Summer is here... Emerald X20 getting all the love, the Martin is sad
 

I thought for sure that the X20 would be my 'winter' guitar that would get taken everywhere with no fear of cold cars and temperatures swings and dry air while the Martin would be my 'summer' guitar and get the call for all but the most hostile of gig environments. Guess what? Not the case. Our playing out has increased exponentially as of late and the X20 just keeps getting grabbed off the wall. So much so that it's pretty much became my favorite from an intimate playing standpoint.

I'm not sure why or how this happened because at first I was grabbing the Martin. I prefer the Martin's slightly wider string spacing and unplugged the tone as well. But these days I'm plugging in a ton and the slightly shorter scale, body comfort and even the narrower string spacing of the X20 is preferred as we add more 'strummer' songs to our set lists.

There are two other big factors as well:

Consistency - say what you want, but as everyone here knows and can fully attest, it's a really nice thing to play a guitar that just does. not. change. no matter the temperature, humidity, or whatever you throw at it from an environmental standpoint!

Looks - EVERY time I take the X20 out anywhere, people lose their minds. Guitar players and non-guitar players alike. Everyone wants to know what is, where it's from, how much it costs. Players are thrilled when I gladly hand it over to them to play.

Anyway, I thought it was worth mentioning, sharing and seeing if anyone else out there (who still has both CF and wood guitars - I know a few of you don't!) are finding that your CF guitars are getting all the love these days, at least when played out live. Or maybe I just wanted to post the photos again...

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Speaking of photos, the X20 is also great for band promo photos!

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Wow! Two beauties.

Preaching to the choir, Scott! ;) Taylors instead of a Martin for me, though. In the words of the philosopher Kramster: They're around here, somewhere." :D

I haven't had the wood acoustics out of their cases in months.

Lol - part of my master plan... Between the guitar and the singer, no even bothers to look at or listen to the fat guy that can barely play!

That’s a gorgeous color pairing. Nice.

I've been trying to convince myself to order a plain CF top instead of splurging on a Woody, and then you go and show that bookmatched Cocobolo again! Mercy!

Lol - sorry, muser! (Not really, we're all enablers here!!)

I think the plain X20 would likely get a lot of attention as well due to it's very different look, especially if it's in a cool color that pops like the amber or green. I was on the fence on ordering a custom X20 way back before the woody tops started showing up. But when I saw that first cocobolo - I was done!

I think my custom version should be the template of a stock X20 offering. For those considering it, the 24.6" scale on the X20 body is pure comfort magic! Add the color, pickup and wood veneer of your choice (if desired) and you've really got something.

Your X20 is drop dead gorgeous! I showed the pix to my plain old X20 and it hid in a corner!

good lord that thing is beautiful......... ughhhhhhhh i've got emerald on my brain now....

Yes, we are enablers here!
I can vouch for the comfort of this X20, Methos let me try it and it is a really great set of specs. In the end I couldn’t bring myself to spend the money for the custom neck profile and all but I really enjoyed playing this particular X20 and thank you again for the opportunity.
I however, do find myself playing my wood guitars more when home if I am setting time aside to play. If it is just for a minute here or there, the CF is of course already out and handy for that. It may get me banned here but I still prefer the tone of my wood guitars in most instances, though like wood each guitar has certain songs it just stands out on. And of course, the wood guitars don’t go to work or kids activities where they may get left in the car for even a few minutes.

Hey Dave - I don't think anyone here will be calling for you to be banned over your choice of tone. The CF players are pretty open-minded. ;) Now, if you went on a Martin forum to extol the sound of your CF guitars, that might be different. :D It's nice that you have plenty of variety.

When I got the Shorty, I was immediately captivated by the tone... but not to the exclusion of my wood guitars. I even bought another wood guitar after getting the RainSong. My feelings about all that changed after getting my two Emeralds... I really don't see another wood guitar being added.

A great carbon fiber guitar doesn't eliminate GAS... it just changes the focus. :evilgrin:

Lol - poor baby! It will be fine. Just tell her, "You're pretty too, sweetie!"

BWAHHAHHAHAHAHHHA! My work here is done!

Truth be told, I still prefer the Martin for it's lighter weight, greater volume, tone and resonance. I tend to grab it when I'm home late at night and just want to play a little, quietly. But when it comes to a 'workhorse' the X20 always get grabbed and as of late with the acoustic duo on the upswing, it's all X20, all the time. Or so it seems. If push came to shove and I had to choose one over the other, I'd be hard pressed to do so! Thankfully, there is no reason for such a drastic event at this point and time.

So no worries from me, FF! It was great having you over and A/B'ing the two X20's.

Thank you Captain, and I bet you are right about the Martin forum:)
As for CF GAS, I have had a bad case of it! I really enjoy the CF tone as well but when I get home from a trip I usually turn to my Taylor 812ce 12fret for the most satisfying tone in my lineup. However, the CF guitars I have all sound fantastic as well, so I am blessed.