Emerald Kestrel 2020 Amber

For sale is a beautiful, fully hollow Emerald Kestrel carbon fiber archtop guitar with a surface mounted Krivo humbucker pickup. It sounds great both acoustically and plugged in. It is loud enough to be enjoyed played acoustically but it really comes alive when played plugged in. The humbucker pickup is produced and provided via a special, semi exclusive business arrangement between Jason "Krivo" Flores and Emerald and it is otherwise no longer available as an aftermarket purchase. The pickup is effectively glued onto the top of the guitar(not cut into the top), so it is removable if you ever desire to do so. Unlike most guitar pickups, the Krivo responds equally well with both acoustic and electric guitar strings. 

The guitar weighs 4.4 pounds(2 kg.). Though Emeralds may be purchased with a razor thin decorative wood veneer for a significant upcharge, this particular guitar has an amber tint over carbon fiber and comes with a high gloss finish. Frets are stainless steel. There are separate volume and tone controls mounted unobstrusively but easily accessible inside the lower f-hole. I have replaced the original hand carved wooden bridge with a Graphtech Resomax Archtop bridge. Both bridges will ship with the guitar, as will the original Hiscox hard shell case. The Kestrel has been beautifully set up by the skilled luthiers at Noll Guitars in Cranston, Rhode Island. 

Of note, coincidentally, Emerald has recently changed to shipping new Kestrels with a Graphtech bridge; the handcarved bridge, therefore, is no longer available. 

The guitar will ship strung with a set of very lightly used Thomastik Infeld Jazz Swing 12 to 50 strings. I will also include the following sets of strings, all new in package for you to try out: D’Addario XL EPN21 Pure Nickel 12-51, D’Addario XL EXL115BT Nickel Wound 11-50, and Ernie Ball Beefy Slinky Nickel Wound 11-54. I have found that the TI strings provide a warm, pleasing jazz tonality, while the Ernie Balls are great for the player looking for a good all around set of strings useful for different genres and not interested in getting the tonality usually associated with archtop jazz guitars.

Emerald's carbon fiber masterpiece, the Kestrel guitar is rarely seen listed for sale. Please note that I will be providing free shipping within the continental United States only. 

From the Emerald Guitars website:

The pinnacle of elegance made possible by Emerald's innovative one-piece carbon fiber construction. The Kestrel occupies unique territory in the archtop world, offering the rich, unique sound of a traditional electric archtop while providing a lively acoustic response not normally associated with such classic instruments. The pinnacle of elegance made possible by Emerald’s innovative one-piece carbon fiber construction, the Kestrel features an incredibly lightweight ergonomic design with highly sculpted bevels and angled sides for ultimate comfort and playability. Detailed craftsmanship is evident in the classic “f” holes, handmade slotted headstock, and a hand-carved carbon fiber tailpiece that floats virtually unseen above  the surface. The Kestrel boasts great resonance and can deliver long sustaining notes whether acoustic or through an amp. It has a full sound in the mid range with a very sweet tone reminiscent of older archtop style guitars. They will say that the sound or tone of an instrument comes for the mind of the player and the playing style, so whether it’s for jazz, rockabilly, rock n roll, blues or pop, this guitar will bring you into areas of new exploration but still keeping your firmly rooted in the traditional tones of an acoustic archtop.

Scale Length

25 1/2", 650mm

Nut Width

1 ¾", 44.5mm

Bridge Spacing

2", 52mm

Overall Length

41“, 1055mm

Max Body Width

16 1/2", 420mm

Max Body Depth

3 1/2", 90mm

Max Body Length

20", 510mm

Weight

4.4 lbs, 2 kg

Frets

22 medium stainless steel frets

Fretboard Radius

12″ – 14″ compound radius

Tuners

Schertler open gear tuners

Nut/Saddle

Graphtech Tusq XL lubricated nut and saddle

Bridge

Graphtech Resomax adjustable floating bridge

Pickup

Krivo Humbucker

Finish

High gloss finish on all surfaces