Does Emerald Provide an Option for a Chunky Neck on the X20?

[Quintus]

Originally Posted by SpruceTop

Emerald, and other newer guitar companies, need to beg, borrow or steal a newish Martin, Taylor, or Gibson acoustic guitar and measure their neck geometries and make your necks similar but vary a couple of thousandths of an inch here or there to avoid any law suits!

Now, don't get me started on Emerald's wire-guide placement on the top and backs for the acoustic-electric installations in their the guitars! MEMO TO EMERALD & OTHER MAKERS: ALWAYS PLACE WIRE GUIDES AND WIRE ROUTING ON THE SIDES OF YOUR GUITARS, NOT ON THE TOP OR BACK!!!

I agree. Offer neck profiles that are familiar. I don’t think he’d be in legal hot water if he copied another company’s neck profile. Suhr has a machine that does this. It will reproduce any neck you provide them. Suhr uses different names for the profiles, but I don’t think the neck shape itself is patented. Then again, I’ve been wrong before…..

[steelvibe]

Originally Posted by Quintus

lets him keep it in the black.

That's it right there. And I can't think of anyone in guitar building more innovative than Alistair right now. Yet he is governed by the laws of good business.

[Tøf]

Originally Posted by KevinH

I took another look through the forum and found the earlier post about a custom neck width. Here is the link.

Maybe if enough people ask Emerald about this they will include neck width as an option, or might consider reducing the standard width.

Looks like my guitar
The neck profile doesn't seem easy to modify according to Alistair, and I understand they don't want the hassle of modifying the mold for each custom order.
But their standard fretboard is unnecessarily wide up the neck considering the string spacing. It's great to be innovative, but it's also ok to look at what the major brands are doing for specs like neck profiles, they have used decades of feedback from all sort of players after all...

[AZKATY]

So .. I ordered a X 20 neck with 1 11/16.. however I am shocked at how wide the neck is as you go past the 5 th fret .. I have a 12 string which is much more narrow .. I would like to hear comments on other ,x 20 Emeralds .. how wide is your neck at the 5th and 10 th fret?

[KevinH]

Originally Posted by AZKATY

So .. I ordered a X 20 neck with 1 11/16.. however I am shocked at how wide the neck is as you go past the 5 th fret .. I have a 12 string which is much more narrow .. I would like to hear comments on other ,x 20 Emeralds .. how wide is your neck at the 5th and 10 th fret?

They do make them wide. I have an X20 with a 1-3/4" nut. At the 5th and 10th fret the neck is 2.02" and 2.22".

See post #17 in this thread:
https://www.acousticguitarforum.com/...=639330&page=2

[lat18]

I just sold my X 20 a few weeks ago because I couldn't get used to the neck. Played it a lot for three years, but never got comfortable with it. Having already done my research and because I love my Rainsong WS1000, I ordered a Rainsong OM. That guitar has a somewhat chunky, but comfortable neck for me. Plus I like the bright, loud tone of the Rainsong. Only reason I wanted a replacement for the WS is that its body depth is uncomfortable after a few hours jamming. I liked the ergonomics of the Emerald, especially the arm bevel, but prefer the tone of the Rainsong. OM body is comfortable and it sounds amazingly like my 20 year old WS. Guess I shouldn't be amazed at that, but I am. Really like the sound of that WS!

[Gary C]

I can only agree with what others have said about the neck on the X20.

I've had my X20 for six months now, and I love this guitar in ways that I have loved no other. It is one of the very best guitars I have ever owned - it's as simple as that.

But if there is one thing I wish I could change, it is the neck.

For me, the neck is where the true feel of a guitar lives. It's a very, very personal thing, but it's your main point of intimate contact with the instrument, and if it doesn't feel right, then it's going to be difficult to develop that special bond.

That said, I have managed to develop a bond with my X20's neck, but it's been a relationship that I have had to work on pretty hard. It's been more about forcing myself to adapt to it, rather than slipping easily into a casual romance. Continuing that theme, I guess you could say that we're now going steady, but still fall out on occasions.

Much of it is no doubt down to individual playing style. I have been a thumb-over player since I was a kid, and while I can cope with the width as I have pretty large hands (which I've also had since I was a kid), I'm not going to pretend that it's comfortable when I stray into the upper reaches of the fretboard.

But I didn't buy this guitar completely blind. Yes, it's the first acoustic guitar I've bought without seeing, holding or playing, but like most people here I did my research and pretty much knew what to expect with the default neck.

As said, I've reached a place where I'm happy enough, but if I was in a position to say to Alistair, here's X-thousand pounds (or dollars - not much difference these days!), please build me an X20 with these neck dimensions, I would do so without a thought.

[steelvibe]

Originally Posted by Gary C

I can only agree with what others have said about the neck on the X20.



I've had my X20 for six months now, and I love this guitar in ways that I have loved no other. It is one of the very best guitars I have ever owned - it's as simple as that.



But if there is one thing I wish I could change, it is the neck.



For me, the neck is where the true feel of a guitar lives. It's a very, very personal thing, but it's your main point of intimate contact with the instrument, and if it doesn't feel right, then it's going to be difficult to develop that special bond.



That said, I have managed to develop a bond with my X20's neck, but it's been a relationship that I have had to work on pretty hard. It's been more about forcing myself to adapt to it, rather than slipping easily into a casual romance. Continuing that theme, I guess you could say that we're now going steady, but still fall out on occasions.

This is exactly how I felt about the RainSong Shorty. I find myself looking for pictures of her in the yearbooks but after dating for 4 years we split over irreconcilable differences. I don’t do thumb overs but it would be nice to have a neck where I could. Even my OF660 is a bit chunky for that. I think he Sable and Touring are the only necks I’ve had under my fingertips have had a feel closer to say a Taylor, and so I went ahead and bought a Taylor.

[KevinH]

Originally Posted by steelvibe

...I don’t do thumb overs but it would be nice to have a neck where I could. Even my OF660 is a bit chunky for that. I think he Sable and Touring are the only necks I’ve had under my fingertips have had a feel closer to say a Taylor, and so I went ahead and bought a Taylor.

I wasn't able to do thumb overs on my OF660 until I made a new nut with a wider string spacing. Works great now for that, though of course it's still chunkier than a Taylor neck.

[redi]

Originally Posted by KevinH

until I made a new nut with a wider string spacing. Works great now for that

I have to wonder what/if adjustments could be done to an Emerald (nut/bridge) spacing to reduce the excess fingerboard outside the E strings, and if that would be playable. ??

[KevinH]

Originally Posted by redi

I have to wonder what/if adjustments could be done to an Emerald (nut/bridge) spacing to reduce the excess fingerboard outside the E strings, and if that would be playable. ??

A bridge adjustment would be a much bigger project. But the nut is pretty easy, and Emerald leaves so much extra space from the outer strings to the edge of the neck I'd think you could move the strings out a fair amount w/o having them slip off the edge of the fret.

[redi]

It is definitely apparent even on this week's shipping video.

But it does not seem to bother the talented Davy K much.