Emerald X-20 vs X-30

[HNS]

Hello folks, blessed Sunday to everyone.


Does anybody here have experience with both the X-20 and the X-30?


1-I know the body size would intuitively make the X-30 fuller with more bass, while the X-20 would be more articulate, balanced and more of an all-rounder, but what about ergonomics, articulation, and comfort, TONE, etc...

2- Did anybody wish they ordered the other after they got what they initially ordered.

3- Veneer or not to veneer ... your thoughts.

4- They don't seem to come with a truss rod cover, has anybody tried putting one in, or there was no need.

Cheers

[Cincy2]

I suffered with these same questions. There is a lot of historical threads on the forum that discuss the differences between X20 and X30. I gave up trying to decide and ordered one of both.

Cincy

[HNS]

Good luck ... I hope to enjoy them!

[RP]

I recently asked https://www.acousticguitarforum.com/...d.php?t=558514 the Emeraldites on AGF for suggestions on ordering and quickly learned that one can go real crazy (and real poor) real fast with various options. I decided to purchase a plain-jane X20 in black from Emerald's in-stock selection. In addition to keeping the cost down, this approach shortened the wait time to a week. Do I have any regrets?

None at all. When you purchase an Emerald, there's really no such thing as a stripped down model. It's just a matter of more, fewer or no options. Even the least expensive Emerald is a very exotic guitar that looks, plays and sounds pretty wonderful....

[HNS]

Originally Posted by RP

I recently asked https://www.acousticguitarforum.com/...d.php?t=558514 the Emeraldites on AGF for suggestions and quickly learned that one can go real crazy (and real poor) real fast with various options. I decided to purchase a plain-jane X20 in black from Emerald's in-stock selection. In addition to keeping the cost down, this approach shortened the wait time to a week. Do I have any regrets?

None at all. When you purchase an Emerald, there's really no such thing as a stripped down model. It's just a matter of more, fewer or no options. Even the least expensive Emerald is a very exotic guitar that looks, plays and sounds pretty wonderful....

Thanks, RP, I read the thread

I'm going down your route as well, I'm still sticking to the black X-20 + the Anthem pup (and not the larger = x30) because I'm not getting any younger. I was just wondering which was more versatile and pleasing (I'm a martin kinda guy).

I suspect it will be more of a modern Larrivee tone. The durability is definitely a plus.

[Earl49]

X30 is bigger and bolder in sound, with powerful bass and tons of volume. It sounds more like a Martin D-28, whereas the X20 sounds more like a Taylor 814, relating them broadly to well known wood models.

I initially took a chance and ordered a stock Chimaera double neck with 12 and 6 string necks. It is a cool eye-catching instrument, and I would never have to choose which guitar to bring beforehand. In the end it was returned because the position of the six string neck did not quite work with my body and playing style (finger style Piedmont blues and ragtime). Emerald was cool to work with on the return, no questions asked - I just paid the return shipping of ~$90 to Ireland. But I enjoyed the twelve string side so much that I soon placed a custom order for an X20-12. Later I bought a matching green X20 six string from a fellow forum member and it has now become my #1 guitar. So I ultimately ended up with both halves of a Chimaera in green CF, Artisan configuration.

Last December I went ahead and bought an X30 from stock after trying one in October at Kramster's house. That X30 haunted me for a couple of months before pulling the trigger and had been surprisingly comfortable to play. X30 is a big guitar but not huge to hold (I play about 75% finger style in classical position with the guitar on my left leg). A buddy of mine who has actually built his own D-28 clone to go with several Martin's also has an X30 woody now and likes it a LOT. He also bought an Amicus at the factory.

1. X20 is more articulate than X30 but still quite rich tonally. Think an OM or GA body versus a Dreadnought. A friend who was recently considering the purchase of a nice used custom shop Martin OM-28 also played my X20, and we all agreed that the X20 was the clear winner -- rich tone, good volume, superior playing comfort.

2. Either one will be a killer instrument, but your playing style and physical stature or limitations might make one better for you than the other. Define your mission first, then choose. If you are a hard strumming bluegrass player who always plays standing, go with X30. If you are a smaller person who plays mostly light finger style while seated, X20 is maybe a better fit.

3. Veneer is purely cosmetic and personal preference. There are some really cool veneer woods available to make visually unique guitars that simply cannot be built in solid wood. I'm a guy that likes the look of exposed CF weave, but my wife now has two woody X7's.

4. Why would you need or want a truss rod cover? The nut is well recessed and you won't ever see it unless shining a flashlight down there to find the nut with a hex key. The colors of Emerald guitars are very subdued in most lighting conditions, and you will hardly notice the void where the truss rod end sits.

Originally Posted by RP

.....Do I have any regrets? None at all. When you purchase an Emerald, there's really no such thing as a stripped down model. It's just a matter of more, fewer or no options. Even the least expensive Emerald is a very exotic guitar that looks, plays and sounds pretty wonderful....

Well said. Any of the options are great, but some of the choices may be greater - for you.

[HNS]

Originally Posted by Earl49

X30 is bigger and bolder in sound, with powerful bass and tons of volume. It sounds more like a Martin D-28, whereas the X20 sounds more like a Taylor 814, .


X20 is more articulate than X30 but still quite rich tonally. Think an OM or GA body versus a Dreadnought. A friend who was recently considering the purchase of a nice used custom shop Martin OM-28 also played my X20, and we all agreed that the X20 was the clear winner -- rich tone, good volume, superior playing comfort.

Define your mission first, then choose. If you are a hard strumming bluegrass player who always plays standing, go with X30. If you are a smaller person who plays mostly light finger style while seated, X20 is maybe a better fit.

Thanks for the elaborate answer. Very helpful comments

I'm 5'10" and I play sitting mostly, at home, and a combination between fingerstyle and strumming and some flatpicking. I'm looking for an allrounder, not a banjo killer, although I like the bass of larger bodied guitars.

Thanks, Earl... very helpful!

I'm gravitating more to the X-20

[Steve Hamill]

For what it’s worth the body size of my X20 baritone produces plenty of low end and doesn’t hold it back as a long neck at all. The sustain is unreal on these.

[Earl49]

Originally Posted by HNS

I'm gravitating more to the X-20

Glad to help. You won't be sorry with an X20, and in the worst case they will accept returns on a stock guitar. You'll be out their $55 shipping fee plus the return postage. I have both models, and reach for the X20 about an 80% of the time. Of course, I had shoulder surgery in March and reaching around the X30 is still just a bit challenging. I can do it but the X20 is exactly the right fit for me.

If you eventually felt like you needed more bass from an X20 then use medium-light or bluegrass gauge strings (56-12). The guitars are more than strong enough to handle the extra tension. My X20-12 came with a set of heavy gauge twelve strings (54-12) instead of light gauge (47-10). I took off half of them and played it as a six string for an hour, then put on a 47-10 "normal" twelve string set. I saw no variation in relief between 335 pounds (EJ-37) or 165 pounds (EJ-16 equivalent / 54-12 when removing the octave strings) or 250 pounds (EJ-38). There was no need to touch the truss rod for any of these configurations. It came across the Atlantic wearing the heavy strings and tuned up to pitch and was almost in tune coming out of the box.

[Song]

This guy gives a great review of x30

[kramster]

I was just talking with some folks from Switzerland today at the Petrified Forest in Arizona .... they liked the guitar I was photoing... non Emerald though... anyway... tuff call between the X20 and X30 ... I say get both ... hope this helps.

[HNS]

Thanks, ...great comments folks!

I ordered the X20 with the anthem pup already.

One question on structure, it seems that Emerald fuses the carbon fiber sheets with an epoxy resin, so it's technically an epoxy resin guitar... does anybody have any info on that? What would the carbon sheets role be in this case?


Did anybody face body warp/creep or neck reset issues. Structural integrity and durability should be among the main pluses of the CF guitar.
Cheers

[steelvibe]

Originally Posted by HNS

Thanks, ...great comments folks!

I ordered the X20 with the anthem pup already.

One question on structure, it seems that Emerald fuses the carbon fiber sheets with an epoxy resin, so it's technically an epoxy resin guitar... does anybody have any info on that? What would the carbon sheets role be in this case?


Did anybody face body warp/creep or neck reset issues. Structural integrity and durability should be among the main pluses of the CF guitar.
Cheers

While not bulletproof, CF is as strong of a guitar you will ever hold when you consider tensile strength and how much they weigh. It is truly an experience to behold.

If you run it over with your car, or drop it from an unreasonable height it will shatter, but who spends thousands of dollars on a guitar to treat it like that? The real allure of CF addresses your concerns head on- they will never creep, you will never need a neck reset, and it will likely stay in tune even when moving from hot to cold environments. Many report switching to medium gauge strings from lights with no reported affect on relief or action. Truss rods are for initial set up and that all.

Set and forget.
Don't worry.
Use it as a boat paddle.
Play for penguins or cactii.
Leave it in the trunk of your car.
Use the offset sound hole to hold your beer for a minute.

....whatever you do play the heck out of it and enjoy once you have it.

[Earl49]

Originally Posted by HNS

....it seems that Emerald fuses the carbon fiber sheets with an epoxy resin, so it's technically an epoxy resin guitar... does anybody have any info on that? What would the carbon sheets role be in this case?

I have often described wood as "nature's composite". Cellulose fibers are bound into a layer using natural resin -- tree sap. In the case of our "man-made composite" guitars, a series of carbon fibers are woven into a cloth then bound together into a polyester resin, or sometimes in epoxy. The fibers provide the strength and are much stronger than cellulose. The binder preserves the material's finished shape by holding the fibers in position.

The whole composite is more consistent than wood and is virtually immune to changes due to humidity and mostly to temperature. Creep is not an issue either. My WS-1000 made in 2001 without a truss rod has not moved perceptibly in those 18 years. If you looked at my guitar you would be hard pressed to tell it from brand new. It has traveled in the back of a pickup truck all day in wintertime Alaska at -40°F then played in a warm cabin that night. It has also been to day-long summer festivals at nearly 100°F. I do not leave it exposed to the sun when hot, but otherwise it can survive any conditions that I might be comfortable at. My RS has been played at campfire jams where it started out at 70° and dropped to 40° by the wee hours, and we got closer to the fire pit as the temp got colder. All the wood guitars needed to be tuned constantly, but I tweaked mine only a couple of times throughout the evening.

Enjoy the X20! Mine has an Anthem pickup in mine, although it has rarely been used. It came to me that way from the previous owner. When I chose, it was either no pickup at all or the cheaper LR Baggs VTC system. I don't plug in much anymore - my playing is nearly 100% acoustic these days.

[jdinco]

Congrats HNS....enjoy your X20. We'll be waiting here for a full NGD report and pictures.