What do you like about your Emerald(s)?

[RP]

I recently had the opportunity to repurchase an X20-12 that I'd previously and foolishly sold. Getting it back not only reminded as to how much I enjoy this particular guitar but Emeralds in general. I thought I'd start an appreciation thread to share how much I love these Irish damsels.

1) They're beautiful

2) Very playable with uber comfortable contours

3) Maximum customization

4) Pleasant tone

5) Great hardshell cases

[Captain Jim]

6) Great gig bags. Two of my Emeralds have gig bags, the X7 and X10. They are lightweight, but protective, and hold a bunch in the front pouch.

These guitars just feel right. And sound great. The fact that they are carbon fiber is a bonus.

[Methos1979]

On my sixth Emerald - an X7 woody with LR Baggs Element that I bought used. Although I bought it strictly as a 'backup' guitar that I could toss into the trunk of my car and not have to worry about it, it has quickly become my favorite, go-to guitar for EVERYTHING. Generally speaking I keep three guitars: One for amplified play (Cole Clark), one for pure acoustic shows (IRIS DF) and of course the backup (X7). But since I bought it back in December I just can't seem to put the X7 down. On the rare occasion I grab one of the other two, I very quickly put it back and grab the X7. I've had the X7 before but something about this one just tickles my fancy. It doesn't sound as good as the CC plugged in but it's good enough as far as audiences are concerned. I keep waiting for the 'new girl' love affair to fade but so far it has not.

Anyway, the best things about Emerald guitars, in no particular order:

1.) Great looking guitars, especially the woody's, alway a conversation starter.
2.) Great ergonomics with comfort bevels and curves.
3.) Very good sounding, not like your typical CF guitar.
4.) Carbon fiber - impervious to heat, cold, too dry, too damp.

Their weakness (and the reason the first five I owned went away) is their selection of pickup systems is, well, lame. I haven't tried the newest one, forget the name but has the barn door in the side. Looks gimmicky. I'd love it if they offered a Baggs Anthem StagePro system or some other multi-source barn door pickup. I think a barn door system would work in these guitars since they look high-tech. I know they used to offer them briefly. Not sure why they got away from it.

[KevinH]

Yes to all of the above. To that list I’d add the placement of the sound hole that lets the player hear the guitar better. It’s surprising how much of a difference it makes if you use your hand to block the upward facing part and turn it into more of a conventional (outward facing sound hole.

[mountainmaster]

What I like:

1. Beautiful vibrant weave
2. Ergonomics
3. Impervious to climate and weather conditions
4. Always in tune
5. Sound hole placement. Not so much for the listening experience but because I always hit the edge of a conventionally placed sound hole when I strum.

What I don't like:

1. Veneers, but that does not bother me as long as I can have one without.
2. Despite the CF material the top can develop a bulge
3. Lack of projection

[zeeway]

I always go back to my Emerald X20, when I want to play acoustically. A sound I can only describe as lush…comfortable to hold and play.

And I agree with Methos (Scott), the weakness is the pickup systems offered - my X20 is on my fourth pickup, and it still could use improvement. I am intrigued by the description of the new pickup offerings, but not enough to bite on a new one.

[Methos1979]

Originally Posted by mountainmaster

What I like:

1. Beautiful vibrant weave
2. Ergonomics
3. Impervious to climate and weather conditions
4. Always in tune
5. Sound hole placement. Not so much for the listening experience but because I always hit the edge of a conventionally placed sound hole when I strum.

What I don't like:

1. Veneers, but that does not bother me as long as I can have one without.
   
2. Despite the CF material the top can develop a bulge
3. Lack of projection

I'd like to hear more about the bulge that developed in your Emerald. Especially with photos. That's the first I've heard of that.

Originally Posted by zeeway

I always go back to my Emerald X20, when I want to play acoustically. A sound I can only describe as lush…comfortable to hold and play.

And I agree with Methos (Scott), the weakness is the pickup systems offered - my X20 is on my fourth pickup, and it still could use improvement. I am intrigued by the description of the new pickup offerings, but not enough to bite on a new one.

I'd like to hear about your progression of pickups, what you liked, what you didn't like, how the install went for each, etc. Although my X7 with the Baggs Element is serviceable, it's certainly not ideal. I'm still looking at putting in something different at some point. An Anthem would be the logical choice but I'm also wondering about the new Duet coming out. Part of the issue for me is that the size of the soundhole is a bit small for my forearms so getting access to things under the bridge is tight.

[zeeway]

Pickups for my X20…I have known and sometimes loved….
1. It came with a Baggs Element….muddy to my ears and feedback prone…in some fairness, I think the X20 is feedback prone because of the very resonant top.
2. K&K…. The forum was going crazy about this pickup a few years ago, and I got sucked into the vortex. The balance between strings was very uneven.
3. HFN Schatten. This one almost made it. Still muddy to my ears, and unbalanced.
4. Krivo Humbucker…the best of the lot but not perfect. Even after adjusting the pole, the high E string is dominant. I can EQ most of this out on my favorite amp, but not quite enough.

Maybe I am getting too picky.

[Captain Jim]

Regarding pickups: each of my Emeralds has a different pickup in it... the X7 has a B-Band (which is no longer made); it is a barndoor pickup with plenty of EQ options right on the guitar. Still my favorite acoustic guitar pickup.

My X20 has the Element pickup and I find it very serviceable - it sounds best through an acoustic amp or through a pedal like the TCH Play Acoustic if going into a PA.

The X10 has the Krivo humbucker and the individual piezo adjustable bridge pickups. Great variety of tones.

The Virtuo. More electric than acoustic, but I often use it in place of an acoustic. Love the Fishman Fluence pickups for electric tones.

That's a wide variety of plugged in tones.

[mountainmaster]

Originally Posted by Methos1979

I'd like to hear more about the bulge that developed in your Emerald. Especially with photos. That's the first I've heard of that.

I tried but it is hard to take a clear picture of it due to the reflections.

But have a look at this topic where Redduc was more successful.
https://www.acousticguitarforum.com/...d.php?t=682213

The bulge on my X30 is just as high. Maybe the old style pointy bridge had something to do with it. The crest of the bulge is exactly at that asymmetrical point.

Edit: I managed to take a picture after all.

[RP]

Hey guys, this thread is supposed to be about what you like about your Emerald guitar(s). Kvetching about what you don't like would be a different thread...

[Melt in the Sun]

How's the setup? Guitars will always deform a little...it's how they work. Unless the neck/body/string geometry is changing, that looks like normal guitar belly.

As for mine, I like:
- that it's waterproof and doesn't care about low humidity. I bought it so I could play guitar while supervising swimming kids in Tucson, and it is perfect for that!
- its sound is good and well balanced, and has good headroom. It works for anything and is great as an only guitar.
- eye-catching.

I don't like:
- that it's sound is merely good and well-balanced.
- that mine showed up with a twisted neck and I had to have the frets re-leveled to take care of it.

[SpruceTop]

I like the comfortable shape and tone of my Emerald X20. I'm not too keen on its neck profile as it flares a bit too much in width towards the guitar body for my comfort.

[David Eastwood]

I bought my first X20 in 2018, for many of the same reasons as others have stated - looks, ergonomics, imperviousness to humidity changes. It turned out that I also loved the way it sounded and played.

It was quickly followed by an X20-7 - a gorgeous instrument which I never fully came to grips with. But, I did fall in love with the concept of fan frets, and commissioned my third, a fan fret six string X20 last year.

It’s the perfect amalgam of the first two, and I can’t see myself wanting for anything else acoustic for the foreseeable future.

Perhaps the most telling thing is that after buying the first one, I never once considered going with any other maker for the two subsequent instruments.

[brainfertilizer]

For me, I like:
- it looks and feels like a high quality instrument. I have owned a few Composite Acoustics and a few Rainsongs, and the Emeralds out-do them. The attention to detail is superb.
- I like the Black Friday sale. I had already found 2 nice used versions that got me into Emerald (just sold the X20 Nylon, tho!), and even picked up another used one after the sale...it was during the sale that I felt I could get an amazing in-stock guitar for a price I could afford.
- I like the options. Even though I'm probably never going to get a new one, I have had a good time checking out neck width, pickup, headstock, color, bridge, veneer, etc., options. And it also means that when used ones pop up for sale, there's often a good chance they might have some option you wanted. Like, for instance, I never had a travel-size Emerald on my list, but the last used one I got was an X-5 Custom Nylon. It had the offset/corner sound-hole, just like on my X10s and X20, but it had been ordered with more of a classical guitar neck: slotted headstock, 2" nut, and a flat fingerboard radius. I don't think stumbling on something like this would be possible from Composite Acoustics or Rainsong, or McPherson or Klos. Maybe Blackbird...I've heard some good things about them, but they're rare enough I haven't really expected to get any.

- I like the stainless steel frets. Sure, CA guitars have them to, but Rainsong doesn't.

I guess for me, Emerald is kind of the best of all worlds. Rainsong doesn't have steel frets, CA doesn't have the luxury, McPherson doesn't have the options, none of the other makers have the volume that you can consistently see them used on websites to try out for cheaper.

Meh. There are probably a half-dozen things I've said that fans of other guitars could take issue with, but this is my view.