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Old 01-01-2021, 09:04 PM
Pine Cone Pine Cone is offline
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Default My New Emerald X20

I was pretty much forced into getting an Emerald after all the good reviews and pictures posted here.

While I have gone the full custom instrument order in the past, I did not have the patience to wait 4 months, so I opted for what was coming down Emerald's stock guitars.

I already have a Journey 660, so I ruled out the X7. i find my Martin HD-28 to have great tone, but it gets uncomfortable to play because it is so large...

That left the X20 as the "just right" guitar.

So I started the order process and got my new X20 with a Royal Ebony veneer top just before Christmas.

Hated the strings it came with. Elixers of some sort. Replaced them with some Light Siminoff Straight Up Strings which I have used before. They sound good to my ears.

The guitar's sound hole/port sounds unpleasantly loud to me at times, so I try to play with my ear far from it. Overall I really like the guitar.

Had Emerald put a Baggs Anthem SL pickup in it, replacing the stock Baggs Element. The Anthem sounds great amplified in my living room, but I have not had the chance to see how it works in an actual gig setting.

Here is a simple recording of the guitar from my Tascam DP-008EX. Left channel is an AKG 170 mic, the right channel is the Tascam internal mic. Mostly finger picking with Dunlop picks, a little bit of flat picking with a Prime Tone 1.44mm pick.

https://soundcloud.com/user-70518085...ght-up-strings
Attached Images
File Type: jpg f-b--X20 Royal Ebony (Ele) 6262_6-1.jpg (38.2 KB, 350 views)
File Type: jpg X20 Royal Ebony (Ele) 6262_14l-1.jpg (67.5 KB, 349 views)
File Type: jpg X20 Royal Ebony (Ele) 6262_12-1.jpg (52.4 KB, 353 views)
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Old 01-02-2021, 04:09 AM
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That's a beauty. Enjoy......
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Old 01-02-2021, 06:54 AM
new2guitar_eh new2guitar_eh is offline
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That is indeed beautiful. Royal Ebony always delivers with the varied and interesting pattern, including your fine example. Enjoy!
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Old 01-02-2021, 09:41 AM
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David Eastwood David Eastwood is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Pine Cone View Post

The guitar's sound hole/port sounds unpleasantly loud to me at times, so I try to play with my ear far from it. Overall I really like the guitar.
This might be a first for the AGF - someone suggesting that a guitar might actually be too loud
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Old 01-02-2021, 10:24 AM
Earl49 Earl49 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Pine Cone View Post
....Hated the strings it came with. Elixirs of some sort. Replaced them with some Light Siminoff Straight Up Strings which I have used before. They sound good to my ears.
Congrats! It is a beauty. I look forward to getting together as the weather improves and we can swap tunes, and guitar impressions.

They ship with D'Addario EXP-11 coated 80/20 strings. Like you, I also took those off almost immediately. My order of SUS strings is "out for delivery" this morning, so I will have both light and medium gauges sometime this afternoon. I really should call my buddy today and see what he thinks about my X20, having had it for almost a week now.
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Old 01-02-2021, 10:42 AM
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I get the "too loud" comment. The first few notes on this recording reveal the kind of harshness that can result in over-playing the guitar. As soon as Pine drops back a bit in his attack the guitar becomes a mellow, controllable instrument. The recording is a nice piece of work.
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Old 01-02-2021, 12:44 PM
steelvibe steelvibe is offline
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PineCone, the recording is very nice and congrats on your new X20!

I didn't realize Emerald was shipping with D'addario 80/20 EXPs. So that means that RainSong, Emerald and McPherson are shipping their guitars with 80/20s. The general consensus here on the subforum is that 80/20s are not well received- am I missing something?

Here's the dealio, I did post a thread a couple days ago about giving 80/20s some love as this set of GHS Vintage Bronze currently on my OF660 is actually sounding really good. They are not technically 80/20 (85/15) but much to my shock they are easily one of my favorite sets. My father-in-law also commented on how good the Journey sounded when I had 80/20 EXPs on there at one time.

I still have some WAV files of string recordings that I did with the Shorty and that guitar did sound marvelous with Martin Retro lights. The Journey definitely did not sound its best with them. Not a huge revelation for you gurus here but experimentation is a must as these things are apparently very guitar specific.

Last edited by steelvibe; 01-02-2021 at 01:14 PM. Reason: follow up...
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Old 01-02-2021, 01:08 PM
domen domen is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Pine Cone View Post
got my new X20 with a Royal Ebony veneer top just before Christmas.
Bellissima!
a wonderful guitar, congratulations!
and thanks for the soundcloud track which, like everyone, I really enjoyed. It is a pleasure listen to your playing. How do you feel about the sound of the X20 in strumming?

Quote:
Originally Posted by EvanB View Post
...The first few notes on this recording reveal the kind of harshness that can result in over-playing the guitar. As soon as Pine drops back a bit in his attack the guitar becomes a mellow, controllable instrument...
Interesting...
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Old 01-02-2021, 01:14 PM
SpruceTop SpruceTop is offline
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That's A Beautiful Emerald--Enjoy!

My late-2019 Emerald X20 Transparent Green has a rather dark tone and it came with factory-installed D'Addario 80/20 Bronze strings. My first thought when seeing the brighter coloring of the strings was: Where is the usual set of phosphor-bronze strings most makers factory-install on their guitars these days? After a few minutes of playing time, I realized that the slightly brighter-toned D'Addario 80/20 Bronze factory-installed strings are probably what may sound best on this guitar. Confession: Being that I get a lot of mileage out of a set of strings, I still have the same factory-installed set on my Emerald X20. I may experiment with other string formulations when I feel the need to change what's currently on the guitar.
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Last edited by SpruceTop; 01-02-2021 at 01:30 PM.
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Old 01-02-2021, 04:56 PM
Captain Jim Captain Jim is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Pine Cone View Post
I was pretty much forced into getting an Emerald after all the good reviews and pictures posted here.

...

Hated the strings it came with. Elixers of some sort. Replaced them with some Light Siminoff Straight Up Strings which I have used before. They sound good to my ears.

The guitar's sound hole/port sounds unpleasantly loud to me at times, so I try to play with my ear far from it. Overall I really like the guitar.

...
I had been playing my X7 (previous generation) exclusively while out in our motorhome when the X20 arrived. I was shocked by how loud it seemed by comparison. It took me a couple days of playing the X20 to get used to the sound and the lighter touch that is necessary on that guitar compared to the X7.

Now, when I play other guitars that don't have that upturned soundhole like the Emeralds, it feels like part of the sound is missing. Give your X20 lots of playing time, and you will soon get used to controlling the volume. I really appreciate the rich, balance sound that guitar gives.

Emeralds ship with D'Addario strings. I find I prefer the sound with Elixir PB Nanowebs; I haven't used Polywebs in a long while and I need to give them a try again on the next string change.

Congrats on the new X20!
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Old 01-02-2021, 07:16 PM
Pine Cone Pine Cone is offline
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Thanks for the comments and kind words.

Overall, I think it is better for fingerpicking than strumming. For strumming I have an HD-28 that I prefer for its tone.

I am getting some of Scott Memmer’s Charmed Life Picks which should be here next week. I am curious to see & hear how they work with both the X20 and the HD-28.

I tried to make a before-and-after string change recording but had some technical issues I hope to overcome before posting them.

Playability and comfort of the X20 is excellent. Might be able to try it out in a band situation next week, old time and bluegrass.

Haven’t tried the GHS Vintage Bronze strings. My OF660 currently has DR Sunbeams on it, probably light gage.
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Old 01-02-2021, 10:51 PM
Captain Jim Captain Jim is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Pine Cone View Post
Thanks for the comments and kind words.

Overall, I think it is better for fingerpicking than strumming. For strumming I have an HD-28 that I prefer for its tone.

I am getting some of Scott Memmer’s Charmed Life Picks which should be here next week. I am curious to see & hear how they work with both the X20 and the HD-28.

I tried to make a before-and-after string change recording but had some technical issues I hope to overcome before posting them.

Playability and comfort of the X20 is excellent. Might be able to try it out in a band situation next week, old time and bluegrass.

Haven’t tried the GHS Vintage Bronze strings. My OF660 currently has DR Sunbeams on it, probably light gage.
I have a selection of Charmed Life Picks and really appreciate the difference. For decades I was a Wabash Blue guy, from when a music shop owner gave me a whole jar of them. About 7 years ago I started trying some "upscale" picks (my definition) and found the Charmed Life Picks (the flame red is my favorite, but I have the amber, black, brown (multiples) and the Gravity Picks Gold Series. I find some picks just sound better on different guitars.

For the record, I tried a couple different carbon fiber picks a while back... didn't do anything for me.
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Old 01-03-2021, 08:48 AM
Goodallboy Goodallboy is offline
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A lovely instrument! Congratulations!
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Old 01-03-2021, 10:19 AM
Earl49 Earl49 is offline
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Last year I bought a sampler pack of V-picks, with seven different types. Keeping them all out on the table by my usual guitar chair, it is fascinating to hear how much difference a change of pick makes. Same guitar, same day, much different tone.

My "normal" pick is a basic celluloid in heavy gauge these days, but medium works too. I have acquired several packs of Taylor branded ones at Road Shows (remember those?) although I'm sure they are the same as the Fender and other branded celluloid picks. I've bought a few other types too. So far no excursions into boutique picks like Charmed Life or Blue Chip.
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Old 01-03-2021, 10:21 AM
Dru Edwards Dru Edwards is offline
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Wow! What a beautiful Emerald.

"forced into getting", you're not alone with those who acquired guitars after joining the AGF.

Congrats and enjoy.
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