Our Story
The Journey, So Far..
1994
An Idea is Sparked
Alistair first gets the idea to build a carbon fibre guitar while working for Seebold Racing in St Louis, Missouri, USA, where he was building Formula 1 racing boats from carbon fibre.
1994
1998
The First Guitar
Alistair finally puts his idea to build a carbon fibre guitar into action and builds his first acoustic guitar.
1998
1999
Emerald Guitars is Born
Alistair decides to pursue a career in guitar-making and officially sets up Emerald Guitars.
1999
1999/2000
Research and Development
Over a 2 year period, Alistair dedicated himself to developing his techniques and ideas on carbon guitar construction. Over 30 instruments were built as test guitars none of which Alistair considered worthy of letting out of his possession.
1999/2000
2000
The Ultra Guitar
While watching Steve Vai on the Ultra Zone Tour, Alistair is inspired to make The Ultra Guitar for Steve. This actually became the first Emerald Guitar to leave the factory.
2000
2001
The First Emerald Range
Finally, after three years of development, a range of Emerald Guitars were launched - They were the X10, X20 (original model) and X30.
2001
2001
A Difficult Start
On September 11th 2001 Alistair made his very first sales call to a guitar store in Belfast. It was while he was in that store that he watched the footage of the twin towers collapse. Guitars didn’t seem very important that day.
2001
2003
First NAMM Show
In January Emerald Guitars exhibit at NAMM Show in Anaheim, California, USA for the first time. That summer Irish artist Mickey Joe Harte represents Ireland performing with an Emerald X10 at the Eurovision Song Contest watched by nearly 200 million viewers around the world.
2003
2003-2006
Expansion
Emerald Guitars expands its dealer network in the USA and increases production.
2003-2006
2007
Closure
The unique fretboard design used by Emerald Guitars becomes unavailable overnight meaning the company can no longer complete guitar orders and now faces a major redesign and retooling effort. The setback is too much for the small company to bear, resulting in the closure of Emerald Guitars.
2007
2008
Bahamut
Alistair gets commissioned to build Bahamut for world famous Chinese American pop star, Wang Leehom. Bahamut would go on to become one of the most famous guitars in the world.
2008
2009
New Beginnings
Inspired by the experience of building Bahamut, Alistair decides to rebuild Emerald Guitars and pursue his love for guitar-making.
2009
2010
Redevelopment
Alistair fully redevelops the Emerald range improving the quality and processes beyond recognition of what came before.
2010
2012
The Ultra Guitar Tours and The New X20
Steve Vai goes on world tour making the Ultra Guitar one of the main features of the show which would last for three years. Meanwhile Alistair introduces the X20, the very first of which goes on tour with Steve’s opening act, Beverly McClellan. The X20 goes on to be the company’s most successful model to-date.
2012
2012-2015
Growth
Emerald Guitars continues to grow expanding its customer base around the globe and product range.
2012-2015
2016
Direct Sales
Alistair made the bold decision to stop selling through dealers and to move to a direct sales route. This proved to be the best decision in the history of the company and has allowed us to work very closely with our customers building a better relationship and allowing us to give a much more customised and personal service.
2016
2018
20th Anniversary
Alistair marked the 20th anniversary by launching the revised X7, X10 and X30 models as well as the all new Kestrel archtop.
2018
2020
A Messy Year
2020 started with so much promise and plans for expansion but then Covid hit and the company was forced into a 3 month lockdown. It was a difficult time but Alistair and the team focused on the future and continued to work on new ideas and developments. Looking back now we can say 2020 was a good year for us and amidst the difficulty many great things emerged.
2020
2021
Expansion and Refinement
2021 is a year that sees Emerald expand into a much larger factory space which sets the foundation of future expansion and development. Many new ideas will be rolled out throughout 2021 and we have never been more excited about our future.
2021
2024
Delivering on Dreams and Plans: 2024 at Emerald
This year at Emerald is truly exceptional. Building on our successful Emerald Fest music festivals, we've reimagined the experience for 2024. Instead of one event in one location, we hosted a week of exclusive, intimate music events across scenic and iconic locations in Donegal, offering a luxury guided tour for a select number of guests.
2024
April 2024
We hit our 10,000 guitars made at Emerald
April 2024
May 2024
Emerald Music Tours
A series of intimate music events throughout Donegal, combining stunning landscapes with incredible musical talents.
See here for bookings
May 2024
May 2024
New Emerald Factory
May saw the grand opening of our state-of-the-art facility.
May 2024
June 2024
June 2024
Ireland’s Only Guitar Gallery
Showcasing our finest instruments
June 2024