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Emerald Guitars at Guitar Showcase 2021: meet the Virtuo – an acoustic guitar made with the electric player in mind
Emerald Guitars have announced the latest addition to their range with the Virtuo.
The body of an acoustic with the soul of an electric, the Virtuo is a hybrid Electric/acoustic model with a multitude of pickup and output options to inspire any artist and remove all limitations for the player.
Introducing the Virtuo
Ergonomically designed for comfort with a slim body, the Virtuo is an acoustic guitar made specifically with the electric player in mind. The neck is slim and fast like an electric guitar and with its innovative neck to heel design it allows the player full 22 fret access to reach even those highest notes. And it’s lightweight due to the carbon build making it a pleasure to play for longer gigs and shows.
"During the covid pandemic and lockdowns I watched intensely as some of my favourite guitar players took their shows to an online audience," says Alistair Hay, founder of Emerald Guitars.
"And with that I began to see the benefit of having a guitar that would be capable of not only the acoustic type performance but could at the flick of a switch produce electric tones just like any solid body electric guitar.
"With that in mind we came up with the concept of the Virtuo. An Electric/acoustic hybrid with a multitude of pickups and voicings."
Three unique voicings
When we start looking at the electronics and pickup systems on the Virtuo we can really begin to see the vast possibilities of tone and range of sounds that are available to the player. This is a guitar with three distinct and unique voicings.
- Acoustic voice - Graphtech Ghost Piezo
- Electric voice - Fishman Fluence Humbuckers x2
- Midi/Synth voice - 13 pin output
Top quality components
The two Fishman Fluence humbucker pickups have vintage and modern humbucker sounds and with an option to split to single coils. Graphtechs under saddle individual piezo pickups which are also fully height adjustable.
Since we have six individual piezo pickups we can connect directly to the 13 pin guitar synth output giving the guitar a full range of midi sounds when connected to a guitar synth system. All the onboard pickups can be blended together to create a range of sounds unique to every individual player's taste. This guitar has all analog switching and wiring.
Finally we have added a new fully adjustable acoustic bridge so that the string height and intonation can easily be changed in a matter of seconds. A one of a kind for an acoustic guitar model.
Available worldwide and exclusively from EmeraldGuitars.com
