SJS
Member
Amazing how amazing Guild guitars are. Hope I'm not doing anything illegal by posting this.
Guild Uniqueness
- Thread starter SJS
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If it's illegal, don't tell @Prince of Darkness!
letstalkguild.com
walrus
Simon & Garfunkel - Granada TV (U.K.), 1967 TV Special.
Two Singers, one of which also plays guitar and Guild 6 & 12 string guitars. What more could you need? :cool:
letstalkguild.com
walrus
Paul is (or at least was) a big fan of Guilds. He played them during the early-mid part of his career.
And for really good reason:
As the OP has identified, Guild acoustics created a sound unto themselves. Granted, those Hoboken and Westerly Guild guitars quickly gained a reputation for being "overbuilt", as in, these guitars tended to be a little heavier than many of their competitive offerings, namely: Martin. But they had/have a distinct sound.
Paul certainly demonstrated good taste in his guitars. 
Chris, I don't think the Hoboken guitars are overbuilt at all, but that reputation pretty much starts (deservedly) for Guild sometime in the mid-70s. Are you thinking of any particular models from Hoboken that might be "overbuilt?"
Chris, I don't think the Hoboken guitars are overbuilt at all, but that reputation pretty much starts (deservedly) for Guild sometime in the mid-70s. Are you thinking of any particular models from Hoboken that might be "overbuilt?"
No, I'm just echoing the general perception/reputation of the brand from the early years. I have never owned or repaired any Hoboken models (anyone wishing to change my status, please apply here), so I cannot speak beyond generalities (and I love to be corrected). To my knowledge (which only goes back to late 60s (Westerly) Guild acoustics, Guild did build guitars that weighed more than corresponding Martins or Gibsons. The "overbuilt" moniker refers to the usage of wider and taller braces, thicker front, back and side plates, exotic woods (like Padauk), beefy truss rods, etc. Granted, it contributed to the unique sound of the brand (yes, especially those late 60s models that we know from the folk era recordings), but it also contributed to the reputation among players who had become familiar with "lighter" builds from other makers.
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As chazmo suggests, the "overbuilding" of Guilds didn't start until around 1973 or so. I have four Hoboken Guilds (an F20, an M20, an F30, and a D40), and they are all light as a feather, and highly resonant. This is the era in which Paul Simon acquired his Guilds (which he continued to use at least until the mid-'70s--he can be seen playing one of his two Hoboken-built F30 Specials during his SNL performance with George Harrison).
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Just to clarify: Guild transitioned slowly from Hoboken to Westerly in the late '60s, with both fa stories operating for a time. The early Westerlys were as lightly built, or nearly so, as the Hoboken Guilds. It wasn't until 1973 that the Westerly Guilds became more heavily built (and this was a conscious choice). Paul Simon's two F30 Specials were both made in Hoboken and, if they were at all typical of Guilds at the time (they were special orders), they would have been quite light.
"Lightly built Westerlys" have never been my experience, though I have owned, played and rebuilt many. More importantly, I have no personal experience with the Hoboken Guilds, so I am intrigued to hear yours are "light as a feather."
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WaltW
Member
I remember John Denver playing Guilds for a while in the 1970s and I just spent 30 minutes or so on a website "John Denver Guitars". I don't do well posting links otherwise i would There are a few pics of his F-612 that was custom made for him. I remember seeing him play that in one of his television specials....Abalone everywhere.
I did not know that Guild purposely built their instruments heavy after moving to Westerly. I've only played 70s and 80s versions but I do remember that my 1978 D-312SB was noticeably heavier than my friend's 1968 Martin D1235 12 fret. When we used to play together I was told numerous times, by other friends listening, to "throttle it back" because my volume was overwhelming my friend. Back in those days we use to play a lot of Kingston Trio and some Pete Seeger stuff.
I did not know that Guild purposely built their instruments heavy after moving to Westerly. I've only played 70s and 80s versions but I do remember that my 1978 D-312SB was noticeably heavier than my friend's 1968 Martin D1235 12 fret. When we used to play together I was told numerous times, by other friends listening, to "throttle it back" because my volume was overwhelming my friend. Back in those days we use to play a lot of Kingston Trio and some Pete Seeger stuff.
adorshki
Reverential Member
Long ago in a discussion about warranty, possibility was offered that the explosion in sales resulting from the early '70's flattop boom created unacceptable volume of warranty claims. To be fair a significant percentage of those claims were likely due to owner ignorance of proper care of instruments, but the solution appeared to be to make 'em more robust.
As you noted, sound quality didn't apear to suffer much. I suspect it was due to Guild's special attention to tops and bracing, adjusting them to suit the build style.
Simon's first F30R was actually an "experiment" that Mark Dronge (son of Guild founder Al) presented to him one day just to try out, and Simon instantly fell in love. IIRC Paul thought it was just the sound a little thing he was working on called "Mrs. Robinson" needed.
Also, when Gruhn came in and brought Kim Walker along, the builds started lightening up again from about the mid-late '80's on through end of Westerly.
WaltW
Member
adorshki, I noticed the difference when I latched onto a 1986 Gruhn Guild D66NT in 2003. What a great sounding 6 string. Certainly beats the Martin D41 for volume and separation. I still have both along with a Gibson Nick Lucas 1991 custom shop reissue that needs a soundboard repair. I just started playing again after a 14 year hiatus.
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Not all of the post-Gruhn Westerly Guilds show a shift toward lighter builds. My 1990 D25 is much heavier than my other Guilds. A fraction of the weight is due to the pickup and battery, of course, but I have others with pickup and battery that are lighter.
The D25 still sounds great, but it's definitely heavy.
The D25 still sounds great, but it's definitely heavy.
adorshki
Reverential Member
Yeah, think Gruhn started with the F-bodies (the "GF" series following on the F44/F46) then gradually got to the dreadnaughts. Also there was the F50/JF65/JF30/JF55/F50r "re-vamp" going on at the same time.
In an interview Kim Walker mentioned continuing to implement his plans after he was gone, in early 90's. Suspect that's where the Crossroads/Prestige/Thinline series came from.
My own '96 D25 was the lightest guitar I ever owned when I got it (barring 3 classicals), still is.