Emerald with Ghost pick up ???

[DownUpDave]

I have been spending way too much time on the Emerald website. The X20 is in my future at some point, with veneer and a pick up.

That leads to my question/questions. Does anyone here have the Ghost pick in their X20, how do you like it, does it sound natural at all. I would also love to here from anyone with the Ghost / K&K combo in their Emerald. Alistair says it is the most popular pick up system offered. Again please describe the tone characteristics of it and if you like it or not. Maybe a simple Baggs Element is the way to go.

[Quintus]

Kevin at Emerald just emailed me that, though they don’t offer the LR Baggs Anthem as an option, they will mod your custom build to allow ease of installation for an Anthem. Another option to consider.

[DownUpDave]

Originally Posted by Quintus

Kevin at Emerald just emailed me that, though they don’t offer the LR Baggs Anthem as an option, they will mod your custom build to allow ease of installation for an Anthem. Another option to consider.

Thanks for the suggestion. I do have a LR Baggs Anthem SL in one of my guitars and like it a lot.

[DownUpDave]

All the proud vocal EMERALD owners and nobody has the Ghost and or Ghost/K&K combo. Surely somebody has it and would like to share their thoughts on it.

Maybe I should ask the question in the Amplification sub form. But I figured since we are talking specifically about the Emeralds this would be the best place for feedback

[ZebraKing]

I have an X20 with the Ghost + K&K. It was a custom build and I received in December. When I got it the intonation was pretty far off (saddles needed to all go towards the back end of the guitar), but it's adjustable so I started tightening the saddle adjustment screws. Some strings I got dialed in pretty well but the D was just stuck and I couldn't turn anymore. After discussing with Emerald I sent it back for warranty work. Unlike guitars with metal saddles Ghost saddles are made from the Graphtec material and the adjustment screws are really tight so honestly not very easy to adjust.

I just got it back yesterday (about 6 weeks round trip). It is much better adjusted with intonation not perfect but certainly acceptable and on par with any fixed bridge acoustic I've owned. While they had it back I had them lower the strings a tad and the high E was buzzing a bit so I just raised the saddle a bit on that string and problem solved. Nice to be able to do that.

The guitar is stunningly beautiful and sounds great on it's own and plugged in. My goal was to get a guitar for outside summer gigs and for use where conditions are not ideal for my Martin HD28. I feel pretty good about the X20 now but time will tell if the Ghost ends up being a benefit or a nuisance.

So more to come as I get some playing time on it.

[DownUpDave]

Originally Posted by ZebraKing

I have an X20 with the Ghost + K&K. It was a custom build and I received in December. When I got it the intonation was pretty far off (saddles needed to all go towards the back end of the guitar), but it's adjustable so I started tightening the saddle adjustment screws. Some strings I got dialed in pretty well but the D was just stuck and I couldn't turn anymore. After discussing with Emerald I sent it back for warranty work. Unlike guitars with metal saddles Ghost saddles are made from the Graphtec material and the adjustment screws are really tight so honestly not very easy to adjust.

I just got it back yesterday (about 6 weeks round trip). It is much better adjusted with intonation not perfect but certainly acceptable and on par with any fixed bridge acoustic I've owned. While they had it back I had them lower the strings a tad and the high E was buzzing a bit so I just raised the saddle a bit on that string and problem solved. Nice to be able to do that.

The guitar is stunningly beautiful and sounds great on it's own and plugged in. My goal was to get a guitar for outside summer gigs and for use where conditions are not ideal for my Martin HD28. I feel pretty good about the X20 now but time will tell if the Ghost ends up being a benefit or a nuisance.

So more to come as I get some playing time on it.

Hey Zebraking thanks for the detailed review. Seems like there are a lot of moving parts that can cause issues. But then again they can solve problems too. I am glad Emerald got it fixed for you. I like that you said it sounds great plugged in, that’s what I was hoping for. Enjoy and good luck in the future.

[Quintus]

Originally Posted by ZebraKing

The guitar is stunningly beautiful and sounds great on it's own and plugged in.

Apologies for the sidebar, but I think you owe us a photo of your stunning guitar.

[ZebraKing]

Is there a way to post pictures directly here?

[Quintus]

About halfway down the FAQ page they describe the process:

https://www.acousticguitarforum.com/forums/faq.php

[Rodg]

It's more challenging to post pics if you aren't a charter member. To be honest I'm not sure if you can or not. Once you're a charter member it's fairly easy

[ZebraKing]

Just an update on the adjustable bridge, I've become a pretty major fan. I got a basic setup kit on Amazon and was able to get the height set perfectly for my playing style.

[Methos1979]

Originally Posted by ZebraKing

Just an update on the adjustable bridge, I've become a pretty major fan. I got a basic setup kit on Amazon and was able to get the height set perfectly for my playing style.

How about the Ghost/K&K pickup combo? You didn't update us on that! Now several months late, I'm interested in your thoughts. Anyone else have the Ghost/K&K combo?

[ZebraKing]

Overall still love my X20 and it's been my main gigging guitar this summer so far (that's why I bought it). It's so comfortable to play for long gigs, and many many other reasons it is great for this purpose. Note, I mostly strum. Honestly to my ears it doesn't sound as good unplugged in as my Martin HD-28 but that was not my goal with it. That said, plugged in the K&K gives the X20 some extra warmth and body. Here's things I've done to get a really good plugged in sound on my X20:

Never been a fan of Elixar strings, replaced with John Pearse PB 700 and makes a vast improvement.

I dial the K&K at 100% volume and the Ghost at about 20% for strumming, and dial in a little more Ghost for fingerpicking. I'm not a big fan of piezo tone in general, though I still would go with the Ghost for the adjustability.

Notch the EQ -10db at 550Hz, on my X20 this is where the ugly nasal stuff lives for both pickups. The low end can get a tad boomy depending on the environment, so sometimes EQ that down a bit. Note I run my own board so do EQ on that, or of course you could go with an EQ pedal.

The secret sauce for me has been an LR Baggs Session Align pedal. Saturate control at about Noon to add warmth and compeq at about 1 o'clock to smooth off the top end.

Here's a few other random things:

I love the beveled forearm rest, don't think I could ever buy another guitar without this.

The neck is outstanding and to me the perfect shape. I also like the gloss finish on it. It kinda warms up after a few minutes and feels great.

I have huge hands but I can really access the upper frets easily. Outstanding design of the cutaway.

Individual strings are very articulate. When I pick notes while mostly strumming they really come through.

Still looks fantastic, although I am noticing dulling where the pickguard would go due to small pick scratches. Got me wondering if many years from now it would wear through to the veneer and if it could be refinished.

Ghost adjustable bridge is really stable and haven't had to re-adjust anything since I got it set the way I like it.

YMMV

[Methos1979]

Originally Posted by ZebraKing

Overall still love my X20 and it's been my main gigging guitar this summer so far (that's why I bought it). It's so comfortable to play for long gigs, and many many other reasons it is great for this purpose. Note, I mostly strum. Honestly to my ears it doesn't sound as good unplugged in as my Martin HD-28 but that was not my goal with it. That said, plugged in the K&K gives the X20 some extra warmth and body. Here's things I've done to get a really good plugged in sound on my X20:

Never been a fan of Elixar strings, replaced with John Pearse PB 700 and makes a vast improvement.

I dial the K&K at 100% volume and the Ghost at about 20% for strumming, and dial in a little more Ghost for fingerpicking. I'm not a big fan of piezo tone in general, though I still would go with the Ghost for the adjustability.

Notch the EQ -10db at 550Hz, on my X20 this is where the ugly nasal stuff lives for both pickups. The low end can get a tad boomy depending on the environment, so sometimes EQ that down a bit. Note I run my own board so do EQ on that, or of course you could go with an EQ pedal.

The secret sauce for me has been an LR Baggs Session Align pedal. Saturate control at about Noon to add warmth and compeq at about 1 o'clock to smooth off the top end.

Here's a few other random things:

I love the beveled forearm rest, don't think I could ever buy another guitar without this.

The neck is outstanding and to me the perfect shape. I also like the gloss finish on it. It kinda warms up after a few minutes and feels great.

I have huge hands but I can really access the upper frets easily. Outstanding design of the cutaway.

Individual strings are very articulate. When I pick notes while mostly strumming they really come through.

Still looks fantastic, although I am noticing dulling where the pickguard would go due to small pick scratches. Got me wondering if many years from now it would wear through to the veneer and if it could be refinished.

Ghost adjustable bridge is really stable and haven't had to re-adjust anything since I got it set the way I like it.

YMMV

Thanks for the update. I'd forgotten about the 'ugly nasal stuff' that was always an issue with my Emeralds with K&K's. That's a great tip for dialing that out with exact parameters. The other issue I had was the 'ghost notes' that were so prevalent that I don't experience with other guitars, at least not to the degree I did with my Emeralds, especially my X7.

But the comfort curves and bevels were very nice and the look was so awesome. I've never had as much attention with a guitar as I had with my first custom X20 woody! Although the Black Ice dread does get noticed and a lot of people inquire as to what that is. And with the new vibrant weave it would look even better on the back and sides with a Spalted Chen Chen veneer.

I think for me it really does come down to wanting one for the awesome look and comfort features but I know I'd still not be happy with the amplification with any of the currently offered pickup systems. Maybe they'll eventually offer the LR Baggs StagePro again. I know they've made them with that in the past. As a gigging guitarist, I really prefer that onboard control.