The first practical Doubleneck acoustic

[Doubleneck]

I have had two fascinations during my lifetime journey with the guitar. Doublenecks and more recently carbon fiber guitars. I am mainly an acoustic player so doublenecks have been few and far between. Yairi in the early 1980's probably made the first production acoustic model. A achievement really, with 18 strings to brace for. Cool but not too practical, neck heavy and over built: it had to be. I have seen over the years many one off custom Doubleneck builds, all wooden, beautiful, expensive and I am sure a bit impractical. On the production side, probably thanks to Richie Sambora: Ovation USA *(14 lbs worth!!! ), the Korean Celebrity, ok for what it is. Washburn for a brief period. The Taylor Koa: they could only afford to make two, saw one in the Rock and Roll Hall of fame in Cleveland a couple of years ago behind glass.

In the last decade I have been fascinated by the new development of carbon fiber guitars. I loved the strength, total stability and *the ability to push beyond the constraints of wood in their design. I thought to myself that carbon would be the perfect medium for a acoustic Doubleneck even wrote one company about it but I thought it was a pipe dream. Yes it could probably be done but the cost would make it impossible to really accomplish.

Then I met Alistair Hay online. *The man behind Emerald Guitars in Ireland. *He posts one day this year that he was bringing out three new models and one was a Doubleneck . I frankly could not believe it. How could some guy in Ireland pull this off? Maybe, but it would be a fortune, a dream now in sight, but the cost would probably take it out of reach. I emailed him right away, and he said that his goal was a guitar that was under $2000! He had thought it out, how carbon could make this a practicle instrument for the first time, and he was going to make it happen. He even had the opportunity to talk to Sambora after a concert in Ireland about doublenecks. A couple of months later he posted pictures of the proto type. It was an amazing beautiful creation I was blown away really; emailed him and said I wanted one when they went into production.
I assumed I would eventually be able to obtain one but as it turned out last month, Alistair shipped me the first production guitar. Very few times in life can you witness the joining together of the right media in the hands of a genius and the creation of something really new, something that was not possible before this moment. And cooler still I get to hold it in my hands and tell you about it.

Carbon fiber and Alistair have given the world the first practical Acoustic Doubleneck guitar. This may be the first time carbon fiber instead of competing with wood as a material for acoustic guitars has blown past it. The Doubleneck guitar creates issues only solvable by a material beyond wood. The main issues solved by carbon are light weight and the strength needed to forgo sound killing over bracing for the pull of 18 strings. The Emerald weights less than five lbs. and given hollow carbon necks is less neck heavy than other doubles. Carbon's strength also allows for no truss rods a must to keep neck weight down. Alistair also used lighter open back turners which look awesome but are there for the ounces they saved. The is the first double comfortable with a strap, believe me I know, my Yairi, though loved, has never seen a strap or been off my knee.
Carbon takes the 18 string pull with ease and gives the promise of no structural issues down the road. Almost all Yairi's had bridges that pulled. It sounds wonderful as a six string and just amazing as a 12. One of the best 12s I have played. The carbon purity helps here where some wooden 12, s get too busy as the overtone work against them. Playability my biggest concern with no truss rods is very good. I told Alistair the 12 had to be low, he delivered 5/64 at the 12th. and it's carbon it will not change. 6/64 on the 6 side, relief seem perfect on the necks as well. Beyond the fact the this is a great sounding practical guitar you have the styling. To me carbon fiber is used as an important component by many of the other carbon builders. Alistair uses carbon fiber as a cansas on which to create. This is a guitar which I thinks is a culmination of his decade of experience in this media and also the seemly unending creative desire that he brings to Emerald. Go look at the custom guitars on his website, no one does what he does: no one. I really think this guitar could be put on a pedestal as a work of art, that simple.

Ok, I don't sound very unbiased but I assure you I have never meet Alistair and live the life of a boring banker in Ohio with no axe to grind no pun intened. But Alistair just delivered to me my lifetime dream guitar. At 61 years old I am extremely grateful. Bottom line Emerald should and deserves to own this niche of the guitar market. He justed opened the door to a practical affordable acoustic doubleneck and I am glad I got mine first. I truly believe if guitarists open themselves up to the possibilities of two necks within easy reach it may just change things for some of us forever. Alistair is already thinking of all the string combinations that now could be possible, believe me this guy never sleeps.

If you survived this review here is a slideshow of pictures:
http://s168.photobucket.com/albums/u...view=slideshow

[Doubleneck]

Double post

[Taylorplayer]

How cool is that? And just think -- "but honey, it really is just one [more] guitar"

[sweiss]

All I can say is...wow!

As a rule I'm not into doublenecks, but there's no denying the beauty of these creations. Just stunning.

[kramster]

Great speal about those necks... I sorta sense you are having fun

[tbeltrans]

Congratulations on your gorgeous new doubleneck guitar. I think you are "spot on" with your observations about where carbon fiber excels. Though I have no desire for a doubleneck, I can appreciate its utility in your hands. I never really took to 12 string, though I had one for a while back when I was really into playing early Kottke.

Anyway, you have done a great job of sharing your anticipation and excitement with this instrument. It has been fun reading your posts and seeing the pictures.

Tony

[Kindness]

[Acousticado]

Incredibly beautiful and functional! Assuming it sounds as good as it looks, Alistair deserves recognition from the guitar world for this achievement. It is as significant as other major innovations to come along. As you state, overall weight and neck heaviness have dogged the doubleneck world, and it has clearly taken the carbon fiber medium to solve it. Man, that's one stunning creation. I wish I had money to burn, because I'd be wanting one, bad.

Steve, the body seems to have the comfort curves in all the right places, and it is thinner than an average wood acoustic, so how does it feel in terms of bulk when seated, say compared to a wood guitar?

Enjoy (I know you will)!

p.s. Steve, this deserves to also be posted in the General Discussion forum.

[Doubleneck]

I posted it in the general forum because I thought none of the wood guys would ever see it. I got an email from the site admintrator not to double post or post a link in another category, which is what I did. He removed it. I emailed him it made no sense to me and certainly no harm. ???? Steve

[Acousticado]

Originally Posted by Doubleneck

I posted it in the general forum because I thought none of the wood guys would ever see it. I got an email from the site admintrator not to double post or post a link in another category, which is what I did. He removed it. I emailed him it made no sense to me and certainly no harm. ???? Steve

In this case, that's a shame. This guitar is an innovation that belongs in both sections and deserves an exception.

[Doubleneck]

"Alistair deserves recognition from the guitar world for this achievement. It is as significant as other major innovations to come along." Tom

Tom I totally agree with you this really is a game changer for the double neck acoustic guitar. Alistair's innovation is as significant as Gibsons first electric double in the late 50s early 60s or the Rickenbacker first electric 12. Materials and design gives him a practical acoustic double. Most people even on this forum can't appreciate this cause they never thought about having two different guitars to choose from. I head my praise band at church and today I used the 6 to play rhythm behind my electric player on the rockier up beat songs and used the 12 to totally change the mood on a modern version of a old hymn. I own a wood double but just could not physically do what I did today with the Emerald. Total game changer. Steve

[Doubleneck]

Tom to answer your question, when you first see the guitar you are surprised how small it looks. The body is very shallow by acoustic standards and shorter. It really is incredibly comfortable strapped on. Remember today is only the second time I have played out with a strap so I am still learning. You still have a neck orientation, however light the hollow necks are the body is extremely light as well. But the general overall lightness makes it very easy to control. Steve

[tdq]

Originally Posted by Doubleneck

I posted it in the general forum because I thought none of the wood guys would ever see it. I got an email from the site admintrator not to double post or post a link in another category, which is what I did. He removed it. I emailed him it made no sense to me and certainly no harm. ???? Steve

One of the problems in having a separate forum for CF - I mean, how is a CF guitar not an acoustic guitar? On the other hand, at least they don't disappear off the front page after a couple of hours...

[Doubleneck]

At church my electric guitar player brought his Zoom H2 digital recorder to church and he recorded the Doubleneck acoustically between services. No effects just the Zoom two or three feet in front on me. I tuned down a half step and was capoed one to normal. Should have taken the capos off but wasn't thinking. Still you get the idea. Just messing with some chords. Steve

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TppLi5WiCbY

[kramster]

sssaaaaaweeet!