NGD... Emerald X-7 Artisan - Page 3

jwhelan56 · #31 05-28-2017, 05:16 AM

Gorgeous! Congratulations on that new beauty!

I await a quilted maple X20 sometime in June. Counting the days and weeks til its arrival....!!

Kerbie · #32 05-28-2017, 07:37 AM

Thanks, Jimmy and Jim... your wait will be worth it!

Glennwillow · #33 05-28-2017, 08:02 AM

Beautiful guitar, Kerbie! Wow, that is really pretty! Have fun with that!

Congratulations!

- Glenn

TomB'sox · #34 05-28-2017, 06:01 PM

Wow, that sure is pretty and I think if I have read your posts correctly, you like the sound

What did you do for back and sides? How is the neck for you?

Kerbie · #35 05-28-2017, 06:53 PM

Thanks, Tom and Glenn,

I would describe the neck as a gentle, "C." It's not the old-fashioned, thick "Cs" like many vintage or Waterloo necks. It's almost like a typical electric, although not quite that skinny. I prefer the mod-V, but I think this will be pretty easy for me. So far, I have found the entire neck quite comfortable.

The 1 11/16" was the primary reason I sought the guitar since CF makers strongly prefer 1 3/4." So, that's the only nut width I'll buy now. My days of experimentation are over.

TomB'sox · #36 05-29-2017, 07:40 AM

Hi Kerbie,

Did you get a high gloss back and sides, it does look like it in the little I can see, if so, how do you like it? The neck if high gloss, is it easy to move on? Sorry for the questions, but you know I am trying to decide what to do on mine....looking for all the opinions I can get.

Thanks, Tom

Song · #37 05-29-2017, 08:52 AM

Congratulations Kerbie! It looks great!
I wish I could fingerspank that puppy!

Kerbie · #38 05-29-2017, 09:07 AM

You can, Song... come on over!

I am so sorry, Tom... I forgot to answer that question. The back and sides are what I think of as the "regular" amber color, for lack of a better word. They look exactly like the back of the neck. I'll try to get a photo up shortly of the back.

It is definitely a gloss neck... although I like both gloss and satin necks just fine. The only necks that really bother me are those as chunky as the big end of a baseball bat. I find the Emerald neck very easy to navigate with my hand.

I find "C" shapes a little tougher than the slimmer mod-Vs because the "shoulders" of the neck are beefy. I like mod-Vs because the shoulders are whittled down and more comfortable. But this "C" isn't thick enough to give me a problem. It reminds me of the Collings C-10 which I like as long as the nut is 1 11/16." Hope I've answered your question... I look forward to hearing what you decide to do.

Kerbie · #39 05-29-2017, 10:41 AM

Tom, here are 2 pics of the back... probably what you were expecting. Little bit of glare in the sunlight... sorry.

TomB'sox · #40 05-29-2017, 12:14 PM

Thank you for taking the time to do this Kerbie and for your thoughts on the neck. It helps me a lot in the decision making process...

J.R. Rogers · #41 06-01-2017, 10:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kerbie

Congrats, Kerbie! That quilted maple is some of the best I've seen. They did a nice job on the finish too.

JR

Kerbie · #42 06-01-2017, 10:44 AM

Thanks very much, JR. It's rather captivating. The sunburst-like blend at the edges is really well done. I'm a happy camper.

Kerbie · #43 10-22-2017, 09:42 AM

Just a quick update now that I've had a few months to play my X-7. I had some trouble with my X-7 as I played up the neck. In the cowboy frets, it was fine... seemed to be set up well. But the longer I played it, I found it harder and harder to play up in the higher frets, like the 8th-12th or so. The set-up was just too high.

It kinda surprised me because I had given Sean very specific numbers to use as guidance. I'm very fortunate to have a fabulous guitar tech who knows exactly how I want my guitars to play. He's been helping me for over 20 years. So, finally I had to take it in.

Well, I got it back this week... and it's heavenly! But what was interesting to me was that he said the action at the 12th fret was more than TWICE as high as I had requested. That really surprised me. That's probably my only gripe at this point. I think my set-up guidance could have been followed much better. So, if anyone has specific set-ups in mind, I suggest giving Emerald as much detail as you can. It took me a quicker set-up than I had planned, but now my Emerald plays so sweetly... and it does so all the way up the neck!

jdinco · #44 10-22-2017, 10:13 AM

My X7 was pretty high at the upper (12th) frets too, I've taken it down twice, but it's still too high. Little by little it will come down. I can understand why Emerald leaves them a bit higher than what most of us prefer though. Can you imagine the mess if it was too low after shipping across the pond ! Good to hear you are liking the X7 !

JerryM · #45 10-22-2017, 04:57 PM

Isn't shaving the saddle the Only option on these as far as action is concerned? The neck will never change. Trying to figure out why a tech would be needed? my RS was just a matter of shaving the saddle after setting the neck flat. Did end up with a couple of high frets but that was an easy fix.