Emerald Virtuo Rattle

rodi53 · #1 01-03-2024, 08:55 AM

Greetings and Happy New Year! I recently received a new Emerald Virtuo, my first CF guitar. My intent is to only need one guitar for gigs. It does a passable job of producing both acoustic and electric tone, although it is quite bright. But my main reason for posting is to ask other Emerald owners if they've experienced any rattling noises. My guitar rattles internally, primarily when playing the low E and A strings, and the noise comes through the amp. Not good. At first I thought the battery was loose in the holder, so I wrapped it in electrical tape. Didn't help. I haven't contacted Emerald about this issue yet. I first wanted to pick your collective brains to ask if anyone else has experienced this problem, and if so what the solution was. I dread the thought of having to ship this thing back to Ireland!

Earl49 · #2 01-03-2024, 04:40 PM

Rattles and buzzes are a ***** to diagnose. Every part has to be secured properly, and wires cannot touch any internal surface or part without padding. I have gone as far as taking small blocks of scrap foam rubber and splitting them, inserting the wire inside to isolate from the tops and backs to prevent what you described. You have to check everything: tuning machines, control knobs, end pin jack, free string length above the nut, etc, etc.

A good local tech can probably do as well troubleshooting as Emerald without shipping it back across the Pond. Not having a Virtuo, I'm not sure if you can reach inside with one hand to touch various parts and surfaces while reproducing the buzz with the other hand. Good luck!

Captain Jim · #3 01-03-2024, 08:26 PM

The Virtuo has a removable access panel on the back. I haven't opened mine up to see what can be reached/accessed from that, but it would be a good place to start.

rodi53 · #4 01-04-2024, 07:39 AM

I opened it up yesterday to take a look inside. Wires and electronics are everywhere, but things looked well secured and the screws were tight. I also didn't see any wires ran so they could touch the body. Anyway, something is definitely wrong. My next step will be to contact Emerald and see what they say. I certainly wasn't expecting this from a $4,000+ guitar!

DavidE · #5 01-06-2024, 10:31 PM

Any resolution?

rodi53 · #6 01-07-2024, 03:48 PM

I added a tie wrap to a wire bundle that looked like it could be touching the inside of the body. That must have been it since the rattle is gone now. I played the Virtuo today at our practice through a Fender Tone Master Pro and into a Yamaha DM3, outputting into a couple of LD Systems Maui 28's and a pair of QSC 8" powered speakers. Was impressed with the overall sound. Wasn't sure what I'd think of the Fishman Fluence humbuckers, but turns out I like 'em. The TMP doesn't have an acoustic IR, but I used the Deluxe Reverb preset clean for the acoustic tone and it was fine. Anyway, it's good to have this rattling thing behind me!

dgaemc2 · #7 01-07-2024, 04:00 PM

Glad you got it resolved and liked how it sounded through your system!

Markcarl · #8 01-07-2024, 11:18 PM

Glad you got it resolved! I got a Virtuo guitar around 6 months ago and am really happy with it. I like the Fisman Fluence pickups so much I’m having them put in an old Les Paul.

rodi53 · #9 01-08-2024, 04:32 PM

The longer I play my Virtuo, the better I like it. I have a hard time putting it down now. Once I figured out where to set the EQ, it sounds really good. It's a leap of faith to spend that much money on a guitar that can't be test played in advance, especially one so unique in design, but other than the initial rattle (since resolved) it's a great guitar. Stays in tune and the action and intonation were spot on right out of the box. The only design change I'd make if I could would be to add a tone control for the piezo bridge. I'd gladly trade the MIDI control for that. I doubt I'll ever use the MIDI feature. Anyway, I hope everyone has a safe and happy 2024!

dgaemc2 · #10 01-08-2024, 06:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rodi53

The longer I play my Virtuo, the better I like it. I have a hard time putting it down now. Once I figured out where to set the EQ, it sounds really good. It's a leap of faith to spend that much money on a guitar that can't be test played in advance, especially one so unique in design, but other than the initial rattle (since resolved) it's a great guitar. Stays in tune and the action and intonation were spot on right out of the box. The only design change I'd make if I could would be to add a tone control for the piezo bridge. I'd gladly trade the MIDI control for that. I doubt I'll ever use the MIDI feature. Anyway, I hope everyone has a safe and happy 2024!

Yeah, I would find that useful too. Piezo pickup does have 2 "voicings" with the Piezo Volume Push/Pull pot. Not nearly as definable as a "Tone Knob" but something in case you were unaware of that feature.

pima1234 · #11 02-14-2024, 10:12 PM

Can I ask what wire bundle it was? My Virtuo has a significant vibration rattle as well. It's the only thing that bugs me about the guitar (well, and I prefer higher, wider frets, but not a big deal).

Thanks.

rodi53 · #12 02-19-2024, 06:55 AM

Hi pima1234. Sorry it took me so long to reply. I just revisited my thread and saw your question. Anyway, there are small wire bundles that run from each humbucker and are tied together to form a larger bundle. That larger bundle was touching the back of the body. That was the only obvious thing I could see, so I assumed it was the source of the rattle. I fooled around with it until it no longer touched, and that seemed to take care of it. My method was totally unscientific, but it worked. Also, in my guitar the battery fits pretty loosely in the holder, so I wrapped the battery in electrical tape to make it fit more snugly. It wasn't the culprit in my case, but it's something you might check. Hopefully one of these things will help fix your Virtuo. Good luck!