New Guy Question

[Budget Racing]

Oh great guru's of the lovely Guild guitars... I have a question. First the story: In 1968 my mom wanted to do something special for my dad so she sold her horse (rural livin' is great!) and bought him a Guild D-40E. When I was 13 I wanted to learn how to play and dad handed me the Guild and I started learning. A year or two later we came home from church one Sunday and a bookshelf that the guitar had been put under had come off the wall, fallen right on the headstock of the guitar and broke it. Until that time I had never seen my father so heart broken over an inanimate object. He contacted Guild and sent it back to have a new neck on it. Fast forward 25 years...my 40th birthday my dad gives me my "Inheritance" as we jokingly call it, there wasn't a dry eye in the house.
Now the questions: My question is pertaining to tone and volume, and there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of either on this guitar. please note that we had wood heat all the time I grew up making the house very dry and it took its toll on the D-40, there are two racks on the top and the bridge is split down the middle. I plan on taking it to our local hotshot luthier and having some work done on it but what kind of tone/ volume should I expect to see from this guitar? Also I have never seen another guitar like this one with the pickup w/ volume/ tone controls factory installed, is this guitar rare?
Thanks in advance for your comments...I will try and post pics if desired.
Greg

 

[JerryR]

..what kind of tone/ volume should I expect to see from this guitar?
Greg

Hi and welcome Greg - I would expect a lot of tone/volume - as it is like a prettier version of the D35. With luthier loving care and new strings I hope the tone and volume will out As for factory fitted pickup - Hans will be your best guru

 

[bluesypicky]

Hi Greg and welcome to the best guitar forum on the planet!
First let me say that the history attached to your "inheritance" certainly makes it worth giving your D40 all the attention it deserves and needs, to stay with you until you can pass it along too....
As far the volume and tone is concerned, I would start by checking and making sure that the saddle is in good shape and rests evenly on its bottom side inside the bridge, that the bridge is also well glued on the top with no visible open space from the top.
Ensure about the good shape of the nut (and it's slots) and of the pins too.
I supposed you already covered the strings issue....
Make sure there is nothing "lose" inside the body, and that all the bracing is still glued tight.
If after checking all the obvious, the volume and tone are still not back, I would then start wondering about this neck replacement it once had, and the quality of the work done...
If the neck to body assembly was not a perfect fit, it can probably explain some of your problem, if not all of it.
As far as the dried up issue, having never had any humidity related issue on any guitar in my entire life, I dont' know much about it and will let the "humidifier experts" we have onboard take it from here....
Best of luck in bringing life back to your Guild!

 

[fronobulax]

Welcome.

 

[GardMan]

Greg,
Welcome to LTG!

Each guitar likely has its own "personality," when it comes to volume, projection, and tone, so it's hard to really make comparisons. That said, my earliest Guilds, a '71 D-44 and '72 D-35 (which would be most similar to your D-40), are not my loudest (they are still plenty loud, tho').

However, I think it is quite likely that a couple of top cracks and split bridge could definitely have an effect on volume (especially of the bridge is split along the saddle slot). Gluing and cleating the top cracks would get the top working as a whole again, and I would think repairing/replacing the bridge could improve transfer of energy from the strings to the top. You might contact LTG member Hans Moust... he often seems to have "period correct" Guild bridges.. they also come up on eBay occasionally.

With a badly split bridge, I'd also use a mirror to look at the bridge plate inside (a maple or rosewood plate fond on the underside of the top, just "behind" the X-braces and right under the bridge), to make it hasn't also split...

Another factor to consider would be the height of the saddle above the bridge, and the break angle of the strings over the saddle... if the saddle/break angle are too low, energy from the string vibrations is not transmitted as well to the top, affecting tone and volume... and making the guitar a candidate for a neck reset.

We'd all love to see pics!
Dave

 

[capnjuan]

.... Also I have never seen another guitar like this one with the pickup w/ volume/ tone controls factory installed, is this guitar rare?

Hi Greg and welcome to LTG! Can't give you an exact count but the factory pickups are a little less rare than you might think. After you get the bridge and cracks straightened out, you might want to consider upgrading that pickup being that it represents the state of the art as of 40 years ago ... I mean even if in good condition, those pickups can be a little fuzzy, quacky ... not show your guitar off to best advantage and yes, pics please! CJ

 

[dreadnut]

Welcome to LTG! A good luthier should be able to get her back in great shape.

 

[Scratch]

Welcome aboard Greg. What strings do you have on it? Of all I've tried, my D-40, not of the same era, favors Elixer PB 80/20 medium/lights.

Lack of humidity can certainly affect it, especially this time of year. Suggest a week or two of constant 45%+ humidity. Extended periods at or below 35% can/will cause the top to pull/shrink with adverse affects on bridge, neck, frets, bracing etc...

 

[devellis]

Greg, I'm no expert but it seems to me that there are a lot of reasons why your guitar might sound lifeless. Several have been mentioned above. My advice would be to remove all string tension and, as you said you were planning to do, get it to a good repair person. You may need a new bridge a new bridge plate, some braces re-glued or repaired, the top cracks repaired and possibly cleated, probably a new saddle, and perhaps a neck reset. It would also need a full set-up, with truss rod and action adjusted and perhaps the frets leveled and re-crowned. This whole list of repairs could run to several hundred dollars if the full treatment is required. If the electronics need attention, that could be more, still. But even in that worst-case scenario, you'd wind up with a very nice instrument in fantastic playing condition (assuming the tech you bring it to is good). So, I'd say it's worth it on its own merits. Add to that the sentimental value of the instrument, and it's even more worthy of whatever time and expense it would take to get it put right. In your position, I'd want to be sure that I found a guitar tech who appreciated and respected the semi-vintage status of the instrument and who would not make any unnecessary modifications that would compromise originality. But that's just a personal preference that not everyone would be as concerned about.

 

[evenkeel]

Lots of good advice. Nothing I can add other than to say Welcome to LTG land and Pics are always welcome :!: :!:

 

[FNG]

Loads of good advice. Might want to have your repair guy take a look at the bridgeplate...might warrant a replacement with a smaller maple one.

 

[southernGuild]

WELCOME Greg, and yes, thats a great story. i cant add more than has already been said here, but to support you in getting the very best care and attention you can find ( shop around too..Its worth it as far as getting TOP QUALITY WORK done ) to revive and restore this very sentimentally priceless guitar back to its best. I believe in doing so, YOU and whoever will get her in the future will be richly rewarded. She will likely sound BETTER than you can imagine in the end! Keep us informed. Cheers :wink: SG

 

[killdeer43]

Welcome to LTG, Greg.
I guess by now you can see that you've come to the right place.
Great Guilded minds dwell here! :wink:

Joe

 

[kostask]

Budget Racing:

How many years did the guitar sit around in dry heat? When it was sitting around, were there extended periods where it was strung up to tension and not played?

The first question will help determine if the top is just cracked (minor work, glue and perhaps cleats), or if it has been exposed to really dry heat for many years, you may be looking at a more involved top repair that will require splints as well as glue and cleats (due to the top wood actually shrinking). In addition, many years of dry heat will have also taken its toll on the braces, either requiring re-gluing (minor) or replacement (more involved). Cracks may be just be touched up, but the use of splints (if required) will involve color matching the lacquer as well. The bridge may have cracked due to the dryness and heat, or the bridge pins may have been put in too tight, or the bridge plate may have also cracked, allowing the string tension to crack the bridge as well.

If the guitar was unstrung for a many years, it may not need a neck reset, but be sure to have the neck checked by your luthier for warping. If it is just warped, and not too severe, he can plane the fiingerboard level if you are having a re-fret done. If the guitar has been strung up for many years, it may need a neck reset.

All of this can be checked out fairly quickly by your luthier. The easiest way to see if the top is just cracked, or shrunken as well, is to put the guitar into a higher humidity environment (higher than the ideal 45%) and see if the crack widths decrease. If so, you can probably get by with just glue (and possilbe cleats); if there is still a gap after a week or two in the high humidity environment, then you will need to get the splints as well.

Kostas

 

[Bikerdoc]

Welcome Greg.

Peace

 

[jgmaute]

Welcome Greg. I can't add much to the combined wisdom regarding your guitar. Here's link to Taylor Guitar's videos about Guitars - Woods - Humidity . They really give you a lot of information that can be helpful. Another thought I have is that even though the guitar has been through some challenging times your Dad is the original owner. Not knowing all the issues the guitar has you may want to see where your nearest Service Center is. Guild Service Centers Good luck with bringing your inheritance back to its full glory. Joan

 

[Budget Racing]

Thanks for all the advice guys... the guitar was strung nearly it's entire life but during the western NY winters (November to mid April) with the wood heat the air was really dry. In my home I also use wood to heat with and our RH is usually around 30%, the guitar is currently being kept at 45% Rh with an Oasis humidifier (this winter only). The summers her are usually pretty humid so that big swing may have caused the issues that I have today. We have a local luthier that used to work in Nashville and is very experienced so he will be getting the guitar when my guitar repair fund is fully vested.
As far as how rare this guitar is...as I said before I have never seen a D-40E besides this one, does anyone know how many of these were made?

Greg

 

[Budget Racing]

I had a good luthier check the guitar out and he seemed to thing there was nothing wrong with it. So I decided to put a set of Elixir ploywebs light on it and WOW what a difference, had been using Martin SP's. I'm not totally satisfied but much better...check out the pictures!

 

[capnjuan]

Hi Greg; in this Richie Havens vid, you can see your guitar's 'sister' Jumbo electric model being played by the accompanist.

 

[AlohaJoe]

Thanks for posting the pics... that's a very cool guitar. They may not be super rare, but it's the first one I've ever seen. I love the look of that pickup too, and as it's a vintage instrument I'd be hesitant to make any changes. How does it sound plugged in?