Considering my first Guild acoustic--D40 needing a neck reset?
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beecee
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I gotta A/B one of those with my undeated champion of my world NH D40!
I've got two of the Oxnard built D 40's. One is a D 40 T, the other a D 40 Traditional Deluxe. Both are superb guitars.
Maybe the only dud I ever played from New Hartford was the D40 Traditional that I owned briefly. I ahve played a D40 Standard from NH that I liked quite a bit better.
Including the one I own, I've played four D40 Traditionals from Oxnard, and all four of them were uniformly great. Mine has incredible silking on the top.
Good luck with that.D40 Ts are back ordered at Sweetwater, wonder if the new standard series are taking most production time? I really want to tour their manufacturing facility, reminds me to see what I can do about that
CMG showed zero interest in carrying on the tradition that FMIC laid with the LMG tours in New Hartford. Maybe that will change under Yamaha. Or not.
Br1ck
Senior Member
Look. Old guitars are not for the rational, but the romantic. Likely old wood will have an impact on tone. whether or not it's a tone to embrace for better or worse is up to you. Likely you will never get a side by side comparison. A guitar needing a reset will sound better after it. A new or recent guitar may sound better to you as is.
West R Lee
Venerated Member
jml,
I just thought I'd mention that if you're after a Guild guitar, love mahogany B/S and are a dreadnaught lover, there are other Guild options as well. I've always loved the Westerly DV6 and then there is the classic D25. Both great guitars.
West
I just thought I'd mention that if you're after a Guild guitar, love mahogany B/S and are a dreadnaught lover, there are other Guild options as well. I've always loved the Westerly DV6 and then there is the classic D25. Both great guitars.
West
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Assuming you mean “romantic”, you need to get that D-40 and save up to get the work done. I have two early ‘70s D-25s and have a 1972 D-35 on the way. Nothing like playing a guitar that’s played a lot of songs before it got to you.
Or… here is a 1979 D-35 that would be a bargain if it doesn’t need much work.
Guild D-35 1974 - 1986 | Reverb
Reverb is a marketplace bringing together a wide-spanning community to buy, sell, and discuss all things music gear.
reverb.com
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Canard
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A friend was given F-50 in about 1975. It had belonged to a friend of his father, and that man and his wife had no children or close relations. So the widow gave him the guitar.
It was a nice looking guitar, but it had a very odd tonal imbalance with overly pronounced bass strings and very quiet treble strings. He took it to a luthier who suggested decreasing the mass of the bridge, increasing the mass of saddle, and taking the saddle down in the bridge closer to the top. The work was done (bridge shaving, minor slot relocation and substantial deepening, new and much heavier saddle), and the guitar became my friend's favourite. It has a truly lovely voice.
The work also left the guitar with a saddle quite a bit proud of the bridge. This has served my friend well as he has had to reduce the saddle height slowly and incrementally over the years and have the intonation tweaked. What remains of the saddle is likely to outlast him. Only the next owner is likely to face a neck reset.
Normally bridge shaving is a kind of sacrilege, I suspect, but sometimes ... it's not all that bad.
It was a nice looking guitar, but it had a very odd tonal imbalance with overly pronounced bass strings and very quiet treble strings. He took it to a luthier who suggested decreasing the mass of the bridge, increasing the mass of saddle, and taking the saddle down in the bridge closer to the top. The work was done (bridge shaving, minor slot relocation and substantial deepening, new and much heavier saddle), and the guitar became my friend's favourite. It has a truly lovely voice.
The work also left the guitar with a saddle quite a bit proud of the bridge. This has served my friend well as he has had to reduce the saddle height slowly and incrementally over the years and have the intonation tweaked. What remains of the saddle is likely to outlast him. Only the next owner is likely to face a neck reset.
Normally bridge shaving is a kind of sacrilege, I suspect, but sometimes ... it's not all that bad.
Muckman
Member
I have more in my Hoboken D40 than I could sell it for right now, that's for sure. But, another valid point is that I would never sell it.
It is, most definitely, a matter of romanticizing vintage builds - to a point. But, it also was a fantastic sounding guitar before I had the neck reset - now it is a lifer, without question. Could I have bought a different acoustic that I would enjoy playing as much for a little bit less? - maybe? But when I came across it, I decided I wanted to own this piece of early Guild history. It is a fantastic guitar to play, has a warm - open "old" sound and it holds some sentimental or romantic value as well. YMMV
It is, most definitely, a matter of romanticizing vintage builds - to a point. But, it also was a fantastic sounding guitar before I had the neck reset - now it is a lifer, without question. Could I have bought a different acoustic that I would enjoy playing as much for a little bit less? - maybe? But when I came across it, I decided I wanted to own this piece of early Guild history. It is a fantastic guitar to play, has a warm - open "old" sound and it holds some sentimental or romantic value as well. YMMV
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There is an assumption (wrongly made) that, for any given acoustic guitar, a bridge's original metrics (size and weight) ARE perfectly appropriate for that guitar. Replace the word "are" with "might be" and the statement would be accurate.
Knowing the role the bridge plays, and how bridges have been made, selected, and applied to countless guitars across decades and decades by countless craftsmen who operate under completely different understandings allows one to re-examine long-held beliefs.
The bridge, a visible exterior brace on an acoustic guitar, is a CRITICAL component in determining the sound output, affecting tone as well as volume. At the very least, a given bridge's metrics must (should) be matched to that instruments soundboard for maximum effectiveness (I am referring to a soundboard's material, stiffness, bracing, etc). If it isn't (or wasn't), there may be opportunity for improvement.
A bridge may be too small, too light, too large, too heavy, or be applied in the wrong location.
Shaving a bridge is often done merely to stave off a neck reset. That may or may not be what is best for the sonic output of the guitar in question but it may be the pragmatic approach to keep the instrument playable. Resetting a neck on an instrument whose bridge has been shaved, assuming the now shaved bridge to be under-sized, may call for a new bridge to be applied, one that is properly sized.
Shaving a bridge, as described by Canard, is a perfectly reasonable technique for the reasons described, and may be exactly what a guitar needs.
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Guilds are a pricer neck reset. You should be able to get a neck reset and full setup done around $400, maybe $500 realistically. But that said once complete, if the luthier does good work, you'll have a D-40 that is up to spec as they come where if you spend around $900-1000 for one that hasn't had the work done, it's not going to be as likely to play as good as one that's been fresh through the shop.
Those Westerly era Guilds were great guitars. I would be all over that.
I can give you some luthiers if you want to drive 5 hours, but I'm sure you'll find some closer in your area.
Those Westerly era Guilds were great guitars. I would be all over that.
I can give you some luthiers if you want to drive 5 hours, but I'm sure you'll find some closer in your area.
Quick update: I went back to the shop to check out the instrument again--truly on the fence--and it turns out the neck is actually separating from the body. To me, a person without much expertise in guitar construction, this suggests a more involved project than a reset? It's otherwise in pretty great shape, frets have a lot of life left and sounds great, but I'm letting it go.
Regarding that Oxnard d-40 standard, it could be great, but I hate the idea of not playing it first and, honestly, the aesthetics of it aren't a fit for me.
Again, I appreciate yall's thoughts!
Regarding that Oxnard d-40 standard, it could be great, but I hate the idea of not playing it first and, honestly, the aesthetics of it aren't a fit for me.
Again, I appreciate yall's thoughts!
I would need to see it myself to be of any assistance. If the glue is coming loose, then that will simply be an easier reset to complete.
There are others around. Don't be afraid to wait, I see them pop up even in my lesser populated area on Facebook marketplace all the time around $850-1000. Also don't be afraid of the D-35 with less bling or even a D25.
probably best not to take on a project, jml. Good luck with the hunt.
Dropping in to update yall on the ending of this story (for now, at least). I ended up finding a very recent D-40 Oxnard standard, in mint condition, on Reverb for roughly $1100 with shipping and tax. This appears to not be one of the *new* D-40s--the finish is undeniably satin, not gloss, per the new specs, and the mahogany tint is a deeper burgundy than the new ones appear to be. The serial number indicates it was made in Feb. 2023.
Anyway, after about an hour or so of playing, the thing feels and sounds great--crisp, loud, with a bit of new-guitar "tightness". I'm hoping it opens up a bit over time. Anyone else have experience with these pre 2023 standards?
Pics below:
Anyway, after about an hour or so of playing, the thing feels and sounds great--crisp, loud, with a bit of new-guitar "tightness". I'm hoping it opens up a bit over time. Anyone else have experience with these pre 2023 standards?
Pics below:
@jml12561 I'm going to play devil's advocate for a moment. I don't know what your financial means or are your level of experience with guitars, but why go this route rather than wait for a perfect guitar? As your first Guild, I think you'll get disenchanted getting something and then needing a large amount of work done.
No offense, I'm just talking to you the way I would talk to any other prospective (new) Guilder.
edit: Never mind, jml, I just saw your (happy) updated post right above. You made a good decision staying away from problems. Down the road, you might want to consider taking on those problems, but not now.
No offense, I'm just talking to you the way I would talk to any other prospective (new) Guilder.
edit: Never mind, jml, I just saw your (happy) updated post right above. You made a good decision staying away from problems. Down the road, you might want to consider taking on those problems, but not now.
If you decide to go the vintage route, in the future, Dave's Guitar seem to be offering nice used Guilds at reasonable prices, from time to time. Their used acoustic page is updated frequently.