Emerald Guitars Reviews 914

TrustScore 5 out of 5

4.8

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Review summary

Created with AI, based on recent reviews

Looking at 93 reviews, reviewers overwhelmingly had a great experience with this company. Customers consistently praise the exceptional quality and craftsmanship of the products, highlighting their stunning appearance, comfort, and lightweight design. Many also commend the excellent sound quality, describing it as crystal clear, rich, and warm. The customer service and staff are frequently mentioned as top-notch, providing helpful advice and a personalized experience. However, some customers experienced issues with their orders, such as darker-than-expected finishes or problems with playability like string buzzing and dead tones. A few also noted discrepancies between the product received and the online builder's representation, and some felt a lack of follow-up after their purchase.

What people talk about most

Product

People report positive experiences with the product. Customers consistently praise the guitars for their... See more

Quality

Customers had positive experiences with quality, consistently praising the craftsmanship and sound of the... See more

User experience

Clients share positive opinions on user experience. Many reviewers found the products to be comfortable,... See more

Staff

Users describe positive interactions with staff, often highlighting their responsiveness, professionalism,... See more

Customer service

Consumers find customer service to be a positive experience. Many reviewers highlight the prompt, attentive,... See more

Reviews shaping this summary

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Placing my order was quick and easy. Using the online store to explore the various models and options available was fun and efficient. And the product I received is a fantastic guitar, perfectly set u... See more

Company replied

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Instantly my favorite guitar, a custom X7 with Hyvibe. It’s lighter and more comfortable than i imagined. The sound is excellent, never heard a carbon fiber guitar before. Even without a monitor hav... See more

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Rated 5 out of 5 stars

I've purchased an X-20, and have also ordered an X-30 in recent weeks. The most important criteria is sound, and it is simply superlative. The body and neck are stunning, the soundboard area now a w... See more

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

I bought an Emerald Virtuo a few weeks ago and have played the guitar at every full band electric and solo acoustic show I’ve had since. I have searched for years to find a guitar that can viably be... See more

Company replied


Company details

  1. Guitar Shop
  2. Music producer
  3. Music Publisher
  4. Musical instrument manufacturer
  5. Musical instrument shop
  6. Musician

About Emerald Guitars

Written by the company

Established in 1999, Emerald Guitars based in Co. Donegal Ireland are the #1 Carbon Fiber Guitar company across the globe that cater to the needs of all musicians from the casual hobbyist through to the professional recording artist.



We provide a vast range of custom Carbon Fiber Acoustic & Electro-Hybrid Guitars available in Standard, Archtop, Bass, Baritone, Travel, Ukulele, Double Neck & Harp Guitar Models all with a unique design and feel that you would expect from a premium product.



Founded by renown luthier Alistair Hay In 1994, Hay was working for Seebold Racing in St Louis, Missouri, USA and building Formula 1 racing boats using carbon fiber. Between the skills he had developed whilst crafting world class racing boats and possessing a passion for product design and engineering, Alistair had an idea to build an acoustic carbon fiber guitar. The process of producing a product fit for market took a couple of years. From there, Emerald Guitars officially launched in 1999, Steve Vai’s custom Ultra Guitar was made and the rest is history. You can read more about that journey here.

Current Stock Explore the latest stock added to the Emerald Guitar shop, ready and waiting to ship worldwide!

Launch 3D Builder Ever wanted to build your own dream guitar? Look no further. The Emerald Guitars 3D builder provides a market leading immersive experience enabling you to craft your very own custom instrument. Build your guitar today!

Book a Call Our team are ready to answer any of your questions and help you choose the perfect instrument for you. Book a call, a 1-2-1 consultation or a walkthrough of our 3D builder at a time that suits you.

Contact info

4.8

Excellent

TrustScore 5 out of 5

914 reviews

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Rated 5 out of 5 stars

X 20 Nylon is everything I anticipated

X 20 Nylon is everything I anticipated. A work of art visually. Ergonomics are spot on, all of the designed ease of edges make it so comfortable to play. Sounds great acoustically, amped up tremendous. Thanks to all at Emerald. Continued blessings for your dedication to music.

14 February 2025
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Perfect guitar, start to finish. And it's carbon.

Purchasing an Emerald guitar is a great experience start to finish. The online guitar builder enables you to choose options and features in real time, even the exact top veneer if one wishes. You deal with real people who respond quickly to emails. Once it arrives you get a beautiful instrument ready for the stage whether the stage is a 5000 seat venue or your living room. Fit, finish, playability is impeccable. Then to top things off they also include an Emerald mug made by a local potter in Donegal so you can sip your favorite brew while admiring your new Emerald.

12 February 2025
Rated 3 out of 5 stars

My experience with Emerald Guitars

My experience with Emerald Guitars
I'm a little ambivalent. The direct communication was good, the automatically generated e-mails not very helpful. In the first it was announced that the guitar goes into production and they would get back to you in two to three weeks. I only heard something again after I asked. Then there was a delay due to supply bottlenecks at the Hyvibe system, which delayed the delivery of the guitar again. Then finally came the message that the instrument had been shipped, I should definitely watch the shipping video on Friday. Full of joy I waited for Friday and then there was nothing. I was very disappointed. Shipping with UPS was not reliable, but Emerald Guitar couldn't do anything about it. Now to the instrument: the guitar is perfectly worked. I was disappointed about the colour. In the 3d builder it was much lighter. In the end, the colour took the life of the wood pattern. There's nothing you can change now. A carbon guitar cannot be compared to a wooden guitar. It has its own characteristics. For me, the high b and e strings sound a bit thin when finger picking and I'm glad I have the Hyvibe system with me. The guitar sounds great. I don't regret buying the guitar. Guitar 10570. teal over Paldao. Doris Switzerland

13 January 2025
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Great service, amazing guitar!

I've had a premium carbon fibre guitar before and returned it because, although I liked it, it wasn't good value for money and the gulf with my wooden guitar was too great to justify the expense. So, buying an Emerald X20 was a punt and I was fully prepared to return it. But I'm so impressed with it. It sounds amazing, is a joy to hold and play, and is great value, so I'll be keeping it for good. The service from Emerald Guitars was fantastic too.

4 February 2025
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

This is my second Emerald guitar

This is my second Emerald guitar, and I love it even more than the first. They are very well made, and the company is a fine example of what all companies should be like. I highly recommend both the company and their guitars.

4 February 2025
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Excellent in all parts

Excellent in all parts!
Great Amicus, beautiful look with brilliant sound! From order to delivery very professional.
Next thing will be an X30… 😃

4 February 2025
Rated 4 out of 5 stars

Quality top!

The quality of the guitar (workmanship, sound, fit) is excellent. Would have earned 5 stars. The time between ordering (end of October 2024) and receipt (8 February 2025) is significantly longer than the forecast 10-11 weeks.
Communication during the production and shipping process should be proactive and not just on demand!
The actual colour of the guitar (green, dark) is unfortunately different from the one shown in the 3d builder (turquoise/teal and much lighter). It's still nice, but not as expected.
Therefore only 4 stars

8 February 2025
Rated 2 out of 5 stars

No complaints of the service

No complaints to the service, but I have never been excited or happy about the X30 that I saved up to buy. The first time I plucked a few strings after taking out its case, was a real let down. I expected it to be loud with a great sound, but was disappointed to hear a not so loud guitar with a lot of buzzing. I took it to a luthier which are difficult to find here, hoping that he could adjust it, but his words were that he didn't want to touch it and that he only works with wood and that I should send it back to Emerald which I did with no problems from Emerald. After a few weeks it came back and I changed the strings again, the guitar still has no great effect on me and the sound is better but not pleasing. Inside the guitar when I first received it, their was lots of white dust inside, probably from sanding during the building process and the wires which were supposed to stick up the pick-up components inside with small adhesive tape were just hanging about inside and the probable cause was the tape couldn't stick because of the dust which no one had made any attempt to clean the inside body before sticking down the wires. I used a feather duster to clean the inside before sending it back to Ireland. Emerald didn't charge me anything for the shipping but I didn't want to send it back again a second time, although I probably should have. I don't think I would take it on a gig and proudly show it off, I would rather just take the wooden guitars I have if I went gigging. I am 72 and this was supposed to be my best and last guitar, but I will just have to put this down to experience. I just believe I have landed a bad instrument and believe that they are all not bad and probably excellent as most people who bought an Emerald have also experienced.

9 February 2024
Unprompted review
Rated 4 out of 5 stars

This is my second guitar purchased and…

This is my second guitar purchased and couldn’t be happier
(Own an X20 12 string & recently X7 HyVibe)

My ONLY complaint would be the lack of communication from date of purchase….saw my guitar featured on their shipping video, which was awesome….but I went over a month without any updates, lol

Love you guys/gals at Emerald

21 January 2025
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

It's a magnificent insturment.

It's a magnificent insturment.
outstanding craftsmanship, many thanks to the entire
team at Emerald.

comfortable, sounds incredible, nice sustain.
looking forward to many years of enjoyment.

thanks -
Mike.

21 January 2025
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Solace Lap Steel Guitar

One of the finest Acoustic Lap Steel Guitars out there. Top quality craftsmanship and guitar components. String height and spacing are perfect. Very easy to play. Worry-free shipping. Highly recommend Emerald Guitars for your next guitar.

18 January 2025
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Very high quality guitar

Very high quality guitar and great sound. I waited a long time due to a parts shortage on the pick-up I selected, however, it was well worth the wait.

I would have preferred a little more proactive communication regarding the delay in shipping, but I'm very happy with the instrument.

21 January 2025
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Guitar Number Six. Another Winner!

This Virtuo is my sixth Emerald guitar. I also own a Synergy X7, a Synergy X20, a Synergy Ukulele, an Amicus and an X30. Like the others, it has exceeded my expectations in terms of sound, fit and finish, quality, and comfort.

The color is a beautiful shade of dark green over a Pommele Bosse veneer. It almost looks black at times.

The versatility of this instrument was just what I was looking for! It is capable of being an acoustic guitar, an electric guitar, a midi guitar, and all kinds of combinations of the three, all in one instrument.

I am just a hobbyist who plays for my own enjoyment, but I can certainly see how this can be useful to someone who gigs professionally and needs to cover a variety of sounds during their set, or going from acoustic and electric in a single song, without having to switch guitars or having to bring multiple guitars along. it would be a very useful tool for the solo performer as well.

As usual, Emerald has produced and delivered another quality instrument, and I highly recommend their instruments!



16 January 2025
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

My SECOND instrument purchase…

This was my SECOND instrument purchase from Emerald Guitars and it went every bit as well as my first purchase in 2019, and arrived at my home in Texas in about 2 weeks. Kevin Quigley from the Sales Dept went the extra mile to double-check that my Amicus had a pickup fitted, so thank you for that Kevin! I highly recommend purchasing any stringed instrument from Emerald Guitars if you have the budget as they are all so beautifully made thanks to Founder, CEO & Master Luthier Alistair Hay.

16 January 2025
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Beautiful

Beautiful, amazing Harp Ukulele! Arrived in Texas in just a couple weeks.
Outstanding quality product and customer service!

16 January 2025
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Virtually and amazing Virtuo

Instead of custom building my Virtuo as I did with my X30, I found one in stock that was beautiful. My order was processed and delivered so quickly and with no shipping charge. Then guitar is amazing! the craftsmanship, meticulous attention to detail and sounds flexibility is truly incredible.

16 January 2025
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Great customer service

All questions that I had were answered very quickly and personably. Still waiting for my guitar to be built and I can't wait to receive it. The online guitar builder was fantastic!

10 January 2025

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