Evan's Emerald Nylon Guitar Adventures

[penny]

I wonder if the Access Stage One Small Body Acoustic (AB1SA1) would work? It's the same bag I think, that comes w the Cargo, but bigger. I've read it is a good fit for the Shorty.

Penny;

Thank you, it looks like the Stage One AB1SA1 is a good fit. It's about the same size as the Mono but doesn't come with as much sticker shock. If I was travelling a lot I might go for the Mono, but I have a hard shell case and all I really need is something light to get from my house to local venues.

I'm going to give it some more thought before I order it, but at the moment it looks like the Stage One is The One.

Thanks to all of you for your help. This is a pretty sweet forum.

[Captain Jim]

Before you go for the Access Stage One, be sure you have some kind of a neck support to use in it. You might check with Tim in Customer Service at Access to see if he has anything available.

Otherwise, the Stage Three would be a better choice, in my opinion.

I have been very happy with the Access bag for my Shorty.

And the winner is.............Access.

As I mentioned earlier, I do not really need a particularly sturdy bag--just something that carries and protects the instrument from scratches and such. My favorite bag for my old X10N was just a cloth bag with no foam filler.

The Mono, and upper level Access bags are more than I need. I've ordered the Access Upstart as the most minimal option. If I do any hard travelling I'll use the hard case.

Again, thank you all for the options.

[LesRose]

I just want to say thanks for this thread, as I am digging the Emerald guitars and Evan sheʻs a beauty. Alistair, wow, love your work! You will be hearing from me soon.

A number of people have indicated that they thought my review of the X10-OSN was somewhat flat. Well hay! I spent a number of years extolling the virtues of my X10N and several years in discussing this new and improved model. When it finally got here, there was little left to be said--it's met its expectations.

I've been playing with a Banjo, two mandolins, and several guitars, on Sunday afternoons, under the cottonwood trees in the park. The X10-OSN is an incredible instrument. I can get right with the Banjo player in terms of projection and I can play sweet enough for the mandolins .

Alistair has a winner with the X10 build. It is comfortable, it sounds beyond its comfortable size, and plays much like an electric--easy, smooth, and as high as you want to go.

[Purfle Haze]

Originally Posted by EvanB

Alistair has a winner with the X10 build. It is comfortable, it sounds beyond its comfortable size, and plays much like an electric--easy, smooth, and as high as you want to go.

This is wonderful to hear! Where can I order one? Sean? Bueller? Anyone?

The preceding message may contain humor and/or sarcasm.

[warndt]

DELETED....

[Fixedgear60]

Hi Evan,

Thinking about purchasing my first nylon string guitar and could use your advice. Been playing alot of uke these days and now that nylon string sound is bleeding over to my guitar playing... :-). It will have to be a composite guitar and per our discussions have narrowed it down to the rainsong or emerald. BB makes wonderful guitars but not a classical player and 2inch neck is just to wide for my shorter fingers.

Any advice on these two as well as the whole nylon string thing.... really new to this.. what strings... are there gauges.... like steel.... any advice would be welcome... are there choices on which strings are wound... ect.

Thanks in advance for your sage advive

Chris

[Strumalot]

Hi Chris,

I'm not Evan and don't play him on TV, but I may be able to help.

I own both the Emerald x10N (older model shown in the comparison shots in in this thread) and the Rainsong NP12. I have also been through a few wooden nylon guitars.

My main guitars are a steel string Strat and a CA GX, so my perspective might be slightly different than Evan's. I do like the nylon sound ~ they get there fair share of play time ~ and at this point I have plenty of experience with both.

There are a few issues here, but your first decision point is this... do you want to play past the 12th fret?

If so, the Rainsong out, and you are "stuck" with what Emerald will build for you. That's not a bad thing to be "stuck" with (I love my X10N!... it's almost perfect), but there my not be the choices there were a few months ago.

Anyway, first things first. Decide on fret access.

About the strings. There are enough choices to entertain and confuse you for a long time. Evan would be a much better help with that. My Emerald shipped with Oasis somethings, and the Rainsong has D'Adarrio EJ44s. They are about the same as steel 12s with fatter tops. They play looser and are much easier on the fingers than steel. Both sound great.

Hope that helps.

[Fixedgear60]

Hi Strumalot,

Thanks for jumping in on this!!!! ALL feedback is welcome!!!! I typically do not play beyond 12 frets but who knows where my playing will take me.. :-). I love warm Oasis strings on my ukes... I have not been able to play a nylon rainsong parlor but have found the steel string version a little boxy for my tastes... not sure how the nylon version will change that perception. Have owned x5 and x7 in the past but found they did not have the warmth as say my KM or cargos in the past.

Again not sure who nylon changes the sound dynamics in these guitars... does it warm them up ????

Welcome your thoughts... love the pictures of Evan's guitar (little funky in design but that open head stock... kills me). Do not see it on emerald website yet so price/performance will play a role....

So many questions... so few guitars...

Thanks for your help!!!!

Chris;

I think Strumalot cuts right to a primary factor--how high do you want to go?
The Rainsong does not give you the fret reach you get with an Emerald.

Comfort is also important to me and I find the Emerald to be a very nice ergonomic build.

I believe that nylon strings bring a lot of warmth to CF instrument. As Strumalot points out, there are enough nylon string options to keep you as busy as you want to be. D'Adarrio alone makes a number of nylon strings in light, medium, and hard configurations with a number of different materials. I'm not fond of hard tension strings because I believe that while they enhance projection they also take some of the warmth out of the sound.

Another option that you might keep in mind is Journey. Rob has said that Journey is working on a nylon version of its CF guitar. I have no idea what the time frame is on the Journey or how well the guitar will play or sound but its price point will most likely be less that the other guitars mentioned. You might ask Ted if he has any inside information regarding Journey's time frame--or maybe just contact Journey.

I don't think you can go wrong with either the Rainsong or the Emerald. I have both and I am keeping both. You can occasionally find a used RS at a very nice price; I rarely see Emerald nylon string instruments on the used market.

Strumalot;

You can play me on television any time you want. I would, of course, expect a royalty of some sort.

[Strumalot]

Evan,

Thanks for the green light on the TV thing. I was thinking about doing a sitcom about an upscale sophisticated nylon guitar player who ~ through an alarmingly odd set of circumstances ~ is forced to live in a dilapidated house with three obnoxious rock star wannabee steel string players and one totally inept tattoo artist.

If it works, I will definitely send you a nice check!

Chris,

I think the the nylon strings do warm up the Rainsong NP12. I am not a big fan of the steel string RS sound (a little bright for my purposes), but the nylon version works.

In comparison to the Emerald X10 the sound is very similar. When we compared both, the Emerald seemed a bit warmer (we preferred it), but that could be due to string differences. Both guitars sound great and I don't think that is a big issue.

What might be an issue is the neck. With Rainsong you get the 1 3/4 N2 ~ beefier than most ~ neck, which is fine if you like it. Some people don't. You indicated you have played the NP12 steel, so you probably already know if the neck is an issue for you.

If you get a custom Emerald, you have a choice of nut widths. I have a 1 3/4 inch neck on mine and this is one of two things that makes it almost perfect and not perfect.

Let me explain...

I have Strat and a thin neck CA GX. I wanted the nylon to be the same so I could have a "congruous" set of guitars, but Alistair recommended that I don't go that thin with the nylon strings.

So I didn't.

When I got the guitar, I played it a lot and the CA GX and Strat started feeling a bit cramped. I was starting to wonder which was "right."

Now, after playing all three guitars (Strat, CA GX and X10N) quite a bit over a few months, I can confidently say that the thinner Strat and CA necks are best for me and I think the X10N would have been fine at the 1.65 nut width.

Note that this is not a "problem" ~ the X10N plays great ~ just a notch off perfection and perhaps an error in my judgement when ordering. Hard to know without trying it. Alistair could be right after all.

Bottom line is, with the Rainsong you get what they make, no options. With the Emeralds, you have a choice. Think it through and choose what's best for you.

Once you are past the neck issues, you can deal with body size and design.

With the Rainsong you're getting a traditional wood-based design built with non-wood materials.

With the Emerald, your getting a design with more thought put into how the instrument interacts with the human body. To me, that's important and the X10N is a very comfortable guitar. That's not to say the Rainsong is uncomfortable, it's just not as good a "body fit" as the X10N.

Body size and volume are also something to consider.

Alistair was promoting the X20N to me, but I didn't want big and loud or the offset aimed-at-me sound hole. The old X10 is the perfect size for my purposes. The volume is a good match for my voice, and I don't have to worry about birds nesting via the open sound hole, snakes going after the eggs... you know, pretty soon you have an entire ecosystem in your guitar.

In any case, you have a choice about those things... I think. You will have to contact Emerald to see what they are willing to do. I sent an e-mail to Allister a while back encouraging him to keep the "old" X10 in the mix, but I got the feeling that won't happen, and not sure about the availability of the Evan Model either. Only the Emeraldians would know for sure.

Other decision points on the Emerald would be the electronics and the headstock. I got the K&K pickups. I don't like the electronics that are built into the body. One reason to have a CF guitar is being able to spill beer on it without worry.

The Emerald slotted headstock may not provide any functional benefits, but it is a work of art, and I think having an instrument that suits you aesthetically has a lot of value. I would venture to say, it helps you play better.

Now, here is the other thing that keeps the X10N from being perfect, at least in my opinion... the heel. Why? As far as I know, it serves no purpose, just gets in the way. My CA GX doesn't have one and that facilitates playing up the neck. The Rainsong is even worse in this respect because the strap button is located on the bottom of the heel. So you have even more superfluous crud to deal with up there.

Maybe someone can enlighten me on this???

Anyway, Chris, maybe more than you wanted to know, but there you go.

I would be excited to hear that you got the perfect instrument for your needs, so hopefully you'll keep us informed of your own nylon adventure!

[Fixedgear60]

Strumalot,

I can not thank you enough for your thoughtful and through post!!!! It I may pay you back with a little information as you suggested .. I did contact Alistair and it appears your love of the old X10 is safe. Evan's new design X10 has not been productionalized and was a one off to test the concept. Evan... you lucky dog!!! Currently the only way to order a x10 nylon is the old model. He will not be productionalizing this design in the near future but you can still get the awesome slotted headstock though. It is funny that you bring up the neck on the Rainsong which I have always though is "bulbous"... if that is a real word... It is more like my 52 reissue telli which the guys call the baseball bat neck and do find my KM neck much like the CA neck much easier to play... common father I guess.

Any way thanks again for the effort you put in on my behalf in your post and you leave me with lots to think about!!!

[new2guitar_eh]

Originally Posted by Fixedgear60

Strumalot,

Evan's new design X10 has not been productionalized and was a one off to test the concept.

Interesting....from another thread I kind of thought Sean was suggesting the new X10 nylon would be headed towards production. Maybe Sean (or Alistair) can jump in?