NGD update - I am a weak, weak, weak man...

Ray;

Your daughter sounds golden to me. I went from starvation to a good and then a very good salary. My saving grace was the belief that being rich was living below your means. That's what's made my indulgence with CF guitars possible.

[raysachs]

This thread is a reminder of how much I like having a "LIKE" button in forum software and how much I miss it here. There are so many posts that I appreciate and would just like to say "thanks" or "I agree" but I don't want to clutter it up even further by responding to almost every post. So a lot I just don't respond to at all, but I just want to say I really appreciate the nice things folks have said here about my guitar (and my daughters!). Although LIKE buttons can be overused and turn almost into a rote thing, they don't need to. I find them pretty good to have on a lot of threads where I don't really have anything to say, but would like to express my approval without taking up the space of another post.

So, one post to express one great big THANKS!!!

-Ray

[slewis]

Holy batpoop, Ray -- that's one of the most beautiful guitars I've ever seen. Congrats, man. If it plays as well as it looks, you're good to go. And no reply necessary -- you already know all this and obviously appreciate all the great comments!

[raysachs]

One last update. We're down in North Carolina now, where we spend 3 months each year near our younger daughter (and out of what's left of winter in Pennsylvania). And all of those problems I had seeing the guitar in our PA condo are a non-issue in the place we rent down here. The room I use as a guitar room here gets plenty of light and the guitar looks great with no assistance. This is just an iPhone pic of it hanging in it's stand (back to back with my strat), but it's an awfully pretty guitar when you can see it...

So, you know, if you have a room with decent light, don't fear the coco!

unnamed by Ray, on Flickr

This is the only acoustic I brought along and I haven't wished for anything else for even a minute. This is definitely my #1 and the X20 is gonna have to fight for attention when I get home in March...

-Ray

[kramster]

Looks like a reflection of a different guitar behind it...silly but true

[Ludere]

Originally Posted by raysachs

" ... This is just an iPhone pic of it hanging in it's stand (back to back with my strat), but it's an awfully pretty guitar when you can see it...

So, you know, if you have a room with decent light, don't fear the coco!

unnamed by Ray, on Flickr

-Ray

Ray,

I'm not quite sold ... how about you send her up to me in Virginia and I can see what she looks like in that light ?



...

If that's too far, send it to me. I'll even pay the postage.

[raysachs]

Originally Posted by Ludere

Ray,

I'm not quite sold ... how about you send her up to me in Virginia and I can see what she looks like in that light ?



...

I tried to send her away once, but she clung to me like a barnacle. So, I mean, I’d be happy to, but I don’t think she’d let me...

[kramster]

Originally Posted by raysachs

I tried to send her away once, but she clung to me like a barnacle.

Darn barnacles anyway! They might come in Carbon Fiber now.

[Methos1979]

Originally Posted by raysachs

This is the only acoustic I brought along and I haven't wished for anything else for even a minute. This is definitely my #1 and the X20 is gonna have to fight for attention when I get home in March...

-Ray

Yep! The new X7 is getting ALL the love, ALL the time! It's even getting the gigs. The X20 comes along as a backup but stays in the car. Even though it's technically the superior of the two for amplified tone. But that X7 just melts into me. LOVE the size, playability and unplugged tone.

In bright light (sunlight, flash, stagelights) it looks stunning. Just wish that effect could be seen in more ambient light.

[raysachs]

Originally Posted by Methos1979

Yep! The new X7 is getting ALL the love, ALL the time! It's even getting the gigs. The X20 comes along as a backup but stays in the car. Even though it's technically the superior of the two for amplified tone. But that X7 just melts into me. LOVE the size, playability and unplugged tone.

In bright light (sunlight, flash, stagelights) it looks stunning. Just wish that effect could be seen in more ambient light.

Agree on all counts except the gigging part. I'm in my second round of playing a lot of guitar - the first time I was in my late teens and twenties and played out a lot, tons of jams, some gigs. This time, not so much. So it's a homebody, as is it's owner...

But for that first round of playing and for many years after, my only acoustic was a Martin D28 and I never wanted anything else. I have a similar feeling about this X7 - it could easily be an only as opposed to a #1. I don't have any need to sell off the X20, and sometimes having a change of pace is a good thing and sometimes playing a #2 is a good reminder of why your #1 IS your #1. But if this WAS my only acoustic, I wouldn't feel like I was missing out on anything.

For years, I was a one acoustic and one electric guy. I don't think I could do with one electric - I absolutely have to have a strat but I absolutely can't ONLY have a strat. So I think it would be one acoustic and two electrics at this point, but I could easily pare down to that if I ever want or need to.

-Ray

[Methos1979]

I spoke too soon as at the gig today I encountered some pretty awful boxiness from the QSC. This is the exact same gig as last week but I did play around a lot with the Boss VE-8 settings during the week trying a bunch of different EQ's trying to get the X7 to work with (unsuccessfully, btw) well with the VE-8 by itself.

The gig is a brunch gig and it's in full swing by the time we get there so there is not much time to mess around with getting good tone. I tried a few things on the Boss and the Headway and then broke out the X20 which while still a little boxy was not nearly as bad. Glad I had the X20 there!

Another gig tomorrow at same place and will try a couple things again with the X7 but will probably end up with the X20 again. Going to have to try to figure that one out. I had good tones dial in at home and it worked last week at the gig.

Frustrating sometimes how tiny variables can change so quickly. I've come back from a between-sets break to find the need to play with EQ.

[Captain Jim]

The X20 is... "a backup"??

I've been playing around with a Spire Studio recorder i got last week. After careful consideration, the X20 is my favorite for recording acoustically with the onboard condenser mic. Interesting revelation, because the X10 has been getting most of the attention since getting it in October. I really thought the X10 might be... the one. Until I picked up the X7 to play on the couch.

Any one could be... the one.

Scott, are pickups in your X20 and X7 the same? K&K is your choice, IIRC?

[Methos1979]

Originally Posted by Captain Jim

The X20 is... "a backup"??

I've been playing around with a Spire Studio recorder i got last week. After careful consideration, the X20 is my favorite for recording acoustically with the onboard condenser mic. Interesting revelation, because the X10 has been getting most of the attention since getting it in October. I really thought the X10 might be... the one. Until I picked up the X7 to play on the couch.

Any one could be... the one.

Scott, are pickups in your X20 and X7 the same? K&K is your choice, IIRC?

Yes, K&K's in both. Boxiness in the mids (G string always the worst) is not uncommon in smaller body guitars but I've always been able to dial it out fairly readily. Not today. Apparently I really pooched my basic settings on the VE-8 during the week. Even the X20 did not sound as good.

Fortunately the place was hopping and we were background music so not many people focusing directly on us. I've got some ideas for tomorrow that I didn't think about today. I hate having tone issues to start a gig. It gets in my head and it's all I can think about. Plus, I sweat like pig. Took me a full hour to settle/cool down. At least tomorrow I'll be prepared for the challenge going in.

[jdinco]

NO pig sweatin' on this forum Scott ! LOL Great info, thanks for sharing.