When was the x20 updated?

[steelvibe]

Back on topic, when did the bottom of the X20 receive the asymmetrical design where it sits on your lap at an angle or has it always been like that? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Anyone?

[kramster]

Originally Posted by steelvibe

Back on topic, when did the bottom of the X20 receive the asymmetrical design where it sits on your lap at an angle or has it always been like that? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Anyone?

Me say long time

[mot]

Originally Posted by steelvibe

Back on topic, when did the bottom of the X20 receive the asymmetrical design where it sits on your lap at an angle or has it always been like that? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Anyone?

By or before 2013. I would guess before, but I am not old enough to know when. Kramster or Uncle might give a better answer if properly baited.

[kramster]

Originally Posted by mot

By or before 2013. I would guess before, but I am not old enough to know when. Kramster or Uncle might give a better answer if properly baited.

At a time like this all I can say is OUCH...and then a sigh and some barely detectable shoulder shrugage.

[Earl49]

I cannot say, The very first Emerald I ever saw in person was the lovely March 2017 Select Series green Chimaera. That has led to a total of five Emeralds now.

[Puerto Player]

Originally Posted by GuitarLuva

Puerto,

Was that the final answer that there was nothing wrong with it? Just curious if you found out anything else from them.

Yep, they didn't feel there was anything wrong, or it any different than what they're offering currently. Oh well.

I have not played enough of these side by side to absolutely pinpoint what and when the difference is, if any.... However, I'll personally only be buying non-Woody, pre-17's if I buy another, or be able to play it and have a strict return clause.

[mountainmaster]

My current pet peeve is bridge position. I think any deviation from stock can make a guitar sound totally different. So when ordering a guitar with a custom scale length you have to specify exactly where you want that bridge.

Should it sound like the stock Emerald? Then put the bridge in stock position.
Or perhaps you like that little extra warmth commonly associated with a 12-fret? Then put it at the center of the lower bout.
But if you let Emerald decide then chances are that the bridge ends up in a position you are not going to like afterwards.

[Melt in the Sun]

Originally Posted by Puerto Player

I actually have 3 X20's. One is the bone stock one listed below and then two custom Woody's. The stock 2016 X20 is as everybody claims, just fantastic. My one Woody below is custom; short scale, thin neck, 1 11/16th nut. Excellent playing wise, but does not have any of the "brilliance or overtones" of the stock one. My other one, not listed, was a custom build that I'm really not happy with. To me, it has no highs at all. It's mid and bass are great, but no chime. It's been back to the factory and they say it's fine and play it side by side with their other X20's there, but when I compare it to my two others, it's not even close tonally.

PuertoPlayer - can you clarify what you have, what you like, and what you don't? I read your post like this:

- 2016 bone stock carbon X20, great tone
- 2017 custom short scale, thin neck, 11/16 nut, decent tone but not as nice as the 2016
- 2017 custom (have you shared details?), crap tone

Is that correct?

[Puerto Player]

Well, the two Woody's are basically identical builds. One was for my house here in Ohio and the other for our place in Mexico. Both Woody's are short scale, 1 11/16th nut, thin necks. Neither sound as nice as the stock 2016 I have. One of the two is good enough to keep the other not so much.
It just sounds dull to me. It's like the difference between playing with .5mm pick then switching to a 4mm thick pick. I can get some of the tone back with thin picks, or metal pics, but I prefer thicker picks for just how I play.

[Melt in the Sun]

Originally Posted by Puerto Player

Well, the two Woody's are basically identical builds. One was for my house here in Ohio and the other for our place in Mexico. Both Woody's are short scale, 1 11/16th nut, thin necks.

What are the differences?

[Puerto Player]

Just the the look of the veneer. Both are identical X20 Artisans except one sounds dead the other sounds good but not as good as my stock 2016 Emerald X20 Artisan. It's the level of lacking of the high mids and highs.

[Melt in the Sun]

Thanks. That is puzzling...the difference in scale between the stock and others can account for some, but to have two essentially identical guitars sound so different sure is odd.

I don't mean to continue prying but that makes me curious - which veneers do they have? Wood veneers come in different thicknesses, and so I wonder if a more brittle wood like cocobolo would be thicker than something more pliable.