NGD: Emerald Coco Chimaera 6/12 Doubleneck

[Acousticado]

I received my new cocobolo/sapwood Chimaera on Thursday, August 3rd. I have waited until now to post about it because I first wanted to spend some time with it before commenting.

This is my 3rd Chimaera.

As you'll read (assuming you have the patience for a novel), it has been quite a journey and is a testament to the exceptional customer understanding and service that is at the core of Emerald (esp. Alistair, of course Sean, and obviously all the staff behind the scenes).

Back in 2012, AGFer "Doubleneck" (Steve) was likely the first customer to bring the Chimaera to the attention of the forum when he bought and posted about his red 6/12. At that time, the Chimaera was pre-production, barely out of the prototype stage, with hollow necks and no truss rods...very lightweight and well-balanced for the profile of such a guitar. As a long time fan and owner of a number of wood doublenecks, Steve clearly recognized the carbon fiber Chimaera as a game-changer. I'd never owned one, but when I saw Steve's, I was immediately smitten with the potential fun factor, so I ordered one in vintage amber finish soon after, still pre-production and took delivery early in 2013.

It was a beautiful guitar, very lightweight and well-balanced especially since Alistair had just began using the new Gotoh Stealth tuning machines at only 11.4g each. Although I loved the tone and playability of the guitar, because of the hollow necks and perhaps a result of my own barefinger playing style, in my hands the guitar produced an unusual "thwack" sound under strumming (like the sound of a snapped heavy rubber band) that really bugged me. I shared this with Alistair and perhaps because some other Chimaera owners were experiencing something similar (Steve didn't, though being a player who uses picks, maybe this is why it wasn't noticeable to him), since he was in the process of changing the neck approach on all Emerald guitars to solid necks with truss rods, Alistair offered to allow me to return it and he would build me a new one.

This took some time, including for Alistair to begin using newly introduced lightweight titanium truss rods, so I didn't get my second Chimaera until early 2014. Upon receipt, it was obviously a bit neck heavier compared to the perfectly balanced first version, but not to a great degree. I really liked it, except that I was experiencing a fair bit of string buzz on the 12 neck. So I took it to a local tech who dialled it in nicely, but when making truss rod adjustments, they both broke at the nut end. When I brought this to Alistair's attention, he was aware that such failures were occurring with these innovative rods. He asked me to return the guitar to see if anything could be done to fix it, but upon his receipt and evaluation, he advised that repair was not possible. Again, Alistair offered to build me another.

Due to the failures of both the titanium truss rods and some of the Gotoh Stealth tuning machines (perhaps too much tension for those tuners), Alistair began building his guitars with tried-and-true steel truss rods and Gotoh 510 tuning machines. Having previously experienced the lightest, best balanced of the Chimaeri, I was quite concerned about the added weight. When I heard that there is an Italian company, Heart-Sound, producing all carbon fiber tuning machines at only 7g each, I hoped that Alistair could obtain some and use in my latest coco Chimaera. He had already experimented with a sample set he had obtained and had high hopes for them, except that despite his attempts to polish, the raw grey-black finish was not aesthetically conducive to Emerald's gloss finishes. Also, for some reason, sourcing these tuners from H-S proved difficult. Despite this, I held-out for about a year in the hope that they may be available. A few months ago, Alistair advised me that if I still wanted the H-Ss, he was able to get the 18 needed for my Chimaera. He would custom polish exposed components to the best of his ability, but in the end, because they were untried and the finish was still not up to par for the look of my new coco woody-topped Chimaera, he recommended not to go with them. I agreed, opted for the 510s, and chose my coco/sapwood veneer. My third Chimaera was then ready to be built. I was more excited to get it than ever. I really missed that fun guitar.

I received it this past Thursday, August 3rd. In addition to the really nice custom hardshell case, this time I also ordered the custom Chimaera gigbag which all was shipped in two separate boxes taped-together.

As stated by Alistair and Sean, the latest electronics for the Chimaera (and Synergy) consists of 2 LR-Baggs Element systems wired together in such a way to have a volume and tone control for each neck, a 3-way toggle switch to allow either neck to be isolated or both on together, and a mono to stereo switch which allows for a mono output with everything blended onboard or switch to stereo output allowing to split the signal externally for use with a floor pedal or run to seperate amps or effects. Pics are below.

So, what do I think of my third Chimaera? It is great...fit and finish is spectacular and I am totally smitten with the coco/sapwood veneer on the body and headstocks. My past Chimaeri had vintage amber CF weave which I liked, but all my versions including this one has gloss black back and sides/neck. Especially with the veneers, personally I prefer this to the look of wood top with exposed b&s weave. Jmo.

The guitar feels and plays great and now I am happy with my decision to go with the Gotoh 510s. Apart from their quality, precision, and jewel-like beauty, the added weight isn't as significant as I had been concerned about. While seated, it is easily balanced, so it's a non-issue there. While standing, it's a little neck heavy, but again, not as much as I thought. Overall, the guitar has more heft than earlier versions, but because of this, it almost feels to be even higher quality that seems to have a nicer, bit of a warmer tone...maybe the wood veneer has something to do with this...I dunno.

So...after three versions over four years, I can honestly say that this Chimaera is the epitome for me. After a year without it, I'm so happy to have it back in my hands. Again, hats-off to Emerald.....vision, innovation, out-of-the-box thinking and total commitment to customer satisfaction, arguably like no other builder.

By the way, a proper stand for a doubleneck is difficult to find. I'm using the Hercules GS405B which can be seen is some of the photos. It works really well with the outside of neck support keeping the guitar well-supported.

[Kerbie]

Tom, congratulations! You waited two weeks?

That's beautiful! Glad you're happy with it. Gotta love those 510s. I've never seen a box arrive like that... quite a sight. Enjoy!

[steelvibe]

Tom, that is simply stunning! Congrats!!

On a sidenote, that would've killed a wood guitar

[Earl49]

Congrats on finally getting it, Tom. Enjoy it in good health! Your mission now - should you choose to accept it -- is to wear out the frets! Doubly hard with two necks.

That is quite a story, not the least of which is receiving totally drenched boxes. It's a really good thing this is a CF guitar. The gloss black works quite well aesthetically with the woody veneer, even though I am a fan of exposed CF weave.

FWIW, a regular Hercules 414 "grabber" stand holding the twelve string neck work OK, if you don't mind that the guitar hangs off center a bit.

[jaan]

Wow that is awesome! Looks great!

[Earl49]

Seeing that it has now sold, I can finally reveal that I had the March special edition Chimaera (green body, clear overlays on the top, Celtic knot inlays) for a week in April. I ended up returning it, not due to any flaw in the instrument. It was beautiful and perfectly built in every way -- a real piece of guitar art -- and I nearly kept it just for that. Several friends who saw it suggested that Chimaera was well worth the cost as a sculpture even if I never played it. I was reluctant to mention the return publicly until it sold, just in case it might give a potential purchaser pause. If the lucky buyer is here on AGF, I am happy to discuss the guitar with them.

A neurological event 4½ years ago weakened my left hand and shoulder by about 5%, forcing me to use a strap for every guitar and change my playing position slightly -- no more guitar sitting on either leg. I play a lot of intricate ragtime and Piedmont fingerpicked blues (thank God I can still play well) but I could never quite find the right position for both necks using a strap . Either neck was fine by itself, but switching between them required some technique changes that I wasn't willing to make this late in the game. Had I been mostly a strummer or even just played patterns to accompany voice, or even still been able to rest the guitar on a leg, Chimaera would have worked perfectly. The elaborate finger style stuff just didn't quite work -- for me in my current condition. Again, no reflection whatsoever on the guitar itself, and another player would never have noticed an issue.

Sean and Alistair were completely classy and easy to work with on the return. They were more concerned about having a happy customer than making a particular sale. They were even going to refund the full purchase price, including the original shipping charges. I insisted that they deduct those from the refund which seemed only fair. With reluctance, they finally did.

The twelve string side of the Chimaera, along with the stellar build quality and great customer service, was enough to convince me to go for it. If you've followed recent threads here, you know about my order of a green X20-12 Artisan, basically the upper half of that Chimaera. I really look forward to getting it by Christmas. So congrats to Tom for finally getting his double-neck guitar, and a major salute to Emerald for customer service and building such incredible instruments.

Tom;

What a beautiful instrument: Good on you! And what a marvelous narrative. Emerald is allowing players to fashion their own instruments. There is risk, but there is also advancement and the thrill of being first scout. We are really fortunate.

[Methos1979]

That's a beauty and makes me salivate even more for my custom X20 cocobolo with sap wood that is still in the build queue.

The photos of the guitar boxes gave me heart palpitations! Thought I wouldn't have been quite a panicked on a CF, I none the less would have been very unpleasant to the poor guy on the final delivery leg! Glad it worked out.

[Jimmy Koh]

Congrats Tom!

Glad to see the package arriving safely despite the shipping mishap. It was a good read on the progress. I always enjoyed owners sharing history and build experience.

Enjoy your new doubleneck, and looking forward to more review of your woody against the previous ones you had.😀

[jdinco]

The box looks awful ! Glad that it all worked out, the guitar is BEYOND stunning! What a beauty. Congrats !

[Song]

It is so beautiful! Emerald really has their act together.
A dizzying choice of instruments and customization, excellent marketing, and apparently great service.
I wonder what it's like to fingerstyle a doubleneck?

Congratulations on your lovely (and inimitable) guitar!

[Captain Jim]

Wow! That read like a novel, Tom, and I was riveted right to the end! You are a very patient man, and Alistair and crew have shown that they stand behind their unique instruments.

I was so relieved to read that all is good with your new beauty - it had to have been heart-wrenching to see that wet box. (I recall that I was concerned with a greasy spot that smelled like cookies on the outside of my X7 box.)

The guitar is gorgeous! I'm sure well worth the wait, but I admire your ability to hang in there.

Enjoy, and give us regular updates - those Chimearas (Chimeari?) are something special.

Best wishes,
Jim

[Acousticado]

Thanks everyone, including for tolerating my novel.

[pandaroo]

Congrats Tom!!

Thanks for sharing.

[Ted @ LA Guitar Sales]

Congrats, Tom, use it in good health. .

And BTW, I love that you posted an NGD in General section as well.