Joscho Stephan – Carbon Fiber Archtop
December 18, 2024
Join Jazz Virtuoso Joscho Stephan as he demos the Emerald Kestrel Archtop and shows off all the tones available. Combining tradition and innovation for the
Why Choose Carbon Fiber Guitars?
New to the world of carbon fiber acoustic guitars?
With guitar manufacturers constantly on the lookout for new and sustainable options to traditional tonewoods involved in acoustic guitar construction, new possibilities in acoustic guitars are coming to the forefront of the industry.
With all this to take into account and the ever rising price that players are paying for high end acoustic guitars, is it about time that more of us look to alternative solutions?
Enter the world of Carbon Fiber Guitars!
The world of carbon fiber acoustic guitars is not a new one, with makers such as Steinberger and Ovation paving the way for alternative materials back in the 70’s and 80’s and then companies such as Rainsong and Emerald coming along in the 90’s to prove the possibilities and benefits of carbon construction in acoustic instruments.
For the traditionalists however the idea of new materials, new designs, innovation in any way can still be a step outside of their comfort zone.
Let's have a look at some of the great benefits from owning an Emerald carbon fiber acoustic.
In a world where most of the big manufacturers are re-marketing reissues of their classic products and actually trying to reproduce ever more authentic versions of 70, 80 and 90 year old guitars, Emerald is doing something different.
This innovative company headed by Alistair Hay has grown from a one man operation, building prototypes in his garage to an innovative and ever growing business, now with thousands of satisfied customers from all corners of the globe each year.
Their innovation lies not only in the materials used to construct their guitars but also in the new ways they approach the design of the modern acoustic guitar by harnessing the freedom their unique molding technology allows them in ergonomics and form.
This has allowed Alistair to rethink the possibilities in acoustic guitar design. Rethinking what an acoustic guitar can be and pushing the boundaries in terms of playability, stability and sonic capabilities.
Strength and Stability
We all know about the difficulties of living with high quality wood guitars as the wood moves and flexes with temperature and humidity changes as the seasons change and for the traveling musician this can be even more problematic leading to many musicians keeping their favorite guitar at home in a controlled environment and taking a less cherished guitar on the road.
Carbon guitars are unaffected by temperature and humidity changes giving you peace of mind and a freedom to take your favorite guitar wherever you want.
Many say that freedom and peace of mind allows them to play more as they can keep their carbon guitar out on a stand beside their favorite chair rather than safely tucked away in a humidified case
Carbon fiber instruments also offer incredible strength and stability because of the unique materials with which they are made. Unlike traditional wood guitars, carbon fiber will not bend or break under the same amount of pressure. There’s a reason that this material is valued in aerospace and high performance motorsports, because of its high strength to weight ratio and stability under tension. In fact it was the world of motorsport where Alistair first learned about carbon fiber while making Formula One power boats for the world Champion Seebold racing team.
Players all over the world choose Emerald for dependability and reliability in any setting. They stand up to any challenge that the environment can throw at them, from heat and cold, hard knocks and drops, Emeralds can take anything that nature or your lifestyle can throw at them.
Consistent Tone
The most important aspect of any guitar is always going to be the tone it produces. Lets face it, no matter how good it looks or how strong and stable it is, nobody wants to listen to a guitar that doesn’t have a pleasing tone.
Tone is a very subjective element and indeed different tonalities will match different playing styles but there is a common understanding of the elements that make up a pleasing tone such as volume, frequency response, overtones, definition of notes and sustain. How these elements interplay to create a pleasing tone is very much down to the design and construction of the guitar.
With wooden guitars you are starting with an organic material where no two pieces are the same so on the highest quality guitars a skilled luthier will evaluate each piece of wood and sculpt and hone that wood to get the very best from it. It is a time consuming and subjective art. There is also the issue that wood will change over time which is why older instruments can be very desirable as the tone often opens up as the wood dries out and seasons over many years.
With carbon it is a very different approach. We are working with a consistent material that can give us consistent and repeatable results but we also have many different tonal possibilities by creating a repeatable recipe utilizing many possibilities such as carbon type and weight, resin type and ratio, thickness and stiffness of the laminate in various resonating areas, core materials and other secret additions that we cant speak about.
All these possible ingredients are defined to give a specific tonal characteristic and create a guitar that vibrates in a specific way to give a predictable and repeatable tone.
It’s a very different approach to guitar design but yields a guitar that sounds great from day one and will continue to provide the same sonic enjoyment for generations to come.
Weather Resistant
Because of our Carbon Fiber construction and unique molding process, every guitar is created from a single piece of carbon fiber which means that the instrument has no weak points in its design. This means no chances for the guitar to split or come apart at the neck joints, bracing, binding or anywhere else. These guitars are ready for touring, relaxing, mountaineering, sailing and whatever else you can imagine.
Emerald Guitars Take On Mount Errigal: Reliable Tone in Any Weather
Innovative Design
The adaptability and strength of carbon fiber means that new guitar designs can be given life. Carbon Fiber guitars can take on new shapes and offer innovative design elements previously unavailable to other guitars, affording the player new possibilities also.
At Emerald Guitars carbon has given the designers great freedom to design a range of highly innovative instruments where carbon truly excels. An example of this is with the Synergy harp guitar range which are very complicated shapes with a high degree of string tension on the top. Carbon gives the freedom to easily mold these complex shapes with Ergonomic benefit and structural integrity that creates a lightweight resonant top that can easily withstand the immense forces.
Emerald has also become known as one of the world leaders in 12 string guitars as Carbon truly is the ultimate way to build a 12 string guitar both from a structural and tonal standpoint.
Emerald have reimagined the acoustic guitar for the modern player with improvements across the board in their instruments and brought many new features such as the ergonomic contours and the offset soundhole that gives the player a whole new and immersive sonic experience.
Comfortable Ergonomic playability
The innovations don’t stop at the looks but are also carried into ergonomic design. Details such as the forearm bevel and asymmetrical side are very difficult and costly elements to execute in wood but with Emerald’s Carbon molding technology these subtle but incredibly important design details can easily be added creating a guitar that feels so much more comfortable to play. This means more time spent enjoying your guitar!
I’m sure we all remember those first strums on an old family acoustic or the cheap beginner guitar where the strings were so far off the frets you came away bruised and bloodied after trying to play your first chords. With Emerald’s setup process and comfortable neck profiles, you don’t need to have hands like shovels to play these acoustics all day! Emeralds instruments are designed with the player in mind and great care has been taken to ensure a comfortable playing experience from the moment the guitar reaches the customer.
Sound that lasts a lifetime
Because the carbon fiber doesn’t degrade like wood , it can stand years of abuse and exposure to the elements without the guitar needing constant care or professional attention. This not only cuts down on trips to guitar techs (and the costs involved) but means you can comfortably travel between different environments and climates without adjustments. No more having to protect your instrument from heat, cold, humidity or any other environmental factors.
Emerald guitars have stood the test of time throughout their 25 years in business. Their guitars have been put through their paces and taken into all kinds of environments, from deserts to snow capped mountains and their consistent reliability always shines through.
With the technology we use every day constantly advancing, carbon fiber guitar manufacturers are finding more and more ways to integrate guitars into the customers technology ecosystem – with built in products interfacing with their smartphones and other devices to help them create, learn, teach and perform in new ways. The use of Carbon Fiber allows for integration of new products into the guitar where it has not been possible with wood.
The introduction of innovative extras such as built in Hyvibe systems which allow for onboard FX and looping among other options can transform any of Emeralds acoustics into a smart guitar.
Custom Quality for Every Customer
Every one of Emerald’s instruments goes through an extensive setup with our quality control overseeing the personal setup and final touches on each guitar leaving for their new home. We carry out a full PLEK setup to ensure that the neck and frets are all exactly how they should be and our team then hand finishes every guitar.
Emerald features the highest quality extras available, with stainless steel frets and Gotoh tuners as standard and also offer a range of premium extras in terms of pickup choices, fretboard inlays, exotic wood veneers and custom scale length and fretboard radius options all available through our custom 3D builder for any customer wishing to design their own unique guitar to suit their own wants and needs.
Choose Carbon Fiber, Choose Emerald Guitars
Carbon Fiber guitars offer a fantastic alternative to traditional wood construction and the benefits on offer from design, to stability to playability mean that they are a fantastic choice for anyone looking to start or expand their collection.
Emerald guitars have been at the forefront of creating amazing carbon fiber guitars and other instruments such as basses, harp guitars and more. Now celebrating 25 years in business, they lead the way in terms of design, quality and craftsmanship.
Each one of their creations is handcrafted by a team of skilled luthiers and crafts people in the hills of Donegal, Ireland. Their instruments are played all over the world, from stage to studio, from desert to snow capped mountains.
Check out emeraldguitars.com today.
Emerald Guitars, to Make and Inspire music.
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