Colors, Colors, Colours - What shoud I order

[AZLiberty]

Highly premature, but I might have managed to sell a couple of wooden guitars.

Probably need to sell one more to raise funds, so this is mostly for fun right now.

What color Chimaera do I order? And no, a woody isn't an option. It's going to be a slog to scrounge up $3k as it is, adding another $530 for a pretty top isn't in the cards.

[Kerbie]

I like amber the most... that's why I have one... and then black comes next. Let us know what you decide.

[121]

I like Amber.
My 2016 X7 and 2017 X20 are both Amber.

A 2018 X10, presently being built, will be Amber too,

[Earl49]

I’m fond of green, with amber as #2, red as #3, and black as #4. But as you know the colors are pretty subtle in real life, versus studio lighting. That might argue for amber....

[AZLiberty]

Leaning toward Amber. This may not be as hypothetical as I first though. She who shall be obeyed has opined that if we were to buy her a Farallon, then I would only have to scrounge up 1/2 the cost of the Chimaera.

Might talk to Kevin about swapping the G course on the 12 neck. I really like the way Earl's X20-12 is set up with the reversed G strings.

[bsman]

The photos on the Emerald website make the green and red look pretty amazing, but I understand the blue and red - in normal room lighting - tend to look pretty subdued. I guess I would probably vote for green. Emerald/green seems like an appropriate choice!

I also lust after a Chimaera - mostly for the novelty. I can imagine that when you pull one of those out it draws a crowd!

[kramster]

Amber is really nice and red is cool too.

[Acousticado]

I owned an amber 6/12 Chimaera (had seriously considered the red), then a cocobolo woody Chimaera. Both were beautiful in their own way. I no longer own a Chimaera...had my fun with them, now back to separate 6 and 12 stringers.

After owning these beauties, when contemplating all the weave colors for an X20 Custom, my desire surprised me...essentially an Opus model (Opus line now dropped) with the standard black gloss top and crystal ice back & sides, but...I requested the vertically-aligned black weave as per June 2017 Select Series Guitars. I really like the black look and the no fuss, no worry durability of the b&s finish. My 12 string is now a Taylor 150e...no plans to get a CF 12. All the Emerald weave colors are very cool, but in the end I’ve come to like the stealthy black look the best.

[Methos1979]

Amber is first. Then red. Probably green after that. Not a fan of the blue much although in bright light it's okay. I'd probably get a black one before I'd get a blue one.

[Earl49]

I briefly had the March 2017 Special Series Chimaera, in green of course. Ultimately it did not quite work for me. The lower six-string neck forced my left hand to rotate just a little more than desired for my intricate finger picking. But that is my personal geometry and results of old sports injuries. It was such a strikingly beautiful instrument that I nearly kept it anyway, as a unique work of art and an outstanding example of lutherie. Acousticado and I spoke at length on the phone and shared several long emails about Chimaera, while his was still being built.

That Chimaera left such a strong impression on me that soon after I ordered my custom X20-12, and eventually acquired a stock X20 from a fellow forum member (thanks again, Dave). So I ended up with both necks, just not on the same body. And now my wife has a "mama bear sized" X7 Woody that she loves. Three Emeralds came to live here in the space of about seven months. Now our other CF guitars have joined the wooden ones that rarely get played. I might have to eventually decide if they stay too. That was unimaginable just last year.

As AZ mentioned, on all of my twelve strings I swap the G course, so my index finger hits both strings on its upstroke. Otherwise the wound string fully shields the octave string, and something is missing tonally. That won't matter if you strum or flat pick, only when playing finger style. I'm actually pondering swapping all of the wound/unwound pairs now, Rickenbacker style. I just need free time to make that new nut......

[Earl49]

Originally Posted by AZLiberty

....She who shall be obeyed has opined that if we were to buy her a Farallon, then I would only have to scrounge up 1/2 the cost of the Chimaera.....

I like the way she thinks. Alice's X7 fell into the category of "jewelry" -- it is an emerald after all.

[Mark L]

They’re all nice colors.
I’m most appreciative of the black, fully showing the weave.

[David Eastwood]

I originally ordered my X20 in amber, but was swayed to red as time passed. I'm really happy with my choice.

If, ok, when, I buy Emerald #2, I'm inclined to go with black. I think, as Mark L points out, it really emphasizes the fundamental reason why we all love these so much. It's the carbon, baby.

But, dang it, that red looks good.

NO, No, No!!! If you are going for color, get French. A French company started designing and making CF guitar; Voyage something or other (someone on this forum can point to the right residual pictures of the defunct company). Their paint schemes were stunning. Alistair needs to be put to the test--just how good is Emerald at creative paint? And low good are you at creative design?

[AZLiberty]

Originally Posted by eatswodo

But, dang it, that red looks good.

Honestly the Red is pretty subdued in most lighting. Here is a pic of myself playing my brother in law's Red X-20:



There is one large advantage to Black. They keep one in stock...