NRD! 2013 Guild R-30-S Hog Resonator

[txbumper57]

NRD! 2013 Guild R-30S Hog Resonator

I figured I would throw some pics of this one up for everyone seeing as you rarely see or hear of them. It is a 2013 Guild R-30-S Solid Mahogany Round Neck Resonator. When it arrived yesterday it was in need of some attention. Even though it looks to have never been played it had some dead strings on it and needed some serious hydration and cleaning of the rosewood fretboard. After taking care of the fretboard and cleaning it up a bit she settled right in with a new set of strings. I have it setup to play Fingerstyle instead of slide and she sounds great. Great clear voice in Standard Tuning as well as a full step down.

The fit and finish is excellent. They really went the extra mile with the quality of the build on these resonators. The binding is identical to my GSR D50 from 2012 with 5 layers facing the front being W/B/W/B/W and having the grooves on the side of it that run the length of the body. I think my favorite aesthetic though is the Vintage Style Guild Logo on the Headstock with the triangle under it and the three lined Chesterfield underneath the three pronged crown. I would love to see Cordoba bring this headstock logo back for future Guilds. The burst finish is Awesome and reminds me of how they did the Orpheum Jumbo Burst with that vintage look. The mahogany grain is gorgeous as well as the metal work being mirror polished.

I will try to get a sound clip up in the next day or so but until then, Here are some pics for everyone and I hope you enjoy them.

 

[twocorgis]

Congratulations George, it's every bit as gorgeous as mine! Play it in good health.

 

[walrus]

Very cool! Love the burst!

walrus

 

[txbumper57]

I will Sandy, Thanks! I'm really impressed with it, Best tone I have heard from a resonator!.:single_eye:

 

[twocorgis]

I will Sandy, Thanks! I'm really impressed with it, Best tone I have heard from a resonator!.:single_eye:

Resonators have tone? Not according to my guy. layful:

 

[txbumper57]

Resonators have tone? Not according to my guy. layful:

Sure they do, I would liken it to a wonderful sounding guitar trying to Beat the $#*&:boxing: out of a wonderful sounding Banjo! If you can ever catch that on tape then you know what a wonderful sounding resonator sounds like!:single_eye:

 

[Rayk]

Very nice never had the pleasure of playing one but I look at them all the time

 

[Neal]

Holy smokes!

I have just dipped my big toe into the world of open-tuned slide, and this guitar is the epitome of that playing style.

Neal

 

[txbumper57]

Holy smokes!

I have just dipped my big toe into the world of open-tuned slide, and this guitar is the epitome of that playing style.

Neal

Well now that I know that Neal, If I ever have to get rid of it for any reason I know who it needs to go to. And if I do I'll let you have it for what I have in it. It really is fun to play but after 2 days It is giving my shoulder some fits. I don't know if it is due to the smaller scale or the body shape itself but it is taking some getting used to. It could just be the weather down here right now as we have now had 2 straight days with some crazy thunderstorms for the majority of the day. Probably had over 100 lightning strikes today within 5-10 miles and over a period of 4-5 hours.:cower: Crazy!:worked_till_5am: Lightning used to not bother me much but after you have a large piece of metal implanted in your body your view can change.

 

[mavuser]

Tex- congrats! that thing is calling for a lap steel or slide for sure. watch some Jerry Douglas vids that should make you want to play it. and steer clear of the lightning my friend!

 

[Opsimath]

Beautiful! Will be looking forward to a sound clip.

Cynthia

 

[davismanLV]

Holy CRAP, that's a beautiful guitar, bumper!! Love the burst and everything about it. Play it in good health!! :encouragement:

 

[txbumper57]

Thanks Walrus, Neal, Sandy, Mav, Opsi, Davisman and everyone. I must say the more I play it the more I love the tone. Even if I am Flat picking it the sustain is amazing. It doesn't sound like any other resonator I have played in the past. It really has more of a Mandolin style tone to it as opposed to a resonator. Very Beautiful but very different. I'm think I am starting to get attached.:love_heart:

 

[Neal]

Bumper, I have been playing slide mostly on my old '71 D-25BR, but have also been experimenting with it on my Orpheum 12-fret 000 RW.

The D-25 seems to prefer a brass slide, while the 000 likes glass.

Just noodling around right now, trying to get my skills together on songs like Dylan's "Meet Me in the Morning".

Can anyone with significant slide experience tell me what strings work best for this playing style?

Neal

Neal

 

[SFIV1967]

Congrats! You are probably the first LTG member with a Guild Resonator model. And you got the upgraded S version with the all solid wood body.

EDIT: No, you are not the first! http://www.letstalkguild.com/ltg/showthread.php?183278-NRGD-Guild-R30-(With-Pictures!)

Ralf

 

[txbumper57]

Congrats! You are probably the first LTG member with a Guild Resonator model. And you got the upgraded S version with the all solid wood body.

EDIT: No, you are not the first! http://www.letstalkguild.com/ltg/showthread.php?183278-NRGD-Guild-R30-(With-Pictures!)

Ralf

Thanks Ralf! Sandy and myself have Twinkies! They are the only 2 R30S models I have ever seen. I have seen some of the Non "S" models but these are the only 2 solid wood R30's I know of. I'm sure there are others out there but I haven't been able to locate them as I have been looking for awhile. I love it, The more I play it the more attached I get! :single_eye:

 

[txbumper57]

Can anyone with significant slide experience tell me what strings work best for this playing style?

Neal

Neal

Hey Neal, I am seeing strings for Acoustic slide and resonator being everything from a 16-56 Coated Phosphor Bronze (Daddario EXP42 16-18-26-35-45-56) to a Pure Nickel Rollerwound 16-56 set (GHS 1600 set I believe). I know Guild has made Phosphor Bronze resonator strings and you can find them on EBAY. Majority of the sets for slide or resonator have been in the 16-56 set. Mine arrived with regular PB guitars strings on it and of course I took them off and put on my Fav Martin Monel Bluegrass 13-56 set. Sounds good on slide but really brought the Mahogany top to life when finger picking. They seem to like my Glass Bottleneck slide better than my Brass or chrome ones.

 

[SFIV1967]

Thanks Ralf! Sandy and myself have Twinkies! They are the only 2 R30S models I have ever seen.

I didn't realize that Sandy also had a S model, now I see it in his signature.
There are some more out there.

NQ276001 was sold by B Street Music in San Mateo/CA last December.
NQ325003 was sold by "The Music Farm" in Canton/OH.
NQ324006 was sold by Rocky at Street Sounds.
One was sold by Thomann in Germany last year.
There was one on Reverb: https://reverb.com/item/96191-guild...gany-wood-resonator-guitar-with-case-38530508
One is still for sale in Charlottesville/VA: http://www.specialtyguitarsplus.com...366:guild-usa-r-30s&catid=185:guild&Itemid=29
There is one in Australia in a shop: http://www.conceptmusic.com.au/products/Guild-R%2d30S-Resonator-Guitar.html

So that alone are 9 (all R-30S) (unless one of the 7 above mentioned is either your's or Sandy's)

Ralf

 

[txbumper57]

I didn't realize that Sandy also had a S model, now I see it in his signature.
There are some more out there.

NQ276001 was sold by B Street Music in San Mateo/CA last December.
NQ325003 was sold by "The Music Farm" in Canton/OH.
NQ324006 was sold by Rocky at Street Sounds.
One was sold by Thomann in Germany last year.
There was one on Reverb: https://reverb.com/item/96191-guild...gany-wood-resonator-guitar-with-case-38530508
One is still for sale in Charlottesville/VA: http://www.specialtyguitarsplus.com...366:guild-usa-r-30s&catid=185:guild&Itemid=29
There is one in Australia in a shop: http://www.conceptmusic.com.au/products/Guild-R%2d30S-Resonator-Guitar.html

So that alone are 9 (all R-30S) (unless one of the 7 above mentioned is either your's or Sandy's)

Ralf

Hey Ralf, I sent you a PM. Maybe you can clear this up for me. Were there laminated wood models as well as Solid wood models? If so do you know the story behind why they used Laminates instead of just making them all solid woods? I have seen the same models with different designations on them. For instance On Ebay right now there is a R35E for electric and a R35SE which I would assume is a solid wood electric. From the pictures they both look identical. There is also a R30 without the "S" designation for sale in Canada I believe.

 

[SFIV1967]

Maybe you can clear this up for me. Were there laminated wood models as well as Solid wood models? If so do you know the story behind why they used Laminates instead of just making them all solid woods? I have seen the same models with different designations on them. For instance On Ebay right now there is a R35E for electric and a R35SE which I would assume is a solid wood electric. From the pictures they both look identical. There is also a R30 without the "S" designation for sale in Canada I believe.

Yes, that is correct. Initially in 2012 New Hartford made all the 4 models with laminated wood bodies and laminated tops. They were called R-30, R-33E, R35E and R-37 (the links in the next post obviously do not exist anymore):
http://www.letstalkguild.com/ltg/sh...ld-resonator-guitars-now-on-the-Guild-webpage

During 2013 however the specs were changed. Guild added the "S" in the typenumber which stands for "Solid".

At that time also the FMIC part numbers changed for the "S" models, a "0" or "1" was replaced by a "5":

R-30 =385 301 0835
R-30S=385 305 0835

R-33E =385 330 7821
R-33SE=385 335 7821

R-35E =385 350 7835
R-35SE=385 355 7835

R-37E =385 370 7821
R-37SE=385 375 7821

What is better? I have no idea about Resonator guitars and what advantage/disadvantage laminated vs. solid wood has for them.

Jackson Quinn wrote about that topic:
"It's cool to have a reso with solid woods, I'm sure it'll give the sound a little more shimmer and body, but as I understand it most high-end resonators (biscuit bridge resonators anyway; I can't speak for high-end spidercones, as they are mostly small shops) are built using laminates. In a National Reso-Phonic informational video, they explained that using laminates is often better for building resonator guitars, because the body is essentially a speaker cabinet designed to house the cone, which acts as a speaker and produces most of the sound. The materials used in the body color the sound in various ways, but as the strings drive the cone directly, that's where most of the sound is coming from. So the goal becomes, "What's the best material to house a vibrating piece of metal without impeding the vibration, but can also stand up to that level of assault?" Laminate woods are generally stronger and less prone to warping, so that's an option. Or, of course, more metal. That's how I understand it, anyway.
National is considered by many to be the best in the business, and even their high-end "El Trovador" has a laminate top and back (I believe the sides are solid). That was the spec that I got from them when I called them a year or so ago, anyway. It might have changed.
My point (finally) is that solid woods may be good or bad in this context. I wouldn't worry about it with a resonator; the cone makes most of the sound. People are always talking about how their low-budget overseas-made reso sounds ten times better with, say, a Quarterman cone. And if I'm right, and they are generally made with laminates, then they're made that way for a reason."

All Guild resonator guitars are using a 9.5" (R-30) or 10.5" (R-33,-35,-37) hand-spun National® cone.

Ralf