X30 ordered!

[L3stat]

Some of you may remember this X20 thread but somehow I've decided on an X30 instead. I've never played a jumbo before. I'm thinking I want a guitar with a sound that can fill the room, and if it's too loud (as if that will ever be a problem?) I can always dial back but it's harder to get a bigger sound out of a smaller guitar. Plus the youtube demos sound great!

Specs wise mostly standard:
No veneer because I actually like the look of carbon (bit of a petrolhead) in black
Chrome tuners, because frets are silver too , and chrome wears better. Thought long and hard about 21:1 ratio and locking tuners but decided otherwise
Emerald will slot the bridge and use grooveless pins so that's great
K&K pure mini SBT for electronics. It would be quite unlikely I'd play amplified, but would like that option and not deal with batteries
Might knock 2 frets off (I know it's a 22 fret vs 24 on the X20), more on that later
Opted for the soundhole tuner option as well

Does anyone know why the X30 is a 12 fret? Looked at videos and searched, was it ever explained? I understand the typical 12 vs 14 fret arguments. Not making a judgement on which is better but I thought with carbon there was a lot more flexibility in construction that would otherwise be constrained by traditional wood construction. So Emerald could have built a 14 fret that sounds like a 12 fret. Just curious why the X30 is a 12 fret.

One other consideration I have since I started thinking about the X20 is whether to modify the fretboard or reduce the fret count, since in most "if you had to do it again" threads, modifying the fretboard keeps coming up. I looked at my own natural picking position on my 25.5" 14 fret guitar, and it seems the picking sweet spot is usually around the (imaginary) 24/25 fret position (middle of the sound hole). Any closer to the bridge and it gets more sitar-like, and closer to the nut it gets more "tubby/flubby". Which on the 22 fret X30 means I should be ok, but I'm not really sure. I've never played a 12 fret guitar before. I'm guessing the sweet spot should be more a function of scale length than where the neck joins the body or bridge placement (given how the string vibrates), so I'm assuming the sweet spot for me on an X30 will still be at the 24/25 fret position which is well clear of the 22nd fret and hence I shouldn't bother with modifying the fretboard (a $200 upcharge and denies me the possibility of a return, just in case I can't bond with it). Not that the $200 really matter but I really want to get it right. If I knock off the last 2 frets when I don't have to, it would bug me that they're missing. It's funny how having choices can be a problem!

Does anyone know if the Mono jumbo gig bag fits the X30? I don't like the look of the Emerald one, I probably won't need a gig bag so don't want to deal with the clutter. When I do need one, I'll get the Mono. I have the electric version and they're really well made.

[Captain Jim]

I would imagine the X30 is a 12-fret for the comfort aspect... big guitar, pushing that neck out two frets further would make for more of a reach. I have 14-fret and 12-fret guitars - in use, there is no difference, as long as you have decent neck access in the upper frets. For manufacturers who offer both a 12-fret and a 14-fret in the same models, the 12-fret generally sounds warmer (definitely the case with a Taylor 12-fret I have), if the bridge is moved deeper into the lower bout.

On my X10, I requested a 24.6" scale, resulting in a 13-fret... just a bit more comfortable for the reach.

Congrats on your order - hope the wait passes quickly!

[Earl49]

Congrats on the order. Tick, tick, tick...... (Sorry that was a bit mean).

I played my X30 again last weekend for the first time since my rotator cuff surgery in March. Like most twelve fret guitars, it confused me for a couple of minutes when straying away from cowboy chord country but I quickly adapted. I don't know Alistair's reasoning, but suspect that comfort of reach is a big factor. X30 is an acoustically powerful guitar with strong bass, and it *WILL* fill the room when strumming, unless you back off a bit.

[Captain Jim]

Originally Posted by Earl49

Congrats on the order. Tick, tick, tick...... (Sorry that was a bit mean).

I played my X30 again last weekend for the first time since my rotator cuff surgery in March. Like most twelve fret guitars, it confused me for a couple of minutes when straying away from cowboy chord country but I quickly adapted. I don't know Alistair's reasoning, but suspect that comfort of reach is a big factor. X30 is an acoustically powerful guitar with strong bass, and it *WILL* fill the room when strumming, unless you back off a bit.

Sorry for the hijack, but that is a big step forward in your recovery - glad to hear it!

[jdinco]

Time sure slows down once you pull that trigger don't it ? Congrats on the X30. It should be awesome.

[mot]

Originally Posted by jdinco

Time sure slows down once you pull that trigger don't it ?

This has been one of my longest years ever thanks to the guitar I ordered. Still not here yet. I could probably live forever if I put in a sufficient number of orders.

[Captain Jim]

Originally Posted by mot

This has been one of my longest years ever thanks to the guitar I ordered. Still not here yet. I could probably live forever if I put in a sufficient number of orders.

My worry is I would have to go back to work forever if I put in a sufficient number of orders!

[mot]

Work wouldn't bother me if we went back in time. I could sit on the porch with the guitar and watch you work without being bothered at all.

[Captain Jim]

Originally Posted by mot

Work wouldn't bother me if we went back in time. I could sit on the porch with the guitar and watch you work without being bothered at all.

Wait! What? We can go back in time?? I didn't know about that - I want to change my answer.

[GuitarLuva]

Congratulations on the purchase. The X30 is an amazing guitar. I agree with the comments on it being 12 fret to the body due to comfort reasons. The X20 being 14 frets to the body is only slightly longer than the X30. If you added that length on the X30 it would be one mean sized guitar.

[mountainmaster]

A "regular" 12-fret guitar has its bridge at the center of the lower bout, which accounts for the warmer tone that we associate with those guitars.
The X30, being a jumbo, is a different beast. As others have noted its 12 fret position is simply a result of the larger body.

It is my believe that the bass heavy X30 would not benefit at all from a warmer tone. That is why I specified for my 26.4" semi-baritone a bridge at the same position as a standard X30. This will probably make it a 13 or 14 fret (or somewhere in between). I didn't really do the math.

Regarding playing comfort it should not matter that much, since the X30 has the new neck joint without heel.

[Tom2]

A 25 1/2" scale is the longest that most people would want, and bridge location defines the tone. So for a pre-determined scale length and bridge position, a larger body will extend farther up the neck. A larger body with a 14 fret design would need a longer scale to match. Frets to the body doesn't really mean anything. It's just the consequence of scale length, bridge position, and body size.

As for the overtone content of plucked strings, you're right. It's a function of scale length and has nothing to do with frets to the body. If anything, you may find that you prefer playing a little closer to the bridge to brighten up the tone slightly, because the larger body will have more bass.

Some finger pickers , who have the same preferred picking location as you, have had an issue with the 24 fret X20 which also has a 25 1/2" scale. I can't imagine the 22 fret X30 having this issue. But I've never played it, so this is just theory.

[L3stat]

Thanks for all your inputs! I agree it doesn't matter where the neck joins the body given Emerald's design. Also, kinda a moot point since Emerald doesn't make a 14-fret (on the same scale length). But some of you raise an observation that the jumbo sized body would emphasize the lows / be bass heavy? Is that really true or that the larger volume would just result in a louder guitar? The clips do sound nice... I can compensate for that while fingerpicking. Strumming would be tougher, but I suppose the HD-type strings (medium gauge treble strings on light guage bass) could be another option.

Tom2, thanks for the affirmation on the hand position. Given that, I'll probably not change the fretboard from stock. Which on the plus side makes my build an Artisan (the tuner swap, bridge slotting, sound hole tuner can probably be done on an existing guitar). Hopefully they have one with the new fretboard, which means I could potentially receive my guitar sooner. But then again I just saw Emerald's Facebook post today on curly maple veneers...

[GuitarLuva]

Originally Posted by L3stat

Thanks for all your inputs! I agree it doesn't matter where the neck joins the body given Emerald's design. Also, kinda a moot point since Emerald doesn't make a 14-fret (on the same scale length). But some of you raise an observation that the jumbo sized body would emphasize the lows / be bass heavy? Is that really true or that the larger volume would just result in a louder guitar? The clips do sound nice... I can compensate for that while fingerpicking. Strumming would be tougher, but I suppose the HD-type strings (medium gauge treble strings on light guage bass) could be another option.

It's a loud guitar but maybe not as loud as you might be thinking. I consider myself a light/medium strummer and when I played my X30 it seemed to be close to the same volume as my wooden dreads, maybe a little louder. When you dig in though it can be much louder. The guitar has some nice low end, but it doesn't overpower the highs. It's an overall pleasing tone. Strings can make a difference. When I was trying Ernie Ball aluminum bronze strings it made the X30 quieter than my X20. I think you'll be very happy with your X30. I miss mine dearly.

[Puerto Player]

So, did you order a 14 fret X30 then? I think I'm going to. My 12 fret is fine, but I play a lot of lead stuff with my buddies doing the strumming parts and I just miss having the extra frets for some of my sloppy runs!