EMERALD VIRTUO £2,625
CONTACT Emerald Guitars
PHONE 00353 7491 48183
WEB www.emeraldguitars.com
What You Need To Know
1 Who is this guitar aimed at?
That was the first question we asked ourselves upon opening the case. It’s a brand-new model with a surprising array of features and has the structural stability and light weight that carbon fibre has to offer. In those respects, it’s kind of an open book.
2 Is this an acoustic guitar with a foot in the electric camp or is it just a full-blown electric?
And that was the second question we asked ourselves! We think the giveaway is that it arrived loaded with electric guitar strings and the unplugged acoustic voice is in the vicinity of an archtop. So we’ve marked it down as an electric with acoustic potential. Probably.
3 Can carbon fibre mimic the feel of a traditionally built guitar?
Once we began playing, we quickly forgot what the Virtuo is made from. There’s very little difference in terms of feel between this and any other high-gloss guitar. After all, you don’t actually feel the wood on a Gibson ES-175, do you?
This story is from the October 2021 edition of Guitarist.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the October 2021 edition of Guitarist.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
FOR THE ROSES
Ivison Guitars has only been in business for six years, but its Dakota model has already headlined Glastonbury with Guns N’ Roses star Richard Fortus. We meet founder Neil Ivison to find out how he's making new electrics that evoke the raw spirit of retro tone
HISTORY REPEATING
Gibson's highest-tier replicas of famous Les Pauls are commanding almost as much as vintage guitars these days. We find out what all the fuss is about and examine a rare recreation of Jimmy Page's fiendishly complex #2 Les Paul Standard
WHAT THE WORLD IS WAITING FOR
Off the radar since The Stone Roses reunion burnt out - and largely absent from the studio for two decades - John Squire's collaboration with Liam Gallagher reclaims his place among the greats. He invites us to his studio to talk classic riffs, career-ending injuries, getting snubbed by Gibson, and why music keeps pulling him back in
TELL ME STRAIGHT
Keith Richards, the legendary master of the ageless riff, talks about the magic and loss of Hackney Diamonds, the sparkling new Rolling Stones album
DENNY LAINE 1944-2023
Multi-instrumetlist, singer-songwriter Denny Laine died at the end of last year after a career that saw him top the charts in both The Moody Blues and Wings
Vibe 'n' Drive
Eventide's latest dot9 series pedal combines two independent effects for some classic vintage-rock sounds
Face Lift
Flattley releases an upgraded 1960s-style silicon fuzz with a buffer and extended tonal options
Air Supply
Boss's new Katana addition pumps up the volume - suited to serious players looking for a compact, wireless amp solution
Standard Shimmers
Back in 2023, revitalised Brit-maker PJD rejigged its range to start with the new solidbody hardtail Standards. Need a vibrato? No problem: here comes the Standard Plus
Golden Brown
Last year we were mightily impressed when we looked at builder Rich Jones' Parlour and Orchestra acoustics. This time it's the turn of his entry-level, all-mahogany dreadnought
