Hello From the Void

[Idunno]

Never here, but always near, I've come with some guitar related stuff.

I recently took possession of an Enya X3 Pro (full size) on a chance that it might be something the ads and reviews report it to be. I say that after filtering out who I felt were noobs attempting to wax knowledge. Enya describes this guitar as all carbon fiber but it doesn't visually exhibit that. The top is the typical black carbon weave but the back & sides appear to be injection molded as a single piece tub with the CF top meticulously bonded to it. The neck appears to be that same plastic used for the body/sides. The fingerboard is black Richlite but the extension over the upper bout is suspended. It does not touch the top. Enya calls it an elevated neck designed to allow total resonance across the top. The guitar is Guild-heavy, which would explain the plastic I suspect is used in the construction.

Out of the box the action in Martin-esque high, but playable, with a 1-11/16" nut width. I cut the saddle down about 1/16th" and that gave me a very playable neck all the way up. I did not need to touch the truss rod. I normally prefer a 1-3/4" width but I will compromise when it's worth doing so.

The sound OOTB is exceptionally good. I won't cobble together a mental construct of that for you to slug through. It rings but doesn't muddy essential tonal separation, even when picking up-tempo. Volume is as good as any wood acoustic I've assailed over the years in the first position. It's so respectable a sound I'm casting a cheated eye at my wood guitars. What isn't typical is this soundbox does not peter out as you climb up the neck. It maintains good tonal characteristics, and volume, up the board. I don't know what strings are stock from the factory but can say the wraps at the ball ends are not very well done. I temporarily removed them to cut down the saddle and found sharp ends right at the ball. That's not normal in my experience. But, I put them back on after cutting down the saddle to get the same string before/after sound with the lowered break angle. No change. Now I'll put some D'Addario PB .011's on it to see how well they feed the soundbox.

The guitar is equipped with 4 presets that can be selected with a single button (poorly) located on the upper waist. They're good for grins but that isn't why I spent the money. That said, they are rather cool and one doesn't need an amp to use them. There's a speaker inside the box. The battery is USB and charged as one would charge any phone. The charging cable is provided, as is a patch cord for an amp. A soft gig bag is also provided and it's good enough for a plastic guitar that isn't as susceptible to dings like a wood guitar is.

I will say that Enya is very stingy with literature on this guitar. Most of what I read/heard is from other buyers or promoters. The booklet that comes with the guitar has more to do with Enya's product line that the X3 Pro.

Total cost to my postal code was $434.00 from Amazon. At the moment I have most of my gear stored while I'm painting the interior of the house. When I have a moment I'll see about getting some music recorded with this thing and post it in the VOM1T thread.

I expect to be selling off the wood guitars now that I have a worry-free end of life music box. Plans are to move off-shore to a simpler lifestyle and for a guitar player this thing is a big help to that end. 

Questions?

[garthman]

Hey Joe.

Good to see back here - ups the number of contributors by a good 25%

And thanks for the review of the Enya guitar. I've always harboured a deep suspicion of non-wood guitars but it seems that they might be worth a look. HST I don't need any more of them and am seriously considering thinning down the herd to a more storage friendly size. I play my LAG and Walden classicals most of the time.

Look forward to hearing it I must put something up in the VOM1T thread too - been lazy this year.

Where are you thinking of moving to?

[daddymack]

Log time no see, Idunno!

Thanks for the review...I have been curious about carbon fiber guitars for many years, but the price has been somewhat prohibitive. This does look like an interesting product.

Enya says the body is 'carbon fiber composite', as is the fretboard, and the bridge is Richlite.

• Model: X3 Pro
• Size: 4/4 (41 Inch)
• Top: Solid Acoustic Carbon Fiber
• Back & Sides: Carbon Fiber Composite
• Neck: Carbon Fiber Composite
• Fretboard: Radius (R380) Carbon Fiber 
• Tuning Pegs: Silver Die-Cast
• Saddle: Tusq®
• Bridge: Richlite
• Nut Width: 1-11/16 Inch
• Strings: D'Addario® XS
• Scale Length: 25-3/4 inches
• Upper Bout: 11-1/8 inches
• Lower Bout: 15-3/4 inches
• Number of Frets: 20
• Finish: Gloss
• Weight: 5.95 lbs.
• Electronics: Enya SP1 AcousticPlus® 2.0

[Idunno]

Howard and DM, thanks for the greetings.

Being a stalwart champion of traditional wood guitars, I always looked at composites as a kind of technical attack on the soul of that romance. Then it began to slowly win some curiosity from me, being a slow person to embrace any kind of change, until I convinced myself that there had to be some truth coming from the composite gallery of supporters about its viability as a respectable musical instrument. Now I can confirm at least that much. Tonight I'll put the .011s on and play them out.

Howard, I have dual citizenship including US and Italian. Croatian is in the making. I'll be traveling to Italy (Palermo, Sicily) for a 10 day reconnoiter to get the lay of the land and a plan for retirement there. Both of my adult sons also have Italian citizenship, through me, and the goal is US expatriation within the next 2 years. I intend to fish the north coast of Sicily and play guitar. This self-contained guitar/amp/oar Enya is the logical choice for that lifestyle.

 

[kwakatak]

Hello, Roomie! it’s good to hear from you. Como stai? 

When I first read your review I began humming Orinoco Flow. DM would probably poo poo political talk here, but I’m kinda sad to see you’re not going to be a tree hugger anymore! I’m still huffing the smell of cedar from my first build. It’s musical potpourri. 

Shoot me a DM here. We will be over there on a cruise this summer. 

Ciao, amico!

[Idunno]

23 hours ago, Idunno said:

Howard and DM, thanks for the greetings.

Being a stalwart champion of traditional wood guitars, I always looked at composites as a kind of technical attack on the soul of that romance. Then it began to slowly win some curiosity from me, being a slow person to embrace any kind of change, until I convinced myself that there had to be some truth coming from the composite gallery of supporters about its viability as a respectable musical instrument. Now I can confirm at least that much. Tonight I'll put the .011s on and play them out.

Howard, I have dual citizenship including US and Italian. Croatian is in the making. I'll be traveling to Italy (Palermo, Sicily) for a 10 day reconnoiter to get the lay of the land and a plan for retirement there. Both of my adult sons also have Italian citizenship, through me, and the goal is US expatriation within the next 2 years. I intend to fish the north coast of Sicily and play guitar. This self-contained guitar/amp/oar Enya is the logical choice for that lifestyle.

 

Hello, Neil. Looking around I see you're still much involved with honing your build skills. The closest I ever got to that was buying a set of StewMac plans, perusing them and coming to the conclusion that I just don't have whatever it takes to complete such a project. While I was studying them I actually picked out the points where I knew I'd lose interest. Where I was confident I saw the joy and where I wasn't I saw the loathing. I decided compromise is a younger man's game. I also have to emphasize that there's a very good probability that all I'd hear from the sound hole is a highly muffled "You're an idiot". That would be a sad moment.  

My tentative schedule for Italy is probably around September. That's not ink on the calendar yet because I'm inquiring about air BNB's that suit my wants/needs. Will see how things develop.

[DeepEnd]

Hi and welcome back.  Congratulations and Happy New Guitar Day. 

[daddymack]

On 3/12/2024 at 4:05 AM, kwakatak said:

Hello, Roomie! it’s good to hear from you. Como stai? 

When I first read your review I began humming Orinoco Flow. DM would probably poo poo political talk here, but I’m kinda sad to see you’re not going to be a tree hugger anymore! I’m still huffing the smell of cedar from my first build. It’s musical potpourri. 

Shoot me a DM here. We will be over there on a cruise this summer. 

Ciao, amico!

He can still hug trees in Italy or Croatia..., but as to the political poo poo...you know where that belongs....

[garthman]

On 3/12/2024 at 12:32 AM, Idunno said:

Howard and DM, thanks for the greetings..

Howard, I have dual citizenship including US and Italian. Croatian is in the making. I'll be traveling to Italy (Palermo, Sicily) for a 10 day reconnoiter to get the lay of the land and a plan for retirement there. Both of my adult sons also have Italian citizenship, through me, and the goal is US expatriation within the next 2 years. I intend to fish the north coast of Sicily and play guitar. This self-contained guitar/amp/oar Enya is the logical choice for that lifestyle.

 

Joe. Sounds to me like a very good plan. I am currently enjoying a brief respite from the cold and damp of the UK in the sun and warmth of Gran Canaria (without a guitar, alas, but that's a small price to pay). A simple lifestyle in Sicily sounds heavenly albeit that I would probably head north during July an August. I sincerely hope that it comes to pass for you.