Emerald Guitars X10 Artisan

This is a "one-of-a-kind" handpainted Emerald Guitar built in Ireland. It is made from carbon graphite (similar to Rainsong and Composite Acoustic guitars). Although not a prototype, I believe this is one of the guitars built for the 2003 NAMM Show - it is unique. The artwork is a pen/ink mosaic of just about everything and anything the artist (renowned Irish artist Emmet Shinners - I hope I'm spelling his name correctly) could think of - it is very interesting and can spellbind viewers.
The body style is what I would describe as "mini-jumbo" w/cutaway, only measuring 14.5" across the lower bout, and 11" across the upper bout. Body depth is 3.5", so it is incredibly comfortable to hold.
The fretboard and bridge are molded in one piece with the guitar, so both are carbon graphite. Scale length is 25 5/8", so it'll work well for standard tuning as well as tunings a full step down to "D" (how I play the guitar). Neck is comfortable with a slightly flattened "C" shape. The nut is 1 11/16"; frets are stainless steel.
Emerald Guitars come standard with Sperzel tuners, which have a unique locking device for holding strings on the tuner peg, minimizing slippage. The neck does have an adjustable truss rod accessible from the headstock.
My guitar has a white gel coat finish (similar to the outer coating on a fiberglass boat) which looks and feels like enamel. It makes for a perfect surface for Emmet's ink work. The finish does subdue the sound just a tad, so this guitar doesn't have the volume of my Rainsong OM1000, but it projects well enough for acoustic playing and has a big sound when amplified. The guitar has the standard L.R.Baggs under saddle pickup with side-mounted blender controls in the upper bout.
It came with a molded (England made) Hiscox Flitelite hardshell case, in which the Emerald fits snuggly.

I'm a singer/songwriter (modern folk/pop style). I play my guitars with bare fingers, both strumming and fingerstyle, although probably 75% fingerstyle. I sometimes use a flat pick for strumming. I tune my guitars down a full step to "D".
This guitar works well for my style of play. It has a nice modern, almost processed, voice (similar to my Rainsong OM1000), but with a tad more articulation. Although is doesn't project as well as the Rainsong, it has ample acoustic volume, but a dreadnaught it is not, so cutting through the mix in a bluegrass band will not happen. To my ears the Emerald has more overtones than the Rainsong, although the Rainsong has more "chime". The Emerald has "chime", but in a different way (tough to describe).
Amplified and plugged straight to the mixer, the L.R.Baggs undersaddle pickup sounds very "piezo modern" (which I hate), so I run it through a K&K beltclip preamp, then to the mixer. The K&K preamp warms up the sound, giving the guitar a beautiful modern acoustic amplified sound - very warm & processed - an ultra cool modern sound that is perfect for solo stage work. Using the K&K preamp, the amplified sound is very close to the guitar's organic acoustic voice, although a tad more processed. I really like its amplified sound...and I'm usually a lover of "warm & woody". I had planned on installing a K&K bridge transducer pickup system to add warmth, but I must admit that the L.R. Baggs run through the K&K preamp works well enough so that I'm holding off for now. Having both pickup systems would make for a nice stereo effect though - one for effects and one straight. I'm giving sound a "9" only because I'm a tried & true "warm & woody" sound lover. Many of you would probably rate sound a "10".

Right out of the box (this guitar had been played at the NAMM Show and most likely by the builder & workers) I felt the guitar's action was too high, although not greatly so. I play up to the 14th fret quite often so I need a smoother action guitar. The guitar's tuning/intonation was off as well (out of the shipping carton), but after shaving down the saddle and changing the factory issued light gauge strings to medium Polyweb Elixir's, the tuning problem disappeared and it plays/tunes nicely. The saddle slot is slightly wider than the saddle so I had to shim the front edge (soundhole side) with a piece of laser printer paper to tighten it up, so that the saddle didn't cant toward the soundhole (another likely source of the tuning/intonation problem).
The string pin holes must be drilled to fit light gauge strings only, so I had a bear of a time getting the low medium gauge string and the pin to fit into the pin hole. I had to feed the string into the hole past the end of the string where its wound (to hold the string end ball) and then insert the pin. Final placement of the pin is about 1/8" higher than the rest of the pins, but no problem (the string and pin are holding fast).
The guitar does have one finish flaw, but it is so minor that I don't consider it a factor, plus I paid less than retail because of it. For some reason the black ink used by the artist has faded slightly behind the strings on the bridge, almost as if skin oils fom a prior player's hand affected the color fastness of the ink.
The fret ends are not sharp, but are noticeable while playing. Don't get me wrong, this is an easy playing guitar and the fret ends don't get in the way, they are just noticeable by feel.

I can see no forseeable problems with this guitar for long term use. Everything seems solid, and it should hold up well for home or stage use. Although carbon graphite is unaffected by humidity changes, the carbon graphite can be affected by extreme heat & cold, so care should still be taken. I would think the gel coat finish would scratch similar to a fine lacquer finish, although most blunt force bumps will probably be unnoticeable (it's a strongly built guitar), although it is very light in weight.
This is a great stage guitar and could be used easily with no backup, but what fun it would be to have a second Emerald on stage (maybe in a different color ??). How cool would that be ?! Yeah !
If stolen I would be distraut and I would use the insurance money to buy another one.

Both the U.S. distributor (I purchased this via eBay) and Alistair (company owner) have been accessible and helpful, even before I purchased the guitar, so I would imagine they will remain so post-sale. Alistair and I have already discussed building an Emerald X10 Artisan in bright yellow, he is willing to customize for anyone wishing for their own "unique" musical statement.

I have been playing since the mid-60's. I currently own 40+ acoustic guitars, many of which are high end luthier-built customs. I'm also a performing singer/songwriter doing the coffee house thing. This guitar is a nice addition to my playing collection. Notice that I said "playing collection", which means I will actually play this guitar on a regular basis. Some of the guitars in my collection are nice, but collect dust too often (for many reasons), but this one will be played, and played often.
I love the look, feel and sound of this guitar - all unique. Although it is similar in size, feel and sound to my Rainsong OM1000, I'll probably play this guitar more - there's just "something" cool about it.
The only change I would make, is to have a second one, and a third...all is different colors. I chose this one (there were three up for sale on eBay at the same time) because the lower cost one (copper/green irridescent finish) sold quickly, and because this one just looked so darn "cool".
Although I've put a "9" as my overall numercial rating, I'd really rate this a "9.5". The fit & finish flaws I mentioned are workable and not that much of a concern to me (they are fixable), and don't take away from the "playability" and "look" of the guitar, so are minor in my book. This is a "great" guitar !! It is one I can honestly and enthusiastically endorse (and will) to any who ask. If you get the chance, try one...but beware, you may end up taking one home.

I have a prototype that was made before the international release of the Irish made Emerald Guitars in January 2003, so the final product features may vary. This guitar is BEAUTIFUL. It is a sparkling tri-flash green/red/gold color that changes depending upon the lighting and the viewing angle. The neck and body are made of solid carbon fiber construction, no wood. There are no supports in the single cutaway soundbox to affect the natural sound of the strings. It has locking sperzel tuners, an L.R. Baggs onboard pre-amp and pickup, real emerald fret markers, silver bridge pins with embedded emeralds and an ornate silver detailing around the sound hole. It came with a custom hard shell Emerald Guitar case made in England.

I was looking for a replacement for my Ovation Elite that was different from the standard acoustic guitars. If you are looking for something different, the Emerald is it! The sound is very full and is saturated with the natural harmonics that we want from an acoustic guitar. I don't think it projects as well as my deep body Ovation did, but the Emerald has a smaller body, so that may be why. The body is so light, that the neck weighs more than the body, so it is somewhat out of balance when using the body-mounted strap buttons. The neck is similar in size to the Ovation, but very smooth and fast. There is no truss rod, I assume because the neck is so strong that it does not flex and the black fretboard shines like glass. The L.R. Baggs is great, but it is very subject to feedback, so you will need some sort of feedback suppression. The

The action is great, it plays almost as easily as my electrics. I use 11.5 strings that suit my style and ears. The guitar body, neck and headstock are beautiful. Take a look at their website (emeraldguitars.com) to see the quality of their workmanship. There are a few minor imperfections in the finish on this prototype model, but they are hardly noticeable.

This guitar is really solid despite its light weight. After communicating with the maker via email, I feel that this guitar will take a lot of abuse. The carbon fiber construction certainly makes it several times stronger than any other acoustic guitar. It stays in tune well and the finish is not easy to scratch.

I have not had to deal with the company for any problems. I did contact the maker through their website to get information on the prototype model that I have. He was very helpful, so I assume that the company will provide good support.

I have been playing, off and on, for 30 years. I played electric guitars only up until a few years ago when I got the Ovation. The Ovation just seemed a little awkward to me, especially when trying to play standing up with the deep bowl construction. The Emerald is easy to play and now I favor it over my electrics. I have had a Fender Strat, a vintage Guild, and now have a Peavey Patriot and two Corts. I play through a Fender Deluxe DSP 90 and am getting a Behringer Ultracoustic ACX1000 for the Emerald. If this guitar was lost or stolen, I would be VERY upset! I don't know of a dealer in the US, and the price of these guitars in Ireland is three times what I paid for mine.