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  #1  
Old 04-10-2021, 05:53 PM
boneuphtoner boneuphtoner is offline
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Default Resistance is futile (Emerald NCFGD)

I’ve written here before about how I became a CF addict after trying a RainSong concert WS size in January of this year. I had never found any 14 fret wooden guitar that could give me such a full sounding treble tone for the flesh only fingerstyle I play. After purchasing that guitar (which I later sold to pick up my current Nashville jumbo) I started perusing these CF pages regularly and was bombarded by the posts gushing about anything and everything Emerald. All of the photos, sound clips, etc. gave me Emerald GAS terribly. But I was relieved that there are no dealerships where I could try one beforehand and I wasn’t sure if my great RainSong experiences would translate at all to Emerald. I put out feelers here and on the CF Facebook asking if anyone nearby would be kind enough to let me play their X30 for 5 minutes. After a couple weeks someone 45 minutes away graciously answered my Facebook request and 2 days later I played one - hardly ideal conditions while sitting with the hatch up on my Toyota RAV4 in a crowded parking lot, but I could tell it sounded very good. After selling off another guitar (the 3rd Nazareth made Martin gone since I started playing RainSongs), I ordered a stock X30 off the Emerald website.

It arrived last Thursday. I’m not particularly fussy about setups and as long as it isn’t buzzing or have ridiculously high action, I’m typically fine with it - and this one seems quite comfortable. I read the most recent Emerald FAQ, and the current X30s are strung with D'Addario EJ19s which are very close to my standard strings, Martin phosphor bronze mediums, except they have light strings on the trebles. Since they are fairly similar, I left the stock strings on and they sound great - I’ve decided to leave them on for awhile- I’m surprised the trebles are sounding this full with light gauge E,B, and G strings.

Overall I'm REALLY impressed. It seems easily as good as the Rainsong jumbo with my light fingerstyle, which is remarkable since these are not even my standard strings. It is flat out better than the RainSong when it comes to resonance but the bass is somewhat unfocused - people call this a D-28 killer - for 14 fret D-28 anyway, that’s a great description - but the trebles with my fingerstyle are much fuller than any 14 fret D-28. My 12 fret D-28 still has a certain sweetness and resonance that neither of the CF can quite match but in reality they are really, really close. For evenness of tone the RainSong is still the best of them. The X30 is quite comfortable as well - I had been worried as I previously owned a Taylor with the arm bevel, and that coupled with the silent satin finish made for a very slippery playing experience. These bevels don’t feel nearly as slippery.

A couple of very minor gripes, one of which is my own fault for making assumptions about specs. First, although the tuning machines are Gotoh 510s, I was assuming I would be getting the same machines that were on a couple of nice Taylors I played in the past - I loved these tuners, and they are more accurate and smoother than anything I've ever tried. What surprised me was that these were not exactly the same tuners, and had a lower 18:1 ratio compared to the 21:1 that were on those Taylors. These Emerald Gotohs are very smooth and seem perfectly fine - and to be fair, when you read the fine print of the specs, it did say 18:1 - I just wasn't expecting it as I thought I knew what Gotoh 510 were. The knobs are very small (probably because the headstock is really tiny) but they do seem to function quite well. Lastly, this thing feels noticeably heavier than my RainSong. Granted the RainSong doesn't have a pickup, but I can't think this would add that much weight. Still, all in all, these are really minor complaints.

I'm extremely pleased overall. Many thanks to Earl, Seannx, and Methos1979 for all of the PMs and encouragement. And thanks to the forum for making me aware of these wonderful instruments. The factory glamour shots and a shot of it with my other two flagship guitars are attached.
IMG_1618098727.002783.jpgIMG_1618098738.356316.jpgIMG_1618098747.170439.jpgIMG_1618098765.283775.jpg
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Last edited by boneuphtoner; 04-11-2021 at 06:56 AM.
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  #2  
Old 04-10-2021, 06:13 PM
steelvibe steelvibe is offline
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Goodness that is a gorgeous Emerald, even in it's plain ol' red carbon. Love the shot on the wood floor.

Congrats!
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Old 04-11-2021, 08:43 AM
jdrnd jdrnd is offline
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If I get another emerald its going to be solid red like this one.


...or maybe solid blue
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Old 04-11-2021, 09:03 AM
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The Ruby is a great color. Of the six Emeralds I've tried, I've kept the Ruby red 10--the color was one reason.
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Old 04-11-2021, 09:39 AM
rpmguitar rpmguitar is offline
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Awesome color! If I ever get an Emerald, it will probably be a green X20-12, but I also really like the red and blue plain carbon.

Rick
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Old 04-11-2021, 12:58 PM
DethWshBkr DethWshBkr is offline
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I wieghed my RainSong Black Ice jumbo, and my X30.

X30 - 5 lb 11 oz
RainSong - 4 lb 5 oz.
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Old 04-11-2021, 01:03 PM
Dru Edwards Dru Edwards is offline
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Fantastic! It really is a breathtaking guitar. I'm sure the Gotohs will work out great too. I take it you're not going to replace them with 21:1?
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Old 04-11-2021, 01:54 PM
martingitdave martingitdave is offline
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Lovely guitar! It's shame you'll never get to sit and play it with all those pillows in the way.
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Old 04-11-2021, 03:51 PM
mountainmaster mountainmaster is offline
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Very nice!

So those first three are Emerald's glamour shots? It seems they are doing these different now. Gone is the unnatural bright studio lighting. Finally we can see the guitars as they look in real life.
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Old 04-11-2021, 04:03 PM
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David Eastwood David Eastwood is offline
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I'm very partial to the red myself...

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Old 04-11-2021, 08:12 PM
boneuphtoner boneuphtoner is offline
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Thanks guys! I’m really digging the look of the red carbon - although it didn’t photograph well in my living room, the color looks great in person.
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Old 04-11-2021, 08:14 PM
boneuphtoner boneuphtoner is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mountainmaster View Post
Very nice!

So those first three are Emerald's glamour shots? It seems they are doing these different now. Gone is the unnatural bright studio lighting. Finally we can see the guitars as they look in real life.
Thanks- yes these first 3 were the glamour shots from the factory, and I agree it seems far more natural
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Old 04-11-2021, 08:21 PM
boneuphtoner boneuphtoner is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DethWshBkr View Post
I wieghed my RainSong Black Ice jumbo, and my X30.

X30 - 5 lb 11 oz
RainSong - 4 lb 5 oz.
Crazy right? You would think this would have a huge tonal impact, but these share a lot of the same tonal DNA. But the even crazier thing is that the Emerald is the more resonant of the two (at least for me). I always play seated, so it isn’t a problem.
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Old 04-11-2021, 08:35 PM
boneuphtoner boneuphtoner is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dru Edwards View Post
Fantastic! It really is a breathtaking guitar. I'm sure the Gotohs will work out great too. I take it you're not going to replace them with 21:1?
Yes these 18:1 are perfectly fine and seem even smoother than the 18:1 Gotohs that were included on the RainSong (they are not the 510s). It is a good thing I’m happy with them, because the Emerald headstock is so small that I doubt the larger sized 21:1 machines would work.

I can’t remember if it was here or on the Taylor forum, but a couple of people were upset when they received their deluxe GT guitars (just a hair larger than a GS mini) because they were also expecting the 21:1 machines - and apparently Taylor advertised them as such! But I think it is the smaller headstock that was behind Taylor’s decision also.
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Old 04-13-2021, 04:52 PM
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David Eastwood David Eastwood is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by boneuphtoner View Post
Yes these 18:1 are perfectly fine and seem even smoother than the 18:1 Gotohs that were included on the RainSong (they are not the 510s). It is a good thing I’m happy with them, because the Emerald headstock is so small that I doubt the larger sized 21:1 machines would work.
I was curious about the tuners, so I went to have a play with the Emerald Builder. X20, X20 Baritone, X30, and even the Amicus are all illustrated with Gotoh 510 1:21 tuners.

I’m not sure I could tell the difference between 1:18 and 1:21 without counting, but I know these differences are significant to others.
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