New to Guilds and to this forum

Hi all, not sure if this is the right place for a first post, but here goes.

I got my first Guild a few weeks back, a Newark St X175B. It was quite a departure for me, as I've been a Fender/partscaster guy for the last few years.

I actually went shopping for a Gretsch. Tried all the ones I could find, and none of them moved me. Then the guy in the shop showed be the Guild. After ogling those shiny Gretsches in those classic colours I have to say I wasn't impressed - until I played it and it growled at me.

You all know the rest. It's a great guitar - doubtless way too good for my limited skills. And I'm already lusting after more Guild guitars.

I dare say I'll have lots of questions in the coming months and I hope I'll learn a lot from this forum they way I have over at TDPRI.

But to start off, here are some quick first impressions of the 175. My favourite guitar is a Baja telecaster - so this big woody beast is a world away, and there is a lot to learn. I think it shipped with 12s on it, and I don't like big strings. I've gone down to 10s and they don't feel too slack at all. I've done a little work on the nut and used double-sided tape under the bridge because it wasn't staying in tune at all. It seems much better now. But I'm wondering if a roller bridge would help, and if so which ones would fit it? It has a high 17th fret, too. But I'll get around to fixing that.

I can't wait to gig this guitar, because it seems to me that the pickups really sing at higher volumes. I play different kinds of gigs - I've recently done blues, surf, soul, rockabilly - and I think this would cover them all. But to my ears it seems made for surf and rockabilly.

I guess a lot of you here are jazz players? I don't (read can't) play jazz, and I'm not a fan at all. But this guitar seems capable of so much more.

Anyway, glad to be here. Looking forward to learning.

Welcome to the nuthouse! Just don't ask me to be your voice of fiscal reason. Once you've gotten a Guild, they tend to start piling up... ;-)

WELCOME TO LTG!
Stick around....opinions will be rolling in soon. :apple:

Joe

Welcome. We only have one rule: no pics, it didn't happen. Oh and watch out for the truss rod cover police. Guilds are like potato chips, no one can eat just one. Enjoy. :applause:

Welcome! Pictures would be great!

walrus

Welcome to the forum, hemingway! It always starts with ONE Guild. I will echo walrus and say we DO love photos here. :encouragement:

Welcome hemingway!

I am not a fan of attaching a floating bridge with double sided tape as I think it sucks tone. I wonder, did the bridge start to move after you have gone down to 10s or did it move before? If the specs on the Guild website are correct (they aren't always) the guitar ships with 11s, so one step down doesn't seem to be a big deal. If it's not the bridge base that moves it might be a good idea to try a roller bridge. Some people think a roller bridge also sucks tone but I'd prefer that over the tape between guitar and bridge base any day.

Enjoy your Guild! If you're new to hollow body guitars, prepare to become addicted.

mbuc said:

Welcome hemingway!

I am not a fan of attaching a floating bridge with double sided tape as I think it sucks tone. I wonder, did the bridge start to move after you have gone down to 10s or did it move before? If the specs on the Guild website are correct (they aren't always) the guitar ships with 11s, so one step down doesn't seem to be a big deal. If it's not the bridge base that moves it might be a good idea to try a roller bridge. Some people think a roller bridge also sucks tone but I'd prefer that over the tape between guitar and bridge base any day.

Enjoy your Guild! If you're new to hollow body guitars, prepare to become addicted.

Click to expand...

Pictures I have! But it's not immediately obvious to me how to upload them from my computer.

I'm not sure how the tape could affect the tone, though.

My problem is I rest my palm on the bridge, so I'm always going to need a bit of stability.

Welcome to LTG!
Here's an example from YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFOMgVBRXLg
But we have not only Jazz players here as one of the first LTG members Walter Broes can tell (go to minute 0:50): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M34DSjCmaAQ
Ralf

SFIV1967 said:

Welcome to LTG!
Here's an example from YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFOMgVBRXLg
But we have not only Jazz players here as one of the first LTG members Walter Broes can tell (go to minute 0:50): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M34DSjCmaAQ
Ralf

Click to expand...

Excellent stuff!

Unfortunately I still haven't figured out how to upload pics. According to my posting permissions I "may not post attachments".

So how do I do it?

hemingway, it's a bit complicated. First we need to make sure you have your settings right. Go to the top right and click on "Settings". Scroll down and on the left under "My Settings" click General Settings. Scroll down until you see this:

Miscellaneous Options

Message Editor Interface:

• Enhanced Interface - Full WYSIWYG Editing
• Basic Editor - A simple text box
• Standard Editor - Extra formatting controls

When posting messages to the forums or other members, there are three interface types available to you. The simplest of these is a simple text box, while the last is a fully-fledged WYSIWYG editor, which allows you to format your text as you want it and see the results immediately.

Depending upon the capabilities of your web browser, you may not be able to use all of these options. If you experience problems when posting messages, try switching to a different interface type.



Make sure Enhanced Interface is checked. Then you may need to log out and log back in and then you should have a whole bunch of options and buttons available that you didn't have before.

THEN you have to host the image on a server (like Image Shack) and copy and paste the direct link to the image (ends in .jpg) into the blank once you click the little "Insert Image" icon on the task bar. Then you preview your image and if you did it all right.... you should see your photos and so should everyone else. I know it seems complicated because.... it is. Good Luck!!

I am agast...

Default as the "Voice of fiscal reason"...??? :numbness:

Clearly I do not have enough Jack Daniels on board. I think I will go to bed now...

hemingway,

Regarding your assumption that there are a lot of jazz fans out here, I would say that is not accurate. While there are several, myself included, I think jazzers are in the minority out here. That said you will find a lot of fans of the X-175 and X-500 (essentially the same guitar) out here. However, I am willing to bet that most of us with such a guitar get pretty down and dirty with it, which they also do extremely well. They are a very versatile guitar and do nearly all genres very well. Enjoy!

Thanks for the replies, everyone - especially with the help with uploading photos. I will give it a go this weekend.

It's good to know people are so enthusiastic about these guitars. I'll certainly be spreading the word.

Join the club. I've had my NS X175B for a few months now and remain very happy with it. I bought it for jazz purposes and get a full and very satisfying sound from Thomastik .012s and the neck pick up. My amp is a Peavey Classic 30, which must also help. I tend to rest my hand on the strings (a habit my teacher wants me to cure), but I've had no problem with the bridge moving.

I recently also got the x175, and no problems keeping it in tune either. I sometimes brace my right hand with my pinky on the pick guard, but not when full out comping and it works fine for me. I do use .12 strings, so perhaps that is part of it. Even though I bout it for jazz, it is a most flexible - and handsome! - guitar indeed, very addictive to play.

And one last thing - this is my first Guild too, but oh yeah I could see more in my future. I just don't know why I didn't look at these fine guitars in a better light before, must have been blind!

Introductions: Guild owner, Forum noob.

Howdy all,

My name is Brad. I've owned my Guild D15-WR since new, 1993. I'm really glad I found this forum because I'm looking for information on the build materials and technique. I'm particularly interested in finding out what the wood is for the back & sides plus soundboard. Looking forward to getting to know y'all.

Not sure how to attach photos as I do not have a url for them, but my profile pic and avatar reveal my baby.

BBD-D15 said:

I've owned my Guild D15-WR since new, 1993. I'm really glad I found this forum because I'm looking for information on the build materials and technique. I'm particularly interested in finding out what the wood is for the back & sides plus soundboard.

Click to expand...

Welcome to LTG! The "WR" in the D-15-WR stands for the finish color "Woodgrain Red", just in case you wonder.
The D-15 has a solid mahogany top, solid mahogany sides, laminated mahogany arched back (which makes this guitar a real great guitar) and a mahogany neck. The fingerboard and the bridge are rosewood.
The body should be 5" deep, 15-3/4" wide at the lower bout. 25-5/8" scale. 1-11/16" nut width.
To attach pictures you really need to host them somewhere (Photobucket, Imageshack,...) and use the insert image button to link to the jpg picture. Also in settings you need to adjust the LTG interface to WYSIWYG in order to see all buttons.
Ralf

WELCOME TO LTG BBD!
You've already received the basic info you need from Ralf, so make us drool with pics of your D15. Looks good in the avatar so I can hardly wait. I had an all-mahogany D15 at one time and it lives in a good home in Ohio now. Doc, are you there?

Enjoy this forum....you won't find a better place to kill countless hours talking about any number of subjects, including Guild guitars! eaceful:

Cheers,
Joe