Buzzing on Emerald guitar

[jjhturbo]

This is my 5th day now of owning an X20 and my overall impressions are positive. However, I noticed early on that there was buzzing up the neck starting from around the 7th fret. Frustrated me to no end. I absolutely hate buzzing. At first, I thought I may need to add some relief since it was happening on most of the frets starting from the 7th, but that was not the issue. Turns out, the frets were not level and weren't seated as much as they needed to be in the fretboard. After I did that -- carefully and meticulously -- the buzzing is gone.

Question that occurred to me -- with a CF fretboard, do frets have more of a tendency to lift compared to a fretboard made from wood? Or is this a quality control issue of not ensuring properly seated/leveled frets before shipment? Hate to think the latter is the case for what I consider a higher-end instrument.

Maybe I'm expecting too much and this is a common/minor issue?

Anyway, this is my only complaint so far about my Emerald...

[GuitarLuva]

Originally Posted by jjhturbo

This is my 5th day now of owning an X20 and my overall impressions are positive. However, I noticed early on that there was buzzing up the neck starting from around the 7th fret. Frustrated me to no end. I absolutely hate buzzing. At first, I thought I may need to add some relief since it was happening on most of the frets starting from the 7th, but that was not the issue. Turns out, the frets were not level and weren't seated as much as they needed to be in the fretboard. After I did that -- carefully and meticulously -- the buzzing is gone.

Question that occurred to me -- with a CF fretboard, do frets have more of a tendency to lift compared to a fretboard made from wood? Or is this a quality control issue of not ensuring properly seated/leveled frets before shipment? Hate to think the latter is the case for what I consider a higher-end instrument.

Maybe I'm expecting too much and this is a common/minor issue?

Anyway, this is my only complaint so far about my Emerald...

This would be the first report of this particular issue that I've heard from an AGF post. As far as I recall they use tanged frets and also glue them in place so they should never ever lift and unfortunately this looks like a QA issue. Emerald are normally known for impeccable fretwork but my X30 came with 2 pitted frets. I primarily only strum that guitar so its usually not an issue but it does bug me that it came like that.

[Dbone]

To be honest, I have read about a number of these type of little niggly quality issues on here about Emerald.

[David Eastwood]

Originally Posted by Dbone

To be honest, I have read about a number of these type of little niggly quality issues on here about Emerald.

There have been a few, for sure. I don’t recall anything like this.

What did Emerald have to say about it?

[MCP850]

I would have thought most builders of this volume used a Plek leveling machine.

[Earl49]

My understanding is that a really good tech can accomplish great leveling and superb action - better than a Plek machine. The machine lets you get consistently better fret leveling in a large factory environment using less masterful staff. Plus the Plek machine is both expensive to buy and you have to pay a per-guitar franchise fee for using it. For a small shop it is likely not feasible.

Any builder can have minor QC issues, but that is certainly not the norm for Emerald. For example, my X30 from late 2018 came to me with a very low and buzzy action. I shimmed the saddle up with a layer of credit card (it was handy) and eventually fitted a new saddle when Alistair sent me one. Problem solved. I've never had any fret issues on any of the several Emeralds that I own -- they all look and feel superb to me -- nor do I expect problems with the custom X20 they are building for me right now.

You should definitely let them know that you had this issue. They cannot fix a problem unless they know about it.

[jjhturbo]

Originally Posted by eatswodo

There have been a few, for sure. I don’t recall anything like this.

What did Emerald have to say about it?

I emailed them yesterday, but haven't received a reply yet. Will let you guys know once I do.

So no other Emerald owner has experienced a similar problem?

[raysachs]

Originally Posted by Earl49

My understanding is that a really good tech can accomplish great leveling and superb action - better than a Plek machine. The machine lets you get consistently better fret leveling in a large factory environment using less masterful staff. Plus the Plek machine is both expensive to buy and you have to pay a per-guitar franchise fee for using it. For a small shop it is likely not feasible.

Any builder can have minor QC issues, but that is certainly not the norm for Emerald. For example, my X30 from late 2018 came to me with a very low and buzzy action. I shimmed the saddle up with a layer of credit card (it was handy) and eventually fitted a new saddle when Alistair sent me one. Problem solved. I've never had any fret issues on any of the several Emeralds that I own -- they all look and feel superb to me -- nor do I expect problems with the custom X20 they are building for me right now.

You should definitely let them know that you had this issue. They cannot fix a problem unless they know about it.

I actually find plek machines, like much else, is best in the hands of a really skilled luthier who knows exactly what he or she is going for. I've had factory and big retail store plek'd guitars that were both really good and merely OK. I had Phil Jacoby at Philtone in Baltimore plek my Robert Cray strat in his little basement shop, and it's absolutely phenomenal. Plays as well as any strat I've ever played and better than any other beside a PRS Silver Sky.

An unskilled operator with a plek machine can take way too much material off of frets to match the lowest one, rather than, say replacing one or low frets and then leveling those to match the rest of them, which might have been quite good to begin with...

-Ray

[MCP850]

My x7 has a tinny ringing overtone on the B string, the back of the neck has sanding marks, would I buy it agin? absolutly, I love it. That being said are the Mcphersons carbon fiber guitars finisd to a consistantly higher degree? like their lables stay stuck on. I will probably order another Emerald but it sounds like they could tighten up on their QC.

[jjhturbo]

Originally Posted by jjhturbo

I emailed them yesterday, but haven't received a reply yet. Will let you guys know once I do.

So no other Emerald owner has experienced a similar problem?

Just received a reply from Emerald. Told them what the issue was and what I did to resolve it, and conveyed that although I have been very happy with the X20 overall, this one issue is not insignificant (in my eyes at least). To their credit, they said if I ever experience the buzzing again, they offered to have me ship the guitar back to them (at their expense) and to fix it.

No doubt their level of service (pre-sales and post-sales) seems to be exceptional. But I think QA/QC can definitely be improved. Again, my only gripe (so far).

[JimCA]

I had frets that needed to be re-glued on a new X10. Emerald did do well in getting it fixed — still disappointing.

[jjhturbo]

Originally Posted by JimCA

I had frets that needed to be re-glued on a new X10. Emerald did do well in getting it fixed — still disappointing.

Interesting. So I'm not the only one. I assume you were also getting buzzing then?

[JimCA]

Originally Posted by jjhturbo

Interesting. So I'm not the only one. I assume you were also getting buzzing then?

Buzz and frets at strings with muted tones.

[Dbone]

I think they have a very nice product overall, but they definitely have more issues coming up on this forum than I personally would like to see. I would call it a trend quite frankly.

This said, my impression of them as a company is very good. They seem like the type of company that responds to problems and tweaks/fixes processes over time. That would be my estimation of how they are.

Their product is too good overall to not want to stay ahead of the curve and make it the best it can be.

[jjhturbo]

Originally Posted by JimCA

Buzz and frets at strings with muted tones.

Gotcha. Same thing with me.

Here's where I currently stand:
Would I buy again? Probably yes.
Am I disappointed? Absolutely yes.

Now, if the frets lift again in the foreseeable future....changes my answer to question #1.