Ordered two new guitars this year, one in June the other in October. Both were late, and both arrived on exactly the same day! This is a review of my Emerald X10 12-string, in case anyone is interested in hearing about carbon fiber guitars.
I think it's difficult to be objective about a somewhat high-priced guitar that would be inconvient to return, but perhaps some objectivity comes from having lots of data -- and I have been playing this guitar a lot since it arrived. It's the first guitar I've owned that's been noticeably comfortable to hold. It's my first small bodied guitar -- 14.5" lower bout, 25.5" scale length. The nut width is 1-13/16".
The entire body is a single piece of carbon fiber -- the back and sides have a rough texture, while the back of the neck and the top are smooth. There is a bevel which softens the feel of the guitar's bottom edge against your lap, but it's not slippery like some Ovations.
It feels solid. I can feel the one-piece-ness of it. I can pick it up by the neck and swing it around like Maria Sharapova hitting a backhand without worrying about stressing the frame.
The sound is very clear. I would say it's even more distinctively clear than my Rainsong Jumbo, and maybe that's because it's a 12-string and is loaded up with treble strings. Compared to my other 12-string, which is spruce and bubinga, this one seems to ring brighter and sustain longer.
It's hard for me to make tonal descriptions -- it has that jangly growly quality I hear in all 12-strings, but it's simpler and clearer somehow. Maybe a bit colder in tone, but to me it still has a certain beauty to it. Kind of like Superman's Fortress of Solitude is breathtaking but not cozy and warm in the traditional architectural sense.
The tuners are locking Sperzels, which will make stringing a little easier. I think the tuners are heavier than regular ones, and as a result the guitar is headstock-heavy. Which leads to one drawback -- the guitar isn't so strap-friendly in terms of weight balance. The body is so light that the head dives down unless I use my right forearm to stabilize it. I can do this and it's not uncomfortable, I'm just not used to it.
The colored carbon fiber weave looks amazing. I got mine in forest green. There isn't much else in terms of decoration -- no fretboard inlays, no rosette, and just the Emerald dog on the headstock. But that dark shimmering green pattern is just so beautiful in either shadow or light. I know it's not like looking at a fine piece of crafted wood. To me it's more like looking at a sports car.
So I'm happy with the guitar. Durability and playability are top-notch. So it will come with me where other guitars sometimes can't, and it will call to me and ask to be played when other guitars sometimes won't. And that will hopefully lead to more music overall, which is my bottom line.
