ksdaddy Posted December 11, 2009 Share Posted December 11, 2009 It's a good thing I don't have much money because I would be buying non-stop. One guitar I don't have is a Guild. I haven't thought about it that seriously, but if given a chance to own a run of the mill 70s Guild at a good price, I'd grab one. The plain jane cherry D-25 looks super to my eyes. I've looked at some on ebay and seems like every one I look at has no saddle left. Of course they're not going to call attention to the fact that the action is not great and there's no saddle left, that's why one should scrutinize the photos and ask questions. I've always had the impression that Guilds were heavy, rock solid, etc. Yet I see so many that likely need neck resets. A couple years ago a guy asked me to sell a blonde '76 F-40 (shaped similar to a J185) and a '68 B-25 for him. I think he wanted to get $500 each. The B-25 was nice and I sold it for $900 or so. I couldn't get $500 out of the Guild because it definitely needed a neck reset. I couldn't justify buying it for $500 and then having it reset. I know I do a lot of repair work but I haven't done enough resets to be confident yet. I think he ultimately sold it somewhere along the line but I wasn't a part of that deal. I wasn't aware of it but according to what I've read while lurking, apparently Guild went through the same as the rest of them in the 70s, where they were built light and nice in the early part of the decade and then got more heavily braced as the decade went on. I haven't looked into it enough to know particulars. I'm probably just smitten by the cherry red on the old D25s. This week anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosewoody Posted December 11, 2009 Share Posted December 11, 2009 The best sounding guitar I've ever played was a Westerly D-55. It was the rare piece that sounded as good as it looked, very nicely appointed. Every once in a while an old timer made in New Jersey crops up and they remind of a good old Gibson, very rich. Guilds are underappreciated I think, and maybe the need for resets is evidence of a lightly braced top. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sumner77 Posted December 11, 2009 Share Posted December 11, 2009 ksdaddy, I recently re-acquired my high school axe, a 1969 D-35, from an old friend. This guitar romanced many a young gal, and witnessed the death of some brain cells, alas. You are right to be wary of the neck issues. With a shaved bridge and a non-existent saddle I chose the uneconomic path to restore it, for the memories. Two VERY good repair guys told me they don't do Guilds. The third, a fine builder and authorized Martin repair man said yes, and probably won't ever do another. The heel and part of dovetail, I think, came apart and had to be painstakingly pieced together. It plays and sounds great, but I'll never get my money out of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gearbasher Posted December 11, 2009 Share Posted December 11, 2009 I wasn't aware of it but according to what I've read while lurking' date=' apparently Guild went through the same as the rest of them in the 70s, where they were built light and nice in the early part of the decade and then got more heavily braced as the decade went on. I haven't looked into it enough to know particulars. [/quote'] I've heard, on a few occasions, late 70s/early 80's Guilds were the best. I had an '80 D-55 that was great. It's the only guitar I've ever regretted selling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jgwoods Posted December 12, 2009 Share Posted December 12, 2009 I had a '75 D50 for a while. I had a neck reset before I got it, also a bad fret job. It was beat, with cracks and lots of wear and tear, but it sounded wonderful. It was heavy and sounded a bit like it was that way, but it was quite loud so however thick they made things didn't really bother it much. Bill Whitsett did a fine fret job on it using Martin wire of various tang thicknesses to bring the neck into just right relief. The truss rod had plenty of adjustment either way and the bridge and saddle were tall. Over all it was a wonderful old warhorse but I just decided I am not keeping narrow neck instruments around so I sold it. It was a normal 1 and 11/16 neck but I am sold on Gibby width or a little more. I kinda miss it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted December 12, 2009 Share Posted December 12, 2009 About the only change that I know of on Guilds in the mid-1970s is the introduction of archback guitars in '76 such as you now found on the D-25 (which also got a mahogany top that year). It is my understanding that the only years Guilds were not considered up to par was in the mid-1980s when a certain very well known vintage dealer got involved with the design. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksdaddy Posted December 12, 2009 Author Share Posted December 12, 2009 Yeah, in the 80s I subscribed to the Elderly used list, which was on newsprint, put together by hippies. I loved getting that list. They also had mini-reviews on new instruments or closeouts on new instruments. I remember them selling new Gibson Corvuses (Corvi?) for about $160 to get rid of them. When the aforementioned Nashville dealer Guilds came out, they kinda slammed them. A few phone calls must have been made because in the next issue the sort of apologized and said they may have judged them too quickly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillDuck Posted December 13, 2009 Share Posted December 13, 2009 It is hard to beat a well broken in D50. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeff5341 Posted December 13, 2009 Share Posted December 13, 2009 I have a 68 Guild D35 that is probably the lightest acoustic I have played. It is a beautiful guitar and to me at least sounds as good as a D18 or J45. The action is quite low on mine about 3/32 but there isn't much saddle and the neck angle is pretty shallow so in a few years it will probably need a reset. To be fair though it is not uncommon for a 40 year old Martin or Gibson to have a shallow neck angle and need a reset. I paid less than half the cost of a comparable Martin or Gibson for it and feel the old Guild's are a great value. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onewilyfool Posted December 13, 2009 Share Posted December 13, 2009 KSdaddy, Guilds were made in Rhode Island til 2002 I think, and I find them the best quality. I'm not impressed by the Guilds made at other locations, etc. Almost every Guild I've seen that is older than 1980 needs a neck reset. But once they are set up right, they are amazing Guitars....definitely the dark horse of American made acoustics......I have an F-47 that is just fantastic....I got it for open mics, and the electronics are just wonderful on these guitars. Here's some pics Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigKahune Posted December 13, 2009 Share Posted December 13, 2009 Go for it ksdaddy. Another Guild fan here. I got a couple (pre-Fender) from Westerly RI in my collection - An F412 And an X-700. BTW, that's a carved solid spruce top, not laminate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksdaddy Posted December 13, 2009 Author Share Posted December 13, 2009 I used to have a '79 X-500 (laminated). Played great. I got Gibson fever and sold it to buy a '69 ES-150D. Skinny neck turned me off. Sold it and bought a '77 Country Club. Flawless action, sounds okay. I still have it but it's unused. Last time I sat down and played it I thought I heard my right femur crack. Don't even get me started on the Artist Award. I'll go into hock for the next five years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted December 13, 2009 Share Posted December 13, 2009 Speaking of Guilds I just scored an early 1960s Starfire 1 with the DeArmond DynaSonic single coil pup on a trade (the same pickup that were used in Gretsch in the 1950s). One of the laminated mahoganyy ones. Not here yet but if memory serves me correctly that DeArmond is about the fattest sounding single coil ever made although if ya don't dial them in correctly you will be greeted with an ice pick to your brain high end that would make any 1970s Tele proud. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted December 13, 2009 Share Posted December 13, 2009 When the aforementioned Nashville dealer Guilds came out' date=' they kinda slammed them. A few phone calls must have been made because in the next issue the sort of apologized and said they may have judged them too quickly.[/quote'] Funny that - wasn't it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flinx Posted December 13, 2009 Share Posted December 13, 2009 About the only change that I know of on Guilds in the mid-1970s is the introduction of archback guitars in '76 such as you now found on the D-25 (which also got a mahogany top that year). It is my understanding that the only years Guilds were not considered up to par was in the mid-1980s when a certain very well known vintage dealer got involved with the design. I have a different take on this one, zomby. I picked up a mini-jumbo Guild with 55 appointments back around '90 that was based on the designs from the very same vintage dealer in question. It was one of the finest guitars I have ever played, bar none. On the day I bought it, I was actually in the process of being a hair away from getting a really nice D-45, until I played that Guild. The Martin couldn't hold a candle to that sweet mini-jumbo, and I played it for 17 years, until it finally got passed down to a family member, who plays it regularly, with gusto and delight. It's still far from a neck re-set, even after all these years of medium strings, and all it has ever needed was a partial re-fret last year. Wonderful playability, with the best string-to-string balance I have ever heard, and a strong fundamental. Much like a few of the better rosewood Gibbys I have been privileged to play over the years. Whoever started that rumor needs a hearing aid, and to be forced to play an Esteban for a month after it's fitted. :- Flinx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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