Emerald meets its Ancestor

Black Squirrel · #1 08-09-2018, 03:03 PM

I'm really into this Emerald, I have a Rainsong shorty coming and will decide which one stays.

I have OG one as well

jonfields45 · #2 08-09-2018, 03:26 PM

I think Elderly Instruments (or was it Mandolin Brothers???) blew out a sizable inventory of the plastic Maccafferi's sometime back in the 80's. I had friends who bought them. Not as bad as you might expect to listen to. I don't think an OM sized shorty vs. an original X7OS is a fair fight. The shorty is a much bigger instrument.

Earl49 · #3 08-09-2018, 03:30 PM

I've always regretted (a little) not getting one of those Maccafferi's when Elderly cleared them out years ago. Could have been fun.....
Good to see one in the wild.

It will hard to choose between an early X7 and a Shorty. The Shorty is definitely bigger, and will have a bigger sound. But X7 is so.....cute and cuddly.

Black Squirrel · #4 08-09-2018, 04:59 PM

The Maccafferi Is cool, just hard finding the right strings for it, A delicate balance between tension and tone. I'm gonna try NewTones light tension 11's I have silk and steel on it they fee ok but don't sound so good, I'm on the fence about the X-7, It sounds nice its just much smaller then I thought it would be I'm usually an OM or bigger kind of guy. I do not need to travel with instruments so having a travel size guitar makes no sense.

David Eastwood · #5 08-09-2018, 05:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jonfields45

I think Elderly Instruments (or was it Mandolin Brothers???) blew out a sizable inventory of the plastic Maccafferi's sometime back in the 80's.

I'm pretty sure it was Elderly. I bought one - it was a neat little guitar. I don't recall what happened to it. A dear friend of mine bought one at the same time; he sent it to me some years ago, but by that time the neck had developed quite the warp, and it was pretty much unplayable above the 5th fret. I, in turn, shipped it back to him, and it was given a decent burial somewhere in Manhattan.

#6 08-09-2018, 05:44 PM

I think the Maccafferi guitars were marvelous. I never played one, but I think they are good looking and I believe that if given enough time the plastic guitar could have become vastly improved.

I also think it is an important collector's item. It was an early composite, one to be followed by a gaggle of innovative composite instruments.