Is this flame wood pear or maple?

Tico

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A few months ago I inherited this 1973 Guild D44 and started this NGD thread:

http://www.letstalkguild.com/ltg/showthread.php?196688-Ngd-1973-d44

Then I started this separate thread to catch the eyeballs of tonewood experts who might not open NGD threads.

Were D44s like D40s, but with pear instead of hog?

I read when Guild's Pear was exhausted they used Maple for the D44.
Maple or Pear, Were all D44s flame B&S, or did my friend get lucky?
I believe on the lables for the Pearwood D44s Guild did not write a P for Pearwood, but on the labels for the later Maples they hand wrote an M after the D44.
So, based on my label, which just says "D44", it's Pearwood.
Right?

If I'm misinformed about the labels I welcome correction.

The 2nd and 3rd pics show the interior unstained back set of this 45 year old guitar is still very blond.

If additional pics would be helpful tell me what you'd like to see.

So, what say you?
 
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dreadnut

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That is one beautiful dread! It sure looks like Pear. And what a stunning top!

So sorry about your best friend, I just recently lost my best friend and picking partner to cancer. Like you, the memories keep rolling down my face when I pick and sing.
 

AcornHouse

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Judging by the unstaffed innards, I would say maple. I think pear has a much less pronounced grain behind the curls.
 

Bonneville88

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Gorgeous guitar! I'm going with Maple too - I thought the D46 was Pearwood, the D44 Maple.
 

Rayk

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Info from a LTG thread is “ The D44 shows up on Guild's price list from 1965 - 1973. The D44M appears in 1972 running through 1977. The M may have been produced a year or two after that but my recollection is that the D44 was gone altogether by 1980.“

Posted by 213Cobra

The M designation is missing which states Maple . Maybe this one is missing it or it’s pear .

Hans could date it if the serial number could be revealed .
 
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GardMan

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That looks like maple back and side to me... posted a few other comments in Tico's other thread re: his D-44.
 

geoguy

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That looks like maple to me, too.

Maybe the label-writer forgot to write a letter "M" after the model number?
 

adorshki

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That looks like maple to me, too.
Maybe the label-writer forgot to write a letter "M" after the model number?
I'm kind of inclined to go along with you and Tom, only reason I held back was because I don't recall ever actually seeing pearwood before.
It wouldn't surprise me that if the "official" spec for D44's was for maple b/s when that label was written, that the label writer assumed it only needed to be written as "D44"
Witness similar labeling issues with D25's from the same era when they were transforming from all-'hog to spruce tops:
We've seen both types labelled "D25M" when that was supposed to denote a 'hog stained spruce top.
Guild is well known for the latitude allowed their label writers, probably the most freedom allowed in the industry at the time.
:glee:
 
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docfishr

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I've see a lot of both woods and that looks like maple.
Pear wood comes in many different grain schemes and colors (depending on the species of pear) but I've never seen it in a flame like that.
 

adorshki

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I've see a lot of both woods and that looks like maple.
Pear wood comes in many different grain schemes and colors (depending on the species of pear) but I've never seen it in a flame like that.
Appreciate the corroboration,
Main reason I held out is that we saw some amazing flamed 'hog (on MIC Guilds!) recently that a couple of folks refused to believe was 'hog even after concrete confirmation.
Heck even I'd never seen anything like it before.
You'd swear it was maple.
 

Tico

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Thanks everyone for the help.

So I guess I have a maple D44 for which they forgot to write M on the label.
Life's rough. :crying:

I've never owned a maple guitar before and I'm head over heals in love with the tone of this one.
 

kostask

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I say maple as well. Pearwood almost never has flamed figurelike that. It is mostly a low figure wood.
 

GardMan

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When I did a search for figured pear wood I got results of flamed pear wood. This could very well be pear.
https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1...AgDEAE&biw=1366&bih=609#imgrc=U8uwv4ouvAjUUM:

I also have seen "flamed" pear wood in other makers builds... but I've owned one and seen quite a few other pear wood Guild D-44s (on-line), and none were flamed to this degree. That, and the tint of the unstained wood seen thru the sound hole still leads me to believe it's maple. Production of pear wood and maple D-44s overlapped from ~71~73, tho' the maples should be labeled D-44M. But we have seen many Guild labeling mistakes throughout the years....
 

beecee

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I've been on a maple kick recently.....kinda makes me wonder about all that dark wood I have laying around doing nothing....
 
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