Emerald Amicus vs Emerald X7-12

[LesRose]

Iʻm a twelve string devoteeʻ and am considering these.
I do have an Emerald X20-12 and love it, but there is a slot for one more twelve string. I found a wooden one that I like, but before I pull that trigger decided to look at these.

The idea of all unison strings is intriguing, but will it satify me?
The Amicus is cute as heck and sound good. The neck looks intimidating, but specs say they are not.

The idea of just a smaller body 12 is cool. I have guitars with lots of lows and mid, so a different sound is part of the deal.

Feedback anyone? Thanks

[hotroad]

I will tell you as much as I can about my 12er. For starters this is NOT the Amicus. It does not sound like a toy 12 string like the Amicus. I had that one for a week and sent it back. Then I had the Artisan built for me since I wanted the fuller tone and larger body, neck, depth, etc. Make no mistake, this is not a Olson Jumbo 12 string. The tone is different and thats why I like it. I am not selling it because I don't like it. I love it, everything about it. It will be very hard to see it go. I am only selling to thin the heard here. Its the only reason and without going into detail, thats what is behind my choice to let this beauty go. I am also selling some other guitars that I have for the same purpose. There is absolutely nothing that I dislike about this Artisan Woody 12er. In fact, as it sits right here at my desk (no humidification required), I would love to keep it.

About sound clips. I totally get what you are saying. I think sound clips usually suck. I was just listening to some this morning and sure enough, they suck. I use some nice speakers but they still suck. So providing sound clips, in my opinion, is a waste of time.

I have tried to describe the tone but you know, its nearly impossible to use words to describe something our ears hear. Its like trying to describe air.
The tone is balanced. By that I mean all the strings are heard equally. The tone is also clear and not muddy at all. Even the bass strings (5 and 6) are very clear and ring out. You can use this for playing Eagles and other cover tunes famous for the sound of the 12 string. I have done that and had great reactions from audiences. I ran it through some chorusing and a little delay and people were blown away. Besides being very curious about the appearance of the guitar, its looks and build, people love the sound and so do I. Its different than the jumbo 12 we are all so used to hearing.....and I like that. Its a unique instrument in every way.

I had the Lyric put in at my request. As it turns out, Alistair loves the Lyric and what it does to this guitar. It seems to accurately represent every note and string and yet does not amplify any string or frequency more than others. For example, the Amicus is very very emphasized in the high strings with very little mids or lows. And by the way, the Lyric is passive and does not require a battery but it does have a volume control at the sound hole. Its virtually invisible since its brown and matches the guitar perfectly. Your cord will connect through the end pin.

Ask me questions, any questions. Like you, I have to have a good fair explanation of what I buy in the music world. I play out professionally and only own the good stuff. This guitar sure fits in that bracket...totally custom, crazy awesome tone, easy to play, phenomenal appearance and very response to a light touch. I use a flat pick but unlike most, play with a light touch and therefore require guitars that respond fully to that type of touch. This neck allows for finger style or flat pick. I have done both with great success, or so says my audiences. Oh yea, one more thing. This guy would be a great travel companion. Its very light due to the carbon fiber and a smaller in stature than a full size jumbo. Who wants to carry that thing around.

I know I will regret selling this. For the money, its worth so much more. Its one that I will one day say, 'It got away'. But life goes on and I need to pass this to someone who will love it as I do but in their own unique way. Maybe thats you.

[kbenson]

I have an Amicus and it is a really fun instrument to play but I don't think of it as a mini 12-string. With the unison strings and higher pitch I approach it more like a mandolin. Emerald has some videos on their site but you may also want to checkout Veillette's website. The Amicus is similar to their Gryphon model and there are a lot of videos there. Checkout the way that Kaki King approaches this instrument. It sounds heavenly in her hands.

[Doubleneck]

I have a Amicus for a week and found it enchanting. Like said about mandolin like. Love unison strings.

[warndt]

Originally Posted by Doubleneck

I have a Amicus for a week and found it enchanting. Like said about mandolin like. Love unison strings.

I agree...I'm so enamored with the Amicus12 that I posted a WTB ad in the Classifieds. It seems that some take to the idea and others do not... even after buying one.

William

http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/f...d.php?t=435381

[ethanay]

Just following up this thread... I don't think anyone should consider the Amicus as a "toy 12 string." It's a hybrid between a mandolin and a 12 string guitar. It's tuned like a guitar, has a 12 strings like a guitar, but those are unison courses like a mandolin and it has a higher voicing like a mandolin.


For me it was a much better option and covers a lot more territory than a 12 string guitar or a nashville-strung guitar. I can play it like a 12 string (fingerstyle or plectrum), and it does a great job of providing shimmer to recordings. And it's easy to travel with, so it's another travel option. It doesn't provide those interesting internal intervals of a 12 string/nashville-strung guitar, and doesn't quite provide the chop of a mandolin. I prefer it to a 12 string, generally, although I use both it and a mandolin. I think I'll probably buy a cheap guitar for nashville tuning at some point before I get a full on 12 string guitar.


So I would suggest the Amicus to anyone considering a mandolin, a nashville-strung guitar, or a full on 12 string, depending on what their overall goals are. I wanted something compact that could cover a lot of territory pretty well, and I got that with the Amicus. I originally thought that the Amicus would replace my mandolin, but it hasn't. It will completely replace a 12 string for me, though...and perhaps a nashville-strung guitar as well. Other people's needs may differ.