GGJaguar
Reverential Member
Guitars with 3 pickups aren’t my favorite (I do have a few), but this super clean, pre-owed Newark Street X-350 Stratford could not be passed up for the price on a Labor Day sale. In fact, I don’t think the former owner played it more than couple of times. I’m guessing they were not happy with the unconventional control layout.
I was a little hesitant about this model because I did not like the Franz pickups on the NS M-75 Aristocrat that I had (too hot, could not lower them), but my fears were not realized. Since GAD did a tremendous review of this model, I will refer you to that for all the details. So here, I will just highlight a few things.
The model was introduced in 2020 though you will find some with 2019 serial numbers.
Fit and finish is typical of the Korean-made Guilds, but there was a lot of residue on the inside back of the guitar and on the braces. It looks like polishing compound. None of my other Newark Street guitars are that messy.
The Guildsby, with its razor sharp edges in the hinge area, is dangerous. Otherwise, it’s well-made and feels like every other NS-series archtop guitar I’ve played. So, there’s consistency for you. No surprises. Oh, the strap button on the shoulder has a little wood block to give the mounting screwing extra purchase. This was a problem for some Gretsch guitars made in the 1990s that didn’t have the block and the button would sometimes pull out of the body.
The parallel braces are not cut through in the same way as the other Korean Guilds that I have. The Franz pickups only require a small rectangular cutout in the top and there is a corresponding “tunnel” in the brace. With this type of construction, the brace retains most of its strength unlike on the X-175 Special, Starfire III and the discontinued CE-100D where the brace is cut halfway through.
I was a little hesitant about this model because I did not like the Franz pickups on the NS M-75 Aristocrat that I had (too hot, could not lower them), but my fears were not realized. Since GAD did a tremendous review of this model, I will refer you to that for all the details. So here, I will just highlight a few things.
The model was introduced in 2020 though you will find some with 2019 serial numbers.
Fit and finish is typical of the Korean-made Guilds, but there was a lot of residue on the inside back of the guitar and on the braces. It looks like polishing compound. None of my other Newark Street guitars are that messy.
The Guildsby, with its razor sharp edges in the hinge area, is dangerous. Otherwise, it’s well-made and feels like every other NS-series archtop guitar I’ve played. So, there’s consistency for you. No surprises. Oh, the strap button on the shoulder has a little wood block to give the mounting screwing extra purchase. This was a problem for some Gretsch guitars made in the 1990s that didn’t have the block and the button would sometimes pull out of the body.
The parallel braces are not cut through in the same way as the other Korean Guilds that I have. The Franz pickups only require a small rectangular cutout in the top and there is a corresponding “tunnel” in the brace. With this type of construction, the brace retains most of its strength unlike on the X-175 Special, Starfire III and the discontinued CE-100D where the brace is cut halfway through.