B-Spec and Ex demo sale

This month Im doing a little bit of a clear out so Ive collected together a few guitars to offer to you at exceptionally low prices.

B-spec guitars
From time to time we have guitars with some minor cosmetic flaws in the carbon surface so we paint these guitars with our satin black finish and offer them at highly reduced rates. These guitars are structurally and tonally as good as our top spec guitars and we stand over them the same as all our guitars.
This month I have an X5-OS at €395 and an X7-OS at €475. Both guitars are without a pickup but the B-Band A3T with built in tuner can be added for an extra €100

Ex demo X10 12 string

This is a 2010 X10 12 string that was a demo model but is in perfect condition. Its the very last of the original style X10 and is a fabulous small bodied 12 string. The X10 12 string has a strong punchy voice that really gives a great well balanced 12 string tone and its compact body and slim neck profile make it really easy to play.

Its fitted with the B-Band A3T preamp and pickup with built in tuner giving it a great plugged in tone as well

The usual price for this is €1300 but Its going for €900.

X7-OS with a very minor flaw




This is our new X7-OS model but is a custom finished with an all gloss finish and exposed carbon weave on the back and neck. Its in perfect condition except for one very small area on the heel where the paint has been buffed through. Its also fitted with our A3T pickup system.




This is a real beauty and is available for €750




The last production X5



This is the last of the original X5 and has been hanging over my desk for the last few months but its time to find it a home.



Its yours for only €495

We dont often have bargains like this so grab them quick.

Looking for a bargain? 2 B-spec guitars have just become available

We rarely have any B-spec guitars but an X5-OS and X7-OS have come through with very minor cosmetic issues.
This is very much a first come first served situation so email me for details and grab a bargain.
Alistair

These guitars were snapped up in a very short space of time but if you would like to be put on a list to be notified when B-spec guitars become available then please drop me an email.
Alistair

email emeraldguitars@yahoo.com

Welcome home "Welcome to my head"

Way back in 2003 a very talented Artist named Emett Shinners worked for me and we came up with an idea for a series of guitars with hand painted cartoons called "welcome to my head". Emmett used to sit at his bench day after day drawing whatever came into his head hence the name and put around 40 hours into each guitar.
In all 6 of these guitars were made but the first in my opinion was the best and was most memorable.





That first guitar was used by someone acting as a sales agent for us to promote Emerald guitars and it created alot of interest everywhere it went but then we parted company with that sales rep and in the process the guitar went missing and I assumed I would never see it again.
I persued it for a couple of years but finally gave up on it until a couple of months ago when I got an email from Heather asking for information about a guitar she had. She had decided to sell it and wanted to know more about it and what it was worth.
I knew straight away it was "WTMH 1". I emailed her back and politely told her the story and really expected to never hear from her again but to my surprise Heather emailed back to say she wanted to do the right thing and return her.
I was amazed that she would be willing to part with such a special guitar and I have been really moved by her kindness and understanding.
The guitar which Heather nicknamed Emmy arrived back here last week and she is in near perfect condition which was a great bonus.It was great to loose myself in Emetts great artwork once again. Its been a great journey and a great story.
Here is Heathers side of it.

"I first came into possession of her when I was living in Lydhurst, New Jersey; a fellow who had taken over our living room gave it to me in lieu of two months' rent and living expenses. Looking back, I should've looked a gift horse in the mouth. Being young and stupid (which was how I ended up in Jersey in the first place!), I accepted it without an adverse thought. Derp.

I played the guitar all over Manhattan -- it got quite a bit of face time in the folk clubs of the West Village, places like The Bitter End and The Back Fence, where the shadows of Jack Kerouac and Bob Dylan still loom large. It even did a little time at CBGB's. I'm not sure much of anyone was paying close attention to me there, though. All the kids downing liquids I wouldn't pour on concrete were like, "Who's THIS hillbilly?"

When I finally packed up all my black clothes, books and six thousand and one scraps of scribbled-on paper, I took the guitar -- dubbed "Emmy", short for Emerald -- and dragged myself over the rails for two days until disembarking back in my home state of Arkansas, where I've been since mid-2005. Since our stay here, we've been through an electric pickup replacement, a post-tornadic flood, an audition for a Virgin Records executive, and lots of late-night living room jam sessions. Then there's the matter of the great guitar caper....

Shortly after my now-husband and I began seeing one another in 2006, we returned to my home to find the front door unlocked. Alarmed, we sorted through the house and discovered that only Emmy and a Fender mandolin had been stolen from a closet in my spare room. Infuriated more than afraid because of the break-in, I contacted the local Sheriff's department and filed a report. To this day, I suspect one of two things happened: the jilted CRAZY cop ex-boyfriend of mine -- one of the only people who had been in the house and was aware of the instruments' presence -- had stolen and pawned these things out of spite, OR some daring individual who was aware of my isolated rural residence simply picked the lock and got lucky.

The strange part is yet to come: after my family circulated posters in the nearby town of Hot Springs to spread the word of a $500 reward for the stolen instruments, we received a phone call from a newish pawn shop in town where both instruments had been accepted. The shifty-eyed owner of the shop claimed that shortly after an employee of his had bought the instruments, he stopped showing up for work and was discovered to have skipped town. The pawn shop itself boarded up its windows very quickly after that. hm. The case was never solved, but I'm very suspicious that the owner himself had something to do with his, ahem, buildup in merchandise.

After that incident, the guitar was retired to a safe hiding place at my parents' residence, where it lived for two years until I decided to find it a better home. I know in my heart now that it's in the right place. I'm honored to have been a tiny footnote in the Emerald Guitars story.

Cheers,
Heather


This is a very special guitar with a great history that would be a worthy addition to any collection. If you would like to become its new keeper then email me at emeraldguitars@yahoo.com for details.

New website is now online

Finally after 5 longs months, countless late nights, endless cups of coffee and 2 trips to a Chiropractor to relieve the tension in my neck, thew new website is complete.
Its been a much bigger undertaking than I originally planned but the results have exceeded my expectations. I was lucky enough to find an incredibly talented and motivated web designer to work with me on this and together we built the website ive always wanted.
It started off as just a product showcase but has become more of an archive with over 1000 pictures of my current work and past custom creations. We have also added some videos and this is something we are actively going to expand in the coming weeks and months.
Now the challenge is going to be to keep this site going and constantly updated with new content and our next big step is going to be to translate the entire site into Spanish, German, Chinese and Japanese.
I feel more late nights coming on.
Alistair

New website coming soon

As many will know the Emerald guitars website is usually out of date and currentlyt its really far behind times.
Ive struggled to keep on top of this but now I have a very talented web designer working on a complete new website that we hope to have ready by the end of March.
The new website will be a huge step forward and will give you access to pictures, video and sound clips of all the guitars. Basically everything youve wanted to know about Emerald guitars should be answered on the new site.
Its exciting, We are building the site Ive wanted for years.
Alistair

New for 2011

We are now well into 2011 and Im only now getting a chance to post about the new guitars we are launching this year.



The first new guitar is the redeveloped X5. The X5 has been much loved since its birth 5 years ago but we felt we could get more out of this little guitar so I went about redeveloping it towards the end of 2010.
The basic shape and size of the X5 is unchanged but we have now reduced the scale length to 24" bringing the bridge further forward on the body and we have offset the soundhole maximising the vibrational area of the sound board. All this has given the X5 a much fuller and warmer voice. The previous X5 was a great finger style guitar with punchy distinct notes but was often described as being a bit harsh when strummed heavy. The new X5 is a much better all round guitar and has a great full sound when strummed. We have also reworked the neck increasing the width to 1 3/4".



Next up is the all new T20. The T20 is the first in a new series of gutars from Emerald that will feature all the inovation of our construction methods housed in more traditional styled guitars. To kick this off we started with the most traditional body shape the dreadnaught.
Its a full bodied not cutaway guitar with a 25.5" scale and 1.75" nut width. we have voiced the guitar to give that big rich bassy sound yet it still has great balance and beautiful distinct trebles.



The third newcomer marks our first step into the world of electric guitars with the introduction of the "Flow" bass. Flow is a remarkable instrument that we have been developing over the last 2 years. It features a slim neck that runs seemlessly into a sculpted back and is all moulded in one piece to give incredible structural strength and amazing tone and sustain.
Its a beautiful bass to look at, feels great to hold and most importantly plays and sounds amazing. The great strength of carbon fibre means we can build a nice slim neck that doesnt move with temperature or humidity so we can set it up with a really low action that you can rely on.
we have fitted the bass with EMG X pickups and coupled with the specialy tailored core material it gives of a great rich bass with exceptional mids and great balance.

Its been a busy time with the new arrivals but its been worth the hard work and the excitement they have generated makes me quickly forget the sleepless night!
Alistair

Looking forward, Looking back!

Its New years day and a time to reflect on the year passed and the new year ahead.
2010 was a real milestone year in the history of Emerald guitars marking our first full year back in business. After closing Emerald as a production company in 2007 due to circumstances beyond my control I had decided to concentrate on other businesses I had and make guitars in my spare time. Truth be told I was completely unhappy during this time, I thought I could follow my head instead of my heart but when the Irish economy collapsed in 2009 my other businesses were wiped out and the only thing I had left was my talent to design and build guitars.
Through 2009 I slowly rebuilt the tooling and did some great custom work and then along came Macnichol guitars and coaxed me back into production guitars. Michaels passion and the continual feedback from the carbon guitar forum has been inspiring and has had a great influence in the direction of the company.
We had a lot of hurdles to overcome due to the fallout of the deep recession that’s been effecting Ireland so much and the failure of our previous business. I was left with a 12,000 sqft factory and significant debts so the decision was whether to keep on the building and create a business that could service the debts or to sell up and start over.
We built this factory to house our family business back in 1990 and it contains too much of our history to let it go without a fight so early in 2010 we decided to set about a strategy that could save it and create a future that could bring hope to our family and in time other families in this depressed area. In the past we employed 30 people here and it was a real centre to the community how great would it be if we could build things to that level and beyond.
It was a slow start to the year but we started with optimism and set a very low target of 100 guitars for the year, tiny by any standards but we were aware of the difficulties of getting back into the market and the work that we had to do on new designs.
The first guitar up for redevelopment was the X10 and it became a guitar full of new ideas and direction. The X10 has always been one of my most popular but there was a lot I wasn’t happy with. I wanted to make it louder and more powerful and give it a voice much bigger than its compact size. After a lot of trials I came up with the Radius top, the curvature of the top gives a lot of extra stiffness and we discovered that we could use this stiffness to build the top lighter and more responsive and in turn create a guitar with much better projection. Its been a great innovation and has found its way into other designs the first of which was the X7
The X7 was basically a scaled down version of the X10 and was my attempt to build a guitar almost as compact as the X5 but with a much bigger voice. Its truly exceeded my expectations and has really carried us forward this year but I think we have only scratched the surface of the potential of this guitar. I am continuing to develop its voice and bring much more from this guitar.
The big event of 2010 was our American road trip. I have wanted to drive across America for some time and this seemed to be the perfect opportunity to take my new designs on tour and get some direct feedback and expand the market along the way.
My friends from the Forum both inspired the trip and also made it possible. We covered 4,400 miles in 2 weeks in a Dodge Charger stuffed with 10 guitars and along the way got to meet Kramster, Evan, Michael, Buzzard Whiskey, Carbon Axe and many other great characters. Thank you all for your hospitality and friendship.
We finished the trip in Nashville at Summer NAMM where we had a great show and made great new contacts. It was nice to be back in the buzz of the NAMM show and compare our guitars directly with the best. We had an incredible response over the 3 days and it confirmed we are on the right track.
We came back from there with orders and a good number of potential new dealers but it also has revealed how difficult the current market is. Many stores liked the guitars but under the current economic climate many are reducing their lines rather than taking on new ones. Its an uphill struggle but not impossible.
One of the most enjoyable parts of 2010 has been the custom commissions I have done. From simple inlay to something as unusual as the 12 string Bass/Baritone, this is my favourite part of my job. While I build guitars using a mould it doesn’t mean we cant deviate from the original design. There are many ways we can adapt the guitars after the initial moulding and create some ground breaking designs.
I think some of the bass commissions have really shown the benefits and freedom that carbon can offer. It offers me the opportunity to build guitars that just wouldn’t be feasible with wood and create tones that have never been heard before.
The 12 string has a truly unique voice and perhaps surprised me more than any guitar I have previously built.


Another great bass commission was Brian McHale’s 8 string bass. He wanted an acoustic bass that could compete acoustically with other guitars and with this Im sure we have achieved that. I cant wait to hear his response when he gets it next week.
And since the 8 string bass was my last guitar of 2010 I think this is the right place to start looking forward to the year ahead.
Right now I am coming up to what might be the busiest week of the year getting ready for NAMM.
I fly out to LA on the tenth and we still have a mountain of work to do. With the severe weather we have been experiencing here before Christmas we find ourselves a week behind schedule. The new X5 is nearly done but there is a lot still to do on the T20. I will certainly have a T20 with me but it will need a bit more perfecting when I get home.




So what is the T20? well the T stands for tradition and it will see us not so much change direction as add another direction. Throughout 2010 I have had many discussions with people about the styling and direction of my guitars and it became clear that people either loved it or hated it. I think the X series is true to me and are the guitars I want to build with the freedom that carbon allows and it was always going to be difficult to appeal to more traditional tastes without compromise and Im not all that fond of compromise.
The T series in my mind will be traditional design with innovation hidden within. They will be much subtler designs but I hope they will still have little Emerald signatures. This will also give me much more freedom with the X series and expect to see some innovative designs in the coming years.
The T 20 is a non cutaway Dred and actually takes me back to the very first guitar I built. I brought out Emerald no.1 to inspire me with this design and it certainly brought back some memories.
I have taken a lot of time with this design as it’s the first T series and will have designs that will be present in future T series models. The headstock was the big issue as that will become the prominent trade mark, I actually only committed to the final outline yesterday which shows how far behind Im running.


The other big step for 2011 will be the launch of the electric bass. I will officially be launching it at NAMM and it marks the first production solid body instrument in our lineup. I have been designing it over the last 18 months and have been reluctant to release it until its right. This is a special bass and the interest has been very strong so far. Summer NAMM gained a lot of interest for it and I identified a lot of improvements that could be made so I completely remade the tooling and with some subtle changes have made it much better.
Its going to be an exciting year ahead and I have more plans than I have time for but looking back at 2010 I realise I have come further than I could have ever expected and Im sure 2011 will surprise me in many ways too. There are a lot of hurdles ahead but the road this year looks just a little clearer.
Thank you all for your support and inspiration over the past year. Its an exciting time for composite guitars.
BRING IT ON!!!!!!!