I have a 1970 D-40 NT. The "Guild" on the headstock is silk screened. It looks just like pictures of Bluegrass Jubilees that I've seen with the same kind of headstocek.
However, I've also seen pictures of BJs with the inlaid headstock. Is a puzzlement. Can anybody clear this up for me?
Hi Chad. "Bluegrass Jubilee" was the model
name for the D40 when it was introduced in '63. Guild tradition at the time gave model names to the line: F50 Navarre, F40 Valencia, F30 Aragon, and D40 Bluegrass Jubilee and D50 Bluegrass Special, for example.
The ornamentation and build details on the D40 went through some changes between '63 and the mid '70's while it was still known as a Bluegrass Jubilee. The chesterfield came and went and the logo varied from inlaid to silkscreen (early '70's for the screen IIRC) for example.
Guild dropped the use of names on flattops over a couple of years from around '74-'76, and only model numbers were "technically correct" (for D40's at least) until the use of the Bluegrass names was revived in Tacoma in '05 (with exception for the Ritchie Havens signature model in Corona)
The D40 Bluegrass Jubilee (and D50 Bluegrass Special) from Tacoma were distinguished by use of Adirondack Spruce tops, a first for Guild. That practice applied for about 7 years into New Hartford production.
I forget if the Bluegrasses were discontinued in New Hartford, but for sure they were discontinued in Oxnard ('15) as Oxnard didn't use Adi tops, although they revamped the D40 with very good results according to owner reports here.
Anyway, for a while there lots of D40's on the 'net were being advertised as "Bluegrass Jubilees" when technically they weren't either by vintage or more commonly because they lacked adi tops as post -'05 builds. Whether by ignorance or intent, one has to suspect at least some sellers were attempting to capitalize on the "Bluegrass Jubilee" name at the time due to the desirability of the adi tops.
Tacoma and NH Bluegrasses had some very nice headstock inlays, with chesterfields.
Here's a link to a '67 which
was called a Bluegrass Jubilee by Guild in '67 (no chesterfield, but with inlay):
https://reverb.com/p/guild-d-40-bluegrass-jubilee?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAjMKqBhCgARIsAPDgWlwgN7yKOiutU_7hubIEB-goWXbLI-aPJ4HH6vRz8l0vV2xXY9w8We8aAgm6EALw_wcB&hfid=71449690&utm_campaign=18045832274&utm_content=campaignid=18045832274_adgroupid=135319314450_productpartitionid=1719218466460=merchantid=5074097151_productid=71449690_keyword=_device=c_adposition=_matchtype=_creative=616364262477&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google
'70-'71, no chesterfield, silkscreen, (one suspects it might have been tough times at Guild) note the TRC shape:
By '77 chesterfield returned:
Think it pretty much stayed that way until it went on hiatus in Westerly in '92 IIRC.Revived approximately 2000 with a snakehead headstock, very unusual and only lasted about a year including some very early Coronas before Corona revived the "paddle" headstock.
Nothing since about '76 was called a Bluegrass by Guild however, but a Richie Havens Signature edition was released in Corona and survived until partway into New Hartford, IIRC.
New Hartford was spotty in their labeling of "BJ"'s, but sometimes the label can confirm:
That one's here:
https://reverb.com/item/70439530-guild-usa-d-40-bluegrass-jubilee-2009-natural?bk=
Tacoma was spotty about labeling too, but sometimes it's a confirmation:
As far as we've ever seen in several reviews on the subject, Guild never used Adi before Tacoma.
So, hope that helps!
