Conference napalm::guitar

    I guess Guild has filed for Chapter 11.  They say it shouldn't
    affect things though.
    
    _stew-

    
    The new GP says that talks with Gibson for them to buy Guild fell
    through.  Supposedly the company went chapter 11 so they could stay
    in business (protects them from their creditors shutting them down)
    but they obviously are in deep trouble.  Except for the Pilot bass,
    their electric line is not selling, and the acoustic market apparently
    isn't enough to keep them afloat. 

    Buy those strings for your Ashbory bass right away  8^)  8^)  8^)
     
    

    I wonder if Guild guitars will start being attractive to collectors
    now.
    
    Unlike the other major US guitars, "vintage" Guilds are usually
    less expensive than new ones, and I have never seen a "Pre-Avnet
    Duane Eddy" advertised. Guilds are generally bargains on the used
    market, and are difficult to sell even at bargain prices.
    
    I don't know of any Guild that is considered a collector's item.
    It will be interesting to see if their financial difficulties changes
    anything.
    
    Danny W
    
    

    In an article in the Lowell Sun concerning the recent sale of Guild
    to Randall, the headline referred to Guild as Elvis Presley's guitar
    maker.
    
    Sure, the classic Elvis picture with a D-55. Maybe they have him
    confused with Tommy Smothers.
    
    Danny W

    
    
    As a Guild story....
    
    
    A friend of mine just took his 15-year old Guild acoustic to the Guild
    factory to have them check a hairline crack in the bridge.  He got to
    talk to the repair guy in person!  
    
    Guild agreed to put on a new bridge and do a complete fret job (needed)
    for $90.
    
    My friend said that everyone he talked to was very friendly and glad to
    see a well-treated old guitar come back to them.
    
    Says a lot about Guild!
    
    Kevin
    

	Those of you that remember my tangle with the BOZO (still
	nameless) guitar dealer will understand why I have the utmost
	respect and admiration for Guild. They stepped into a pretty
	ugly situation and fixed things up real nice. I would not
	hesitate to recommend a Guild to anybody. I beleive that they
	stand by the work that comes out of their shop.

	ccb

    
    ah careful - there was a gentleman whose last name was Bozo in NYC
    that made gorgeous handcrafted acoustic's.  I got luck and was able
    to strum Leo Kottke's for a minute, and it was tres beautiful guitar.

Just to verify-- a music store I taught in back in the 70s got some in for 
sale. They were very nice - but a bit more $$$ than I could manage.

leo

    
    
     Leo Kottke was mentioned a coupe of notes back.  He'll be 
    on channel 2 or 11 on a Monday night within the next week 
    or so.  
    
     Thought I'd mention it.
    
     Rick.
     

    I was always convinced that Kottke over-dubbed like crazy until I heard
    him live. Does anyone know how he managed to grow that third hand that
    has fifteen fingers?
    
    Phil

	For the last several years, I have considered selling my trusty
    Guild F48 acoustic for a Takamine acoustic/electric. My main motivation
    was that I've never gotten satisfactory results from any add-on pickup
    I've tried with the Guild. Takamine's pickup and preamp system is one
    of the best systems available. 

	Two weeks ago, I sold my Guild, and bought a Takamine EF350MC
    which is a maple-bodied dreadnought with a cutaway and pickup system.
    During the 5 day period that I had the Takamine I developed a love/hate
    relationship with it. Acoustically, it was okay, but did not have the
    sweet tone I've gotten used to with my Guild. I began regretting the
    fact that I sold my Guild. Yesterday, I returned the Takamine to the
    store and exchanged it for another Guild. The new Guild is a D30 which
    is a Dreadnought (no cutaway), with Curly maple sides, back and neck.
    The fingerboard is rosewood, the top is solid spruce, and the headstock
    has a black cap with the Guild logo and flower-pot inlay. The guitar
    has a tortoise-shell pickgaurd and gold-plated Grover tuners. A black 
    Guild hardshell was included.

	The curly maple on this guitar is extremely stunning, and although
    the guitar was used, it really is immaculate. The case is also mint.
    This guitar has an even better tone than my F48 had, probably because
    of the maple body. The neck has essentially the same dimensions as my
    old Guild which is on the heavy side but comfortable for my large hands.

	After all these years, I still think Guild offers the best value 
    in acoustic guitars. 
    
    
    	Mark (Happy Guild owner once again). :^)
    

    So does the new Guild have a decent pickup system, or did you decide
    that wasn't important?
    
    Greg

    
    Kottke does have massive, thick hands. In 1971, his 12-string had the
    highest action i've ever seen, let alone try to play.  Basically, he
    was a student of sorts of John Fahey.  The fact that he admitted to
    be an old friend to a certain friend of mine, certified he was stone
    cold crazy. Seems like a good recipe to me.
    
    bob

    re Mark,
    
    	Is this Guild an all blond guitar? I remember playing one of their
    newer models which meets you description which had a pickup installed
    at the factory which had great tone and sound,but had a cutaway....
    A knob for volume and tone as I remember...
         
    				another satisfied Guild owner
    
						Rick

    The Guild I bought does not have a pickup. I believe Guild uses 
    a Fishman transducer with a preamp. The knobs are concentric.
    One pot controls bass and treble and the other controls volume
    (and maybe midrange).
    
    I'll have a system installed in this guitar by a luthier once 
    I decide what is the best system to use. For now, I'll use my
    Dean Markely soundhole pickup. 
    
    The Guitar is all blonde, but does not have a cutaway. It's a
    honey !!
    
    Mark

FWIW Tak's don't sound good unless you get the solid spruce tops, the 350 
is a laminate, I doubt that could compete with the Guild which I believe 
also is a solid top.

dbii

	I just recieved some literature from Guild including their
    catalogs and price list. Here is a basic rundown of their line.


	Dreadnought Series

	    This includes models ranging from the low-end D15 to
	their top-of-the-line D100C. Many models are available 
	with Fishman transducers, and some have active preamp.

	Traditional Series

	    The G series was designed by George Gruhn, and is sort
	of shaped like a mini jumbo. This series includes the D25
	(mahogany back/sides), the G30 (curly maple) and the G50
	(Rosewood back/sides, dot inlays), and the top of the line
	G55 with fancy inlays and binding.

	Jumbo Series
	
	    This includes two models, the JF30 which is curly maple,
	and the JF55 which is rosewood.

	12-String Series

	    They apparently only offer about three 12-string models
	including the JF65-12, JF30-12 and D25-12. The first two have 
	jumbo bodies and the third is a dreadnought. All 12-string 
	models have dual truss rods and are heavily braced so they can 
	be tuned to concert pitch.

	B-30 Acoustic Bass
	
	    Jumbo-sized flat-top bass with solid spruce top, mahogany 
	sides, and back, rosewood fingerboard with dots, inlayed logo,
	Schaller tuners, 30.5" scale length, split bridge saddle with
	Fishman transducer. 


	Full-Size Acoustic/Electrics

	     These include the F15-CE,  F35-CE, and F45-CE. All have
	Fishman transducers, active preamps, cutaways, and oval sound
	holes. 

	Slimline Acoustic/Electrics

	    Also known as the "Prestige" series. These have a thin
	dreadnought shape with rounded cutaway. All have curly maple
	sides and backs. This series includes:

	    Excellance - Multi-binding, gold tuners, deluxe inlays. Blonde
			 or sunburst finishes.
	    Standard - Available in black only
	    Classic - blonde only

	GX Series

	    Guilds answer to the Ferrington. Electric guitar feel with
	acoustic tone. Available in Black, red, blue, or white. Single
	rounded cutaway, and pointy headstock.

	Songbird Series

	    This thin acoustic/electric has been around for several years
	and is known to be far superior to competitive models. Sort of
	shaped like a Les Paul. Available in Natural, black, or white.

	Nightbird Series

	    This is a semi-acoustic with "sound-chambers" built into
	the body. Looks a lot like a Les Paul. Three models including
	the Standard, Deluxe, and Custom (do these model names sound
	at all familiar?).

	Jazz Guitar Series

	    I wasn't sure if Guild was still making archtops. All
	instruments in this series are limited edition. 
	
	X-160 Savoy - Low-end with pressed top, chrome hw, 2 humbucks.

	X-170 Manhattan - Curly maple top, sides, and back. I'm
	guessing it's a pressed-top, two humbucks.

	X500 Stuart - Guild is not specific but they seem to imply it
	has a carved spruce top. 

	Artist Award - Top of the line, looks a lot like a D'Angelico
	New Yorker. Carved-graduated spruce top, carved german maple
	back, german maple sides, multi-binding, ebony fingerboard with
	MOP blocks and abalone wedges, multi-bound headstocks, single
	D'Armond floating pickup, deluxe headstock inlays. List price
	on this beauty is $4995 not including case. 

	Pilot Bass Series - Modern styling with no pickgaurd and
	pointy headstock. 

	602 - Solid poplar body, EMG P-J pickup configuration.

	602M - Solid maple body , EMG P-J pickup configuration, 

	605 - Fretless, maple body, 5-string bass. 2 J-style EMG pickups

	605M - Fretted, maple body, 5-string bass. 2 J-style EMG pickups



        I've been told that all Guild acoustics have solid spruce tops,
    but it appears that some of the low-end models have laminated tops. 
    The D15 has a mahogany top which I assume is laminated. Based on my 
    experience with Guild and their extensive product offering, I believe 
    Guild is highly under-rated and does not get the attention they deserve, 
    although I'll admit their strength is mainly in acoustics. I've heard
    very good reviews on the Pilot bass and songbird. I've played the
    F45-CE and they are great guitars, but the styling is not my cup of
    tea. I recently played a 1954 X500 which was gorgeous for $1200.00.
    I currently own a D30 (curly maple flat-top) and I'm hoping to
    add a 12-sting to my collection in the near future. I'll probably go
    for the D25-12 in sunburst, since I really do not want another jumbo.

	I'm planning to add Fishman transducers to my D30 and the 12-string
    if I buy one. I'm debating whether I want built-in preamps, or an 
    outboard unit.

    I'm in the market for a smaller body accoustic (I already have a Taylor
    810 Dreadnought) to be used when finger picking. I can't afford another
    Taylor (812) right now so have been considering Guild since I've heard
    good things about them. 
    
    Does anyone know the model numbers for the smaller bodied Guild's. Does
    an F30 sound right? Is there a Guild expert on the net that can tell me
    about models, woods, construction, price etc. for small body Guilds?
    
    How would a small Guild compare to say a Taylor 412 in terms of
    construction quality and price?
    
    Thanks in advance for any help!
    
    -Rob

    
    	the last 2 or 3 Guitar Players have nice ads that show about
    	6 different acoustics and say what they're made of, etc...
    
    	that little acoustic/electric up front with the cutaway makes
    	me almost want one of those thingy's with the hole in the 
    	middle ;^)
    
    

    
    
    
       Kinda on track here...
    
    
       Does anyone know about, heard about,  a piano company
    that was loacted in Boston called;
    
       "Mark B. Guild & Company"
    
    
    
       I am selling one for a friend.   A 1987 Box Grand Piano.
    
       Any clues?
    
    
       Rick.
    
    

    I'm not sure exactly what size and style you are looking for. The
    small thin electric/acoustic with cutaway that has been popular for
    about 10 years is called the Songbird. Guilds current list price
    is $1295 for the Songbird. They also make a S4-CE which is basically 
    the same guitar, but has a satin finish and lists for $995.
     
    Significant discounts are available on Guild guitars (as much as
    40% off list) if you shop around.
    
    

	I just added another Guild to my collection. I bought a (slightly
    used) Guild D25-12  12 string acoustic Monday night. The D25-12 is
    a Dreadnought with mahagony back, sides, and neck, solid spruce top
    (natural finish), rosewood fingerboard, and pearl dot inlays. I would 
    have prefered a more high-end model, but this guitar is dead mint, and 
    the price was so good I couldn't resist. This guitar plays and sounds 
    great. I cleaned it up as soon as I got it home and put on a new set 
    of strings. After stretching out the strings I found it stays in tune 
    very well and has very good intonation and tone.

	This guitar was listed in the Want Advertiser and I was able to 
    talk the price down to $350. The person selling it did not have a case 
    for it, but included a rugged guitar stand, strap, cord, and new set 
    of strings (don't ask me what he used the cord for). I consider this to 
    be a great deal considering the D25-12 lists for $1095, and the ones
    I've seen in stores have been in the $600 - $700 range. The accessories 
    he included are worth about $60. I'm planning to buy a Tweed hardshell 
    case. I've called a few stores but so far everyone has to order it with 
    a 3 week delivery. Does anyone have a better source for hardshell cases ?

	My acoustic requirements are well taken care of for now between
    the D30 and D25-12. My GTS shouldn't bother me at least until the
    weekend. Then again, the new want-advertiser just came in. hmmmmm !!

	Mark

    I have a Guild electric. Don't know what model but it has a curly maple
    natural body with an EMG pickup. Only has one pickup. Can anyone help
    on the model it is?? I paid around $600 used for it off a friend of
    mine. It is a very solid guitar. It looks, feels and plays great. It's
    the most reliable guitar I've ever had. It also has a Kahler tremelo
    system that hardly ever goes out of tune even though I play with .008
    reinforced strings...

	I bought a Guild D25-12 a few months ago which did not include
    a case. After shopping around local stores, and mail order catalogs,
    I decided to order a case through the Mandolin Bros. in Staten Isle,
    New York. I had my mind set on getting a Tweed hardshell case, and 
    no one else seemed to carry them. 

	Mandolin Bros. carries hardshell cases from two companies... 
    Everest Case company, and Harptone. The Everest cases are good
    quality cases made of 3-ply wood and covered with vinyl. They
    are available in black, brown, and tweed. Harptone has a couple
    of differant lines, including 3-ply as well as 5-ply wooden cases.
    Their tweed cases have real luggage linen covering, as apposed to 
    vinyl. The bottom line is a 5-ply Harptone case with real tweed 
    would have set me back about $250.00. I just couldn't see spending 
    that much money on a guitar case, so I ordered the Everest case. 
    It took about 4 weeks to arrive, and I recieved it yesterday.

	The Everest case I recieved is really nice. It has 5 large 
    brass plated closures (one on the back edge), brown velour lining,
    a large accessory compartmet, and two brass clips that allow you to 
    connect a shoulder strap. This case fits either of my Guild guitars
    like a glove. Including shipping, the total cost was about $140.00

	Now I'm debating if I want to buy a case for the custom P-bass
    I built last summer. If I do, it will be a Fender Tweed hardshell.

	Mark 

    A question for you Guild-ologists....
    
    Exactly which Guild guitar model is that lovely sunburst dreadnaught
    that Tommy Smothers plays?
    
    						--Eric--

    Tommy has always played the top-line models. I believe they are
    D50 or D55. 
    
    Mark

    D-55 it is.
    
    Danny W.

    
    Danny, I have an interesting question you. Since you wrote reply
    .3 (1989) would you say that things have changed at all for Guild
    Guitars? I've noticed that over the last 5 years, the vintage
    market has exploded with such force that instruments that were
    not collectable or in demand, are suddenly becoming much more
    desirable. I'm seeing pictures of Guild Artist Awards and other
    fancy models in vintage guitar magazines, calendars, etc. Prices
    are on the rise. A few select Guild models seem to be in high 
    demand such as Blues Birds, Starfires, and Brian May models.
    
    What's your' take on this?

    Except for an occasional historic piece (early DE-500, A-600, Merle
    Travis, Johnny Smith), Guilds still have little collector's value. AA's
    have become more expensive, but not in relation to same period L-5's or
    S400's. Most of the others you mentioned are priced as player's
    instruments. Guilds are still slow sellers with a limited group of
    potential buyers. The used market would have improved if they had
    folded ;-)
    
    Danny W.

    I read in Acoustic Guitar last night that Fender has purchased
    Guild.  The short-term plan is to continue normal production
    of Guild's current models.  I have no idea what the long-term
    plan might be.  There is certainly some overlap between the
    upper end of Fender's current acoustic line, and the low end
    of Guild's.  
    
    Jim

That's interesting and the first I've heard of it. The last time I
got in touch with Guild to request catalogs, they were owned by US 
Music company, and the sales office was in the mid-west. Manufacturing
has remained in R.I.   With Fender as owner, there is a good chance 
the factory will move out of New England. Sad, but probably inevitable. 

Guild has always had a hard time keeping market share, despite an 
excellant product offering (IMHO, especially in the acoustic space). 
Their pilot basses were very popular for quite a while but seem to 
be losing ground.  With Fender advertising the line, hopefully things
will improve. Guild has never done a very good job of marketing.

Guild should jump on the retro bandwagon and reissue some of their
most popular models from yesteryear, such as the Star-fires.

Mark