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#1
04-19-2019, 01:20 PM
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Emerald with a non-glossy board...?
Check this out:
https://emeraldguitars.com/product/x20-qm-r-5140/ Looks like a fingerboard that is not polished to a gloss, and has a graininess to it. This is a stock guitar, no mention of anything different. I'm not a huge fan of the shiny fingerboards on Emerald's instruments. This looks a little funny in their ultra-bright lighting, but probably more natural in normal light. I wonder if it's rocklite or something similar? I asked Kevin and got an auto-reply saying everyone's out til Tuesday after Easter.  
__________________
enough instruments to be mediocre at all of them 
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#2
04-20-2019, 08:11 AM
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That is interesting for sure. I thought Emerald used Parker fretboards with a polyester finish on all their guitars. I wonder what that is. I really do like their fretboards though I find them really smooth, makes bending strings really easy, especially higher gauge strings.
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#3
04-20-2019, 09:24 AM
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Alistair did use Parker fret boards early in the game, but started making his own many years ago. Emerald has moved way beyond Parker in terms of fret board variety.
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#4
04-20-2019, 10:37 AM
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My understanding is that Emerald guitars are all molded as one piece which suggests to me that the fretboard on this guitar has been manually prepared a bit differently to achieve this particular finish.
__________________
Tom '21 Martin D-18 Standard | '02 Taylor 814c | '18 Taylor 214ceDLX | '18 Taylor 150e-12 | '78 Ibanez Dread (First acoustic) | '08 CA Cargo | '02 Fender Strat American '57 RI My original songs
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#5
04-20-2019, 06:03 PM
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If you really wanted a matte finish on the fret board, that could probably be added during the build, before fretting. (Satin necks are actually shot as a glossy clear coat, then sanded to make them "matte"). You could also do it yourself after the fact with 0000 steel wool or the right grade of Scotchbrite pads. It would be very hard to get consistent results, especially the areas right up against the frets.
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#6
04-23-2019, 06:08 AM
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Kevin's response:
"We have switched to using a pure carbon matt finish on the fretboard, it looks much better in real life, very cool."
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enough instruments to be mediocre at all of them
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#7
04-23-2019, 07:20 AM
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Quote:
Thanks for posting 
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Don't chase tone. Make tone.
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#8
04-23-2019, 10:49 AM
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Quote:
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#9
04-23-2019, 02:15 PM
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I asked if it was still polyester over CF - apparently not.
"We are using the raw carbon fibre now, we don't use the polyester anymore on the fretboard." I don't see visible weave in the photos, but maybe it's there. I wonder what will happen with the guitars in queue...
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enough instruments to be mediocre at all of them
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#10
04-23-2019, 05:03 PM
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Quote:
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Martin 0-16NY Emerald Amicus Emerald X20 Cordoba Stage Some of my tunes: https://youtube.com/user/eatswodo
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#11
04-23-2019, 07:50 PM
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Quote:
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#12
04-30-2019, 03:59 PM
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I've always thought Emerald's gloss fretboards (and bridges) perfectly complimented their overall sleek and nontraditional design. And it plays really slick. Though I'm sure that brushed plays equally-well.
I suspect that most customers would prefer a brushed fretboard, since it looks/feels like the ebony they're used to...and maybe some wonder if the gloss is sticky/slowing--not at all the case, in my experience. My brain expects fretboards and bridges to have the same color / finish, but that's tradition, and Emerald isn't about tradition anyway. And I'm guessing the difference doesn't stand out like in the pics. Emerald's product pics are super bright and saturated, and don't represent reality (sorry...though TBH, a minute of post-work in Photoshop could correct this.  )
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