The Origins of Noir

By Alistair Hay, Founder of Emerald Guitars

The idea behind Noir began with something we had heard from musicians for years. They loved the possibilities of carbon fibre: its stability, its reliability and the freedom to take a guitar into different environments with greater confidence. They wanted the comfort and playing experience of an Emerald, but they did not necessarily want to choose veneers, colours or personalised appointments.

They wanted a guitar that was all about playing.

I wanted to find a way to build that instrument at a more accessible price. It sounds like a straightforward idea. Finding the right way to do it took several years, a significant amount of development and a willingness to rethink the direction I had taken.

A journey that began before Black Opus

For many people, the first visible step towards Noir was our Black Opus Limited Edition, launched in June 2025. That series explored a more stripped-back expression of Emerald, putting the carbon fibre itself at the centre of the guitar’s appearance.

But the work behind it had begun around three years earlier.

I had set myself the challenge of developing a manufacturing technology that would allow us to build an all-carbon-fibre guitar at a substantially lower price. Carbon fibre is an expensive material, and making a guitar from it is labour-intensive. Reaching a different price point meant looking closely at how the instrument was designed and made.

Initially, I explored building the guitar in modular components. I invested a great deal of time in that approach, developing a system that could bring those separate parts together into a finished instrument.

As the work progressed, however, I began to see what I was losing along the way.

The ergonomics and flowing contours that had become such an important part of Emerald were becoming harder to preserve. I was also moving towards a guitar made in multiple pieces, away from the one-piece construction at the heart of our instruments.

I value that construction for its strength, rigidity and the accuracy it allows us to build into the guitar. I also value the freedom it gives me as a designer to shape an instrument around the player.

The development taught me a great deal. It helped me understand which qualities I wanted to preserve, and where I needed to look again.

Bringing the experience back to Emerald

During 2025, we took a fresh look at the direction of that work as part of the wider Emerald Reset.

We decided to develop Noir around our existing models and the construction methods we knew so well. The challenge became how to refine those methods, applying everything we had learned to make production more efficient and accurate while retaining the qualities of an Emerald guitar.

Noir became an important part of that refinement across the range. The work on moulds, processes and production flow helped create the foundation for both our next-generation Emerald instruments and this new approach.

Black Opus gave us valuable experience during that journey. It showed us the appeal of a guitar with a more focused specification and a distinctive carbon appearance, and helped us understand what could be achieved with Noir.

The things that had to stay

Reducing the price of an instrument means making choices. For me, the essential qualities were clear: ergonomics, acoustic tone and playability.

I wanted a guitar that felt natural in the player’s hands, with the contours and comfort people associate with Emerald. I wanted an expressive acoustic instrument, responsive to the music being played. And I wanted the stability and construction that had brought people to carbon fibre in the first place.

We found the savings by focusing the specification and simplifying the choices, supported by the improvements in how we build.

With Noir, we choose the specification for each model. That allows us to concentrate our production around a clearly defined instrument and bring our experience to more players at a more accessible price.

Every Noir is designed and built by our team here in Donegal, Ireland. The craft and knowledge behind it come from the same people who make our main Emerald range.

Why Noir

Noir means black. For me, the name connects directly to the material at the heart of these guitars.

The main Emerald range offers so many ways to explore colour, veneers and individual expression. With Noir, I wanted to show the character of the carbon fibre itself: its weave, its texture and the form of the instrument.

There is a purity to that approach that I find appealing. The material and the shape become the visual identity of the guitar.

Our Crystal Ice carbon finish is an important part of that identity. I developed this finish around 15 years ago, and it has always been well received for its tactile feel and hard-wearing surface.

It has a textured, almost leather-like quality, with a satin appearance that is less prone to showing fingerprints and everyday marks than a high-gloss finish. It also feels natural under the hand, particularly on the neck, where that tactile quality becomes part of the playing experience.

For Noir, those characteristics made it a natural choice: a distinctive finish that reveals the carbon and suits a guitar made to be played.

Hearing the idea come to life

The experience of Black Opus helped us see what was possible. Seeing Noir as a fully finished instrument brought everything together.

The shape, the finish, the feel and the electronics we had developed for it all had their place. Then we heard people play it and saw their response.

That is when the work becomes real for me. A guitar can occupy years of thought and development, but it finds its purpose when somebody picks it up and makes music.

Hearing Noir in a player’s hands gave me the confidence that we had created something worth sharing. I am excited to see how people make it their own, both acoustically and on stage.

The first chapter of a growing range

The X20 Noir is the first model in what will become a lineup of Noir guitars. It gives us a starting point for an approach we are excited to develop further.

There is much more to come. As we expand the range, each model will bring its own playing experience while sharing the same principles: carefully considered design, expressive tone, comfortable playability and our distinctive Crystal Ice carbon finish, built by our team in Donegal.

I am excited to see how Noir evolves, through the instruments we create and the music and experiences our players share with us. This is just the beginning.

One guitar and so many stories

Noir has one finish and one specification for each model. The variety comes from the people who play it.

It comes from the music they create, the places they take it and the moments it becomes part of. A quiet evening on a porch. A recording session. A performance on stage. A gathering of friends somewhere far from home.

The colour comes from your world.

Our Emerald book carries the title Building Stories One Guitar at a Time. So much of that story has been about the individual guitars we have created and the people behind their custom choices.

With Noir, I see that idea continuing through the customer’s experience. One carefully designed instrument can become part of so many different lives and musical stories.

That is what I want the Noir community to share. As our website grows, I look forward to hearing your performances, seeing where you play and learning what your guitar becomes part of.

Noir began with a manufacturing challenge. It developed into a focused approach to the guitar itself. Its next chapter belongs to the players.

Made to perform, anywhere.

I look forward to discovering where your anywhere is.

Alistair Hay
Founder, Emerald Guitars

Discover the X20 Noir: https://emeraldguitars.com/noir/product/x20-noir/