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What do we do
Timeline: 25+ years in Business
Founder, CEO & Master Luthier

Emerald Guitars

To make and inspire music

Emerald guitars factory Donegal Ireland

Founded in 1999 and headquartered in Donegal, Ireland, Emerald Guitars is the world’s leading carbon fiber guitar company. Over the last 25 years, Emerald has established itself as a celebrated and iconic brand worldwide, shaping the sounds of guitarists and music lovers across all genres.

With its innovative manufacturing techniques and tone-enhancing designs, Emerald has set industry-leading standards for playability, craftsmanship, and musical performance. Emerald’s pioneering methods have introduced new expertise to the art of guitar making, marrying old-world heritage with modern know-how to produce instruments of unprecedented precision and consistency.

Plek 2
emerald guitars handmade carbon fiber

Each Emerald Guitar is hand-crafted with carbon fiber; this allows us to create elegant designs that are rarely, if ever, viable with traditional wooden instruments. Our unique carbon finish is available in a range of color options to suit any player’s style. For those who appreciate the classic look of wooden tops, we offer a vast selection of wood veneers to enhance the front of the guitar. These eye-catching choices transform each Emerald into a stunning piece of playable art.

Emerald Guitars is renowned for its world-class craftsmanship, legendary music partnerships, and progressive product evolution. That commitment to quality, innovation, and sound excellence ensures that musicians for generations to come will experience the joy of music, shaped by an Emerald.

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 Ultra Zone scaled 1
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
0 Mickey
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 692x1024 1
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
emerald guitars moulding carbon fiber guitars
April 2024
We hit our 10,000 guitars made at Emerald
April 2024
Fanad lighthouse emerald guitars donegal ireland
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
Emerald guitars factory Donegal Ireland
May 2024
New Emerald Factory
May saw the grand opening of our state-of-the-art facility.
May 2024
Players room emerald guitars
June 2024
Players Suite Launch
To book the room click HERE
June 2024
emerald guitars veneer making process
June 2024
Factory Tours
Behind-the-scenes look at our production process
Click here to make a booking
June 2024
GuitarGallery
June 2024
Ireland’s Only Guitar Gallery
Showcasing our finest instruments
June 2024

Alistair Hay

Alistair Hay, founder of Emerald Guitars, had a traditional rural Irish upbringing in the seaside town of Creeslough in North West Donegal.

Living in a small cottage by a lake with his family, Alistair’s father Bobby ran the family farm which had been handed down through the generations. Even as a young boy, Alistair would help his father, the fourth generation Hay to run the farm, doing various jobs.

“I grew up in that house doing regular farms things helping to look after the animals and various jobs. When you grow up on a farm in rural Ireland you learn that you have to make everything, so there is an innovate side to it. It was an incredible place to grow up in the 1970s, but also a good experience in learning how to make things.”

During this time Alistair’s father made a huge impact on him. “He was a designer and a great maker of everything. What ever he needed, he just would make it. He set up a little workshop for me when I was five or six. I had my own tools and timber and I could just chip away and make things.”

When Alistair was eight years old, his father took a job with an engineering firm as a designer and moved the Hay family to St Johnston in East Donegal where the Emerald Guitars Headquarters are still located today. “The house where I lived from the age of eight is right beside the factory that we are now still working in 32 years later.”

A few years after the Hay family had moved to St Johnston, the firm Alistair’s father had joined began to fail and Bobby decided to set up his own business. “He started his own his own fibre glass and engineering company, first making boats and then getting into making children’s play equipment, building everything from swings, slides to go karts.

As the family business began to grow, it became part of Alistair’s own formative years beginning to work with fibre glass by his early teens. “I really immersed myself in making things and designing which was all thanks to what my father taught me; that was the beginning of it all.”

By his mid teens, while still attending Royal & Prior College in Raphoe, Alistair was taking on his own fibre glass business projects referred to him by his father. After honing his skills in production, the next step for Alistair was to move into the field of engineering and design. “I designed go karts as part of a school project which our business put into production and became our best-selling products for years afterwards.”

After completing his Leaving Certificate studies Alistair went to Athlone Institute of Technology to study Polymer Engineering in 1992. “I can’t remember a single thing  I learned, to be honest. It was a lot of technical chemistry and physics, but it was a good experience to learn about high tech polymer.”

In 1994 Alistair had an opportunity to travel to St Louis, Missouri, on an exchange programme, an experience that would set out his path to starting what is now one of the most successful carbon fiber guitar businesses in the world.

Go to ‘Our Story’ for key milestones in Alistair and Emerald Guitars’ history

emerald guitars factory tour

Discover the magic behind Emerald Guitars! Join our exclusive gallery tour and immerse yourself in the world of innovative guitar design. Get an inside look at our factory, where craftsmanship meets passion. See firsthand how we bring each guitar to life, created to make and inspire music! Book Here