Played an Emerald today...

hubcapsc · #1 11-08-2023, 05:09 PM

I was in Greenville SC today and found myself going
down the street Guitar Center is on.

I went in and was immediately greeted by a nice lady
who took me to the acoustic room. On the way there
she told me there was some nice guitars there, a D-28,
a J-45. "And look up there", she told me as we entered the
room, "have you ever seen one of those?"

She scooted way up the ladder and fetched it down
for me, and let me sit there with it for a while. It is
heavy. The first note I strummed out of it was mind blowing.
Gallons of sound pour out of that strangely positioned
sound hole and blow into your face. Lush seemingly
room filling sound. Very different kind of beast.

I just looked. When an Emerald has a veneer, it is real
wood. I'm pretty sure this one is veneered with
The Tree.

-Mike

Purfle Haze · #2 11-08-2023, 06:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hubcapsc

I just looked. When an Emerald has a veneer, it is real
wood. I'm pretty sure this one is veneered with
The Tree.

-Mike

Mike,
I tracked this guitar down, based on your post. It's an X30 model, Emerald's "dreadnaught" guitar. Had it been an X20 or X10, I would have bought it sight unseen and had it shipped to my local GC just to hear it.

I think Emerald makes great guitars based on its ergonomics, but I have only heard one in person, an X7 that was overpriced and scratched to shirt.

Were you tempted?

hubcapsc · #3 11-08-2023, 06:58 PM

Were you tempted?

I intended to look more closely at it when the lady
was coming down the ladder. Then I strummed it.
I believe it is in very good condition, not scratched
up or old looking. I wish my J-50 blew lush guitar
sounds in my face like that guitar does, but I'm
not ready to change over to a giant heavy guitar.

Not only does it sound good, but the way the sound
comes out and washes over the player is an extra
dimension to playing.

-Mike

codecontra · #4 11-08-2023, 10:04 PM

Emerald is a great company and I have owned several. They do not sell through dealers to my knowledge so I assume it was used. Yes it is a real wood veneer on a carbon fiber guitar. It’s basically impervious to weather, temperature, and humidity (within reason). The inlays I believe are ground metal mixed with epoxy.

PinkLine · #5 11-09-2023, 09:07 AM

I've played exactly one Emerald - a stock X10 I purchased and returned a year ago - and I loved everything about it except the neck. Very flat, thin D profile, and the fretboard gets really wide as it approaches the body. I found it uncomfortable and fatiguing to play - disappointing, because I so wanted it to work for me.

tbeltrans · #6 11-09-2023, 11:37 AM

Come and get it! ...

https://www.guitarcenter.com/Used/In...tric-Guitar.gc

https://www.guitarcenter.com/Used/In...tric-Guitar.gc

https://www.guitarcenter.com/Used/In...tric-Guitar.gc

https://www.guitarcenter.com/Used/In...tric-Guitar.gc

If this keeps up, poor Alistair will be competing against himself in the used market as he tries to sell his new instruments.

Tony

Captain Jim · #7 11-09-2023, 11:44 AM

Welcome to the Carbon Fiber sub-forum, Mike. That X30 you checked out is Emerald's biggest 6 string, their equivalence to a jumbo. Yes, it puts out a lot of sound. As do their smaller guitars - that offset up-turned soundhole will make you re-think "old fashioned" center soundholes.

I have 4 Emeralds and they are each my favorite within their size category. The more time you spend with an Emerald, the more you appreciate all they do to build in comfortable ergonomics. The workmanship is excellent; each of mine sound and play great.

The wood you see on the top of some Emeralds is a very thin veneer. It does not affect the tone, but is there to add to the esthetic. The veneers they use make each of those guitars a one-of-a-kind. They sell factory direct only (from Ireland), with some in-stock guitars and an on-line 3D Builder that lets you pick veneers, colors, inlays, pickups, scale length, and other options... it is interesting to look on their site (www.emeraldguitars.com) and design just what you want.

Hang around this sub-forum - you will learn a lot about the advantages of carbon fiber over wood, and details about the different CF makers.

Jim

hubcapsc · #8 11-09-2023, 11:57 AM

Hang around this sub-forum

Howdy Captain Jim...

I've been reading this forum from the firehose ("Today On The AGF" button)
so I see all the sub-forums... I posted this in the general forum, and the moderators
moved it here I guess... I see y'all talking about your carbon fiber guitars and
liking your carbon fiber guitars. None of that translated to the experience of
this first timer hearing the sound coming out of a big Emerald.

-Mike "holy cow!"

Acousticado · #9 11-09-2023, 02:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hubcapsc

Hang around this sub-forum

Howdy Captain Jim...

I've been reading this forum from the firehose ("Today On The AGF" button)
so I see all the sub-forums... I posted this in the general forum, and the moderators
moved it here I guess... I see y'all talking about your carbon fiber guitars and
liking your carbon fiber guitars. None of that translated to the experience of
this first timer hearing the sound coming out of a big Emerald.

-Mike "holy cow!"

Mike, as a former mod, I know that usually CF threads posted in General are allowed to run there for just a bit so members who don’t know about them or don’t read the CF subforum will get some exposure, but then they are moved to the CF subforum where more informed feedback is exchanged.

KevinH · #10 11-10-2023, 11:13 AM

If you want something not so large see if you can find one of Emeralds X-20s. They have a big presence in an OM size package. And it feels smaller than an OM to boot. If you search the subforum for the Carbon fiber sharing thread you may find someone nearby that would let you try theirs out.

Quote:

Originally Posted by hubcapsc

Were you tempted?

I intended to look more closely at it when the lady
was coming down the ladder. Then I strummed it.
I believe it is in very good condition, not scratched
up or old looking. I wish my J-50 blew lush guitar
sounds in my face like that guitar does, but I'm
not ready to change over to a giant heavy guitar.

Not only does it sound good, but the way the sound
comes out and washes over the player is an extra
dimension to playing.

-Mike

Earl49 · #11 11-10-2023, 11:38 AM

FYI, the Emerald guitars have such well thought out ergonomics that they usually feel about one size smaller than the overall dimensions suggest. The X20 feels more like a 000 or OM size, the X30 (a true jumbo) feels like a deep dreadnought, and so forth. I think that Alistair is not doing himself a favor by calling the X20 a "dreadnought", when it is more like an OM size when you actually hug it.

The offset sound hole acts like your own personal monitor, and you hear more what the audience hears compared to most center sound hole guitars. I have Rainsong and other guitars, but nothing is like that offset upward-facing sound hole.

KevinH · #12 11-16-2023, 11:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Earl49

FYI, the Emerald guitars have such well thought out ergonomics that they usually feel about one size smaller than the overall dimensions suggest. The X20 feels more like a 000 or OM size, the X30 (a true jumbo) feels like a deep dreadnought, and so forth. I think that Alistair is not doing himself a favor by calling the X20 a "dreadnought", when it is more like an OM size when you actually hug it...

Yeah, I'm not sure why Allistair calls the X-20 their dreadnought size either. Given the popularity of the dread maybe he thinks that'll make it a bigger draw? The X-20 actually is more like an OM size. This is a comparison to a Martin OM-21:

x20a.jpg

The size of the X20 is nearly the same as a Martin OM. But I agree with you that Emeralds feel smaller. My X20 feels noticeably smaller than any of the OM's I've owned or played. They put a lot of thought into how a guitar feels in the players hands.

Earl49 · #13 11-16-2023, 02:43 PM

Thanks for posting that comparison photo, Kevin. It really shows the true size, which ain't a dreadnought. He is selling about all the guitars he can make so calling the X20 a "dreadnought" apparently isn't hurting sales much. I have saved your image for future use.

Cheers98 · #14 11-16-2023, 05:03 PM

The body length and width of the X-20 are closer to an OM but the depth of 4.75" is closer to a dread.

brainfertilizer · #15 11-16-2023, 05:21 PM

FWIW, "Dreadnought" isn't just about size, it's also about depth.
I think the X20 is deeper than an OM, and I think an X30 is deeper than a Dreadnought.
And, for that matter, I think it's also about tone and volume. Because carbon fiber doesn't need internal bracing...or at least as much internal bracing, depending on the company, you can get a much bigger sound out of smaller dimensions.
I don't think anyone says, "Well, this guitar sure is loud and has the exact tone I was hoping for, but I sure wish it was bigger, heavier, and more awkward to hold!"

So the X20 is designed to fill the functions you'd expect from a dreadnought in terms of volume, projection, tone, etc. The X30 has the boomy bass and complex midrange that some people call muddy that you get from jumbos. I'm getting out of my understanding for this next two, but I *think* an X7 gives you the closest experience to an OM, and an X10 fits what you'd want from a Parlor. At the very least, I think the X7 is smaller and has a shorter scale that sweetens up the tone at the expense of a little projection, etc.

I do remember that the early RainSongs I played on were much louder than expected for their size in terms of an equivalent wood guitar. So it seems at least possible that with Emerald pitching the X20 as a Dreadnought equivalent, and people buying it when they want a Dreadnought equivalent, and it being their most popular guitar, that it sure seems to scratch that Dreadnought itch, even if it is actually smaller and more comfortable to play.

I'd say if you get the chance, try one out, even if you're not planning on buying.

Just so you'll know.