OldCowboy

Just thought to add a bit to my other post. The Guild is a long-scale guitar, if that matters. Also, a good'n will be very solidly built and give you an amalgam of J-45 and D-18.

The model you mention actually exists in three 1970's incarnations. Two are more common: the archback mahogany b/s with very dark-stained spruce top, and the all-hog flat-back version with conventional back struts & hog top. There's also a D-25c which doesn't show up as often identical to the archback D-25m, but with more of a dark cherry stain. I owned a hog top model briefly and would agree with the earlier post that it leaves a lot to be desired. Either spruce model with the arched back is far better-sounding, as far as I'm concerned - fine volume, strong (but not boomy) bass response, clear trebles with a moderate ring. I've played several, and found them to be on a par with my Guild D-35.

Mirrors and smartphones. Today's my day in school for sure!

😒😮😄😂😅😋

Mirror! Ah, hell, I've been trying to get my head inside the soundhole😦

Elderly even has a collection from various acoustics de-balled by their repair dept.!

I see the wisdom. It's not unlike removing a 'vintage tone ball' from the instrument. Sure to affect a change and not always for the better. I believe in treating my tone balls well!

Other than a mass exodus from this thread, I can offer only one final positively-intended thought on this matter: since return and warranty are not viable alternatives, since accepting the guitar as it is does not appear to be a viable alternative, since selling it to someone else and moving on - losses counted and lesson learned - a suggestion I made in the form of a riduculous joke offer earlier in this thread - hasn't met with any notice from the OP, how about a complete refin and glue dribble eradication performed by a luthier of the OP's own choosing? Failing that, I have a few TRULY negative ideas I would prefer not to contribute and likely won't.

And, bless us all, we keep on tryin'😩

I have unbounded respect for those who have added their thoughts to this thread. That holds true for other members and their contributions as well. As SBP observed, being blunt doesn't mean being rude. It can, of course, but that's far from the case in the present circumstances. What I read in this thread is a group of concerned individuals trying to lend support and becoming frustrated by the OP's inability or unwillingness to consider what is being or has been said. Put a different way, I believe most of us would have walked away from this pity party a ways back if our motivation was to be rude. As it stands, we're all trying our best to lend support and find a way to make clear a point that the OP manages to miss no matter how it's presented.

True. Please don't misunderstand: I didn't mean to come off sounding negative about Buc's post - quite the opposite. Short of suggesting things that'd likely be deleted by the authorities, I don't believe it could be said any better.

Can it be stated more clearly than that? Maybe we should get a contest going to see who can be the most blunt and brutal. Kudos, Buc👍👍👍 I hope I don't have to try topping that one😄

OMG! I can't stop laughing 😃😄😂😅

You own a very nice guitar, and if I may presume to speak for many here at the forum, we are happy for you and are glad you and your new Gibson are now among the rest of us. I'm sorry if you're not 100% happy with your purchase, but the best we can offer here is a sense of belonging, reassurance if you need it, access to whatever knowledge/information/ experience that we collectively hold, and whatever advice individual members are able to provide. You seem to be saying that, when you buy something, you expect it to conform to your personal standard of perfection. There's nothing wrong with that, but it goes to say that you therefore won't make a purchase that doesn't meet your standards. I have no idea what to tell you beyond what has already been said. All I can think to ask (and it's a question that has already been posed here) is why did you buy it in the first place knowing what your standards are and realizing there was no possibility of return?

Someone once pointed out to me that luthiery is based on 'the creative destruction of wood'. In a kind of obscure way - not unlike my conviction that all acoustic guitars are inherently female and, further, that they are all alive, it seems to fit here quite well. Then again, maybe I'm referencing empty brain cells😛

$80.01👹?

$80.01👹?

Might as well climb aboard the bus. I've seen inexpensive guitars with pristine finishes and mediocre sound and wouldn't choose to buy one unless that's all I could afford. I've seen people buy guitars as if they were purchasing furniture that they'll never use for fear of harming the original cosmetics. Then there are folks who buy guitars for the joy of playing a truly wonderful instrument. Gibson tradition is as it is - minor cosmetic imperfections are part of that tradition in many instances. Play it and enjoy it and hope you can come closer to helping it realize its true potential. Having said all that pompous-sounding verbiage, I'll be happy to take the ugly thing off your hands at a price that reflects your dissatisfaction - shall we say $50? 😈😮

Hadn't really thought about it in those terms, but now that you mention it, that's exactly my approach as well👍

Welcome😊 Odds are good that your guitar will come into its own without a lot of tweaking as far as string height and the like. The main concern for me would be to play the daylights out of the thing on a regular and frequent basis. That should loosen it up a bit and continue to do so over time. Since you're acoustic playing is pretty much confined to one guitar, you should see progress sooner than some of us who play several and divide our playing time accordingly. There's some thought that using slightly heavier strings enhances the breaking- in process, but there's also some debate on the subject. Personally, I'd just trust my instincts and enjoy the guitar.

Nothing wrong with an LG-1. Replacing the plastic bridge, if the guitar has one, can improve the tone and volume.

Had never thought of that. Considering it, though, it might be true for some folks. Has never bothered me, and my hands and feet (size 14) are generally considered equally big - but how a person's hands are structured could make a difference, too. ✋

It's difficult for me to give any sort of advice/suggestions when it comes to how a guitar feels to an individual playing it. Scale length matters, strings matter, setup matters, necks matter, nut width matters - and most of us are aware of all that. I guess my take is that what matters most in the final analysis is the player's interpretation, a very personal thing that's hard for someone else to define. My analogy for all this is buying underwear, about which I suspect there's very little need to explain. How guitars sound from one to the next is equally perplexing once you get beyond generalities, especially if you're discussing a similar make/model/production era. The nuances come into account and how to predict those is way past me. About all I can contribute, though it seems not to amount to much, is suggesting that you play everything in your path and keep an open mind.

Dean Markley used to be the king of warm and tame - and a friend of mine years back said you could leave 'em on forever....

I've heard good things about Everly, but haven't tried a set.