Shoulda coulda woulda... (Emerald)

[bcopeland8900]

I am taking the plunge. I am starting the process of ordering an X20 or X30 from Emerald. To all of the Emerald owners out there, what customizations do you recommend or wish that you had made? I am primarily a Fingerstyle player and play standing up.

Thank you in advance for your advice!

-B

B;

You have a lot of a lot of options. The most popular option seems to be veneer--I've been through the latest batch of veneers and find it difficult to find a favorite. That will take some time.

Another option that I've found appealing is the slot head tuners.

And then there's electronics to consider.

And color.

My advice is to take your time and let your imagination run free. You have the chance to make a personalized one-of-a-kind instrument. Pretty exhilarating stuff.

[jdinco]

I play with a pick, but I wish my X20 had 4 fewer frets on the bottom, I hit them with my pick on occasion. Congrats on your purchase !

[Captain Jim]

Congrats on the upcoming build, B. Some great options for your build from the folks at Emerald, but it would be hard for me to tell you what custom add-ons should meet your needs. The best thing about Emeralds, besides the great sound, is already designed in: the great ergonomics.

The look they can create for you is a very subjective thing - I have a black CF weave, a red CF weave, and a wood veneer model, and find all 3 great looking. The wood grains on the veneers make each guitar a "one of a kind," but there are a LOT of veneers to pick from, with new ones being added regularly. Check out Emerald's most current "veneer unveiling" videos to see what I am talking about. My personal preference is towards the cocobolo/louro preto veneers, but that isn't something I'd recommend for everyone. My most recent Emerald is a red CF weave, with just a bit of extra shading at the edges, and I think it is very nicely done.

I opted for a custom neck scale (24.6") over the standard 25.5"... the difference is subtle, but really works for me. My other two have a scale of 24" (X7) and 25.5" (X20), and find them comfortable for each model.

You have pickup options, or no pickup at all.

The ergonomic design of the Emeralds makes them comfortable to play seated or standing.

Good luck with the decisions!

[Gitaman]

I received lots of support from the forum when I went through the process and would like to pitch in as well. I am not an expert in music related stuff, so keep that in mind.

1. Because the guitar sits out all the time, I ended up playing in the dark sometimes and had I known they offer nightglow fret markers, I would have gotten it. I think Byudzai got 'em on his custom X30. He could tell you whether he thinks it is worth it and how much.

2. If you want to go wireless sometime in the future, consider passive pickup options like K&K or Shatten passive (plenty of forum regulars testimonies on this forum) instead of Anthem. You could find compatible wireless plug-in units much cheaper than for Anthem which is active and I ended up buying Senheiser's new release, XSW-D. Not cheap but a great product so far. (Furthermore, you don't have to worry about the battery running down if you keep it plugged in idling.) Was not too impressed with Anthem soundwise ( OF660's passive pickup sounded better ) and very crowded inside. Spend exra money you save by buying passive and buy Tonedexter. I think that might be a better setup.

Hope this helps with your decisions!

[rmsstrider]

If I were ordering a new X30, I would just ask Emerald to duplicate the X30 in BYUDZAI review here on the forum.

[kramster]

Originally Posted by rmsstrider

If I were ordering a new X30, I would just ask Emerald to duplicate the X30 in BYUDZAI review here on the forum.

That would be a great one!

[B. Adams]

Originally Posted by jdinco

I play with a pick, but I wish my X20 had 4 fewer frets on the bottom, I hit them with my pick on occasion. Congrats on your purchase !

That's about the only thing I'd change on my X20 if I could. I don't play up there anyway, so that part of the fretboard just gets in the way. It's not terrible, but I could definitely do without it.

[David Eastwood]

Originally Posted by bcopeland8900

I am taking the plunge. I am starting the process of ordering an X20 or X30 from Emerald. To all of the Emerald owners out there, what customizations do you recommend or wish that you had made? I am primarily a Fingerstyle player and play standing up.

Thank you in advance for your advice!

-B

For me, it was more a case of what to leave out. I was working to a definite budget with my X20, and, in fact, was poised to buy an Opus. I procrastinated, and by the time the moment came, the Opus was no more. Once I realized I could get an Artisan without electronics, and with just the gig bag, the price was back in the right territory again.

I did change my mind and get the hard case at the last minute; I realized that I already had a gig bag that would work (albeit nowhere near as pretty as the Emerald one), and that it would be worth the extra for the case. I'll just get a gig bag with the next one

[jwellsy]

Why eliminate options? Get em all!

[GuitarLuva]

I would recommend not getting a pickup but get them to do the soundboard prep work and you can always add a pickup later yourself. The LR Baggs anthem and element had quite a negative impact on the unplugged tone on my x30 and I ripped it all out and also replaced the stock tusq saddle with bone.

[headCASE]

Originally Posted by jdinco

I play with a pick, but I wish my X20 had 4 fewer frets on the bottom, I hit them with my pick on occasion. Congrats on your purchase !

Originally Posted by B. Adams

That's about the only thing I'd change on my X20 if I could. I don't play up there anyway, so that part of the fretboard just gets in the way. It's not terrible, but I could definitely do without it.

In the just under two weeks I've had my X20, I wish I had opted for 4 or 6 less frets, so that the Krivo humbucker pickup would have been out of my way. I play fingerstyle mostly, and sometimes hit the pickup. The pickup does make a nice thumbrest though.

[JimCA]

Originally Posted by GuitarLuva

I would recommend not getting a pickup but get them to do the soundboard prep work and you can always add a pickup later yourself. The LR Baggs anthem and element had quite a negative impact on the unplugged tone on my x30 and I ripped it all out and also replaced the stock tusq saddle with bone.

Did you end up darkening the bone saddle?

[Melt in the Sun]

Originally Posted by headCASE

In the just under two weeks I've had my X20, I wish I had opted for 4 or 6 less frets, so that the Krivo humbucker pickup would have been out of my way.

Isn't the pickup directly under the 24th fret spot? Seems it should stay there, regardless of how many frets there are.

[jwellsy]

Originally Posted by GuitarLuva

also replaced the stock tusq saddle with bone.

R U gonna do the nut too?