I've got a Tacoma-built F47R. I've hung on to it because the tone is fantastic, to my ears. I've been through a number of high end guitars over the years, including a Collings SJ, Santa Cruz OM and Froggy Bottom F14... those three have come and gone, although I bought all three of them on the used market. The Guild has a great low end, some nice fat low mids and pretty biting trebles.
The issues I had with the Guild were many. A short time after buying it, the neck needed a reset. The company was in the process of moving to CT at the time, and the guitar came back (the first time) with no work done. It turns out that the neck was "within spec." This was a hard one to take, since it was pretty far off, and almost a new guitar. I took it back to the shop where I bought it, and we sent it back again. It took over 9 months, but the neck was reset.
Then the finish cracked. No big deal, as I'm of the opinion that the Guild finish has always been a little thick, and these things are only cosmetic.
What really challenged me was the intonation issues I had with the guitar. It was significantly off, and hard to deal with when playing up the neck. I use alternate tunings, and this instrument just couldn't handle the changes. I thought about contacting the company again (and should have), but after the long waits I'd experienced, decided to take it to a local shop, DiBurro Guitars in Exeter, NH. Pat filled and recut the saddle slot, a little further back. Intonation is great now, but I've spent a good deal of time and money on this guitar. Still has that fantastic tone, which is why I've kept it.
I've played a few of the CT-made F47s, in both maple and rosewood, and the build quality seems better. Maybe mine was a transition piece, or something, but it's been a long road. I've always heard good things about the Tacoma built instruments. Anyone out there have any similar stories? Any F47 owners care to chime in?
Cheers, Mike
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