Quick Question re: X30

[Mark Stone]

I've been reading reviews of Emerald instruments and have discovered that some folks are not happy with the setup. I don't have someone nearby that can do a setup on a CF machine, so this is a concern if I choose to buy an X30 (which I may be gassing for)---- What is y'alls experience with playability out of the box on these? TIA - - -

[oscarvan]

So my recently arrived X-30 had some buzzing on Lo E and A out of the box. Messed with the relief and no relief... haha.

Someone here has one and went from medium to light strings and got the buzz. (slightly, he's probably a better player than I am). So based on that I went to the medium strings. This just about took care of the buzz.

I do now have a slight "Sitar effect" on the B when playing around the 12th fret, but I am being picky.

Overall the guitar is quite playable and doesn't need any "setup" per se. Nut and saddle are good. You can play around with relief, the allen wrench comes with it and you can do it without removing the strings....almost on the fly.

It is BY FAR the most ergonomical guitar I've ever touched. There is no comparison to anything out there (that I've seen) for how this guitar fits the human body.

So there's no need for serious apprehension.

[Mark Stone]

Originally Posted by oscarvan

So my recently arrived X-30 had some buzzing on Lo E and A out of the box. Messed with the relief and no relief... haha.

Someone here has one and went from medium to light strings and got the buzz. (slightly, he's probably a better player than I am). So based on that I went to the medium strings. This just about took care of the buzz.

I do now have a slight "Sitar effect" on the B when playing around the 12th fret, but I am being picky.

Overall the guitar is quite playable and doesn't need any "setup" per se. Nut and saddle are good. You can play around with relief, the allen wrench comes with it and you can do it without removing the strings....almost on the fly.

It is BY FAR the most ergonomical guitar I've ever touched. There is no comparison to anything out there (that I've seen) for how this guitar fits the human body.

So there's no need for serious apprehension.

Thanks for the response --

[oscarvan]

BTW, I don't think there is any difference in setting up a woodie versus a CF. Truss is truss, nut is nut, saddle is saddle and frets are frets. The fact that the body and neck are not made of wood should make no difference.

[David Eastwood]

Originally Posted by oscarvan

BTW, I don't think there is any difference in setting up a woodie versus a CF. Truss is truss, nut is nut, saddle is saddle and frets are frets. The fact that the body and neck are not made of wood should make no difference.

I’d agree with this.

My X20 arrived pretty much perfectly set up, for my tastes. It lives, most of the time, in open D, and for my fairly gentle fingerpicking style, is very comfortable. On the rare occasions I hit it a bit harder, it does just fine - no rattles or unseemly noises.

The X20-7 - likewise. The only quibble I have with its playability is that the fretboard *seems* a little flatter than the 6-string - that makes for a fairly significant difference in feel between the two, but I suspect that is just an artifact of the extra string.

[Puerto Player]

It's hit or miss. My X30 played and sounded fine, it was the pickup/piezo under the saddle that wasn't correct. Low E was WAY too loud. High E you couldn't even hear. But acoustically it played and sounded great, just plugged in it was way off. My tech fixed it.

I've owned 5 Emeralds, I have 4 now, only two were set-up correctly. One guitar wasn't right tone wise at all, even after sending it back to Ireland, it wasn't right. I got in trouble for saying it was crap, but it was. However, a "normal" Emerald set-up correctly sounds absolutely fantastic. And it plays absolutely fantastic. However, I've had to do a setup on almost every guitar I own except the Goodall.

My Shift key on my laptop just broke in half!

Mark;

I like your Little Dog music and admire your guitar work. Thank you.

I'm working on my 5th Emerald. I've never had a problem with set ups.

[jwellsy]

My X30 arrived not only setup really well, but it was also still in tune.

[Sorehand]

I own two Emeralds. A X20 which was made for me a year ago and a X20-12 which was purchased from Emerald's available online instrument list a month ago.

First of all, I am very picky about setup. I build and repair wood guitars as a hobby. I have owned some pricey boutique guitars. I have never purchased any guitar, new or used, that did not need to be adjusted for my hands and playing style.

My X20 arrived close to perfect for my needs. Yes I felt the need to lower some of the strings for my playing style but the truth of the matter was the instrument was setup for what I would consider general purpose strumming and picking.

The X20-12 was also very playable out of the shipping box. My guitar playing friends made comments like "this is like playing an electric guitar", "plays like butter". Basically, very easy to play. There are two minor problems with the nut. The low E octave string notch was cut too close to the E string. Seems to have no effect on playing. More of an issue to my eye and sense of perfection. The guitar was sent tuned to standard pitch, E to E. I have lowered it to D to D and will soon start trying it in open tunings. The reason I mention this is that now I have lowered the tension of the strings the A string octave is not singing like it should (slight buzz). My measurements show the nut slot for that string was cut just a hair too deep.

My feeling is that for a factory made guitar, Emerald seems to do as good job on setup as I have experienced from any other manufacturer. Setup for a guitar needs to be made by a guitar tech to fit your particular needs. Also, once you do get the nut and saddle dialed in for your needs, keep in mind that a nut and saddle will be wearing down from contact with the strings over the years. This will change the setup down the road. Luckily, the body and neck will stay stable and not complicate your setup.

[Mark Stone]

Thanks everyone for your responses - I feels better now, and I'm not as skeered.

I contacted a luthier in my city and he said he can do setups on this guitar, agreeing with oscarvan, so it has become a non-issue.

[rjathon]

Since carbon fiber guitars as allegedly so stable how can a factory ship a guitar out with a bad set up or buzzing strings, especially when they ship it across an ocean and there are possible customs concerns, etc.

Emerald guitars are expensive and at that price point one should expect a decent set up. Once again. These are stable carbon fiber guitars.

Russ

[steelvibe]

Originally Posted by rjathon

Since carbon fiber guitars as allegedly so stable how can a factory ship a guitar out with a bad set up or buzzing strings, especially when they ship it across an ocean and there are possible customs concerns, etc.

Emerald guitars are expensive and at that price point one should expect a decent set up. Once again. These are stable carbon fiber guitars.

Russ

It's the set ups that are in question, the stability of the material is absolutely not.

[Alistair Hay]

I just happened to drop into the forum today and came across this thread.
We are continually refining our fretboard and setup across our range and I feel we made significant strides forward in the past year but I feel there is still room for improvement.
I think the improvement needs to come in how we communicate with you guys about our ability to set up a guitar to meet your specific playing needs. The reality is that there is no such thing as a perfect setup as everyone plays in a different way so what plays perfectly for someone who plays light finger style will buzz like crazy for someone who strums heavily.
We set our action up to suit a medium style but there is always room to go either way. If you talk to the guys in sales and explain your playing style and possibly offer measurements from a favourite guitar then we can set up your guitar accordingly.
I intend doing some how to videos this coming year to explain how to evaluate your setup and how to measure the action on your guitar to provide measurements when ordering something to similar specs.
I hope this will be helpful.
Alistair

[revj]

Originally Posted by Alistair Hay

I just happened to drop into the forum today and came across this thread.
We are continually refining our fretboard and setup across our range and I feel we made significant strides forward in the past year but I feel there is still room for improvement.
I think the improvement needs to come in how we communicate with you guys about our ability to set up a guitar to meet your specific playing needs. The reality is that there is no such thing as a perfect setup as everyone plays in a different way so what plays perfectly for someone who plays light finger style will buzz like crazy for someone who strums heavily.
We set our action up to suit a medium style but there is always room to go either way. If you talk to the guys in sales and explain your playing style and possibly offer measurements from a favourite guitar then we can set up your guitar accordingly.
I intend doing some how to videos this coming year to explain how to evaluate your setup and how to measure the action on your guitar to provide measurements when ordering something to similar specs.
I hope this will be helpful.
Alistair

Your willingness to jump in here and give feedback Alistair is a testament of your character. Thank you so much for caring. I am really picky about this and that is one reason I fear buying a guitar I have not played. I have yet to buy a Emerald but this helps me understand the efforts you are giving to giving us the best experience. Thank you. I wonder. what would a class for guitar techs on how to manage your guitars would look like?

[jdinco]

If you indicate your setup preference when you place the order, I bet they come pretty close to what you want. I didn't have to touch my X20. The X7 was a bit high at the bridge though, I had failed to ask for a lower setup on that one since it came from stock.