The Virtuo’s Adjustable Bridge
April 24, 2024
The Virtuo was designed to be the ultimate do-it-all guitar on stage and in the studio. Featuring a hollow carbon-fiber body paired with a suite
The Emerald 3D Guitar Builder: Design Your Own Carbon Fiber Guitar
Custom Guitar Design, Transformed.
Choosing – or even designing! – your perfect guitar might seem like a difficult task.
No longer… Emerald Guitars has revolutionized custom carbon fiber guitar design with world-leading technology and a cutting-edge customer design platform.
Every Emerald Guitar is utterly unique, whether it’s currently on our website or it’s built for a particular client. But if you have specific needs for your instrument – or if you’d just like to get creative – the Emerald 3D Builder is for you.
Over the years, we have created custom instruments that have pushed the boundaries of acoustic guitar design.
Extended-range models, guitars with multiple necks, and never-before-seen designs have all been part of the Emerald history – so we understand the decision making process of guitar design. We have distilled that history and experience into 25 core models with a wide range of customizable features.
The Emerald 3D Guitar Builder lets you select from our models, and bring custom options to life inside the cutting-edge 3D platform. It will bring your inspiration to reality, and allow you to visualize exactly what you’re looking for.
Let’s have a look at the range of custom options to choose from…
STEPS TO DESIGN YOUR GUITAR
1 - CHOOSE YOUR MODEL
The Emerald range of acoustic and hybrid-electric models covers everything from 4 and 5-string basses, 6, 7 and 12-string guitars, all the way to harp guitars and double-neck 18-string models.
Our cutting-edge carbon fiber and our unique one piece construction allow us to bring to life new and unique designs. Innovation and design underpins the Emerald way of thinking, and we always strive to offer the best playing experience possible.
The sculpted ergonomic curves, heelless neck design and one-of-a-kind curved offset soundhole are some of the innovative features that we have created to improve the sound and playing experience for the player.
Our models include an array of body styles; from the compact X7 to the jumbo X30 all the acoustic guitar’s sounds and styles are covered, while models such as the X10 and the Virtuo deliver in spades for the electric player.
And that’s not to mention the Emerald Balor, which provides powerful sounds never before heard from an acoustic bass, or our more unusual models such as the Synergy harp guitar range and double neck guitars.
With something for every player, you can start building your dream guitar by choosing one of our models based on exactly what you need.
2 - CARBON TYPE AND COLOR
Carbon fiber is at the heart of each of our instruments.
The material allows us to craft designs that are difficult or even impossible to create with traditional wooden construction.
Carbon allows us to innovate at every turn and breathe energy and life into each instrument.
With their unique one-piece construction, Emerald instruments have no neck or body joins, meaning no weak spots, breaks or cracks will materialize. These guitars are built to last and will play flawlessly over time, whatever comes their way.
You can choose from two kinds of carbon fiber: standard or vibrant weave.
Standard weave displays a darker pattern.
Vibrant weave delivers a brighter – more vibrant! – pattern, highlighting a brighter selection of tones across the available colors.
With up to eight colors available to complement the carbon fiber on each model, you have the quintessential canvas at your fingertips.
3 - Real Wood Veneer
While tone is key, aesthetics are an important consideration in guitar design. Some players love the look of carbon fiber, and its aesthetic impact.
Others prefer the wood look. If you’re a fan of beautiful veneers, we have a truly remarkable selection of over 40 real wood veneers.
Your chosen veneer will be crafted into the top of the instrument for the best of both worlds: the stability and reliability of our carbon fiber construction and the natural beauty of an exotic wood veneer.
Usually, with acoustic guitars, the most eye-catching tonewoods tend to be just on the back and sides; with an Emerald you can choose spectacular wood veneers for the front of your instrument to wow your audience as well!
4 - PICKUP & BRIDGE OPTIONS
We choose our pickups from the finest manufacturers from around the world to suit the needs of our players and to best capture and reproduce the wonderful tones on offer from our instruments.
Each Emerald model has its own distinct voice, and our 3D Guitar Builder will guide you in choosing the most suitable pickups for each guitar.
Acoustic Pickups
Whether or not you regularly perform live, having a pickup in your acoustic instrument opens you up to a world of possibilities. The option to use external FX pedals gives you access to a plethora of new tones from your guitar, not to mention being able to record directly in noisy environments.
We have a selection of acoustic pickups to choose from, to give the best range of sounds when plugging in your guitar, with options from LR Baggs, K&K and Graphtech to suit your style and sound.
Adding a HyVibe system turns your instrument into a smart guitar with an on-board preamp and touchscreen interface, giving you access to a wealth of FX straight from your acoustic guitar.
With access to built-in FX such as chorus, reverb and distortion along with the ability to play back loops or tracks from your acoustic guitar, you have a whole new set of tools at your fingertips to help you practice, perform and jam.
Electric Pickups
We have painstakingly chosen a suite of pickup options for our hybrid-electric guitars to best represent the voice of each instrument. We’ve sourced innovative products from Fishman and Krivo to deliver a selection of voices to suit our models.
With the Fishman Fluence humbuckers on the Virtuo, you have a variety of sounds ranging from classic to modern, and with coil tap for single-coil tones.
The Krivo pickups have been specially selected and paired for each model to best suit the tone and style of the instrument.
We even have 13-pin MIDI capability available on some of our models for using outboard MIDI compatible units such as Roland and Boss units, allowing you to access a whole new spectrum of sounds previously unavailable on a guitar.
5 - HARDWARE COLOUR
To complement your choice of colors we have a choice of black, chrome or gold hardware. Matching these beautiful accents to the overall color and look of your guitar ensures compelling aesthetics.
INLAY DESIGN
Make your guitar yours, with a selection of custom neck inlays. A range of patterns are available, many of which feature Celtic designs, in a nod to Emerald Guitars’ Irish heritage and the rural landscape in which the instruments are crafted.
You can also customize a message on the 12th fret, adding an extra layer of personalization to your dream guitar, making it uniquely yours.
CUSTOM NECK WIDTH
Detail matters. So, if you like, you can decide on the neck width of your custom guitar. We provide a selection of neck profiles to suit your needs – so you never have to compromise.
CUSTOM SCALE LENGTH
Just like neck width, the scale length on your instrument can be a personal preference based on choice of string gauge, feel and playing style. With a shorter scale length, you’ll find the string tension will feel looser, and more easy to bend and play on.
CUSTOM FRETBOARD RADIUS
We use a 16” radius as standard on our guitars, which we feel provides the best option for the majority of players. But for those who prefer a rounder radius, we also offer a 12” or 14” radius, along with the option for a 12-14” or 12-16” compound radius. A lower radius number leads to a rounder fretboard with more of a curve. It’s down to personal preference, but some players find it gives more comfort in their fretting, or simply prefer the feel.
When choosing the elements for each part in your dream guitar, you will be able to see the updated choices live-as-you-go in the 3D Builder. You can even change the environment in which you view the guitars, switch from standard white studio background to the Emerald Cottage to see how your guitar looks in different scenarios.
Welcome to the new era of custom guitar design, where you write the score. This innovative and easy-to-use platform makes designing your dream custom instrument a simple and enjoyable process. Bring your creation to life with the new Emerald 3D Guitar Builder.
Try it today at https://builder.emeraldguitars.com/
Emerald Guitars, to make and inspire music.
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TechTalk – Electric VS Acoustic Strings
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One of the great benefits behind the Emerald Virtuo is that it was designed to be the ultimate do-it-all stage guitar and so delivers fantastic
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When Alistair started building guitars, he began by making a mold of his own Hohner acoustic guitar. It had everything you’d expect from an acoustic;
