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New member and NGD: From Downpatrick to Donegal
This is my first post on the forum and I’m happy to be on board. I recently received a new mug in the mail, effectively notifying me that I am now a member of the Emerald family. I subsequently sold my solidbody electric, a US made G&L ASAT Classic Bluesboy, thus leaving me with two lovely guitars, my “Irish Twins"(or, as I said in an email to Chloe, "from Downpatrick to Donegal"): a Lowden F32C and a spanking new amber Emerald Kestrel. I’m not sure why the May 11th Emerald Shipping Video was posted on Facebook and not on the Emerald YouTube page but here is a link:
https://www.facebook.com/EmeraldGuit...54458075105031 If you meander over to around the 17:50 mark you will see and hear the good Mr. Hay say a word or two about my new Kestrel. And yes, the Kestrel, my very first carbon fiber guitar, is a veritable thing of beauty. Here are my thoughts and early impressions after spending a few short days with my new guitar: Why a Kestrel?: I have bought and sold a good number of guitars in my lifetime and these have included a few precious archtops – a fairly inexpensive Washburn made in Asia, a higher quality Eastman 805, also made in Asia(Beijing), and a commissioned Campellone Deluxe, and a used Comins Chester Avenue. I no longer own any of these instruments as I had come to the conclusion that archtops were not for me. Later I came to the realization that archtops really were for me, as they were made for to be used in many genres after all. Yes, I’d love to have that Comins back again but so it goes with the guitars that got away. One day I came upon videos of Ken Parker Archtops and that’s what I credit with changing my perspective on archtops. Watching folks like Tommy Emmanuel put Mr. Parker’s somewhere north of $30,000 instruments through their paces opened my ears and eyes to the possibilities living inside of archtop guitars. The small handful of posted Kestrel performance videos informed me that this was an archtop built in the same free spirit as Mr. Parker’s finest. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FakMCS2oakk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQoNCzK_jis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnr8NorNg8E And to give you a little more of the musical aesthetic that I’m referring to, here’s fingerstyle phenom Jamie Stillway playing a $9,000 Maegen Wells archtop: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYNtiohmHB0 The other reasons for choosing a Kestrel had to do with its inherent carbon fiber nature. I wanted an instrument that I could leave out on a stand and be summoned to play over and over again throughout the day. The ergonomic nature of Alistair Hay’s beautiful creations are the icing on the cake. Aesthetics: As the American architect Louis Sullivan once said, “form follows function,” and never has this been so wonderfully showcased as with the Kestrel and so many other of Mr. Hay’s creations. I could look at it all day but, even more so, I could play it all day. Earlier today I was bonding with my new guitar when my wife commented, “are you going to spend any time with me today?” It’s at such times that you realize that you and a guitar have forged a special relationship with each other. Are there any things that I would change if I were given the proverbial magic wand? Well, I am intrigued by the cantilevered fingerboard of the McPherson Sable and I wonder if this is a feature that Emerald could “adopt” for the Kestrel. Would it make the top appreciably louder and more resonant? I’ve never played a Sable (or Touring) guitar and, anyway, I don’t know if it would be worth the substantial effort it would take to achieve such a change in design. In any event, it’s just an idle thought. Otherwise, I would opt for a Kestrel in “Vibrant Amber.” Woody veneers are lovely indeed but I would also be thrilled to have a Kestrel with such a gorgeous top. And no, it doesn’t escape my notice that the Kestrel has a very mild and understated carve to its top. I, however, don’t see a downside to this subtle arch as the guitar has a very versatile warm and wonderful acoustic and electric tone. Playability: Well, the setup from the factory left something to be desired, however, a few turns of the bridge screws quickly fixed that. I will bring the Kestrel in to a local luthier when this pandemic eases a bit but I am very happy with the playability as it stands now. The sculpting of the carbon fiber guitar body from the mold otherwise makes for a wonderfully well thought out and supremely comfortable guitar shape that would be impossible in the world of wood guitars. Acoustic Tone: Though it’s not the loudest of guitars, it is a very balanced and even sounding instrument and it also puts out a good bit of volume, especially when strummed or played with a pick. It has sufficient volume for comping but, if a “banjo killer” is what you’re looking for then I would advise you to look elsewhere. Electric Tone: The Krivo humbucker with the tone rolled off comes pretty close to nailing the acoustic quality of the instrument. I really shouldn’t be surprised as Krivo also makes a pickup for amplifying acoustic instruments such as Gypsy jazz guitars(the Micro-Manouche). Anyway, I don’t see where any of the myriad pickups designed for amplifying acoustic instruments has any advantage over the Krivo in this particular application. https://www.krivopickups.com/store/p...zz_Guitar.html Play with the tone controls and the guitar starts to sound more like a jazz instrument. Obviously, the tone settings on the amp(I have a Carr Rambler) make their own contribution to the sound. Does it nail that quintessential amplified jazz guitar tone? Well, no, not as of yet, but I have a set of Thomastik Infeld Jazz Swing flatwounds on their way to my mailbox. The sound of the TI’s with a proper setup will be sampled at some point down the road. Keep in mind, however, that as you move more in the direction of the “amplified jazz guitar” sound, you may potentially be moving away from the very versatility that the Kestrel has to offer. I love the sound of George Benson and Wes Montgomery(and Ian Ethan Case nails the “Pat Metheny tone” with the Kestrel on “Ballyraine”), however, I am also totally enamored of the tone that Tony Barnard gets with the Kestrel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scDtMHYloYE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxIGeHBSgZE And, while I’m on the subject of Tony Barnard, any fan of Mr. Hay’s work should immediately go and purchase a download of Tony Barnard’s album “Emeralds.” You’ll thank me and yes, you’re most welcome. https://tonybarnardmusic.bandcamp.com/album/emeralds Value: While none of the instruments produced by Emerald are inexpensive, the Kestrel is, without question, a very special value. When you look at the world of handcrafted archtop guitars made outside of Asia you start somewhere around $5,000 and quickly jump up to the $8,000 to $10,000 range and beyond to arrive at the purchase of an instrument on par with the Kestrel. Yes, you can find phenomenal Beijing produced Eastman archtops for less money but Eastmans are an exceedingly rare and special bargain in the world of mandolins, flattops and archtop guitars and, unlike Emeralds, no two are anywhere close to being the same. Do I have any other questions?: Just two. (1)Is the wooden bridge on the Kestrel glued in place(they usually aren’t in archtop guitars but that also leaves them vulnerable to being put in the wrong place) and (2)being the only part of the guitar(strings aside)not made of carbon fiber, does it require any special care? Perhaps I should email the good folks at Emerald for the answers to those questions/ So there you have it, my take on the Emerald Kestrel. I am happy to be among you and I raise my mug in salute to all of you. |
#2
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Congrats on a fine guitar ! Some pictures will be needed to complete your application to join the club.
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John |
#3
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Congrats
I was also wondering why Alistair has decided to go for an ebony bridge... why not carbon or s composite of some sort? |
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Welcome to AGF and thanks for such a complete review of your new Kestrel which I suppose is named for the small bird of prey previously known as a Sparrow Hawk here in the States....
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Emerald X20 Emerald X20-12 Martin D18 Martin 000-15sm |
#5
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Congrats! I'm quite fascinated by this Kestrel as I went down the (acoustic) archtop rabbit hole myself and ended up with a Loar 700. I don't have a clear idea of it's unplugged sound, are there any videos that showcase this?
I would imagine the bridge isn't glued on. If you change your string gauge or raise/lower the action - which you can do quite a bit on archtops - the intonation could go out. Adjusting the position on the bridge is pretty easy - just make sure the harmonic and fretting at the 12th fret are the same. BTW Jamie Stillway - what a wonderful player she is and that guitar is something else.
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National Resophonic NRP 12 Fret Loar LH-700-VS Archtop Eastman E8-OM Herrmann Weissenborn Recording King RP-10 Recording King RG-35-SN Lapsteel Maton 425 12-string ESP 400 series telecaster Eastman T485 Deering Americana Banjo My Youtube |
#6
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It’s named for the Kestrel Toy Company that was run by Alistair’s Dad. He discusses this in his blog entry on selecting a name for the instrument.
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#7
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Quote:
I suspect that you’re right about the bridge for the reasons you’ve so well stated. Jamie Stillway is one of the best kept secrets in the guitar world. She’s a little off beat in both her performing personality and her musical aesthetic and she is an absolute monster player. She has a handful of excellent videos posted, including a couple with the Maegen Wells guitar on Stillway’s Facebook page plus a duet with the equally talented guitarist Eric Skye. |
#8
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That Kestrel looks like a very nice guitar!! Congratulations!
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#9
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Quote:
In addition to “Kestrel” echoing Alistair’s father’s business, the very first guitar Alistair ever built had a white silhouetted image of a kestrel painted on the headstock. The old is certainly meeting the new in a big and special way. The Kestrel — Flight. Freedom. Elegance. And the Chinese company that bought MR. Hay's company features the small but mighty bird of prey as its logo...
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Emerald X20 Emerald X20-12 Martin D18 Martin 000-15sm |
#10
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Welcome to the AGF! Great first post.
Congrats on your Emerald. Let us know how the setup goes once you can get it done. |
#11
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Welcome aboard and kudos on a great first review! We look forward to more of your participation here. That Kestrel is impressive.
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Some CF, some wood. |
#12
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Thanks to everyone for the very warm welcomes. For a moment there I was afraid that maybe I was trying to Kram too much into a first post!
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#13
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Esimms86,
Welcome to the forum and what a wonderful way to start in! I really enjoyed those music performance links you provided. Not being familiar with the Kestrel, I watched the Emerald video you linked. Well, now you have done it! I truly enjoy arranging and playing in the chord solo style that is one of the main styles the archtop is known for as a solo instrument. Hmmmmm! I have to say that Emerald is producing an astonishing array of instruments, and is truly making each a work of art. The company truly stands out in the guitar world, regardless of whether we discussing wood or carbon fiber guitars, for their work. Edit: Here are a couple of youtube Kestrel videos: Tony
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“The guitar is a wonderful thing which is understood by few.” — Franz Schubert "Alexa, where's my stuff?" - Anxiously waiting... |
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I am quite jealous...while I love my X7, I have to admit, the Kestrel is probably my favorite in the Emerald lineup. I would love to one day get one of my own. Until then, Iʻll live vicariously through you...
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Taylor Custom Grand Concert Master Grade koa, Taylor K22ce 12-fret AA koa, Emerald X7 "Kauai" (custom painted artwork), Grimes Hapa nylon, Benedetto Andy, Kanile'a GL6 Guitalele, Moore Bettah and KoAloha custom ukuleles, Rob Allen Mouse koa bass |
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Quote:
Just when I thought I was all set with what I have... Tony
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“The guitar is a wonderful thing which is understood by few.” — Franz Schubert "Alexa, where's my stuff?" - Anxiously waiting... |