My first Emerald

[Captain Jim]

Originally Posted by Winzzy

Do you make it out here often?

The shorty served me well for a good amount of time, but having played a couple full sized RainSongs at LA Guitar, I knew that it wasn't the big sound I wanted.

I'm excited to take the X7 down to Rocky Point this summer. It really is perfect for travel. How much bigger does the X10 feel?

We generally get to the Phoenix area (Goodyear) for a couple months during the winter - to visit with our daughter and son-in-law who live there.

This is the first trip since I got it that I didn't have the X7 along. It really is a sweet guitar. Making a comparison between the X7 and the X10 isn't just about size: the X10 has a stock neck of 1 11/16" nut width and a 25.5" scale. I ordered my X10 with a 24.6" scale; the neck on that feels a bit slimmer than the neck on the X7. With the previous generation X7, the body of the X10 is significantly larger. The new generation X7 is much closer in size to the X10. I went back and forth in my consideration before committing to the X10... mostly because of the stock level 2 pickups on the X10.

I really like the sound of my X7 - nice balance, good projection. While walking around playing it, I looked out the full-length window onto our patio, and was blown away by the sound that reflected off the glass! It really was more powerful than what I hear from the playing position. My X7 has a B-Band pickup, and plugged in, that guitar kicks!

Each of my Emeralds brings something unique to the guitar experience. In years past, I had one acoustic guitar and was quite content with that. I really like the variety with these 3 Emeralds... while each one could be a "one and only," I appreciate that I don't have to make the decision of which would make the cut to get to that point. Heck, it's tough enough to decide which one to take when traveling in our motorhome.

I like how you titled this "My FIRST Emerald"... because it is likely there will be more. It happens.

[trion12]

Originally Posted by Captain Jim

stock level 2 pickups on the X10.

Hey Jim,
How does the level 2 undersaddle pickup sound?
Quacky? Natural?

I am thinking of getting an X7 with a level 3 pickup and am wondering how the pure acoustic guitar sound is amplified.
Thanks.

[Captain Jim]

Originally Posted by trion12

Hey Jim,
How does the level 2 undersaddle pickup sound?
Quacky? Natural?

I am thinking of getting an X7 with a level 3 pickup and am wondering how the pure acoustic guitar sound is amplified.
Thanks.

My take on it is the under-saddle pick up is not quacky; it is not "like the guitar, only louder" that some folks seek. I prefer it over the LR Baggs Element. Generally, I find I use it blended with the humbucking pickup.

Somewhere on here, I did a video review of the X10 level 2 pickups. Here's a link to the YouTube video...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BS0q...ature=youtu.be

Hope that helps.

[Winzzy]

Holy smokes... I know I shouldn't make judgments based on strings of unknown lifespan but holy cow... A new set of strings made this thing sing!

I am so completely satisfied now, it sounds amazing.

[raysachs]

Originally Posted by Winzzy

Holy smokes... I know I shouldn't make judgments based on strings of unknown lifespan but holy cow... A new set of strings made this thing sing!

I am so completely satisfied now, it sounds amazing.

What strings did you put on it?

BTW, your mention of Rocky Point made me homesick. I grew up in Tucson and had a couple of friends with places down in Penasco from the early '70s. I spent a LOT of time down there in my later teens and early 20s, mostly in the late 70s into 1980-81. More memories than I can remember! Was last there in about 2008 - man had it changed!!! Still had a great time with old friends though...

-Ray

[Winzzy]

I put on Elixer Nano PB 12s, I seemed to remember liking them okay on my RainSong and they had same day delivery from Amazon. I am open to recommendations for other strings as well, but they seemed like a decent baseline.

Yea Rocky Point has changed a lot, especially since 2008. We actually stay a bit outside of the city on a separate beach. When we started going all the power on the beach was solar and the road to get there was a pretty rough dirt one. My whole family clan goes down every summer, I am crossing my fingers we don't have to miss it this year.

Originally Posted by raysachs

What strings did you put on it?

BTW, your mention of Rocky Point made me homesick. I grew up in Tucson and had a couple of friends with places down in Penasco from the early '70s. I spent a LOT of time down there in my later teens and early 20s, mostly in the late 70s into 1980-81. More memories than I can remember! Was last there in about 2008 - man had it changed!!! Still had a great time with old friends though...

-Ray

[raysachs]

Originally Posted by Winzzy

I put on Elixer Nano PB 12s, I seemed to remember liking them okay on my RainSong and they had same day delivery from Amazon. I am open to recommendations for other strings as well, but they seemed like a decent baseline. Those elixirs are kind of a baseline string for me - they've sounded at least pretty good on pretty much every guitar I've had in the past 20 plus years and better than that on some. So I always know I can land there if my experiments don't work out. But after trying Monels on the X7, I've mostly stayed put. I put a set of TI Plectrums on it and they sounded really nice, but almost a bit too smooth and mellow for my taste and they're crazy expensive to boot, so Monels it is for me...

Yea Rocky Point has changed a lot, especially since 2008. We actually stay a bit outside of the city on a separate beach. When we started going all the power on the beach was solar and the road to get there was a pretty rough dirt one. My whole family clan goes down every summer, I am crossing my fingers we don't have to miss it this year.

I liked those same Elixrs on it too. I like the Martin Models even more, but it's really a personal preference thing - worth trying a few different types to see what brings out the inner orchestra in a guitar...

When I first started going down to Rocky Point, there was the town and then the Las Conchas development to the south of town - that was about it. By 2008 the town had expanded and there's that whole row of new condo towers on the beach to the north. I remember camping on that beach and a bunch of 4-wheeler crazies climbing some ridiculous hill up there. Now I guess they'd have to climb one of the condos!

Anyway, enjoy the X7...

-Ray

[Winzzy]

Originally Posted by raysachs

I like the Martin Models even more

Ray, I can't find Models anywhere online... do you mean the Retro that says Monel really small in the corner?

[jdinco]

Retros are Monels

[raysachs]

Originally Posted by Winzzy

Ray, I can't find Models anywhere online... do you mean the Retro that says Monel really small in the corner?

Oh yeah. I typed Monels - auto-correct must have auto-corrected it to Model. But yeah, the retros. They seem to be a somewhat polarizing string, some like 'em some don't. Some like 'em on some guitars but not others. I like 'em on the X7 a lot, liked them somewhat on the X20 when I had it, but oddly not as much...

-Ray

[steelvibe]

Originally Posted by raysachs

Oh yeah. I typed Monels - auto-correct must have auto-corrected it to Model. But yeah, the retros. They seem to be a somewhat polarizing string, some like 'em some don't. Some like 'em on some guitars but not others. I like 'em on the X7 a lot, liked them somewhat on the X20 when I had it, but oddly not as much...

-Ray

Thanks for that input Ray. While I can't speak to the Emerald thing, they are known to work very well with mahogany. To me they also do a great job of smoofhing out and balancing the tonal spectrum of the guitar they are on. With CF they seem work well at taming the inherent bright nature of CF while amplifying the best qualities of whatever CF they are on. Smaller instruments (like the X7) tend to be boxy and/or bright and Retros really seem to help tame all that? At least it's been my experience with RainSong and Journey.

[trion12]

Originally Posted by Captain Jim

My take on it is the under-saddle pick up is not quacky; it is not "like the guitar, only louder" that some folks seek. I prefer it over the LR Baggs Element. Generally, I find I use it blended with the humbucking pickup.

Somewhere on here, I did a video review of the X10 level 2 pickups. Here's a link to the YouTube video...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BS0q...ature=youtu.be

Hope that helps.

Thanks Jim. Much appreciated.