Your least favorite acoustics

[Cypress Knee]

I have a bunch of Guilds and I need to start thinning the herd so to say. What will be the first to go when I start? (BTW, I don't know when I am starting!)

But the first to go will be a Westerly (but post-Fender) D-55, and a Tacoma F 50R. I confess to having a G 37 that I am not particularly enamored of, but all the rest will have to stay with me awhile longer. There is an electric bass that I will never play, and an introductory electric that just isn't what I want, and those will go in a different area.

But if it was an acoustic made in Westerly or Hoboken under the old management, then it is worth holding onto for awhile longer.

Oh, and why? Well, my son, who was going to transfer back to an in-state college, just got accepted into a highly rate program at an out-of-state university. Ughhh on the pocketbood for the next three (probably four) years.

Otherwise, I would just hold on, except that Neil Young just sang to me in the recently released "Heart of Gold" flick, talking about an old guitar, that it "cries when I leave it alone", so I need to find someone who will pay attention to the guitar, or pass it on to someone who will.

CK

 

[West R Lee]

Cypress,

Man that D-55 is aweful tempting. I will soon be in the same boat though as my baby boy, now a high school junior, who takes after someone other than myself, is an outstanding student. I save all I can, but am afraid that one day, I will have to thin the heard too.

Good luck,
West

 

[West R Lee]

"Herd" I meant to say....see I never was much of a student

 

[SmithfieldFair]

Slip of the keyboard?

West -- Thin the heard? or Thin the herd? I think in this case the first way rings truest! Dudley-Brian

 

[john_kidder]

Right - selling a Guild is certainly thinning what's heard, anyway. And fi Guilds are prized because of their big fat sound, then collecting others would be herding the thin, do you think, and of course listening to them simply hearing the thin. Do we think that's what we heard?

 

[Darryl Hattenhauer]

John,

You're worse than I am. Which is to say that you're better. But I don't know which is worse--to be better or worse.

 

[West R Lee]

This is all so true. In the famous words of Clint Black..."No matter where you go, there you are!"

Other food for thought for you to consider are:
Why do they call them apartments, if they are all together?
Why is it that you can buy tobacco at the front of the drug store, but have to go all the way to the back to get medication?
Why do you drive on a parkway, but park on a driveway?
Why does a bra hold two items, but a PAIR of panties hold one?

West

 

[Darryl Hattenhauer]

"You are what you is." --Frank Zappa

 

[Gasman]

reply

Well- It would have to be my 1965 Prestige guitar! Sounded like crap then - and it sounds the same today. But its hanging on my wall and I love it! Cheers Gasman :lol:

 

[Dr Izza Plumber]

Reading a few of these guitar forums brings back memories. When I was a "teen", I was pretty much on My own as to any instrument purchase.

I was lucky just to have a used starter Harmony 6 string, and it had some of everyone's used strings (a couple nylons too).

A Gretsch White Falcon was the Buzzword for the "un-attainable", as were Kustom and Plush Amplifiers.

Later I had a little Fender Mustang (it got away ), and a Fender Deluxe Reverb Amp (gone too!)

Now I can have anything that I want, but I tend to be conservative in My purchases. I had ALWAYS desired a Gibson (Sunburst) 12 String, but at this point, I just feel that it's over-rated, and a bit pricey!

I see quite a few collectable Guilds and others in most of the signature (member) lines, and I admit that I'm just a little envious! :lol: :wink:

Anyhoo, with the recent acquisition of My new GAD 212, I'll be looking to find a few collectables too!

 

[Pugherder]

I remember in college I met a guy that had an old Gibson acoustic 6 string and a Gibson 12 string. Those were two of the finest sounding guitars I had ever encountered. Haven't been too impressed with Gibson lately, but those were absolute beauties.

 

[Jeff]

My least favorite guitar was a Silvertone F hole archtop, purchased new from Sears in 1963 & given to me for Christmas.

I wasn't old enough to drive yet, but I knew that guitar was awful. It is the kind of guitar you see spray painted antique white & used as a decoration next to the potted plant or on top of a bookcase. Just plain awful in every respect, the neck was so thick Andre the Giant couldn't have reached around it, wouldn't stay in tune because the top kept caving in. I don't even know what it was made of, some kind of plywood.

I worked all Summer harvesting hops for $1.25 and hour & traded that old Silvertone for my Hauser. I think the dealer gave me $15.00 in trade just as a kindness.

I love the old Hauser, it has been with me longer than my wife, since BC "Before Children". I had a little glue on pickup installed inside with an end pin jack about 20 years ago. Just last month I had the first 5 frets replaced & a new bone nut & saddle installed.

I wish now I had taken better care of it. One should not ship guitars in cheap cases on military transports, neither should one play a guitar while wearing wet T shirts & swim trunks. Most of all, one should not practice the fine art of hard flatpicking on a classical guitar with no pick guard.

 

[West R Lee]

How's the DV-62 treating you Jeff?

West

 

[Jeff]

West,

I just got the DV 62 back from my guitar tweaker a week or so back. He replaced the 1st 5 frets, tweaked the truss rod a bit & shaved a little bit off the saddle.

It plays wonderfully, much better than I. I like little guitars and play the F20 mostly but I have to admit the Dv 62 sounds much fatter, richer, just a bigger sound altogether and It's much easier to make the DV 62 sound nice. It's just so big, I have to practice good posture or stand up to play it.

Interestingly the DV 62 doesn't seem to be appreciably louder than the F20. No scientific data to support my opinion it just seems that way.

Probably it's just me, I may not know enough "big guitar" songs.

 

[West R Lee]

Jeff,

I just sit and kind of lean over all of mine with them propped up on my right thigh. The JF-30-12 is sort of tough to handle, but I don't know if it's the weight, the girth of the neck, or just having to mash all those strings. I never had much trouble with the dreds, but that's all I've ever really played. I'd like to try a small Guild sometime.

West

 

[Jeff]

Long scale/short scale?

West,

Your query of my DV62 made me feel guilty so I strapped it on & tickled it some. It's a real sweet box, a more delicate sound than you would think for it's size & weight. Darn nice rosewood dread for $800.00, the real deal, no issue, $935.00 now with the setup. Definitely a non Martin sound.

Let's see; how to describe the voice; "Church'y" , Perhaps a big church, small cathedral, large choir voice at modest volume. A little harpsichord, some harp, piano, other stuff too. Yep, that's it, Church'y, it's a good thing.

It's a better guitar than I am accustomed to playing, with the downside of articulating mistakes & poor technique with amazing clarity. I have similar issues with electrics.

I never knew of short and long scale lengths until I met you Guilders. This guitar has "felt" a little different , I suspect one of the reasons is I am accustomed to a short scale fingerboard & the DV 62 is a long scale.

I compared the F20 & the DV 62, they both have 12 frets clear of the neck, but the DV 62 is maybe 1/2 in longer between the nut & the 12th fret. Why the difference?

It's a very subtle difference, but for a guy of my skill level it shows up.

Especially since I didn't even know there was a difference, if there is a difference, and now I have to finger it different to get it to sound the same, except it's gonna sound different anyway because it's not the same.

See what I mean? I'm gonna go empty the dishwasher.

 

[john_kidder]

Jeff - it's astonishing what a difference that tiny bit of extra length can make - when I go (for instance) from my little M-20 to the great big X-400, my style changes dramatically,

And I agree about the problem with these good guitars - it seems they have an ability to amplify mistakes and to make even little bits of buzzes and slight slurs just jump right out at you. I'd be first in the market for one that did the reverse.

 

[West R Lee]

Funny you should say that John. I remember when I got my acoustic amp, a guy told me to remember that an amp also amplifies your mistakes! So true.

Jeff, elaborate a little if you don't mind on the comparison with the Martin sound. It sounds as if you DV-62 is set up similarly to my DV-72, with the lowered action and all. I also have found that the projection is not quite what it is on my D-25 or my DV-52. I think the lowered action contributes to that dramatically. However, for my style of playing without fingerpicks and with the "soft" Elixer Nanoweb strings, it sets up very nicely for that. For flatpicking, I think I like the projection a little better on my others. Far and away the best action (easiest to play) of any of my guitars. The intonation is a little better on the DV-72 though.

West

 

[Jeff]

West,

It is interesting you mentioned the unique projection of your DV 72.

Gene Nygard, my guitar tweaker go to man, commented on my DV 62's projection when I picked it up.

He said it seems to be putting the sound out there somewhere in front of the guitar. It's quite odd, I listened to him play it for a while & on top of sounding completely different listening in front of the guitar than while playing it, it definitely "feels" like the sound is coming from a foot or two out in front of the guitar instead of the soundhole.

"It puts it out here somewhere", Gene said, as he waved his hands vaguely out in front of the guitar.

We also had a discussion of the difference between this Guild & the typical Martin dread. Had a lively discussion for about 90 seconds trying to pin down differences, & then decided "You know, Martins sound like Martins, & Guilds, well they just sound like Guilds".

The Martin dreadnaughts I have owned & played sounded like Martin dreadnaught guitars, nice, predictable Martin guitar sounds.

My Guilds, the F 20 & the DV 62 take me to other sounds, like my example of the church'y sound of the DV 62 hinting of harp, harpsichord & choir sounds. The F20 makes nice guitar sounds too, but often with subtle nuances , hinting of mandolin, sometimes a little violin, ukelele is in there too, maybe even some harmonica in places.

Heck, I don't know, they're just plain different, I think (feel)? the Guilds do more.

One thing for certain; finding a Martin dread, pretty as a DV 62, sounding as good and playing as well, for 800.00 is not likely to happen.