Enya X4 Pro AcousticPlus

[JackB1]

Originally Posted by SpruceTop

PSA - Today, 12/04/2022, on Amazon, 20% Off on the Enya X4 Pro AcousticPlus = $719.99

still not worth it. For the same $600 I’d much rather have a HPL Martin.

[SpruceTop]

Originally Posted by JackB1

still not worth it. For the same $600 I’d much rather have a HPL Martin.

What don't you like about the Enya X4 Pro AcousticPlus? Likely, every X4 needs some adjustment to the relief and action when it arrives but that was easy to do when I got mine. I don't think I've ever played a Martin HPL so I can't comment on any of the qualities of this (these) model(s).

[JackB1]

Originally Posted by SpruceTop

What didn't you like about your Enya X4 Pro AcousticPlus? Likely, every X4 needs some adjustment to the relief and action when it arrives but that was easy to do when I got mine. I don't think I've ever played a Martin HPL so I can't comment on any of the qualities of this (these) model(s).

I have no issue adjusting action or relief and do the setups on all my guitars.
Did you need to mess with the "floating" fretboard to get action lowered? The normal way would be to sand the saddle. IMO a guitar shouldn't come from the dealer needing major neck/action adjustments.

There are a number of reasons why these are a hard pass for me:
-The company Enya makes mostly low level cheap guitars. Hard to trust their track record.
-The X4 is 11/16" nut width...much prefer 1 3/4".
-There are many online reports of the frets wearing out very quickly and needing replacing. Not something I would want to deal with.
-many reports of non existent customer support from Enya. So if the electronics ever die on you, your pretty much SOL.
-the "floating" fretboard that needs adjusting/occasional tightening makes me uneasy.
-The climate I live in isn't so crazy where I would need a carbon fiber guitar. My HPL Martin serves as my "beater" that I leave out all the time and leave in my car as a "spare" during gigs. I don't really have a need for a carbon fiber guitar since the Martin is meeting those needs just fine.
-

[JackB1]

I just noticed Enya currently only sells the X4 model and no mention of the X4 Pro? Are these 2 different models or one in the same?

[SpruceTop]

Originally Posted by JackB1

I have no issue adjusting action or relief and do the setups on all my guitars.
Did you need to mess with the "floating" fretboard to get action lowered? The normal way would be to sand the saddle. IMO a guitar shouldn't come from the dealer needing major neck/action adjustments.

There are a number of reasons why these are a hard pass for me:
-The company Enya makes mostly low level cheap guitars. Hard to trust their track record.
-The X4 is 11/16" nut width...much prefer 1 3/4".
-There are many online reports of the frets wearing out very quickly and needing replacing. Not something I would want to deal with.
-many reports of non existent customer support from Enya. So if the electronics ever die on you, your pretty much SOL.
-the "floating" fretboard that needs adjusting/occasional tightening makes me uneasy.
-The climate I live in isn't so crazy where I would need a carbon fiber guitar. My HPL Martin serves as my "beater" that I leave out all the time and leave in my car as a "spare" during gigs. I don't really have a need for a carbon fiber guitar since the Martin is meeting those needs just fine.
-

Hi Jack,

First of all, the Enya X4 Pro AcousticPlus carbon guitar looks like a McPherson Honeycomb Top Sable with its soundhole rounded and relocated to the top's upper treble bout area like a certain RainSong model. IMHO the Enya X4 Pro AcousticPlus is a better-looking guitar than the McPherson Sable or the RainSong model.

Some players who wrote reviews on the Amazon website about the Enya X4 Pro AcousticPlus don't have a clue about what the guitar's features are and what their function is all about.

Floating Fretboard? The guitar has a McPherson-style cantilevered fretboard extension out over the top. This is supposed to free up more of the soundboard to generate more tonal characteristics and has nothing to do with being a means of sliding the neck up or down against the guitar's body to try to change the guitar's action. The Enya's action is adjusted by modifying the height of the bridge saddle and to a lesser extent adjustment of neck relief just as is done with any guitar. All I've done with my Enya X4 is adjust the neck relief to about .007" and that brought the action down a bit to a nice height for my playing style without having to sand anything off the bottom of the saddle.

1 11/16 inch nut width - I have no problem with this nut width or with a 1 3/4 inch width.

Fast Fret Wear? I've only had my Enya X4 for about four months and don't play it all the time so fret wear isn't a concern for me as I rotate through playing many guitars. Back in the day, several of the cowboy-chord position frets on my new 1978 Martin D-18 that was played just about every weekend at gigs wore down quite flat in about a year or so. My Enya X4 will be played occasionally at home and because of its durability taken on trips.

Possibility Of Dying Electronics? This possibility exists with every brand of onboard preamp. If the Enya X4's preamp dies on me, I'd check with Enya to see if a replacement is available but if it isn't I'd also look at removing the Enya preamp and modifying the cutout to accept a Fishman or LR Baggs barndoor preamp, or I'd just leave it as is and enjoy the guitar for its nice tone, playability, and durability.

Enya Customer Service? My first Enya X4 didn't have glue along its rear bridge/guitar-top interface (slight noticeable gap) and I returned the guitar and got another Enya X4. This was done on my Prime Membership with free shipping and no hassles whatsoever. Was this Amazon's great service or Enya's or a combination of the two? I don't know other than it was all easy to do and I've now got an Enya X4 Pro keeper.

As I've mentioned in other comments, the quality, construction, features, and tone of my Enya X4 Pro AcousticPlus exceed anything I was expecting to get when I first found out about this guitar. For between $600 to $900, depending on current sales offers at Amazon, I can't think of any better guitar for the money when all the aforementioned qualities are considered.

[Aspiring]

As to the question on x4 vs x4 pro as I was researching I came to the conclusion that they are one and the same with the exception of the fact that there appears to be the occasional Amazon seller that look really dodgey direct from China (as opposed to Enya via Amazon).

[SpruceTop]

Originally Posted by Aspiring

As to the question on x4 vs x4 pro as I was researching I came to the conclusion that they are one and the same with the exception of the fact that there appears to be the occasional Amazon seller that look really dodgey direct from China (as opposed to Enya via Amazon).

Thanks for that! I'd always order an Enya directly through Amazon for the assurance of complete, no-hassle, customer satisfaction.

[JackB1]

Originally Posted by Aspiring

As to the question on x4 vs x4 pro as I was researching I came to the conclusion that they are one and the same with the exception of the fact that there appears to be the occasional Amazon seller that look really dodgey direct from China (as opposed to Enya via Amazon).

I saw that one. He was selling for $500 and I messaged him and asked where he was located and he replied "abroad". Lol. hard pass.

[Aspiring]

Originally Posted by JackB1

I saw that one. He was selling for $500 and I messaged him and asked where he was located and he replied "abroad". Lol. hard pass.

For an even better deal there are a couple sellers offering at $130. What could possibly go wrong there?

[JackB1]

Originally Posted by SpruceTop

Hi Jack,

First of all, the Enya X4 Pro AcousticPlus carbon guitar looks like a McPherson Honeycomb Top Sable with its soundhole rounded and relocated to the top's upper treble bout area like a certain RainSong model. IMHO the Enya X4 Pro AcousticPlus is a better-looking guitar than the McPherson Sable or the RainSong model.

Some players who wrote reviews on the Amazon website about the Enya X4 Pro AcousticPlus don't have a clue about what the guitar's features are and what their function is all about.

Floating Fretboard? The guitar has a McPherson-style cantilevered fretboard extension out over the top. This is supposed to free up more of the soundboard to generate more tonal characteristics and has nothing to do with being a means of sliding the neck up or down against the guitar's body to try to change the guitar's action. The Enya's action is adjusted by modifying the height of the bridge saddle and to a lesser extent adjustment of neck relief just as is done with any guitar. All I've done with my Enya X4 is adjust the neck relief to about .007" and that brought the action down a bit to a nice height for my playing style without having to sand anything off the bottom of the saddle.

1 11/16 inch nut width - I have no problem with this nut width or with a 1 3/4 inch width.

Fast Fret Wear? I've only had my Enya X4 for about four months and don't play it all the time so fret wear isn't a concern for me as I rotate through playing many guitars. Back in the day, several of the cowboy-chord position frets on my new 1978 Martin D-18 that was played just about every weekend at gigs wore down quite flat in about a year or so. My Enya X4 will be played occasionally at home and because of its durability taken on trips.

Possibility Of Dying Electronics? This possibility exists with every brand of onboard preamp. If the Enya X4's preamp dies on me, I'd check with Enya to see if a replacement is available but if it isn't I'd also look at removing the Enya preamp and modifying the cutout to accept a Fishman or LR Baggs barndoor preamp, or I'd just leave it as is and enjoy the guitar for its nice tone, playability, and durability.

Enya Customer Service? My first Enya X4 didn't have glue along its rear bridge/guitar-top interface (slight noticeable gap) and I returned the guitar and got another Enya X4. This was done on my Prime Membership with free shipping and no hassles whatsoever. Was this Amazon's great service or Enya's or a combination of the two? I don't know other than it was all easy to do and I've now got an Enya X4 Pro keeper.

As I've mentioned in other comments, the quality, construction, features, and tone of my Enya X4 Pro AcousticPlus exceed anything I was expecting to get when I first found out about this guitar. For between $600 to $900, depending on current sales offers at Amazon, I can't think of any better guitar for the money when all the aforementioned qualities are considered.

Thanks ST for that detailed and thorough response. You are starting to convince me . There are still a few things holding me back though and since I cannot try/hear this one in person, I am more hesitant. Here's my
hesitation:
1- The narrow nut. For whatever reason, I've never held onto a narrow nut guitar for a long time. Don't know if it's mental or physical, but it does seem to affect me.
2- The heavy weight. Lots of reviewers mention how heavy this guitar is compared to traditional acoustics.
3- The company. Let's face it...Enya is not known for high quality or dependability.
4 - I already have a Martin HPL so I don't know what additional purpose this would serve. I guess if I preferred the Enya, I would sell the Martin.

What intrigues me is:
1 - The pickup system. I like how you can blend in a mic. Wonder how this would compare to an Anthem equipped guitar thru a PA?
2 - Having a carbon fiber guitar. Could leave it out all year round and bring it places I normally wouldn't my nicer guitars.
3 - The price. Very reasonable for what you get. I don't really care about the onboard effects, since I have pedals/speaker for that. Seems like the effects are the top selling point, besides it being a lower priced carbon fiber guitar, but I'd rather that was an optional upgrade.

[SpruceTop]

Originally Posted by JackB1

Thanks ST for that detailed and thorough response. You are starting to convince me . There are still a few things holding me back though and since I cannot try/hear this one in person, I am more hesitant. Here's my
hesitation:
1- The narrow nut. For whatever reason, I've never held onto a narrow nut guitar for a long time. Don't know if it's mental or physical, but it does seem to affect me.
2- The heavy weight. Lots of reviewers mention how heavy this guitar is compared to traditional acoustics.
3- The company. Let's face it...Enya is not known for high quality or dependability.
4 - I already have a Martin HPL so I don't know what additional purpose this would serve. I guess if I preferred the Enya, I would sell the Martin.

What intrigues me is:
1 - The pickup system. I like how you can blend in a mic. Wonder how this would compare to an Anthem equipped guitar thru a PA?
2 - Having a carbon fiber guitar. Could leave it out all year round and bring it places I normally wouldn't my nicer guitars.
3 - The price. Very reasonable for what you get. I don't really care about the onboard effects, since I have pedals/speaker for that. Seems like the effects are the top selling point, besides it being a lower priced carbon fiber guitar, but I'd rather that was an optional upgrade.

Hi Jack,

My Enya x4 Pro AcousticPlus sounds nice over my PA and through my acoustic amp. I don't really need or want the sound effects either, and they can be dialed out of the acoustic and amplified tone. I've never played an Anthem system so I can't compare its tone to that of the Enya's system.

If you've ever played a Composite Acoustic carbon guitar, the weight of those is quite heavy relative to a RainSong and the Enya X4 Pro's weight reminds me of a Composite Acoustics guitar. The Enya seems very durable yet its acoustic tone rings out very loud and full. Also, I haven't detected any flaws in the Enya's construction as it looks well-made and I'm still amazed at what I got for its low price.

The main thing you may not like is the Enya's nut-width of 1 11/16". I don't mind it but given my druthers, I'd like the E to E string spacing to be splayed out a bit farther to the edges of the fingerboard to better facilitate thumb-fretting of the 6th string.

Anyway, you can always try an Enya X4 Pro AcousticPlus and send it back with no hassles.

[JackB1]

Originally Posted by SpruceTop

Hi Jack,

My Enya x4 Pro AcousticPlus sounds nice over my PA and through my acoustic amp. I don't really need or want the sound effects either, and they can be dialed out of the acoustic and amplified tone. I've never played an Anthem system so I can't compare its tone to that of the Enya's system.

If you've ever played a Composite Acoustic carbon guitar, the weight of those is quite heavy relative to a RainSong and the Enya X4 Pro's weight reminds me of a Composite Acoustics guitar. The Enya seems very durable yet its acoustic tone rings out very loud and full. Also, I haven't detected any flaws in the Enya's construction as it looks well-made and I'm still amazed at what I got for its low price.

The main thing you may not like is the Enya's nut-width of 1 11/16". I don't mind it but given my druthers, I'd like the E to E string spacing to be splayed out a bit farther to the edges of the fingerboard to better facilitate thumb-fretting of the 6th string.

Anyway, you can always try an Enya X4 Pro AcousticPlus and send it back with no hassles.

OK so I was offered a deal for $600 and I almost took it but ultimately turned it down and here's why?
1- Many reviewers say it sounds great for fingerpicking but doesn't handle hard strumming well. Since I'm a strummer mostly and don't play fingerstyle this was disheartening to hear.
2- I already have and like the Martin HPL
3- The 1 11/16" nut and my previous history with them
4- the inability to try it out first (I know I can return it, but this deal wasn't through Amazon, where its $729)

[SpruceTop]

Jack, I think the Enya X4 sounds good when flatpicked (strummed). I don't know what else to mention about this guitar other than what I've posted so far. I'm happy with mine and think it's a great value but you gotta do what ya gotta do. Play On.

[JackB1]

Originally Posted by SpruceTop

Jack, I think the Enya X4 sounds good when flatpicked (strummed). I don't know what else to mention about this guitar other than what I've posted so far. I'm happy with mine and think it's a great value but you gotta do what ya gotta do. Play On.

Ultimately, it's not a burning need for me at the moment, more of a novelty item. So I took a hard look but decided to pass. The narrow nut width is always a thorn in my side and it probably would be again.

[lpa53]

With some expected Christmas and birthday money I was all geared up to get an Everse 8 amp as a backup to my 330x. Now this deal shows up! But do I really need a fourth guitar? Ah, but do I need a second amp, either? Too many choices.