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

[Methos1979]

Congrats! She's a beauty. I'm hoping to get my ransom email from Emerald very soon. Assuming it's not delayed the timeline for delivery will be exactly like my custom X20 last year which shipped the first Monday in December but didn't get to me until the 22! Sigh.

[Captain Jim]

Originally Posted by Methos1979

Congrats! She's a beauty. I'm hoping to get my ransom email from Emerald very soon. Assuming it's not delayed the timeline for delivery will be exactly like my custom X20 last year which shipped the first Monday in December but didn't get to me until the 22! Sigh.

You may want to get next year's Emerald ordered a bit earlier. Just being helpful.

[jwellsy]

Whew, I was able to get my X20 baritone GAS to pass by playing the Ruby Cross. The baritones are 27" scale length and the X30 Ruby Cross is 26.5" on the low E which is pretty darn close, close enough to scratch that GAS attack.

[kramster]

Originally Posted by jwellsy

close enough to scratch that GAS attack.

Ha...good one..we'll see how long gas can be fought off...and how many cases of this it takes....





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[Cool555]

Congrats! Beautiful Cocobolo veneer on an equally gorgeous guitar!

Just curious! Is it a one of a kind design that will not be repeated on another CF guitar?

[jdinco]

Originally Posted by Cool555

Just curious! Is it a one of a kind design that will not be repeated on another CF guitar?

I can't imagine any two pieces of the wood veneer that Emerald uses ever being exactly the same. I consider them one of a kind....

[raysachs]

Originally Posted by Cool555

Congrats! Beautiful Cocobolo veneer on an equally gorgeous guitar!

Just curious! Is it a one of a kind design that will not be repeated on another CF guitar?

There are quite a few cocobolo veneer Emeralds out there, but they're using actual wood veneer, not a print or something. So, while most of the cocobolo veneer guitars look somewhat similar, the veneer on each is unique.

-Ray

[Cool555]

Originally Posted by raysachs

There are quite a few cocobolo veneer Emeralds out there, but they're using actual wood veneer, not a print or something. So, while most of the cocobolo veneer guitars look somewhat similar, the veneer on each is unique.



-Ray

Thanks Ray for your reply!

[Cool555]

Originally Posted by jdinco

I can't imagine any two pieces of the wood veneer that Emerald uses ever being exactly the same. I consider them one of a kind....

Thanks! I thought so too. Just wanted to be sure...

[raysachs]

OK, now it's NGD. For all of the problems other folks seem to have with USPS and their tracking system in particular, I've got no complaints, none. When I bought my X20 a few months ago, it shipped on a Friday, it sat in tracking limbo between when it left Heathrow on Sunday and cleared customs and got into the USPS system on Wednesday. But once USPS had it, I got texts with it's progress right up until they delivered it on Thursday morning in both cases. In this case, I was upstairs drinking coffee at 8 AM and got a text that the package had already been delivered, and sure enough it had.

untitled-1-6 by Ray, on Flickr

I've been playing it for the last couple hours, with a brief break to change strings to I had an apples to apples comparison to my older X7 and X20. And I can basically tell a number of things pretty quickly.

1. Visually, I'm sorry but Emeralds, even with veneers, eat light. They absorb it and they don't give it back without a fight. It's stunningly beautiful in bright sunlight, pretty nice in bright indoor light, and beyond underwhelming in typical indoor light. I chose Cocobolo partially because I love it's dark mood, but on the off-chance I ever buy another veneered Emerald, I'd probably go for a lighter veneer like Pau Ferro just to be able to see the veneer more clearly in typical lighting. That said, it's gorgeous, it's prettier than the plain carbon weave on the others, and I'm very happy to have it. But if you're thinking about one of these, you may want to err on the side of a lighter shade of veneer so you'll be able to see it better in more lighting conditions.

This photo is enhanced to show the veneer in fairly bright indoor light. When I look at the guitar across the room in typical indoor light, it's only the bright arrow down the center of the veneer that differentiates it from the other two Emeralds.

untitled-2-3 by Ray, on Flickr

2. This is bigger than the earlier X7, but this is still a SMALL guitar. When I went downstairs to grab the box off the front step, I was amazed that there was gonna be a guitar in there. The body is a good deal longer, but that's all in the forward extension of the soundhole to the 12th fret - the old one joins at the 14th. This has essentially no impact in how it feels to play. The additional inch of width and depth is more noticeable. My right arm hangs over the lower bout differently. Still, very comfortable, much smaller than the X20, but not as intimate feeling as the old X7. OTOH, my posture is forced to be just a bit better with this one - with the old one I could get pretty hunched over it. I suppose for as long as I have both I'll notice this, but if I sell the old one and don't have it around for comparison, I'll forget about the difference. The new one is very very comfortable. The neck and the short scale are basically identical. The neck may be very slightly flatter, but it's close enough that it might not be. It feels and plays wonderfully.

2. Soundwise, it sounds almost exactly as I'd hoped, AND as I'd feared. It sounds amazing, it's very VERY close to the X20. It's significantly louder to the player than the old X7 - that's a big criteria for me because the old X7 sounds almost as loud to the listener as the X20, but to the player, not even close. The old X7 sounds like a completely different type of guitar from the X20. The new one sounds like a slightly smaller, not quite as loud version of the X20. The sound characteristics are very very similar. The X20 feels like a 000 to me, but sounds like a dreadnaught. The new X7 feels like a parlor but sounds like a smaller dreadnaught. Like you just turned the volume down a bit. The old X7 sounds like a relatively loud and non-boxy parlor guitar.

This is kind of what I expected from the sound and creates the dilemma I'd feared. I'm NOT gonna keep all three guitars - there's not enough difference between them to justify or even want to do that. But I'm not sure whether to keep the X20 or possibly keep the old X7 instead. The new X7 is kind of in the "sweet spot" I thought it might be in. But it arguably makes BOTH other guitars sort of redundant. I'm quite sure I'll sell the old X7 and keep one short scale and one full scale guitar. Which makes sense. But there was such a contrast between the X20 and old X7 and so much less of one with the new X7. Soundwise, there's a bigger contrast between the old and new X7s than there is between the new X7 and the X20. I really don't see myself keeping just two small, short-scale guitars. But in terms of the sound, there's some logic to doing just that. I'd consider selling both the old X7 and the X20, but I can't do that because I always seem to need a #2 for contrast and to help me appreciate the #1.

Anyway, I'm just gonna have to keep all three until it sorts itself out. Over a period of time, I'll find myself not playing either the old X7 or X20 nearly at ALL, and that's the one I'll sell. I'm pretty sure it'll be the old X7, but I can't say for sure at this point. Time will tell...

-Ray

Ray;

Hold on there. Before you let anything go you need to check out all your options, like an X10. It's between the 7 and the 20 and might be the perfect fit. Jut a thought.

[raysachs]

Originally Posted by EvanB

Ray;

Hold on there. Before you let anything go you need to check out all your options, like an X10. It's between the 7 and the 20 and might be the perfect fit. Jut a thought.

I'm not gonna let anything go until I'm sure what it should be. I really don't have any interest in the X10 - I have three electric guitars I love - I'm more of an electric player than acoustic. And the pickup options on the X10 aren't really of much interest to me. On top of which, the X10 kind of sits between the old X7 and the X20 in much the same manner as the new X7, but with a different flavor and different dimensions. Not really interested in that option.

If I was going to ADD anything at this point, I might think about selling both the old X7 and the X20 and getting an X30 as my "big" guitar, which would have more contrast to the new X7. BUT, I really don't want a guitar that feels or sounds any bigger than the X20. I mean, I've been playing the tiny old X7 more than the X20 for a reason - I seem to be more of a small guitar sort of guy at this point. So I'm pretty comfortable with the X20 as my "big, loud" guitar. But I don't think I'll play it as much with this new X7 as my main squeeze as I did when I was mostly playing the old X7.

These are the best kind of first world problems to have - they're not problems by any rational definition of the term. It's just a bit of a dilemma I can deal with without any pain!

-Ray

[iamlee66]

Nice write up Ray. Like you said, it’s a good kind of problems to have. And you’re right. The lighter veneer is the way to go if you want more visibility.

[Captain Jim]

Originally Posted by EvanB

Ray;

Hold on there. Before you let anything go you need to check out all your options, like an X10. It's between the 7 and the 20 and might be the perfect fit. Jut a thought.

LOL The man just got a beautiful new guitar, has a dilemma about what to keep, and you're already telling him what he needs to add?

I get what our buddy Ray is saying, though. I thought the X10 might make me want to sell off the X7... nope. It makes me appreciate the differences.

Oh, oh - maybe the perfect guitar is: the new X7 body with the 24.6" scale neck I have on the X10? No, I like my X7 just the way it is... and the X10 - that neck is great... oh, that rumble from the X20 is nice...

I have concerns that this has become the Carbon Fiber Guitar Acquisition sub-forum. If only I had the unlimited financial resources and space to... just kidding. I'm content.

Good luck with the decisions, Ray. Nice that you have time to sort out the "what stays" options. Your new X7 is gorgeous. I understand what you say about how they absorb light - I think it is the depth of how these delightful guitars look. If they were brighter in typical room light, I think it would cheapen the rich look. As is, it looks like you could dip your fingers into the finish.

Have fun with the comparisons!

[Earl49]

Originally Posted by raysachs

My right arm hangs over the lower bout differently. Still, very comfortable, much smaller than the X20, but not as intimate feeling as the old X7.

Soundwise, it sounds almost exactly as I'd hoped, AND as I'd feared. It sounds amazing, it's very VERY close to the X20. It's significantly louder to the player than the old X7...... The new X7 feels like a parlor but sounds like a smaller dreadnaught. Like you just turned the volume down a bit. The old X7 sounds like a relatively loud and non-boxy parlor guitar.

Time will tell...

Good stuff, Ray. I find that my arm hangs differently on Emerald's too, because of that wonderful arm bevel, but my technique adapted quickly. I now mostly feel it when playing a "square" guitar.

That is very good information on the comparative tone, or great interest to many here. The new X7 sounded pretty good to me when I tried Kramster's, but honestly I was way more focused on the X30. We have a "classic" X7 and an X20 and are happy with both.

No need to be in a hurry to decide. Take your time and be sure (as sure as you can be) that you are making the right choice. Or maybe this is right time to take up alternate tunings. That is what several of my guitars are doing right now - sitting in other tunings for convenient grab-n-go practice.