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

[Acousticado]

Real puuuuurdy...congrats! The top design reminds me very much of that on the Chimaera coco 6/12 I had.

[new2guitar_eh]

As much as I like all the various veneers, I too keep being drawn back to cocobolo....and yours is as pretty as they come!

[TheChicagoTodd]

Very nice! Great woody choice!

Todd in Chicago

[ac]

That guitar is spectacular!

[Frettingflyer]

Super looking Coco top, very nice! Surely you can rationalize keeping all three, the “older” X7 for travel or “risky” environments....

[raysachs]

Originally Posted by Frettingflyer

Super looking Coco top, very nice! Surely you can rationalize keeping all three, the “older” X7 for travel or “risky” environments....

Pretty unlikely, but we'll see. I'm only gonna have all three for a couple of weeks before we take off for three months. I generally only take one acoustic and one electric when we relocate during these winter months, so that's gonna be serious bonding time with the new one. When I get back in March, I'll live with all three of them for a while and see what gets played and what doesn't. And I'll decide based on that. If I find myself playing all three for a prolonged period, maybe I'll keep all three. If one isn't getting played, I'll sell it after a while.

My guess is the old X7 will go, but who knows. Some folks who've replaced the old X7 with a new one have had sellers remorse and wish they still had the old one, so I guess that could happen with me. But I live in a pretty small condo and tend to be pretty ruthless about selling stuff that doesn't get used. I was like that with bikes, cameras and, so far, guitars as well.

-Ray

[jdinco]

Wow...not sure you could have got yourself a better present. Congrats. I'll be real interested in how you think the old and new X7 compare to each other.

[kramster]

Originally Posted by jdinco

Wow...not sure you could have got yourself a better present. Congrats. I'll be real interested in how you think the old and new X7 compare to each other.

I'm gonna take a wild guess and say the newer one will win out...if I was a wild guesser that is...or wild or even a guesser of any description ...hope this helped.

[jdinco]

Originally Posted by kramster

I'm gonna take a wild guess and say the newer one will win out...if I was a wild guesser that is...or wild or even a guesser of any description ...hope this helped.

Well, you SHOULD know, so why didn't I ask you to begin with? My thinker doesn't always work correctly. It's hard to imagine Emerald would replace a model with one that doesn't sound as good when you stop and think about it.

I sold my "older version" X7 last summer fully planning on ordering the new version, big mistake, that same week my A/C and furnace died. Being it was only 103 that week, I didn't really think we needed to replace the A/C right away, but others disagreed with me. It was a major expense and I haven't recovered enough yet to get the X7 ordered. I keep telling myself that my Cargo is close enough and not that much different than the new X7, but it's not working. Once you get Emerald Fever, there's only one cure. Or three.

[raysachs]

Originally Posted by jdinco

Well, you SHOULD know, so why didn't I ask you to begin with? My thinker doesn't always work correctly. It's hard to imagine Emerald would replace a model with one that doesn't sound as good when you stop and think about it.

I sold my "older version" X7 last summer fully planning on ordering the new version, big mistake, that same week my A/C and furnace died. Being it was only 103 that week, I didn't really think we needed to replace the A/C right away, but others disagreed with me. It was a major expense and I haven't recovered enough yet to get the X7 ordered. I keep telling myself that my Cargo is close enough and not that much different than the new X7, but it's not working. Once you get Emerald Fever, there's only one cure. Or three.

I don't think there's ANY question that the new one will sound at least as good, although it should sound different, and sometimes better is in the ear of the beholder. From everything I've read, it's a fuller, deeper, somewhat mellower sound. But that's arguably less "parlor-like" which may not be an upside for everyone. I love the sound of the old X7. What I'm sure I'll like more about the new one is the perceived volume difference from the player's perspective because I know empirically that the new offset soundhole makes a big difference in that regard. I think I'll love the volume and I seriously doubt I won't also love the sound, although maybe not more than the old one.

The only complaint I've seen about the new one from folks who have had both is the comfort of the new one. It's wider, deeper and the body is longer. I don't think the length will matter - it's simply longer around the soundhole so it can meet the neck at the 12th fret rather than the 14th, and the overall length is within a tiny fraction of an inch, so I can't see that being any issue at all. But the body is almost an inch wider and almost an inch deeper and some folks haven't liked that. I really doubt it'll bother me. I think a lot of folks think about a parlor guitar as something you'd play leaning back on a couch or something, and that's where those dimensions could be a negative. But I really don't ever play that way. I'm always sitting such that I'm straight up or leaning forward when I play, whether the X20 or the X7. I'm just more comfortable that way. And I'm more than comfortable enough playing the X20, so the slightly larger size probably won't bother me at all.

But, it's bothered enough people that I've read of that I'm just cautiously not getting TOOOOOO excited about how much more I'm gonna like it. And I do like the old little one soooo much it's hard to imagine liking the new one much more...

But hey, film at 11. Someday, after I've had it long enough to form a solid impression.

-Ray

[mkatz]

Beautiful Ray, congratulations!

Mitch

[raysachs]

Originally Posted by mkatz

Beautiful Ray, congratulations!

Mitch

Thanks Mitch. Everything I wasn't gonna do, I did. I guess we know who's not in charge around here!

-Ray

[kramster]

Originally Posted by raysachs

Thanks Mitch. Everything I wasn't gonna do, I did. I guess we know who's not in charge around here!

-Ray

Are any of us anywhere in CF land??

[raysachs]

Originally Posted by kramster

Are any of us anywhere in CF land??

You could expand that to planet earth and not be wrong...

[jwellsy]

That, is a magnificent specimen!

I'm thankful Emerald doesn't have a layaway program, that baritone keeps siren calling to me.