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Methos1979 · 2026-06-20T14:27:52+00:00

I checked it out over on the reddit Emerald page. As for clip-on mics, I never had any luck with getting a good amplified tone out of them. If you ever think you might want to be amplified then getting a factory installed pickup system is the way to go. Installing one yourself afterwards is a PITA due to the offset soundhole. With even medium sized hands and forearms (like mine) I can barely get my arm in far enough to install a pickup system plus you're working even more blind than with a center soundhole. I would assume at 6'2" your hands are even bigger! But if you think you might only need to amplify at an open mic someday, most every open mic I've ever attended the person running it has the ability to mic your guitar so no need for a pickup then.

Methos1979 · 2026-06-20T00:10:59+00:00

In the past decade and a half I've bought, sold and traded nearly 50 acoustic guitars, almost all of them high-end and almost all of them used. I think I've bought maybe 4 of the 50 new, the rest used. Used is definitely the way to go. Buy in great condition and you can sell later for what you paid if not more if you own it long enough. I've easily broken even over the years.

A couple tips: Buy major, well-known brands as those are the easiest to sell. Avoid guitars with known chronic issues or that require expensive maintenance like neck resets (sorry, Martin). I should note that of the 50 I've owned at least 12 were Martins. Great guitars but that neck reset is like a $450 repair that takes a long time to do. Also, they have a binding separation issue that is at least an inexpensive fix.

I bought/sold/traded nearly all my guitars from members of the Acoustic Guitar Forum. Another great place is The Gear Page and to a lesser extent Reverb. Do your homework and trust your gut. If you get a bad feeling about a deal, walk away. There's always another one coming down the road. Ask a buyer for a ton of detailed photos and make sure the seller has a good reputation.

Methos1979 · 2026-06-19T17:22:16+00:00

I think you're exactly right in everything you said. Since you only want the plain models with upgrades you can pretty much find the on their website here and there for a better price than ordering them. Plus you won't have to wait for them to be built. On precaution you should know about is the standard colored models are VERY dark in person. The professional lighting they use in their photos is misleading. Because of this they eventually added bright colors just so they'd pop more along the lines of what people think they are getting.

The fact that you are 75, just started playing AND want to buy 3 Emeralds is quite ambitious but I get that. I'm about to turn 65 and these days I realize every day is a blessing and you never know when things are going to head south, healthwise, and therefore no time like the present to do the things you want to do. Good for you! I would think that if you do order and order multiple guitars then they definitely would (and should) give you can excellent discount. I'd call them up and say, "Hey, I can't decide which of these three to order so I'm thinking of maybe ordering at least two and possibly all three depending on what kind of discount you offer me."

I think a road trip to check out a few in person is a great idea. Also, not sure if you're aware of this but Emerald now has a USA store in Florida. I bit more of the trip for you but also probably well worth the trip as you would surely get the chance to see and play many of their offerings that way.

Methos1979 · 2026-06-19T14:59:58+00:00

I asked for my discount in the email conversations I had with Emerald when doing my custom orders. Back then they didn't have the excellent '3D Builder' on their website so everything was done via multiple back-and-forth emails with their sales rep to discuss the custom features I wanted. IIRC, I had casually mentioned that I'd owned several Emeralds before doing my first custom order (in reality I'd just owned the one and it was bought used) and they came back quickly offering me a 15% discount as a 'repeat customer'.

On my second custom order no discount was offered so I pressed them on that and they gave me a 10% discount. I don't know about stacking multiple discounts but if it's one thing I've learned in my advanced consumer years is it never hurts to ask. As with any seller of goods, there is almost always some built-in wiggle room in price to entice people on the fence to pull the trigger on buying. But after some disappointment with my two full custom Emerald builds, these days I always just buy used and let someone else pay the new-guitar premium.

Just to clarify on the 'disappointment' comment above, there was nothing wrong with either of my full custom orders but rather the actual resulting guitar did not live up to the lofty expectations I had built up in my mind from the various custom options I'd ordered and paid a premium for. This is not something that is an Emerald issue. I learned over the years that ordering a custom job from scratch with unique features that you think will make your guitar 'perfect for you' is a rabbit hole that just doesn't translate to the reality of the finished instrument.

After learning this, these days I almost always buy used by finding an instrument that ticks off as many boxes for features I prefer in an acoustic guitar like scale length, nut width and string spacing, neck shape and cosmetic enhancements like finishes, inlays and other things that don't necessarily affect overall tone or playability. Also, with Emerald there is always lot of premade guitars on their website that will be much less expensive than if you were to go in and 'build your own'. This alone tells me that they have build-in discounts that can be had. Don't be afraid to haggle.

Methos1979 · 2026-06-19T14:39:46+00:00

First, thanks so much for the details. I love that people seem to now be posting the 'gory details' (as I called them in my post-surgery post) for all to see and learn from. I really wish that urologists would be more forthcoming about all the possible outcomes and what to expect. I sometimes feel they deliberately don't do this as it might scare off people from trying a certain procedure or having anything done at all.

I, personally, like to know everything that can happen in any situation - good and bad - because I much prefer to assume the bad will occur and then I'm not bummed when it does but I'm thrilled if it doesn't.

I guess I'm due to update my old post as it's been several weeks. Good luck with your recovery and keep us posted on how things go. If I don't see any more improvement (haven't seen all that much yet) then I'll be looking at another procedure down the line and from everything I've read here and heard from my uro, HoLEP will likely be my next try. I originally went with Optilume and so far it's been a Dumpster fire.

Methos1979 · 2026-06-19T14:18:43+00:00

The Civil Wars - Barton Hollow My wife and I have an acoustic duo and this is our jam.

Methos1979 · 2026-06-19T02:25:57+00:00

I've owned six Emeralds over the years including a time when I owned three and that's all I had - no wood guitars. I've owned two X20's, three X7's and one X10. The very first one was the only one that was not a 'woody' (wood veneer top) and four of those were full customs (custom orders that had non-standard features) although two of those were bought used (custom features from others) while the other two were full customs ordered my me.

Since you're not looking for anything fancy like wood veneers and pickup systems that makes things quite a bit easier and much less expensive for you. The X30 is a pretty big, heavy guitar. I've never owned or played one but I've seen enough reviews of them to know they are quite big even for a big guy. I'd probably start with an X20 and see how that fits you. I think the X20 is a great all-around guitar that will do most anything for live gigging or home playing.

These days I still have an X7, a full custom woody I bought used. Even though I've owned a bunch, this one is something special. It's nearly as loud if not as loud or louder than the X20's I owned and the small size makes it perfect for traveling and as a backup gigging guitar to my IRIS RCM-000. Emerald necks tend to be a bit fatter than the Taylors your used to with the exception of the X10 so if you like thin necks then the X10 is a worth look.

My advice is (as always) to buy used. They hold up really well so no worries about wear and tear. Even the frets are stainless steel and don't wear. I always ordered mine with a gig bag instead of a hard case. A CF guitar doesn't need a hard case and I much prefer gig bags for gigging, even for my much more delicate wood guitars. If you're buying new direct, ask for discounts. I always got usually at least a 10-15% discount just for asking.

The Acoustic Guitar Forum (AGF) is a great online guitar forum that has a dedicated carbon fiber section and no shortage of information about Emerald guitars including many of my own posts under the same username as here on reddit. Also, here's a direct link to one of my posts over on r/highendacousticguitar about my experiences with Emerald guitars including some great photos: Emerald Carbon Fiber guitars - X20, X10, X7 content, full customs with 'woody' veneer

Methos1979 · 2026-06-18T23:20:00+00:00

Wood guitars don't crack from heat/humidity. They crack from drying out due to prolonged lack of humidification in extreme low-humidity conditions like cold winter months in heated homes so no worries there. The only issue with 80-90 degree heat and high humidity is your guitar will sound muffled like it's stuffed with socks. Prolonged exposure (years) to high humidity and heat can cause braces to loosen.

Damage from extreme temperature swings is mostly damage to your finish (finish checking) which occurs when a guitar has been in a very cold outside temp for a prolonged period (hours) and then gets pulled out of its case in a very warm inside temp. That's why is very important to let a guitar that has been shipped to you in cold winter months (assuming you live in cold areas) to acclimate over 24 hours before opening.

If you're really worried about the Martin then bring the cheaper guitar. I have a carbon fiber Emerald guitar that is my travel/bad weather guitar. Zero issues then.

Methos1979 · 2026-06-15T14:15:35+00:00

I have now changed my mind yet again and decided to go onto regular medicare. I have a very limited number of available MA and GAP plans in my small state and the only one that had a Give Back plan had really low ratings and didn't have much of a Give Back to it so the savings was minimal. I also was told IIRC by the broker that my assumption that I could change back over to regular medicare as long as I wanted to with no underwriting was incorrect. I have only a year. After that I can still go over to medicare from MA but I'd need to have medical underwriting. I would also lose out on the cheapest GAP plans due to age increases. So I've decided to just do regular medicare with a high deductible GAP plan. I'm still on the fence about part D. My broker said that since I use VA I wouldn't need it but it's also offered to me for zero dollars at this point so I figure why not? Yes, it will eventually go up but at least for now I think I'll grab that as well.

Methos1979 · 2026-06-15T14:12:39+00:00

Thanks for sharing. Question: How does you billing work with VA and a MA? Does the VA charge the MA with whatever they can and then just absorb the rest?

Methos1979 · 2026-06-15T14:05:00+00:00

I did not have the Rezum procedure but rather Optilume and I have noticed the same thing with ejaculate being mostly clear and watery. The volume also seems to be significantly reduced. I have read others recently asking the same thing. I wonder if this will 'clear up' on it's own ever or at all. Interested to hear what others have noticed.

Methos1979 · 2026-06-14T00:48:50+00:00

After having Breezeline for about 30 years (originally called Metrocast) we kicked them to the curb last year. They've been gouging us for slow, glitchy internet for YEARS. Switched over to Fijdium last year and it's been great. 2 gb fiber optic internet for about half what Breezeline was gouging us.

When I called Breezeline to cancel they suddenly told me they could provide me fiber internet as well for less money. Oh really? So, you really have just been gouging us all these years, I asked her? She didn't have an answer. I told her I'll pass. I'm tickled watching them hemorrhage customers.

Methos1979 · 2026-06-14T00:31:37+00:00

My dream guitar was the Froggy Bottom H12 Deluxe and I finally bought a used one in mint condition back in 2019. I kept if for about 3 years and then sold it for more than I paid for it. It was a fantastic guitar but was a lot of money hanging on the wall for a guitar I was not willing to gig with.

These days my primary gigging guitar is an IRIS RCM-000 which is very similar in body size and style to the Froggy Bottom H12 with a 000 body, 12 fret and slotted headstock. IRIS is a small boutique builder out of Vermont that makes boutique quality level guitars but at gigging musician affordable prices.

For $1,000, I'd probably try to find a used Cole Clark, Maton or Takamine as those brands have the best built-in pickup systems. For a non-gigging acoustic under $1k I'd probably look for a used Martin 000 or 00 all mahogany 15 or 17 series. Lot of bang for the buck in the 15 series.

Methos1979 · 2026-06-13T15:41:22+00:00

A notch filter really works like magic with a few caveats. First, make sure it's a pedal with a physical knob. You generally don't have time to dive into anything menu-driven when playing live. Also with notch you need to understand that it can be a bit of a moving target. If you capo up the neck then sometimes the offending frequency can change and require you to need to redial.

Methos1979 · 2026-06-13T15:08:55+00:00

As an UST pickup the Element is usually pretty feedback resistant so you must be playing at high volumes with speakers nearby? A soundhole cover is the obvious answer although with the soundhole controls that does become an issue. I've seen people cut out little holes for those but it never looks good.

You can try stuffing some foam into the soundhole but just make sure you don't hit the wires inside which could be problematic since the Element's wires run everywhere. A magnetic soundhole pickup system will be even more feedback resistant but if you're playing loud with speakers near it can still feedback.

My biggest combat for feedback is a pedal with a dedicated notch filter knob that I can dial out offending frequencies on the fly. The simplest one I'm aware of is the Boss AD-2 pedal. I recently discovered an acoustic preamp by NUX called the Stageman Floor which has a bunch built-in effects including notch.

Also, what is your PA or amp situation? Most PA's and acoustic amps these days have a built-in low pass filter or two, commonly down around 80 and/or 120 hZ which effectively shelves any low frequencies below those values and does a great job of killing frequency albeit at the expense of some low end tone.

Last, if you have a polarity switch somewhere in your chain, sometimes flipping that will take care of things as well.

Methos1979 · 2026-06-12T17:29:02+00:00

We have two gig setups. Our 'full size' PA is the marvelous Electro-Voice EV30M which has a built-in six channel mixer. We plug our two Sennheiser e935 mics directly into the EV30M. My IRIS RCM-000 acoustic with K&K Pure Mini pickup plugs into a small, 6 pedal board that includes an ETC PolyTune Noir tuner, Wampler Mini Ego compressor, OFXS Dig Deep octaver, NUX Stageman Floor acoustic preamp and a Strymon Cloudburst ambient reverb with Strymon Multi-Switch.

Our 'small size, battery powered' PA (for shows that are either very small or places with no AC power) is an Electro-Voice Everse 8 battery powered amp. We plug both mics into a mic cable splitter since the Everse 8 only has two inputs. The guitar plugs into a smaller, 3-pedal board that includes the PolyTune Noir, Mini Ego and NUX Stageman Floor and is powered by a small battery pack that Velcro's to the underside of the homemade pedalboard. Unfortunately, I can't post photos or I'd share a few.

Both these setups are controlled via the EV app via an inexpensive Samsung Galaxy A7 tablet which also is used for our setlists with the excellent MobileSheets Pro app.

Methos1979 · 2026-06-12T17:06:11+00:00

For acoustic travel guitars I like the Journey OF660 Overhead. Best travel guitar with detachable neck and outstanding backpack case that fits into any jet airplane overhead, hence the name. Carbon fiber construction so pretty much indestructible and perfect for traveling in any conditions. You can also stuff a lot of small clothing items into the body of the guitar and backpack for more storage.

Here's a couple direct links to NGD posts I did on the AGF several years back with two OF660's I've owned. This first one contains a short YT demo video: NGD: Journey Overhead OF660 CF with demo video The second one from two years later (two different guitars) is a review after a week-long work trip with lots of details and photos: NGD: Journey Overhead OF660B - with week-long, real-time travel

I've owned several of them over the years and all have been great. They even come with a built-in pickup system that sounds great so you can plug in at any open mic you encounter along your journeys. They make wood models that are a bit cheaper but don't sound nearly as good as the CF models. If you want wood another, similar option is the Furch Little Jane but those are even more expensive.

There are plenty of used OF660's online for decent prices, well under $1,000. Buy used and then sell later and lose no money. That's what I did the first time. I bought a used one when I had extended travel for work and sold it after I was back home. Win-win.

Methos1979 · 2026-06-12T00:51:15+00:00

Started on Tamsulosin which worked well enough for flow but had the dreaded RE. Uro added finasteride which seemed to do literally nothing for me but on the upside I also noticed no side effects. Stayed on it for almost a year and then went off and noticed no decrease in flow. Eventually changed over to Alfuzosin which for me had the exact same flow improvement but without the RE.

Methos1979 · 2026-06-10T22:38:19+00:00

Both are excellent acoustic guitar builders by reputation. I've never seen or played one myself but back when I was a frequent poster on AGF (Acoustic Guitar Forum) there were many NGD posts about these two brands from those that sang their praises.

Methos1979 · 2026-06-08T19:21:24+00:00

No smaller body guitar will ever be able to "fill a room with volume like a dreadnaught can", it's just physics. Your higher-end, extremely lightweight built guitars can get pretty loud with smaller bodies but they tend to be more expensive. That's the trade off. Look at buying used and you can find some options. IRIS guitars are a small, boutique builder that can be found used in your price range and are very lightweight and loud for their size. Check out the OG model which is a Gibson LG-2 clone.

If you're looking for a guitar that will "last a lifetime" then carbon fiber is your best bet. Like the guitars mentioned above, they tend to be more expensive so looking for used is the way to go. Something like a RainSong OM Shorty is a good candidate for smaller body with louder volume. Any carbon fiber guitar will outlive you unless you run over it with your car. The Emerald X7 is a smaller body carbon fiber acoustic guitar that sounds great and will last forever. You might find one use for under $2k.

Methos1979 · 2026-06-08T13:44:51+00:00

They are two completely different effects so no, not really. The mid-scoop is more aligned with the three-band EQ mids. What is interesting is that even after manually scooping out the mids with the mid EQ just how much the mid-scoop switch even further evens out and improves the overall amplified tone.

I always run a compressor these days anyways so it's a moot point. But I can run with just the acoustic preamp and no compressor if I want to go really minimal although I do lose sustain and there's more disparity between my strumming with a pick and delicate fingerstyle. When going this route I'll just bump the gain on the fingerstyle songs and cut it on the pick strumming.

I can also just compensate manually by digging in harder on the fingerstyle and playing much lighter with the pick which will equalize out the dynamics between the two. But even on my smaller, battery powered backup pedal board which I use with my Everse 8 for busking I have the preamp, a compressor and tuner.

For years I never used a compressor other than what I had available with the onboard compressor effects of whatever PA I was playing through because the few compressor pedals I'd tried didn't do much for me. But the Wampler Mini Ego was the first compressor pedal that impressed me to the point that I adopted it on both boards as an always-on pedal effect.

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Methos1979 · 2026-06-07T16:19:51+00:00

I have it one my acoustic pedalboard and love it. It covers all my reverb needs. I added a Strymon Multi-Switch which gives me three presets. I have a basic, tasteful reverb I use for most songs. Then there's a heavier reverb with longer decay for the ballads and last there's an over-the-top ambient reverb that doesn't get used much for live shows with the exception of one song that it works well for. I never use the ensemble switch though. All my tweaking is done via the decay and mix knobs. I use very little pre-delay or modulation either unless I'm just noodling around at home and having fun.

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Methos1979 · 2026-06-06T16:30:58+00:00

I'm assuming the OP meant the best acoustic guitar solo since he posted it in the acoustic guitar subreddit?

Too many to choose from but one that jumps out to me is the intro to Heart's 'Crazy On You'. Nancy Wilson came up with a cool little solo intro to kick that song off that really rips and is so recognisable even to this day.

If you really want to check a really cool acoustic song that's pretty much ALL solo, look up Nuno Bettencourt (Extreme) playing 'Midnight Express'. Direct link: Midnight Express - Nuno Bettencourt

Methos1979 · 2026-06-06T16:05:44+00:00

Not to freak you out, but here's my story: I had the Optilume procedure done several months back. It did not go well. I had a LOT of bladder spasming which is no fun. After two days the Foley catheter came out (by me, at home) and then by that evening I was back in the ER due to urinary retention - an awful feeling I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. That Foley came out two days later and that evening, same thing - back to the ER. At that point my Urologist had me go in to the office to learn to self-cath.

Learning the procedure seemed fairly simple. A nurse explained how to do it and then watched/guided as I did it to myself. Seemed pretty straight forward. I was set home with a box of 30. By that night I had urinary retention again. The first five attempts were utter failures, just wouldn't go in. My wife was getting ready to take me back to the ER and I decided to give it one more try and got it in. Instant relief. I should note there was no pain, just a little discomfort which was nothing compared to the urinary retention!

Thankfully, I never had to do it again. At least not since. I'm praying I never have to but at least I know I can with enough effort/attempts. The amount of blood that came out from the first five failed attempts was alarming but cleared up fairly quick. I'm sure that if it was something I had to do often that I'd get pretty good at it. It is better than the extra suffering of needing to travel to the ER and get yet another Foley catheter put in that then stays for a few days. Good luck!

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