NGD - Emerald X7 Nylon

[mountainmaster]

My Emerald X7 Nylon is here! It arrived in a box which apparently had been left out in the pouring rain for a while. The cardboard was soaking wet and softened. Had this been a wood guitar then I would have been worried. But not so with carbon fiber.

Here are some pictures:







This X7 has a scale length of 24.9" instead of the regular 24" and you can see a different weave where the neck has been extended.
The body joins at the 12th fret as usual (actually at 11.5) and this moves the bridge towards the edge of the lower bout and slightly out of the sweet spot. However, there is plenty of warmth in this guitar with a nicely balanced bass.

I was surprised to find electronics inside which I am sure I did not order. Did I pay for this or was it an unintended bonus?
Anyway, I won't be using amplification because I mostly play at home. Pure acoustically this X7 is easily as loud as my big nylon string gypsy guitar.

So how does it play? Well, to be honest, it is not the most comfortable nylon string I have played. I am used to high tension strings but now it feels like they make me work hard, despite the less than full 25.5" scale.

I would have liked to praise this guitar to the skies but the jury is still out on this one. I might use lower tension strings and sacrifice tone. Or maybe get a good setup since it feels like the bridge could be somewhat lower. Though that is always tricky with nylon strings.

[kramster]

Wow that's fine!!

[Earl49]

Congratulations! It's a beauty. I'm sure the wait seemed interminable.

[121]

Fabulous
I love that Amber color.
Neck/Headstock Junction ?

[raysachs]

Nice guitar - I hope you bond with it and get past the string tension issue. I haven't played a nylon string guitar in more years than I can remember, but the X7 (steel) is my favorite acoustic guitar since a D28 I had years ago. I hope this one works out as well for you...

I have to admit, that neck/headstock junction is one of the funkier things I've ever seen on any Emerald. I'd never see it after a while if it were mine and I'm sure it's functionally both necessary and highly effective, but I gotta admit it's a little jarring at first glance.

In any case, best of luck with it. I've had nothing but good experiences with Emeralds so it sort of bums me out to hear of folks who don't love 'em out of the box. But we're each different and have different preferences...

-Ray

[JimCA]

Very nice!

[bsman]

Lovely! If you don’t bond with it, I would be surprised if you can’t turn it for a minimal/no loss (except of course, for the time you spent waiting!).

[new2guitar_eh]

A little surprised at the neck....Emerald is top notch at finishing and that is a little jarring. Might be worth a conversation with Alistair

[btbliatout]

I'm jealous. I can hardly wait for my X20 Nylon to come in. Ordered it in October, last update is that the build might be completed in mid-January to early February.

Please let us know how you enjoy it as the days go by. It's unfortunate that it's not an instant head-over-heels experience, but maybe you'll grow into it once you change those strings?

Pending my experience with the X20, an X7 Nylon may be something I'd like to have as well. I'm hoping the X20 is everything I'd ever want, but I can see wanting something smaller when traveling.

Mind sharing your thoughts on the intonation? I've been fortunate and haven't had to get saddles for other instruments further compensated after receiving them, but I was wondering what to expect with Emerald nylons when they show up.

[AZLiberty]

Originally Posted by new2guitar_eh

A little surprised at the neck....Emerald is top notch at finishing and that is a little jarring.

I suspect that is where the headstock is grafted on. The Paddle headstock is molded in place, but the slot-head is all hand carved. I assume they need a bit of an extension to keep it stable.

The discontinuity is a bit abrupt looking though. I'd like to see some good picks of the back of other slot-head emeralds for comparison.

A truly beautiful guitar. My X7 electric nylon also had a high setup. Alistair had set it up with shims that made it possible for me to lower the action quite a bit--which I did--perfecto. Play with it for a while and I think you'll find it plays sweet. My 7 has a short scale and the lower set-up works even with normal tension strings.

[mountainmaster]

Thanks everyone! A few hours later and I am slowly but surely getting used to this guitar. I am convinced that a good setup will make it perfect for me.

Evan, I will look for shims when I restring the guitar. Failing that there is always that good old sandpaper.

Regarding the perceived "flaw" in the weave: Judging from pictures on the Emerald website this seems to be the standard join for a slotted headstock. On my guitar that area is just a little larger, I guess due to the extended scale. It is no problem.

[CFW]

Hmm. I never paid much attention the the back of the headstock on mine...

There’s definitely a joint/overlap of fibers, mine does not have the clear line that yours does.

Curious why you chose a 12 fret? I think mine was the first 12 fret nylon emerald made, and the bass overpowers the trebles by a long shot. Alistair confirmed this.
The change of the bridge placement is not advisable in my opinion. Unless there’s been some changes to the bracing to compensate.

My hope was two things- classical guitars are supposed to be 12 fret and I wanted to stay with that tradition. Somewhat irrational, since I have a radiused fretboard and a 1 3/4 nut.
I was also hoping that the nylon trebles would be more pronounced on a carbon guitar, which it appears to be, but the benefits that may have been gained were lost due to the overwhelming bass.

Did I mention the bass was overwhelming? Yes, that much.

[Mbroady]

Very nice looking instrument.
Played several of their steel string guitars and was impressed.
Still have yet to play a Nylon string
Congrats

[steelvibe]

Originally Posted by mountainmaster

Thanks everyone! A few hours later and I am slowly but surely getting used to this guitar. I am convinced that a good setup will make it perfect for me.



Evan, I will look for shims when I restring the guitar. Failing that there is always that good old sandpaper.



Regarding the perceived "flaw" in the weave: Judging from pictures on the Emerald website this seems to be the standard join for a slotted headstock. On my guitar that area is just a little larger, I guess due to the extended scale. It is no problem.

Very nice! I think Amber is my favorite look and your “glamour shot” photos show off the color nicely. As for the neck joint, I went and checked the nylon builds on Emerald’s site and they all look like that, it’s just that the amber might expose it a little more. Since the joint is on the back it wouldn’t bother me too much, and I swear that any imperfection is set off by the single most gorgeous headstock build in all the whole CF world. Alistair has hit it out of the park with that design IMO.