Help me pick an Emerald

[Triumph Ant]

I am encouraged to find out others are open to the idea of meeting up and comparing instruments, etc. Youtube is great and there are a tone of very well done videos but there is just no real way to hear an instrument acoustically through a recording and there is nothing like actually holding the guitar in hand, feeling the neck shape, the ease of fretting, the way it feels overall, etc.

Oh, and the idea of removing strings is a good idea. I have tried it and of course it is easier to play, especially since I primarily play fingerstyle. I was however disappointed with its sound just 1/2 strung. I guess its not too surprising since the Amicus is engineered to really shine with 12, which it really does.

I really am sold on Emerald Guitars, their visual beauty, the incredible rich sound and of course the fact that something that beautiful can be strong as a brick house. I just need to find my perfect fit.

[steelvibe]

Originally Posted by RP

As one who has bought and subsequently sold several Emeralds, I too am amazed by the prices of used ones that I see on Reverb. While I can't tell you what kinds of prices others are getting, I can certainly assure you that I neither advertised nor received such high dollar amounts...

Originally Posted by jdinaz

Ditto for me

I remember the great deals you guys offered on those! I also sold a RainSong at a smokin' deal. That same model is now going for nearly double that amount.....and people seem to be buying them.

I think when things settle down in the supply chain world there are going to be a lot of people offloading guitars. That is when deals will be had and where I'm hedging my bets.

[RP]

Originally Posted by Triumph Ant

...I really am sold on Emerald Guitars, their visual beauty, the incredible rich sound and of course the fact that something that beautiful can be strong as a brick house. I just need to find my perfect fit.

It should also be said that Emerald's built-in contours make it the most comfortable guitar brand that I've ever played...

[jdrnd]

Originally Posted by opie

I'm going to purchase myself an Emerald as a treat. I'm sure other Carbon makers are lovely but I can't decide between Emeralds so lets not make it more complex.

I play at home, by myself 100% of the time. Just helps me relax. ZERO desire to play in front of people. I'll play about any style of music but I do gravitate towards a bluegrass/country style and then fingerstyle after that. I play a touch of electric but I don't plug in often.

I had always thought I wanted an X7 but then started looking at and listening to the X20 which I think might tickly my fancy more with flatpicking.

The virtuo peaked my interest but I'm afraid I'd have to plug in all the time with that one. Maybe I'm wrong?

So what is the intarwebs opinion? And between those two should I get a pickup installed? I mean is it like 4WD on your truck? It's better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it?

It is unfortunate that there is no local store where you could compare all the models at one sitting.

Its hard to go by others opinions. You need to play the guitars yourself. I guess the best way of doing this would be to order an X7, X20, and X30. Emerald has a good return policy. So after you play them you can decide which model(s) to keep and which to send back.

[mountainmaster]

Originally Posted by Triumph Ant

Oh, and the idea of removing strings is a good idea. I have tried it and of course it is easier to play, especially since I primarily play fingerstyle. I was however disappointed with its sound just 1/2 strung. I guess its not too surprising since the Amicus is engineered to really shine with 12, which it really does.

I love the sound of 12-strings but in my experience they are quite different instruments which require different playing techniques.

Although I am not a beginner anymore my electric 12-string with its extra light 009-042 strings is still giving me some trouble. I cannot play it for very long but I really enjoy those brief moments.

I also had my eye on the Amicus for some time but I am afraid it would only share the fate of my electric 12-string as a pretty wallflower.