adorshki said:
Ridgemont said:
adorshki said:
Doesn't give a chihuahua? :?
you betcha!
As far as the average consumer, you're right.
Honestly, I've never tried to make any of these debates about which Guild era, factory, etc. was "best". That's something that's extremely difficult to quantify, and almost anyone with an interest of any sort would have their own biases. Including ME!
But, I will say that the Westerly era was and remains the most suitable and "best for me personally".
Why?
Well, here's my own 2 pennies...
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NYC / Hoboken: Don't know enough or have firsthand experience playing these to comment (some old-time Guild enthusiasts swear the company was never better).
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Westerly: Have owned over a dozen, played dozens more & they're extremely well built, consistent & very economically priced (still the case today with the used ones).
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Corona: Very short-lived stay there, Westerly craftsmanship was clearly gone & there was inconsistent quality (I've played quite a few dogs & a handful of real nice ones).
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Tacoma: Another very short lived stint. This had some real potential, but it fell apart fast. The D40's I played were outstanding instruments. However, the prices started climbing pretty high by this point.
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China/Mexico: I'm not gonna go there, but I understand the need to service the entry level market.
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CT: No experience at all, but the price tags already have me running for the exits. Why? Because I cannot ask for a better dread than my '98 DV6. I can't ask for a cooler 12 string than my '72 F112. And, I could buy an AMAZING Westerly era D25 for under 800 bucks. So... why would I want to pay north of $2K? I wouldn't. Maybe I'm just not a good enough player to appreciate the difference, but I've played a bunch of higher end guitars & I know I'm well beyond satisfied with the quality & value I see in Westerly era Guilds. The used ones are still ridiculous bargains. Just pick up a DV52, D25, D30, D40, D55, D15, D17, F30, F50, GF30, J30-12 or any of the other ones sometime. Pound for pound and dollar for dollar... these are still some of the finest acoustic guitars you can buy today.
Besides, what the hell's ever going to happen with Guild electrics?