Question for new model Emerald X7 owners

[Methos1979]

Still getting to know my new (to me) Emerald X7. I was doing the second string change (in as many days) today and upon completion noticed that the headstock (when looking straight down towards the bridge) seems to twist to the right a slight bit. Then as I was looking down the fretboard to see if the neck itself is twisted it seems to, but not so much twist as angle ever so slightly in the same directly. This would seem to be by design but it still freaked me out a bit. I have owned this generation of X7 several years back and don't remember this but it's also not something I remember deliberately checking for and I didn't own that guitar all that long either. So I wanted to hit the hive mind for those that have the X7 and ask you to look and see if yours does the same. I'll post some photos that show what I'm talking about in a sec. Thanks!

[Methos1979]

Photos, as promised!

[iluvguitars2005]

Probably not helpful but I don’t recall that on either of the 2 v3 x7s I owned. But maybe I never noticed.

The 2 people I sold them to never commented either on anything looking off with the headstock and or neck.

[Melt in the Sun]

Measure the relief on the low and high E, that will tell you if there's a twist.

[Earl49]

Originally Posted by Methos1979

At first I though it might just be an optical illusion, but the larger picture shows that the plane of the top and fretboard look different form the nehadstock plane by a few degrees. I concur with Melt's idea about checking the relief on both sides. This is not something that I have ever noticed before, but have not looked. That will be a project for later tonight. Very interesting.... I guess the real answer comes down to playability.

Was this a custom short or long scale? I believe that they chop out a section and reattached the headstock when doing that. It's a possibility.

[Methos1979]

Relief is the same and there are no playability issues, so I guess it's just by design. I'm surprised that no one has come back with whether their headstocks have this slight tilt or not. I assumed there were a lot of X7 owners here. Maybe many are still recovering from the New Year's festivities?

[steelvibe]

Interesting. At first I couldn’t really see it, but can when I focus on the Gotohs. The bass side definitely dips below the treble side. If there is no noticeable effect on playability then I guess all is good. Knowing Emerald it is by design

Congrats on the X7!

[Earl49]

I had never noticed it before -- no real reason to look -- but just now checking at my X20-12 custom, the X7 V2, the X20, and the X30. All of them have this slight twist. The treble tuner post is roughly flush with the top of the nut, while the bass side comes about halfway up the nut, as shown in your picture. Maybe it is by design to provide more down force / angle for the bass strings? I guess it is an "undocumented feature" not a "bug", as Microsoft likes to say.

[Methos1979]

Funny, but this is my sixth Emerald and I just noticed as well. I wasn't 'looking' for it in anyway. I had just finished stringing but it was still on the bench. I had stepped away into my kitchen to nuke my tea and look back at the guitar which was perfectly in my eyeline when I noticed it.

Ok, next question: Replacement saddles, preferably bone. I contact McNichol but they don't list one for any Emerald. They emailed me back they weren't sure but if I get them dimensions of the current one they likely have one that will fit. Anyone else upgrade their saddle? What did you use and where did you procure?

[Earl49]

I have not replaced the saddle with anything else, but my X30 came to me at the end of 2019 set up WAY too low and buzzy. I emailed Kevin and he sent me a new saddle but could not give me the part number (he just grabbed one from the big box). It is actually a Graphtech Acoustic Saddle 1/8" Fully Compensated, PS-9280-C0. I was able to read that faint number from the new one before fitting, and made note of the part number for future reference. Perhaps that will give Michael enough information to work with.

[KevinH]

I checked my X-20. There is a very slight hint of a twist but the shape of the headstock makes me wonder if it's an optical illusion in my case.

Re the saddle, like Earl, I replaced my original with a GraphTech String Saver (black) PS-9280-C0 1/8" to lower the action and keep the original. The 9280 is a perfect fit.

[David Eastwood]

Originally Posted by Earl49

I had never noticed it before -- no real reason to look -- but just now checking at my X20-12 custom, the X7 V2, the X20, and the X30. All of them have this slight twist. The treble tuner post is roughly flush with the top of the nut, while the bass side comes about halfway up the nut, as shown in your picture. Maybe it is by design to provide more down force / angle for the bass strings? I guess it is an "undocumented feature" not a "bug", as Microsoft likes to say.

I think it appears that way because when you look down the neck, the 6th string tuner is closer to you than the 1st - they’re not symmetrically placed on the headstock. I looked at my X20, and it looks ok to me - but it does appear, at first sight, to be a slight twist.

IMG_1704671136.760827.jpgIMG_3368.jpg

[steelvibe]

Originally Posted by David Eastwood

I think it appears that way because when you look down the neck, the 6th string tuner is closer to you than the 1st - they’re not symmetrically placed on the headstock. I looked at my X20, and it looks ok to me - but it does appear, at first sight, to be a slight twist.

Attachment 102604Attachment 102605

Call me crazy, but I see the entire plane of the headstock slightly dipping off on the bass side. You do make a valid point though, the 1st string is further in the distance and is an optical illusion, more so in Methos’ photo than in yours.

[David Eastwood]

Originally Posted by steelvibe

Call me crazy, but I see the entire plane of the headstock slightly dipping off on the bass side. You do make a valid point though, the 1st string is further in the distance and is an optical illusion, more so in Methos’ photo than in yours.

Weird, isn’t it? I can see the same thing if I look at the photo long enough. It doesn’t bother me in the slightest - this particular guitar plays better than any other acoustic I’ve ever owned, so the important bits are where they need to be

[Methos1979]

Re: the saddle question - I did yet another string change so I too some measurements and photos of the stock saddle for MacNichol. The part number on mine is BS-9280-C0, not PS. Weird. Anyway, for the sake of anyone that stumbles on this post in a search, here is what I got back from MacNichol after I sent them the photos and measurements. They don't have anything for me and suggested I get hold of Bob Colossi.

Here's the cut & paste from their reply:

Hello,

Unfortunately, no. (Answer to my question of whether they have anything in the dimensions I sent.)

The closest that we have is the older Taylor style saddles (below link), but these will be about 0.5 mm too short in length, which can cause problems, particularly if you have an undersaddle pickup, which would be exposed. Additionally, the Taylor style saddles have a 15 inch radius, whereas your saddle appears to have a 12 inch radius, and GraphTech's PS-9280-CO, which is a similarly sized saddle but with different compensation pattern, is listed as having a 12 inch radius.

https://macnichol.com/product/bone-s...n-tall-height/


We were unable to find any information online on the BS-9280-CO part and it's not listed among the Black Tusq offerings at the below link.

https://graphtech.com/collections/al...saddles-guitar

It may be an out of production model, or one only available to guitar builders.


The closest is the PS-9280-CO, which has a different compensation pattern at the below link.

https://graphtech.com/collections/al...dle-ps-9280-c0


We carry bone saddles similar to the PS-9280-CO in 12 and 16 inch radii at the below links, but we don't advise these as the differing compensation pattern could negatively affect your intonation. Additionally, our length/height/thickness specs are slightly different from Tusq's.

https://macnichol.com/product-tag/fu...2-inch-radius/

https://macnichol.com/product-tag/fu...6-inch-radius/


To get a Tusq replacement, please try contacting Tusq directly at [email protected]. Their customer support is excellent.

To get a bone replacement that matches the compensation pattern and length/height/thickness specs, we recommend trying www.guitarsaddles.com.