The Acoustic Guitar Forum

Go Back   The Acoustic Guitar Forum > General Acoustic Guitar and Amplification Discussion > Carbon Fiber

Reply
 
Thread Tools
  #1  
Old 03-04-2019, 08:58 PM
jdinco jdinco is offline
Charter Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Colorado
Posts: 4,398
Default X7 after one month...

This is my 3rd Emerald, the first 2 (X7 and X20) came with pretty decent setups, I took the saddle down a little bit on the X7, but the X20 was spot on. So I am a little surprised at how bad the setup on my new X7 is. The intonation on the 5th and 6th strings are about 4 cents off on the Snark, while the other strings are pretty much right on. Usually that is one of the first things I verify, but didn't on this one. Things just weren't sounding right. And compared to my other acoustics the string height is a bit high at the nut making it just a little harder to play chords in the first position. Not being able to drive more than 10 minutes right now means It will be a while before I can get it to the valley (Phoenix) for a tune up.

I also put some Martin Retro's on it, so far these don't seem to be a good match for the X7, all of the life is gone, it has no dynamics to speak of at all. This and the string height at the nut all showed up when I played the Martin Dread Jr before playing the X7. The Jr. killed it for tone and playability. I have Martin Lifespan 2.0's on the Jr. I know this is all simple issues easily addressed, it was all just a disappointment that I have left it in it's case when I was hoping to play it while recovering. I'm thinking that Emerald is missing some of the finer quality checks during their growth spurt. It could happen with any guitar from any manufacture and it's no way serious, just disappointing.
__________________
John
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 03-05-2019, 04:15 AM
Earl49 Earl49 is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Idaho
Posts: 10,982
Default

JD, I had a similar experience. The X30 that I bought from stock in December was set up so low that it buzzed everywhere, no matter how lightly I played. I had to shim the saddle up with two slivers of credit card and adjust the truss rod noticeably. To their credit, Alistair and Kevin sent me a replacement saddle to be fitted when I have time.

None of the earlier Emeralds we own (5 total) needed any set up tweaks. I hope that they are paying closer attention as things get busy in Donegal.
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 03-05-2019, 06:04 AM
Kerbie Kerbie is offline
Charter Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 28,635
Default

I'm sorry to hear that, but I hope you get everything worked out. When I got my X-7, I had given them specific set up numbers. Out of the box, the set up did not match my request, although it wasn't too far off. I got it corrected by my tech guy, but I was disappointed that they didn't set it up to my specs. Still a marvelous guitar though!
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 03-06-2019, 09:45 PM
JetSedgwick JetSedgwick is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: May 2018
Posts: 2
Default

What are your thoughts compared to the X20 so far?

Quote:
Originally Posted by jdinco View Post
This is my 3rd Emerald, the first 2 (X7 and X20) came with pretty decent setups, I took the saddle down a little bit on the X7, but the X20 was spot on. So I am a little surprised at how bad the setup on my new X7 is. The intonation on the 5th and 6th strings are about 4 cents off on the Snark, while the other strings are pretty much right on. Usually that is one of the first things I verify, but didn't on this one. Things just weren't sounding right. And compared to my other acoustics the string height is a bit high at the nut making it just a little harder to play chords in the first position. Not being able to drive more than 10 minutes right now means It will be a while before I can get it to the valley (Phoenix) for a tune up.

I also put some Martin Retro's on it, so far these don't seem to be a good match for the X7, all of the life is gone, it has no dynamics to speak of at all. This and the string height at the nut all showed up when I played the Martin Dread Jr before playing the X7. The Jr. killed it for tone and playability. I have Martin Lifespan 2.0's on the Jr. I know this is all simple issues easily addressed, it was all just a disappointment that I have left it in it's case when I was hoping to play it while recovering. I'm thinking that Emerald is missing some of the finer quality checks during their growth spurt. It could happen with any guitar from any manufacture and it's no way serious, just disappointing.
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 03-06-2019, 10:16 PM
jdinco jdinco is offline
Charter Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Colorado
Posts: 4,398
Default

Hi Jet, I think any comparison to my X20 right now is very unfair, considering that the setup, intonation and strings are all pretty bad right now on the X7, the X20 is better is every way you can think of, I played the 2 one after the other last night and the X20 was great, it ALWAYS puts a big smile on my face. I suspect the X7 will later, but in it's current condition it falls way short. I'll be sure and answer you again as soon as I get the X7 where it should be. Reading others reviews of the X7 makes me think that it will improve greatly so take this with a BIG grain of salt.
__________________
John
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 03-07-2019, 09:19 AM
Methos1979's Avatar
Methos1979 Methos1979 is offline
Charter Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Seacoast, NH
Posts: 8,070
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by jdinco View Post
Hi Jet, I think any comparison to my X20 right now is very unfair, considering that the setup, intonation and strings are all pretty bad right now on the X7, the X20 is better is every way you can think of, I played the 2 one after the other last night and the X20 was great, it ALWAYS puts a big smile on my face. I suspect the X7 will later, but in it's current condition it falls way short. I'll be sure and answer you again as soon as I get the X7 where it should be. Reading others reviews of the X7 makes me think that it will improve greatly so take this with a BIG grain of salt.
Sorry to hear your new X7 is not 'up to par' with your previous Emerald guitars, John. I looking forward to your impressions once you make the changes to get it right. Please make sure to detail what you had to do and how you did it and if there were any challenges due to CF vs. wood.

Like you, I've had two new X7's (one old-style monthly select series, one 2.0 model custom woody) and one new X20 (a custom woody) and while I didn't have the issues you had with setups and other issues like intonation on my latest X7 I can say that my X20 is a superior guitar in nearly every way, especially amplified. Plugged in it's an incredible guitar, blowing away the X7 due to a few idiosyncrasies like sympathetic overtones and a signal issue under certain conditions of X7 that I've detailed in other threads.

That said, the X7 does sound very good unplugged and it gets grabbed off the wall way more than the X20. It's at least as good as the x20 and to me it even sounds a little better unplugged in that it's a little louder, as hard as that seems to believe. I believe that is in part because the scales on both guitars are the same (24.6") which means it's shorter on the X20 than stock (25.5") and longer on the X7 than stock (24.0"). I also find the X7 to be more comfortable to play due to its smaller size. And though the scales are identical, the X7 neck is more compact due to the bridge being set back farther on the body.

The X7 is the go-to guitar at home when practicing or anywhere playing unplugged which means it gets grabbed way more than the X20. When playing out amplified the X20 gets the nod for it's bulletproof performance. I so wish the X7 was as good as the X20 is plugged in. If it was the X20 would probably get very little playing.
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 03-07-2019, 01:14 PM
jdinco jdinco is offline
Charter Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Colorado
Posts: 4,398
Default

Thanks Methos! Great feedback and exactly what I expect to happen on this end. Things happen and it's not a really big deal once addressed. I usually take care of small tweaks here and there myself, but I'm going to let a pro do this one. And one that Kramster recommends, so you know he is pretty good.
__________________
John
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 03-07-2019, 05:21 PM
JetSedgwick JetSedgwick is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: May 2018
Posts: 2
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by jdinco View Post
Hi Jet, I think any comparison to my X20 right now is very unfair, considering that the setup, intonation and strings are all pretty bad right now on the X7, the X20 is better is every way you can think of, I played the 2 one after the other last night and the X20 was great, it ALWAYS puts a big smile on my face. I suspect the X7 will later, but in it's current condition it falls way short. I'll be sure and answer you again as soon as I get the X7 where it should be. Reading others reviews of the X7 makes me think that it will improve greatly so take this with a BIG grain of salt.
Cool, I'll be curious to read your update when you're ready.
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 03-08-2019, 09:18 PM
trion12 trion12 is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 826
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Methos1979 View Post
Like you, I've had two new X7's (one old-style monthly select series, one 2.0 model custom woody) and one new X20 (a custom woody) and while I didn't have the issues you had with setups and other issues like intonation on my latest X7 I can say that my X20 is a superior guitar in nearly every way, especially amplified. Plugged in it's an incredible guitar, blowing away the X7 due to a few idiosyncrasies like sympathetic overtones and a signal issue under certain conditions of X7 that I've detailed in other threads.
. . .

I so wish the X7 was as good as the X20 is plugged in. If it was the X20 would probably get very little playing.
Mi Methos,

Can you please point me to the threads where you discussed the issues with X7 amplified?
I am considering an X7 as a performing instrument with an X10 level 3 pickup system.

Thanks.
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 03-09-2019, 12:24 AM
GuitarLuva GuitarLuva is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Oct 2018
Location: The Great White North
Posts: 1,873
Default

Sorry to hear about your X7. One thing I would like to add is that I love the convenience of clip on tuners also but wouldn't use one to adjust intonation. You really should be using something more accurate like a strobe tuner for that, literally night and day difference.
Reply With Quote
  #11  
Old 03-09-2019, 01:10 AM
jdinco jdinco is offline
Charter Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Colorado
Posts: 4,398
Default

Thanks Luva, of course you are right, I can hear it, so I'll just get a setup and take it from there. My old Seiko analog tuner works OK for intonation too...probably still not as good as a strobe though. It's killing me to not be able to play it, it's just sitting there in the case.
__________________
John
Reply With Quote
  #12  
Old 03-09-2019, 01:32 AM
GuitarLuva GuitarLuva is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Oct 2018
Location: The Great White North
Posts: 1,873
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by jdinco View Post
Thanks Luva, of course you are right, I can hear it, so I'll just get a setup and take it from there. My old Seiko analog tuner works OK for intonation too...probably still not as good as a strobe though. It's killing me to not be able to play it, it's just sitting there in the case.
No problem at all. I enjoy working on my guitars setting them up, experimenting, etc but every now and again you run into some weird stuff that only a skilled luthier can cure. I'm willing to bet if you hit Alistair up he would cover or at least share the cost to take it to a luthier.
Reply With Quote
  #13  
Old 03-09-2019, 09:33 AM
Methos1979's Avatar
Methos1979 Methos1979 is offline
Charter Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Seacoast, NH
Posts: 8,070
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by trion12 View Post
Mi Methos,

Can you please point me to the threads where you discussed the issues with X7 amplified?
I am considering an X7 as a performing instrument with an X10 level 3 pickup system.

Thanks.
I've mentioned it in a few threads and can't remember them all, unfortunately. I'll point you to one thread to read (if you have not done so already) where I talk at length about the guitar and I'll also summarize my issues below. Check out the NGD thread I did by clicking on the link below for the Emerald X7 Custom Woody. This will take you to my NGD post where I discuss in detail my thoughts and experiences using the guitar.

To summarize there are three main 'issues' with the guitar, only one of which might be an issue for your custom build.

1.) Stuck string in the pinless bridge - I went with a pinless bridge since I was having a custom bridge shape done anyway. One of the strings (the B) seems to seat a little lower in the pinless cutout and so does not pop out freely. I also find that that the Emerald pinless design does not make for necessarily an easier stringing experience. I would not order a pinless bridge on a custom again unless this design changes. So unless you were planning to order a pinless bridge, this would not apply to your build.

2.) There is some sort of signal issue with the K&K pickup system where I get a static or breakup sound when I plug straight into my Boss VE-8. I have no idea why this happens. If I add an additional preamp to the signal chain in front of the VE-8 or if I use a wireless into the VE-8 then the problem disappears. No amount of changing the EQ or input gain on the VE-8 itself changes this fact. I have no idea what the culprit here is though which is frustrating. Too many variables. But since you are planning on a different pickup system I doubt this issue would affect you.

3.) This last one could affect you though - I noticed early on (amplified) a real mid-range boxiness or honk or wolf note issue. It was extremely awful and distressing. I only noticed it amplified. I finally figured it out. It's a sympathetic string vibration on the G. So when tuned to standard, if I fret the low E to the third fret (like when playing a G chord) and the G string is open, the G string vibrates sympathetically and very loud creating an awful mid-range boxy/honky wolf note. The only fix for this I found is to use the notch on my VE-8 to dial out that tone. It works very well but I believe this is just a design/physics issue that would likely affect most X7's regardless of pickup. That said, note that I have as yet not heard anyone else complain of this issue.

I love the size of my X7 and if it didn't have the above issues and sounded as good plugged in as my X20, I wouldn't even need the X20. But the X20 suffers none of the above issues so it remains my go-to guitar for playing live. But I much prefer the size and ergs of the X7 and I tend to grab that one off the wall the most.
Reply With Quote
  #14  
Old 03-09-2019, 10:32 AM
Guest 928
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default

I have an X7, thin-bodied, electric with the Barbero active pickup--have none of the problems mentioned above and prefer it over the 20 when electrified.
Reply With Quote
  #15  
Old 03-09-2019, 04:28 PM
tommyld tommyld is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Pennsylvania
Posts: 305
Default

Aren't you protected by a return policy?

Last edited by tommyld; 03-11-2019 at 06:23 PM.
Reply With Quote
Reply

  The Acoustic Guitar Forum > General Acoustic Guitar and Amplification Discussion > Carbon Fiber

Thread Tools





All times are GMT -6. The time now is 11:15 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Copyright ©2000 - 2022, The Acoustic Guitar Forum
vB Ad Management by =RedTyger=