guildman63
Senior Member
I don't recall seeing anything mentioned in the Guild Guitar Book, but I could have missed it. I love the feel of the Byrdland and was wondering if Guild ever made a guitar to that scale.
Any Guild archtops with a 23 1/2 scale neck?
- Thread starter guildman63
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Steve Hoffman
Member
I don't believe so. That's pretty short..
I've played a Byrdland and liked that short scale too, but the only same scale length alternative to the Gibson Byrdland that I know about is the Asian-made Epiphone Elitist version, also fairly pricey but generally half the price of the Gibby version.
This one sold in a few days for over 2K:
http://www.archtop.com/ac_08byrd_el.html
This one sold in a few days for over 2K:
http://www.archtop.com/ac_08byrd_el.html
I believe the short scale version of the M-65 Freshman has a scale somewhere in the neighborhood of 23 1/2".
Wait... its even shorter.....a tad under 23".....
Well......it is a Guild archtop, yes?
But I'm pretty sure its not what you had in mind!
z
Wait... its even shorter.....a tad under 23".....
Well......it is a Guild archtop, yes?
But I'm pretty sure its not what you had in mind!
z
hansmoust
Enlightened Member
guildman63 said:
Hello guildman63,
Apart from the 3/4 sized M-65 that Zizala already mentioned, the only 'serious' guitar that Guild made as a production model was the George Barnes Guitar in F. Just like the M-65-3/4 it had a scale length of 22-3/4" but unlike the M-65-3/4 it was intended to be tuned to A/D/G/C/E/A, which would be the same as placing a capo on the 5th fret. I guess with the right strings you could have tuned it to regular tuning, which would have been somewhat like the Gibson Byrdland, but then again ..... not exactly like that.
Sincerely,
Hans Moust
http://www.guitarsgalore.nl
guildman63
Senior Member
Thanks for all of the info everyone! As for the Epiphone Elitist Byrdland, the reviews seem very positive with one exception...the necks are thought to be a little unreliable. When they first came out I bought an Epiphone Elitist Country Deluxe...
I liked the guitar very much, but the neck wound up being a problem so I returned it. I would love to try the Elitist Byrdland, but I'm a little hesitant after reading reviews that support my experience.
I liked the guitar very much, but the neck wound up being a problem so I returned it. I would love to try the Elitist Byrdland, but I'm a little hesitant after reading reviews that support my experience.
Like Hans said a George Barnes Guitar in F as far as the short scale length in old Guild jazz boxes. There was a Guitar in F available on ebay for quite some time not long ago, however the tuners were not original from what I recall...........not sure what that guitar ended up selling for but probably around $4000 is my guess. jim in Maine
guildman63
Senior Member
AlohaJoe said:
At around the 12th fret the neck began to noticeably veer away from the strings making the action above the 12th fret quite high. It was not a solid neck for the length of the fretboard, but rather the neck was two pieces longitudinally, being glued at the 14th fret (if my memory is correct). Also, the portion of the fretboard beyond the 14th fret did not extend to the body, but gave the appearance of being suspended (I could slide my pinky between the neck and body), which does not seem to be an ideal design to me. Other than that it was a great looking and playing guitar for the money (listed at $2000, paid $1400 new). Had the neck not been a problem I would likely still have that guitar and would be playing it frequently.