NGD! 2011 Guild F-30RCE. New Hartford model in mint condition, with OHSC. It was on eBay, but I bought it "off eBay", at a discount from the posted eBay price since I picked it up – an hour from my house. I split the eBay and PayPal fee savings with the seller, and of course, no shipping charge. I spent about three hours playing it today, so these are my early thoughts. For those three hours, my shoulder was feeling OK, so I’m hopeful the smaller body size is making a difference. You can see my D64 and the F-30 together in a photo below - doesn’t look like a lot of difference, but the shape of the lower bout and the thinner body width seem to help me.
It was a shock to my system to have bought a “new” acoustic. I’ve only played the D64 since 1984. It was a bit weird, to say the least. And no crater-like fretboard divots! Still, I think my D64 is pi$$ed…
The guitar smells and looks brand new! OHSC case also in excellent condition. This guitar was not played very much. No dings or nicks, and what a beautiful top! It appears to be (like most Guilds) extremely well-built.
Sound-wise, it is of course not as loud as the D64, but still very clear and resonant. The bass in particular is not as booming as the D64, although playing open chords is definitely still has a deep, clear tone. One thing my D64 has certainly done is “open up”, while this one is pretty much unplayed. I guess I will need to fix that myself if I keep it.
The satin finish on the neck took a bit to get used to but it plays nicely, and it did not take long to not notice it. I like the 1 ¾ nut, but weirdly the neck radius feels larger than my D64 – the D64 has sort of an “electric feel” neck. I would have thought the F-30 would be thinner. Not a problem, just interesting. My favorite trait of this guitar is the cutaway. I play high on the neck occasionally, and it is great to be able to get there with the cutaway.
Tried the DTAR for a bit – it’s OK, although I think the K&K mini in the D64 is better sounding. To be honest, it not likely I will play this guitar plugged in very often.
Overall, I’m pleased, but I need to spend some hours with it to really see how it feels and plays and sounds, and if it really is an improvement “shoulder-wise”.
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walrus
It was a shock to my system to have bought a “new” acoustic. I’ve only played the D64 since 1984. It was a bit weird, to say the least. And no crater-like fretboard divots! Still, I think my D64 is pi$$ed…
The guitar smells and looks brand new! OHSC case also in excellent condition. This guitar was not played very much. No dings or nicks, and what a beautiful top! It appears to be (like most Guilds) extremely well-built.
Sound-wise, it is of course not as loud as the D64, but still very clear and resonant. The bass in particular is not as booming as the D64, although playing open chords is definitely still has a deep, clear tone. One thing my D64 has certainly done is “open up”, while this one is pretty much unplayed. I guess I will need to fix that myself if I keep it.
The satin finish on the neck took a bit to get used to but it plays nicely, and it did not take long to not notice it. I like the 1 ¾ nut, but weirdly the neck radius feels larger than my D64 – the D64 has sort of an “electric feel” neck. I would have thought the F-30 would be thinner. Not a problem, just interesting. My favorite trait of this guitar is the cutaway. I play high on the neck occasionally, and it is great to be able to get there with the cutaway.
Tried the DTAR for a bit – it’s OK, although I think the K&K mini in the D64 is better sounding. To be honest, it not likely I will play this guitar plugged in very often.
Overall, I’m pleased, but I need to spend some hours with it to really see how it feels and plays and sounds, and if it really is an improvement “shoulder-wise”.
walrus