Emerald X10 level 3 owners

[Methos1979]

As some of you might know, I've got my X10 custom nylon for sale in the classifieds. It's down around page 8 by now because I never bump it. Why? Because I really don't want to sell it! I really like the X10. And I love the nylon but the wide nut exacerbates my arthritis in my left hand. So I'm thinking of adding a trade offer option for an X10 with level 3 but I don't know much about the X10 level 3 system.

For those that own or have owned or played the level 3, do you find you use it often? What kind of outboard gear do you need/use to make the most of the level 3 system? How about the level 2 for that matter? Do you use the level 2 with an electric amp and your level 1 with an acoustic amp?

Just curious. You don't see a lot of the level 3 systems talked about here. I do like the long demo of the level 3 system on the Emerald site. You can do some cool sounds with the level 3 midi system but I wonder if it would the type of thing where I'd buy an expensive midi system only to never use it.

[headCASE]

I got the lv 3 pickups installed on my lefty X20, and I rarely use the 13 pin connection (with a Boss GP-10, not a midi synth pedal so much as a processor, so no lag). I use the humbucker pickup when I'm in a plugged in metal mood, but mostly I just play unplugged. I opted for the lv 3 pickups so I could have the option to use the piezo or the humbucker. I figured if I really wanted to capture the "acoustics" of the guitar, I'd just set up a mic. That way, if I had to have only one guitar, the X20 could potentially cover all bases, plugged or unplugged.

[kramster]

I never got around to trying the 13 pin... got rid of the Roland stuff years ago when I sold my Godin nylon (don't tell Uncle Evy) 13 pin. And Yammy Silent Guitar that I had the GR3 13 pin pickup thingy on.

[headCASE]

Well, another reason I rarely use the lv 3 pickups is because they randomly cut out on me. I have to fiddle with the knobs, shake the guitar, and/or mess with the cable to get it to sound again. At first I thought it was the battery, so I pulled the battery, and just used the humbucker. It still randomly cuts out. I might at some point just pull the piezo bridge/electronics and put it in something else (assuming I can fix whatever the loose connection is).

Like my nephew, I had a Godin with the 13 pins and never got around to using the set up.

[Captain Jim]

X10 level 2 owner here. I have used it with a TRS Y-cable and one side into an acoustic amp, the other side into an electric amp (for recording). Most often, though, I use it with a standard guitar cable and blend the humbucker and piezos. It gives you a lot of plugged in tone range.

I was surprised how much I like the 1 11/16" nut width and the neck shape. I did order mine with a 24.6" scale, as well. It reminds me somewhat of my Taylor T5, but better acoustic tone (plugged in and unplugged).

From a strictly acoustic point of view, it is a bit quieter than I expected, but has great balance. Not an issue for me, since I have plenty of other guitars when playing acoustically with others comes up. I would say it is close to the volume output of my (previous version) X7 acoustically. The X10 really comes into its own when plugged in.

[Methos1979]

The level 3 would be almost surely for me one of those things that looks good on paper (or a YouTube video) that I would in the end never use. In reality a regular 'ole X10 might be the way to go. I'm still torn. Fortunately I'm not getting much action since I deliberately put it up for a premium price. I think I'll just sit on it for now unless someone comes along with an X10 woody with a short scale and narrow nut. I've been surprised how quickly I acclimated to the narrow nuts of the Cole Clarks, though they are not quite 1 11/16" narrow.