Need some help with a 1970 D-35 info

[Rad]

I picked up a 1970, I’m pretty sure, from a well respected local shop that got the guitar from the original owner. The original Mastercard receipt was in the case. The shop had done a neck reset and re-glued the bridge. It is in pretty good shape for a 53 yr old guitar.

I have owned many guitars over the years with my first good guitar being an Ovation Balladeer I bought in 74’ and I still own. I had a nice newer Guild D40e A couple years ago.

My questions: I can’t track down any on line reference to the guitars serial number. I can get close with numbers for the d35 OJ 1104-1592 in 69’ but nothing that reaches the 2270 number or 1970.

I’m also unsure of the production location, I assume it is Westerly?.

Any help or suggestions were to look would be appreciated. I’m in the process of looking for a copy of “The Guild Guitar Book”

Thanks

 

[fronobulax]

1970 would be Westerly.

I would date OJ-2270 to 1970 because it is after the last OJ listed for 1969 and the serial number switch did not happen on the first day of 1970. So it was partially completed or in the pipeline before the serial switch.

 

[GardMan]

I think Frono is probably correct on the date... you could message Hans Moust for the definitive answer. Also, if you use a mirror to look at the braces flanking the soundhole inside the top, you may find a date stamped on one of them. This would be the date the top was completed... the actual date of completion, usually reflected in the SN, might be a few weeks to several months AFTER the top was completed.

Looks like a great old D-35... My first Guild was a '72 D-35 I bought in Jan '73. Still have it!

Enjoy!

 

[chazmo]

I picked up a 1970, I’m pretty sure, from a well respected local shop that got the guitar from the original owner. The original Mastercard receipt was in the case. The shop had done a neck reset and re-glued the bridge. It is in pretty good shape for a 53 yr old guitar.

I have owned many guitars over the years with my first good guitar being an Ovation Balladeer I bought in 74’ and I still own. I had a nice newer Guild D40e A couple years ago.

My questions: I can’t track down any on line reference to the guitars serial number. I can get close with numbers for the d35 OJ 1104-1592 in 69’ but nothing that reaches the 2270 number or 1970.

I’m also unsure of the production location, I assume it is Westerly?.

Any help or suggestions were to look would be appreciated. I’m in the process of looking for a copy of “The Guild Guitar Book”

Thanks

Looks great! Should be a real honey.

 

[Rad]

Thanks for the fast responses and excellent info.

I have my almost 45 year old Ovation, a Martin D-18 and 0-18 and this thing holds its own with those Martins. The Ovation is not in the running, the bright tone does not work for me anymore. The Ovations role is wall art in my living room.



A couple pics from the shop

G

 

[hansmoust]

I picked up a 1970, I’m pretty sure, from a well respected local shop that got the guitar from the original owner. The original Mastercard receipt was in the case. The shop had done a neck reset and re-glued the bridge.

My questions: I can’t track down any on line reference to the guitars serial number.

I’m also unsure of the production location, I assume it is Westerly?

Hello Rad,

That particular Guild D-35 was completed during the year 1970 in Westerly, RI.
From what I can see in the photos I would say that the guitar originally had a sunburst finish. For reasons unknown to me the guitar did get a new bridge and a new pickguard at a later date and during that process the top was refinished natural. It is possible that the rest of the guitar was refinished as well, but I can't tell you without actually holding the guitar in my hands.
Since the repairs were done at a later date, the parts that were used, the bridge and the pickguard, are not period correct.
However it looks like a professional job and it very well could have been done at the Guild factory.

Looks like a really nice guitar and I hope you will enjoy it for a long time.

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
www.guitarsgalore.nl

 

[Rad]

Hello Rad,

That particular Guild D-35 was completed during the year 1970 in Westerly, RI.
From what I can see in the photos I would say that the guitar originally had a sunburst finish. For reasons unknown to me the guitar did get a new bridge and a new pickguard at a later date and during that process the top was refinished natural. It is possible that the rest of the guitar was refinished as well, but I can't tell you without actually holding the guitar in my hands.
Since the repairs were done at a later date, the parts that were used, the bridge and the pickguard, are not period correct.
However it looks like a professional job and it very well could have been done at the Guild factory.

Looks like a really nice guitar and I hope you will enjoy it for a long time.

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
www.guitarsgalore.nl

Thanks for the info.

I’m curious, what were the clues that led you to the guitar having an original sunburst finish that was refinished?

I have been a Gretsch guy for a number of years and I know that Gretsch was known to assemble guitars at the end of a model year with the occasional different part from the parts bins. Any chance this could have happened with this guitar?

Thanks again

 

[fronobulax]

Thanks for the info.

I’m curious, what were the clues that led you to the guitar having an original sunburst finish that was refinished?

Thanks again

I could argue that the label said "D 35 SB" originally and the SB has crossed out but Hans will have a lot more reasons and may even say that the cross out is a "red herring".

 

[chazmo]

Two questions for you Rad... Mostly aimed at giving you Guild GAS... . (I think that's my job sometimes. )

How would you compare your D-35 with your old D-40? I'm assuming they'd be pretty similar, but curious why you got rid of it. In any case, I'll bet this 1970 D-35 is great. Those very early Westerly years were responsible for some really cool, lightly-built guitars. Love to hear about them.

And, since you clearly love spruce-topped mahogany dreads, have you tried any of Guild's rosewood or arched-back dreads? You might enjoy the sonic comparison!

 

[Westerly Wood]

Thanks for the fast responses and excellent info.

I have my almost 45 year old Ovation, a Martin D-18 and 0-18 and this thing holds its own with those Martins. The Ovation is not in the running, the bright tone does not work for me anymore. The Ovations role is wall art in my living room.



A couple pics from the shop

G

How does it compare to the D-18?

 

[Rad]

Two questions for you Rad... Mostly aimed at giving you Guild GAS... . (I think that's my job sometimes. )

How would you compare your D-35 with your old D-40? I'm assuming they'd be pretty similar, but curious why you got rid of it. In any case, I'll bet this 1970 D-35 is great. Those very early Westerly years were responsible for some really cool, lightly-built guitars. Love to hear about them.

And, since you clearly love spruce-topped mahogany dreads, have you tried any of Guild's rosewood or arched-back dreads? You might enjoy the sonic comparison!

I was disappointed in the Oxnard built D40E. The tone was beautiful but is was built during the Pandemic and showed some serious build flaws. There were numerous finish flaws, including a very poorly finished connection between the fingerboard and top. Something was also strange about the truss rod adjustment nut. It was located so close, shallow under the face of the headstock that the truss rod cover screw near the nut had to be shortened, cut in half so it would not hit the truss rod nut. I picked it up second hand and I suspect it may have been B stock.

I have always been a Mahogany fan, never tried a Rosewood Guild. I should try one.

This D35 is wonderful to play and I really enjoy the tone.

 

[Rad]

How does it compare to the D-18?

Very different. I’m terrible at describing tone. The D18 was a fuller low end, very rich.

One day impressions of the D35, less low end, more balanced from bass to treble and crisper in the individual string definition. My D18 and the D35 have the same strings, EJ16’s. Important note: this assessment may change soon enough, I just put the strings on the Guild.

 

[Rad]

Hello Rad,

That particular Guild D-35 was completed during the year 1970 in Westerly, RI.
From what I can see in the photos I would say that the guitar originally had a sunburst finish. For reasons unknown to me the guitar did get a new bridge and a new pickguard at a later date and during that process the top was refinished natural. It is possible that the rest of the guitar was refinished as well, but I can't tell you without actually holding the guitar in my hands.
Since the repairs were done at a later date, the parts that were used, the bridge and the pickguard, are not period correct.
However it looks like a professional job and it very well could have been done at the Guild factory.

Looks like a really nice guitar and I hope you will enjoy it for a long time.

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
www.guitarsgalore.nl

You guys are good, you and @fronobulax nailed it. I took a magnifying glass and looked at the label in the sound hole, sure enough, SB is under the cross out.

The refinish does not bother me, I did not buy it thinking resale, I knew it had been repaired, neck reset, bridge re-glued and I noticed two repaired top cracks probably done long before Sylvan acquired the guitar. I wonder if the refinish was done when the top cracks were repaired.

The crowd here reminds me of the Gretsch forum I spend to much time on. Like here it has a number of very knowledgeable folks including members that have published well respected books regarding Gretsch guitars.

Sylvan is just down the hill from me, I may stop in and ask if they might contact the original owner they acquired the guitar from and find out about the refinish. That is if he is still with us…..

Thanks again.

 

[Br1ck]

An awful lot of guitars from this era are showing up due to death. Someone walks into the shop to sell it, are given the bad news of the condition, and shops like Sylvan buy them cheap enough to make money after repairs. To point out the sign of the times, fifteen years ago I bought mine from Gryphon who did not want to bother fixing it. They sold it to me for $250. I put $1100 into it. Today it seems like a bargain. Does your label say Hoboken? Mine does. In my view, this is a very good era. A few years later they got heavier.

You have described the tone well. I have found that I like the guitar more as time goes on, perhaps because I play cleaner and the guitar has great definition. It is a tone that is not fully appreciated next to Martins in a store. The Martin tone is an instant seduction, the Guild is a long courtship.

The vintage room at Sylvan has a lot of not great sounding old guitars right now, and they are lingering. The two 50s LG 2s in particular were IMHO overpriced. Not nearly as good as the late forties Gibsons I've played. That room has no bargains, but the good examples are worth the top dollar prices. It is an education in variances back in the day. About the sixth Brazilian D 28 I played set off fireworks, the first five, not so much.

One of the very good things about Guilds is that they have not become collectable to the point where condition and originality matter all that much, so you can just enjoy them. Those tuners work fine.

 

[Rad]

An awful lot of guitars from this era are showing up due to death. Someone walks into the shop to sell it, are given the bad news of the condition, and shops like Sylvan buy them cheap enough to make money after repairs. To point out the sign of the times, fifteen years ago I bought mine from Gryphon who did not want to bother fixing it. They sold it to me for $250. I put $1100 into it. Today it seems like a bargain. Does your label say Hoboken? Mine does. In my view, this is a very good era. A few years later they got heavier.

You have described the tone well. I have found that I like the guitar more as time goes on, perhaps because I play cleaner and the guitar has great definition. It is a tone that is not fully appreciated next to Martins in a store. The Martin tone is an instant seduction, the Guild is a long courtship.

The vintage room at Sylvan has a lot of not great sounding old guitars right now, and they are lingering. The two 50s LG 2s in particular were IMHO overpriced. Not nearly as good as the late forties Gibsons I've played. That room has no bargains, but the good examples are worth the top dollar prices. It is an education in variances back in the day. About the sixth Brazilian D 28 I played set off fireworks, the first five, not so much.

One of the very good things about Guilds is that they have not become collectable to the point where condition and originality matter all that much, so you can just enjoy them. Those tuners work fine.

I like your comments, you have a lot more experience with vintage acoustics that I do.

As for tone…..I can’t ever really trust my hearing when it comes to tone due to having pretty serious hearing loss and wearing hearing aids. I struggled for years with my first set of behind then hear aids and finally got some fully molded in the ear ones that have a music setting and eq adjustments. What a wonderful change when set on the live music program, my guitars sound wonderful. The rub, I really don’t know what others hear.

I have gone to Sylvan for over 40 years. Having said that, I go to Gryphon for any serious repair work like neck resets. I do my own work regarding set ups, nuts and saddles and tuner upgrades, like l suspect most on this forum do. Gryphon did a neck reset and refret on a 20+ yr old Martin 000-28 Eric Clapton I had for a short time. It took 2 1/2 months but the finish work was absolutely stunning.

Mine was made in Westerly, it appears to be very light.

 

[Dumpster Chicken]

Nice D35 HNGD

 

[Br1ck]

I want to clarify, my label says Hoboken, the guitar is a Westerly build. As to tone, you only need to please yourself. Now I really want to get the 70 D 35s together, because I'm in need of bionic hearing too. Gryphon to me is like a good contractor. Would you really want a contractor that could start you kitchen remodel tomorrow? CB Perkins in San Jose does good work too. Another shop that has lots of work, for the same reasons. They reset my D 35s neck.

 

[hansmoust]

I’m curious, what were the clues that led you to the guitar having an original sunburst finish that was refinished?

I have been a Gretsch guy for a number of years and I know that Gretsch was known to assemble guitars at the end of a model year with the occasional different part from the parts bins. Any chance this could have happened with this guitar?

Hello again Rad,

The not 'period correct' bridge and pickguard made me look closer at your guitar and after that things started to unfold.

'Model years' are a Gretsch thing; they didn't work like that at Guild.

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
www.guitarsgalore.nl

 

[Rad]

Hello again Rad,

The not 'period correct' bridge and pickguard made me look closer at your guitar and after that things started to unfold.

'Model years' are a Gretsch thing; they didn't work like that at Guild.

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
www.guitarsgalore.nl

Thanks for the update.

“Model year’s are a Gretsch thing” I love it. I like the fact that Guild has model nomenclature, try and figure Gretsch model nomenclature……

 

[adorshki]

Thanks for the update.

“Model year’s are a Gretsch thing” I love it. I like the fact that Guild has model nomenclature, try and figure Gretsch model nomenclature……

Ahahhhahahahahhah!!!!!!!!!
Give it a couple of years.