[RP]

I purchased my X20 last fall, but it was so nice that I think I was a little cautious about playing it to either its or my fullest. It was not only the first Emerald that I'd ever owned but also the first I ever played. After all I'm the guy who puts pick guards on my Rainsongs because I don't trust my strumming technique; and I didn't trust myself to lean into the X20 and so I played it sparingly and then only finger style.

Then something terrible and wonderful occurred - she fell over and suffered two chips in the clear coat. I say wonderful because I believe that the chips were an impediment to my selling it (because I was playing it rather stiffly and wasn't bonding) at the price I wanted. Lots of interest here and on Reverb, several maybes, but no sale. So I decided that I'd try my hand at fixing the chips - I mean how hard could it be?

I asked for and received some repair suggestions from fellow AGF members as well as Youtube videos. I had nothing to lose, right? This past week I rewatched a Dan Erlewine video and jumped into the deep end. My fear was that I'd make things worse but once I crossed the Rubicon (Alea iacta est), there was no turning back.

The repairs turned out decent, and by feel there's no way to tell anything was amiss. By sight, the repairs are pretty decent for a first timer. However, the added bonus is that once I inflicted pain on my X20 and then heeled her suffering I've felt a lot more comfortable digging in and really playing her. Wow, what a difference. I love this guitar and am so glad that she fell over that night and suffered her battle scars. Those scars brought us so much closer together...