Elusive Bluesbird
- Thread starter Guyhunt@berlin.com
- Start date
hansmoust
Enlightened Member
sgmypod said:
Hello sgmypod,
Late model from Westerly or late model from Corona?
If you don't know, give me the serial number and I will tell you where it was made and when.
Sincerely,
Hans Moust
http://www.guitarsgalore.nl
The Blond Maples show off the grain pattern soo nicely!
Edit: Sorry about the add for Roland!!
hansmoust
Enlightened Member
sgmypod said:
Hello sgmypod,
OK, serial # CL000865 was made in Westerly, RI in 1997.
Sincerely,
Hans Moust
www.guitarsgalore.nl
There is a build quality difference from the different plants, I have a question to anyone else who has some Bluesbirds, I recntly aquired a Goldtop Bluesbird and for some reason the sound is dead on Les Paul, is this really unusual.
cmsjr
Junior Member
Bing k said:
I have your BB's twin!
matsickma
Senior Member
Hi swamp2,
Can you comment on the differences?
M
Can you comment on the differences?
M
hitchcockblonde
Junior Member
I've got a '97 Westerly Bluesbird and an '02 Corona holoflake 'bird (one of 30 built for NAMM '02). The 'flake has a huge neck with dots, basically a Blues 90 neck. So I can't compare apples to apples exactly, but the build quality on both is impeccable. I would not avoid a Corona guitar based on my experience. And it sounds a lot richer and bigger than the Westerly. They both have '59s but SOMETHING about the Corona guitar is very different to give it so much more bottom-end and midrange. Others have commented on the difference, too.
coastie99
Enlightened Member
hitchcockblonde said:
H-blonde, good to hear from you !!
Where've ya been ??
matsickma said:
Blues 90 necks are REALLY fat. It feels a lot like my D25 neck. The AAA BB neck, while not thin, is much less rotund. So that's part of it. The SD P-90's sound a lot different than the SD humbuckers (can't recall what they are) in the AAA.
So, they sound and feel different. The AAA has block inlays, neck binding - so that's different too but I can't attribute sound/feel differences to that.
But as for build & finish quality, they're both very nice - no difference. I don't think there should be any worries about buying a Corona Guild, based on my experience.
Count Scrofula is right, the bluesbird went thru many incarnations in its day.
As far as later period westerly bluesbirds vrs. blues 90, we used the same body and same neck specs ( blues 90 had dots and no binding), the other difference being what style of pickups the body was routed for.
If there appears to be a difference in neck thickness it would have to do with how much sanding Maria did that day. Also, the bluesbirds will tend to have a flatter fingerboard radius because of the additional sanding needed to level the block inlays.
As far as i know, corona bluesbirds were built out of leftover westerly stock.
As far as later period westerly bluesbirds vrs. blues 90, we used the same body and same neck specs ( blues 90 had dots and no binding), the other difference being what style of pickups the body was routed for.
If there appears to be a difference in neck thickness it would have to do with how much sanding Maria did that day. Also, the bluesbirds will tend to have a flatter fingerboard radius because of the additional sanding needed to level the block inlays.
As far as i know, corona bluesbirds were built out of leftover westerly stock.
matsickma
Senior Member
Hey workedinwesterly,
First tme I've seen a post from you. What years were you at Westerly? Do you know hideglue?
Your comment about the Bluesbird neck and Blues90 neck is interesting. Having owned two Blues90s and a Bluesbird I was sure the necks were different thickness. I tells me that subtle changes in thickness and contour can feel very different.
Of a similar note what is the relationship of the Nightbird neck to the Bluesbirds/90? I owned an amber spruce top Nightbird at one time and found the guitar to be a bit heavy and the neck a bit chunky.
One final thing...check out the "Nightengale P90" in the following thread. Would you have any memory of this guitar. It was finished off without a Guild SN. When I bought it I was told that it was made by a someone at Westerly. The finish is similar in quality to my other Guilds so I assumed it was painted at Westerly.
http://www.letstalkguild.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=38
Thanks,
M
First tme I've seen a post from you. What years were you at Westerly? Do you know hideglue?
Your comment about the Bluesbird neck and Blues90 neck is interesting. Having owned two Blues90s and a Bluesbird I was sure the necks were different thickness. I tells me that subtle changes in thickness and contour can feel very different.
Of a similar note what is the relationship of the Nightbird neck to the Bluesbirds/90? I owned an amber spruce top Nightbird at one time and found the guitar to be a bit heavy and the neck a bit chunky.
One final thing...check out the "Nightengale P90" in the following thread. Would you have any memory of this guitar. It was finished off without a Guild SN. When I bought it I was told that it was made by a someone at Westerly. The finish is similar in quality to my other Guilds so I assumed it was painted at Westerly.
http://www.letstalkguild.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=38
Thanks,
M
hi matsickma,
many years spent in westerly, starting in 79...off and on till the shut down in 01.
might know hideglue, not sure who he/she is.
I don't know anything about that nightingale p90....alot of stuff went out the backdoor over the years.
many years spent in westerly, starting in 79...off and on till the shut down in 01.
might know hideglue, not sure who he/she is.
I don't know anything about that nightingale p90....alot of stuff went out the backdoor over the years.
hideglue
Senior Member
workedinwesterly said:
.
Those Holoflakes (and the Silver Metalflakes) are my personal favorites! I got to check out Steve Marker's in-hand at a Garbage show several years ago, and then played all 4-5 in the Fender room at the Winter NAMM Show. I'll track one down one of these days!
