Emerald X20 Custom Woody update - two weeks in

[Methos1979]

There's been lots of interest in my custom X20 with it's short scale and other features. Since I have received so many queries I thought I'd write an update review of my experiences now that I've had the guitar a couple weeks. For those who might not have seen my initial NGD post and review of this guitar, you can read it by clicking the link for it down in my sig line.

Here we go...

Two weeks in and I'm still really liking this guitar. It has proven to be everything I'd hoped it would be. The look is gorgeous. The fit and finish is near perfection and a testament to the great work being done by Emerald. The first thing I've noticed beyond the general basics is the weight of this guitar. It's
HEAVY. Now, don't be put off my that statement. A more accurate descriptive modifier would be that it's heavy compared to the guitars I've been playing over the last year.

My two last have been a Santa Cruz 1929 00 and the current Martin 000-18GE Custom, both of which are/were extremely lightly-built guitars. Empirically, the Martin weighs in at 3.8 pounds. The X20 weighs in at 4.8. So only a pound more and far from a heavy guitar but comparatively to the Martin and SC, it's quite obvious. Note that this weighing was done with the me alone/me with guitars on the bathroom scale method, so far from scientific!

I don't recall the X20 Artisan I owned a few years ago as being a very light guitar though so I wouldn't say that the custom is any heavier or lighter than a standard X20 offering. In fact, I would venture to say that the shorter scale is offset by the extra mass of the custom V shape in the neck and the K&K pickup with no battery is likely offset by the extra mass of the cocobolo veneer, cocobolo being known as a heavy wood.

Speaking of necks - the scale and shape is another point of interest for many. I went with the 24.6" scale and as stated in the original NGD this has proven to be a great choice. I think the 24.0" (which I had on an X7) would have been just too short for the X20 body size. The 24.9" scale would have been fine and perhaps given a little more volume while still being comfortable and the same scale as my Martin. But the 24.6" scale gives the guitar an intimacy that I was hoping for. I envisioned a scale that would give the guitar the feel of a 'travel' size guitar that felt great sitting on a couch playing while giving the great full-size tone of the X20 body. And it does exactly that.

As for the neck shape, not much to add to that. Alistair's attempt at his first V-type neck is great. It's relatively close to my Martin mod V and extremely close (as far as I can recall) to the Santa Cruz soft V I had a few years back which was my favorite V neck of all time. So great job hitting that, Alistair.

Another thing noted after playing is the depth of the body. The back is convex in shape so it bulges out a fair amount. The comfort bevels on the front (arm) and back make for a very comfortable guitar but that outward curve in the middle of the back makes this guitar definitely feel 'fatter/thicker' than my Martin with it's relatively flat back. Note that this feeling is exacerbated by my decidedly ample midsection (as in 'fat') belly! It's not uncomfortable and is only really noticeable when playing standing but I felt it was worth mentioning since I'm trying to be as in-depth as possible here.

Next up is plugged-in (amplified) tone. I went with the K&K system as it's my tried and true, a known quantity, and the other offerings I'd tried from Emerald in the past (B-Band and LR Baggs Element) were not my cup of tea. Plugged straight into my Carvin AG200 with settings dialed in for the Martin (also with a K&K) the guitar sounded just okay. One of best things about the Emerald X20 is also one of the most challenging things when amplifying: Sustain! The X20 seems to ring forever with a MUCH longer decay than almost any wood guitar I've played.

People always seem to rave about guitars that ring forever but when amplifying it can cause challenges. With the X20 the main problem seemed to be with the A string. It wouldn't feedback perse but it would just ring and ring and ring. I found myself needing to alter my technique to deliberately mute that non-stop ringing string as it would intrude into other notes and chords when I didn't want it to.

This had me a little worried at first. I generally don't like to change the EQ settings on my amp for different guitars so always try to find a 'happy medium' that works with both. While fiddling with the settings on the Carvin it quickly became apparent that no amount of tweaking was going to solve the issue. I then plugged the X20 into the little belt clip K&K Pure pre-amp I own and I was able to instantly dial in an excellent tone that seemed to mitigate the issue completely.

This is actually good because I've come to play out at open mics always using this little wonder of a pre-amp as it allows me volume control and on-the-fly EQ when needed, which is almost always due to the common issue of open mic setups being relatively basic either due to equipment or just the people running it not really knowing (or caring) how to dial in a fingerstyle players tone.

That's about it. The only other thing worth mentioning is the seemingly extreme preponderance of this guitar to amplify sonic 'zings' from chord changes. Again, maybe this is an extreme resonance issue? Part of it certainly is the strings themselves which are D'Addario 80/20 EXP's. I will eventually go over to my favorites - Elixir Nano's - which with the coating should mitigate this issue. I noted this with the X7 I had for a short while but don't recall it as an issued with stock X20 I had years ago so I'm wondering if the shorter scales have something to do with this as well?

In the coming week I plan to record a video playing just the guitar acoustically and amplified so people can hear it. I'll update/add that when available. In the meantime I do already have three songs from our acoustic duo up on YouTube that were recorded with the X20. Note that it was recorded acoustically (with just a cell phone) so no amplification and my wife is singing so the guitar is soft even with the volume cranked up on your computer. You can find these videos by clicking the link below to our Facebook page and then clicking on the link in that. You can also just do a search on YouTube for our acoustic duo band name - NO1U Know.

[kramster]

Good stuff... thanks for taking the time to write all this.

[jwellsy]

First off, thanks for making the world a nicer place with 'NO1U Know'. Your bride has a beautiful voice and you can tell she really feels the song. I'd like to hear you guys do a Eva Cassidy cover like her Somewhere Over The Rainbow arrangement.

I really like your goal of living with 2 guitars. Your Emerald story has been very inspirational. Thanks for all the effort it took to capture it in writing, that in itself is a talent few people posses any more.

What would be your thoughts on a 12 fret, 24"S.L., X20 woody plugged into a battery powered Phil Jones Bass Suitcase or briefcase?

[Methos1979]

Originally Posted by jwellsy

First off, thanks for making the world a nicer place with 'NO1U Know'. Your bride has a beautiful voice and you can tell she really feels the song. I'd like to hear you guys do a Eva Cassidy cover like her Somewhere Over The Rainbow arrangement.

I really like your goal of living with 2 guitars. Your Emerald story has been very inspirational. Thanks for all the effort it took to capture it in writing, that in itself is a talent few people posses any more.

What would be your thoughts on a 12 fret, 24"S.L., X20 woody plugged into a battery powered Phil Jones Bass Suitcase or briefcase?

Thanks for the kind words - I'll pass them on my wife and she'll be delighted. She's only just very recently become more confident with her singing and now that she is, she's putting even more feeling into her interpretations of the songs we write and cover. I'm quite excited to see how we grow over the next few years.

You are not the first person to recommend we listen to Eva Cassidy after hearing us perform. What a talent and what a tragic loss for the world. There are quite a few online talents these days that have made their bones starting out with excellent covers of popular songs. Daniela Andrade, Jayme Dee and Boyce Avenue are a few that we really like and have used as inspiration in our own performances.

Also, thanks for the kinds words of my review. I tend to be wordy but it comes natural to me and some people do prefer a detailed and in-depth review of a product, especially if they are considering a custom of their own. I figure in these cases more is more and those not interested can just stop reading, right?

I think your short scale 12 fret X20 would be interesting. I'm assuming by 12 fret you mean the neck is just set further back (like a Taylor GC) as opposed to an elongated body like a Martin 00? I'm not sure Emerald makes an elongated 12 fret body but if anyone would do it, it would be Emerald. Same for the set-back neck for that matter.

In all honesty I think a 24" scale on an X20 body joining at the 14th fret would be a little funny looking so pushing it further back to join at the 12th (or elongating the body) would make it look even more odd. Function-wise I'm not sure it would a problem though.

I'd never heard of Phil Jones amp products until you mentioned them just now. I had to Google it! Looks like nice stuff and should be for the money. But I've never heard them so can't comment. There's just so much great amplification choices out there right now. It's a good time to be an acoustic guitar player/performer!

If you end up ordering (or even just inquiring about ) such a custom, be sure to keep us posted as I'm sure there are others that would be interested in what you find out. Sean regularly lurks here and might even comment on his own about your ideas.

[jdinco]

Great job on your video's Methos, as already mentioned, your wife has a wonderful voice. Thanks for sharing those and your review of the X20.

[Kerbie]

Great write-up... thanks for sharing!

Very thoughtful update, thank you. I look forward to future demonstrations.

[Captain Jim]

Very nice review! I was considering a custom neck on an X20 build when the February Select Series grabbed me by face. The only other 25.5" scale guitar I have is the 814, and I had definitely been favoring the 24.875" lengths (and shorter) on other guitars. No regrets with anything about the X20 as is... it just doesn't feel as big as it looks when hanging on the wall. It may be the fact that it is the guitar I pick up first and most, and have retrained my fingers. No issues moving back and forth.

I played with the D'addarios that came on it for a couple weeks - I think you will notice less squeek and more comfort with the Elixirs on there.

Always interesting to read how folks are getting along with their new guitars - thanks for taking the time to share.

[Frettingflyer]

Thank you for the nice review, it looks and obviously sounds great, as do you and your wife together. Looking forward to catching up with you guys at one of the open mikes.

[kramster]

Originally Posted by jwellsy

Phil Jones Bass Suitcase or briefcase?

The cleanest amps I ever owned where 2 Phil Jones Cubs...
Here is Phil with me at Winter NAMM 2015 trying to be my best buddy after I took the time from my...well what ever I do there .. to explain about 4" speakers moving together can move enough air for plenty of tight bass sound... or something like that

[jwellsy]

There's a video on YT of PJ explaining his theory is that a bunch of small speakers are more efficient than one big one. He compared it to a school of little fish in the ocean that can swim as a group and turn in unison on a dime, but a huge whale takes a long time to make a turn.

It looks to me like Genzler (formerly Genz Benz) has taken that concept to hart with their new Acoustic Array Pro. Too bad it's not battery powered.

https://www.genzleramplification.com/shop/acoustic-array-pro/


A great outdoor guitar needs a great cordless amp for playing anywhere outdoors.


Methos, Eva's family did put together a songbook of her arangements.
https://www.amazon.com/Eva-Cassidy-S...ssidy+songbook

[kramster]

Originally Posted by jwellsy

It looks to me like Genzler (formerly Genz Benz) has taken that concept to hart with their new Acoustic Array Pro. Too bad it's not battery powered.

Still has a bigger speaker in the mix... Bose knows this stuff as well

Jwellsy;

I'm with you. I really like the battery powered amps. The Roland AC33 acoustic amp is light, pushes sound, and handles a mic and a guitar.

The Crate is a good battery powered amp but it weighs 40 pounds. The roland weighs 10. I'd like to see a Genzler go-anywhere amp.

[kramster]

Originally Posted by EvanB

I'd like to see a Genzler go-anywhere amp.

+1 on the Genzler... Jeff makes good stuff

[Methos1979]

We have a Roland AC-33 as our backup to our Carvin and for using when we need battery power. Also makes a great little monitor in a pinch.

One of the best amps I ever had was the first iteration of the Genz Benz Shenandoah series, the 85. Great tone but heavy. I'm glad to see they are back.

It's a great time for us. It just keeps getting better and better. By the time we need a bigger setup the choices will almost be too many to choose from. It's already that way to a degree.