the K&K + amp/PA + room setup rather than the X7. Any pickup system can feed back, soundboard transducers do it easily, and different rooms/PAs will cause the same guitar to feed back on different notes.

The pinless bridge sounds like a bummer though. I must agree I much prefer the Ovation-style, but that won't work with Emerald's bridge design. With the large holes, it just looks like the pins are missing.

GuitarLuva · #19 03-11-2019, 04:02 PM

This is all good info that should be out there. I will add to it regarding the X30 as well as I'm experiencing a similar issue. When I received my X30 and the new guitar hype wore off I noticed what I'll label as a "thumpy" open D string, noticed it first unplugged but plugged in as well. Anything I hit that had an open D string in it popped out. My X30 came with the full anthem system which I thought was guilty so I removed it. Problem solved, no more open D thump.

Happy camper until recently. Its seems by removing the anthem I relocated this wolf note, sympathetic vibration or whatever you wanna call it from D to D#. This issue is less noticeable with a pick but very noticeable with fingerpicking. Weird! It drove me crazy enough to reinstall the anthem to the previous state to see if it moved from D# back to D and it did. I now discovered that if I hit the note and with one finger gently press to the side of the bridge I can make it go away. Not sure what I'm going to do yet, was thinking of making some sort of brace or something. I'm still very happy with the guitar but this particular issue is driving me crazy.

Sorry for the long post!

Methos1979 · #20 03-11-2019, 04:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Melt in the Sun

Without knowing any more details than he shared, I suspect that Methos's issues #2 and #3 are both entirely due to the K&K + amp/PA + room setup rather than the X7. Any pickup system can feed back, soundboard transducers do it easily, and different rooms/PAs will cause the same guitar to feed back on different notes.

I did a lot more testing today. I'm leaning towards issue #2 being possibly a problem with the Boss VE-8 itself. I've got a new guitar arriving any day that will have a completely different pickup system in it. If the issue is still there then I'm going to procure a new VE-8 and see if the issue goes away. If it goes away then my current VE-8 is defective. If it stays then it's just a flaw in design and I'll need to look elsewhere for a mixer/preamp solution that gives me what the VE-8 does.

Issue 3 is just a design 'feature' of the X7. I don't want to call it a flaw since almost all guitars I've owned have a note that vibrates sympathetically predominately somewhere. I think that beyond that it's just an unfortunate combination of the X7 body physics and the K&K SBT amplification that makes the issue even more noticeable. Since Guitarluva had the same problem with his Anthem I'm not sure that going with a different pickup would solve anything though.

Kindness · #21 03-12-2019, 05:57 AM

As we all know, Kramster went to my guitar tech John Cotter, 602-414-4641. From what I understand, the improvement was fantastic. A set up makes or breaks a guitar. I haven't had one factory guitar that I have received that has ever been set up the way I want it.

jdinco · #22 03-12-2019, 06:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kindness

As we all know, Kramster went to my guitar tech John Cotter, . From what I understand, the improvement was fantastic. A set up makes or breaks a guitar. I haven't had one factory guitar that I have received that has ever been set up the way I want it.

Thanks Lisa, I talked to John a good long while last night, we'll be making arrangements for him to get my X7 set up in a couple weeks.

gerardo1000 · #23 03-12-2019, 08:53 AM

My (old version) X7, only acoustic, arrived 3 years ago in flawless condition with a perfect set up. It was one of the few guitars I owned where I didn't feel any need to modify action, relief etc.... What I did, though, was to replace the saddle with bone. Usually I do this with all my guitars and the difference with the original Tusq, Micarta etc... saddles it barely noticeable. But with the X7 I really perceived an improvement...more bass, more volume. I wonder if spome other members had the same experience.

Captain Jim · #24 03-12-2019, 10:25 AM

The action on my (previous generation) X7 was higher than I prefer. I took the saddle down at the first string change and made a small tweak to the neck. The X20 and X10 came in ideal for me. Only needed to change the strings to my preference.

raysachs · #25 03-12-2019, 10:28 AM

My X20 and newer X7 (both bought new) and my older X7 (bought used) were all set up perfectly for me - haven't touched one of them. Before these, I'd never had an acoustic guitar that I didn't need to set up when I first got it. And only one electric...

-Ray

GuitarLuva · #26 03-12-2019, 12:26 PM

Okay so I guess this post is mostly for Methos I managed to put the wolf to sleep. First, I reverted everything back to stock (saddle, pins, etc.) and with the Anthem back in, everything is the way the guitar arrived to me a few months ago, minus the strings and one other thing. I mounted the tru-mic on the bottom of the guitar where it surprisingly sounds better (not as harsh). Anyway, I took a wooden shim from a kit I bought for laying down laminate flooring, put some sticky putty on it (so I could remove it if need be) and mounted it under the bridge. I went up and down the fretboard, played with a capo everywhere and can no longer find the wolf, and hopefully it stays that way. I dare not make any changes to this guitar now. Here's a pic of the shim. It might look big in the pic but it's as light as a feather:

[IMG]

[/IMG]

Methos1979 · #27 03-12-2019, 02:10 PM

The wolf note is the least of my problems. The notch kills that. It's the crackling signal issue. I do have a workaround for that as well (preamp in front of the VE-8). More of an annoyance than anything.

Of course my new guitar that due yesterday appears to be once again lost in the vast black hole of uselessness that is the USPS tracking system. They really ought to just shutter that business and save the country a boatload of money.

jdinco · #28 03-12-2019, 02:23 PM

Back to my original post (for a second anyway), for some stupid reason I thought I had 30 days to return the guitar, it's 10 days. Guess i should read the fine print. I was not able to play the guitar the first 10 days I had it, so it's on me. It's being setup now, so we will see how it comes out. I think it will be fine. Carry on.

Glad yours were good Ray, my first 2 were too. This one is not.

What was most disappointing is that I did not get any answer or suggestions back from Emerald via email.

Captain Jim · #29 03-12-2019, 02:47 PM

Um... continuing OT.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Methos1979

The wolf note is the least of my problems. The notch kills that. It's the crackling signal issue. I do have a workaround for that as well (preamp in front of the VE-8). More of an annoyance than anything.

Of course my new guitar that due yesterday appears to be once again lost in the vast black hole of uselessness that is the USPS tracking system. They really ought to just shutter that business and save the country a boatload of money.

Sorry to hear about the guitar being in limbo-postal-land. I had a "popping" noise for quite a while, happening almost every time I accented a strum. I thought it was due to the TC Helicon Gxt I was using (since it happened with different guitars), but taking that out of the chain, I was able to track it down to the LoudBox Mini I was using in front of the Bose L1C... right before the Fishman crapped out on that guitar channel. (Some issues eventually reveal themselves.) Not a crackling noise, but startlingly loud "pop."

On the Silent Guitar front, I found a Guitar Center that had a steel string version about an hour away from us. Had to drive by two other GCs who both said, "We haven't carried that in years - nobody wants it." Great salesmanship.

When I called this particular GC, the "guitar guy" told me they have one, a steel string (I would be interested in the nylon version), and he said, "They are really nice guitars!" We figured it was worth a drive today to go see one in person.

I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by the SLG200S: great tone and plenty of control through my Bose headphones. I plugged it into a demo L1C they had, and it, likewise sounded quite nice. The neck is a bit chunkier than my preference, but not a turn off. They offered to order in a nylon version for me, but their warehouse doesn't have one in stock.

A call to Sweetwater after leaving GC, and a nylon version is on its way... via FedEx, not USPS. I really like my Sweetwater rep; I would have ordered from him right away, but I really wanted to at least hold one of these guitars before ordering. For as "no-body" as the guitar is, it has some heft. The size is very comfortable, feeling quite small... I was thinking (based on the photos and videos) that it would be close to a T5 in size - nope, more like a Les Paul. It sits comfortably on my lap. After enjoying the ergonomics of my Emeralds, this one doesn't have enough substance to be uncomfortable.

For the record, USPS is great in our home area, and FedEx is the worst. UPS falls somewhere between. Still in the desert, so apparently the big city delivery stuff is more efficient here. The Blonde gets her "every other day" Amazon stuff right on schedule.

GuitarLuva · #30 03-12-2019, 02:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jdinco

Back to my original post (for a second anyway), for some stupid reason I thought I had 30 days to return the guitar, it's 10 days. Guess i should read the fine print. I was not able to play the guitar the first 10 days I had it, so it's on me. It's being setup now, so we will see how it comes out. I think it will be fine. Carry on.

Glad yours were good Ray, my first 2 were too. This one is not.

What was most disappointing is that I did not get any answer or suggestions back from Emerald via email.

Alistair was supposedly away on vacation, not sure if he's back yet but I'll bet my money he wouldn't ignore you. He's not always the one who replies to emails though so that's interesting. If it's with your luthier right now I'll bet he'll have that guitar singing in no time. Hopefully it all works out. Oh and apologies I guess a few of us kinda derailed the thread on you.