Re: looking for F512
Dadaist,
I will let you know how my new F512 sounds like. It should be here next week. Me too, I have 78's F50R and D55. You know I am an engineer for 25 years and you have to give credit to the guitar builders try to improve the guitar quality and performance. I visited my friend local guitar shop 3 weeks ago and he builds excellent accoustic guitars. He has been doing this for 11 years and he said "look Son Le!" I have a very skill hand but I can not duplicate exact every neck, every piece of wood from guitar to guitar. That is why the sound are so different and it takes me a long time to adjust to make it sound good.
With latest technology on machines. He be able to cut and duplicate exact to +-.005" and the guitar come together so well and fit together exactly and consistently; therefore, the sound turns out perfectly every time. He said this will help big factory tremendously. Having machine made parts doesn't mean the guitar have less value. He said, it is opposite. He said you can feel assure that your new guitar will sound as good as the one you try in the guitar store. Because of this reason. Yet, the guitar still need a skill hand from luthier to put them together.
He agreed that the sound might not be the same as the older Guild, but that is the decision Guild made. They can make adjustment to the entire design so it sound like the old guild, but this is the sound they wanted and they can reproduce exact every time. I like their new sound as well as my old guild and can't wait for mine to come.