NGD : Oxnard M20e Vintage Burst

ClydeTower

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Hi all!

I’ve been toying with the idea of picking up an Oxnard M20 for a while, so if ever the opportunity presented itself, I wouldn’t let it go by. So, recently a 2015 M20e vintage sunburst popped up on my radar. I bought it sight unseen and had it delivered to the border as I usually do. When I got home, I immediately unpacked it and opened the case. My first impression was this little parlor guitar is a thing of beauty. Simply gorgeous. The satin finish really works well with the deep dark variations of the mahogany. And the sunburst makes it that much more beautiful, a feast for the eyes for sure. The guitar is basically new, not a single solitary scratch. The 1 ¾” nut suits it well for finger style and the short scale neck feels very comfortable.

IMG_3974.jpg


That is where the love affair ends unfortunately… I had such high hopes for this guitar, but I guess you can’t win ‘em all. After the first strum, I knew this guitar wasn’t for me. Simply put, it has a very pronounced boxy tone, much more than I was expecting. It’s especially true when hitting the low E and A strings. It sounds very constrained to my ears, with almost no bottom end. Not much volume either.

IMG_3979.jpg


I’ve played a few parlor guitars at my local shop, a martin 00-15 among others, and although they also had the typical boxy tone you would expect from a small bodied guitar, they also had a healthy bottom end which mixed in there makes them sound full and rich. To my ears, this particular M20 sounds almost like a toy. I plugged it in hoping that would make it come alive, but that didn’t help either, actually, it sounded worse.

IMG_3984.jpg


I so wanted to love this guitar. Maybe I just got a dud, or maybe my ear just isn’t attuned to the particular boxy flavor of the M20. I’d be curious to hear a vintage M20 and see if it sounds similar. I have no doubt there are some great sounding M20s out there, but for me, this wasn’t one of them. So I put it up on my local CL and sold it soon thereafter for more than what I paid for it. So no harm done.

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The hunt continues!
 
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Stuball48

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Clyde:
Sorry the sound did not match the beauty. You will find one.
 

richardp69

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My Oxnard M 20 has met my expectations. It's a great little songwriting guitar. It doesn't have the depth and volume of my Dreads and Jumbos but then again neither does my vintage M20, F 20's or any other small bodies guitar I've ever owned for that matter.
 

chazmo

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Good luck in the (continued) hunt, Claude. Yeah, that's a pretty axe, for sure. Too bad it didn't meet (sonic) expectations.
 

ClydeTower

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My Oxnard M 20 has met my expectations. It's a great little songwriting guitar. It doesn't have the depth and volume of my Dreads and Jumbos but then again neither does my vintage M20, F 20's or any other small bodies guitar I've ever owned for that matter.

Thanks for the input Richard. Do you find your vintage M20 sounds similar in tone to the Ox M20?

BTW, I wasn't expecting the tone of this M20 to have the volume or depth of my dreads or jumbos, far from it. I was however comparing it to other parlor guitars I have tried, such as the Martin 00-15 or even a Taylor GS mini mahogany for example, and found that the bottom end was lacking and sounded much "boxier" compared to these. Quite possible I might have just got a dud... Unfortunately, there are no shops in my area that sell Guilds much less the M20 so no way for me try a few to see if they all sound the same to me.
 

macandcheese

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Funny, when these came out it was the opposite! Sound was well received pretty universally but some finishing and polish issues. I have one from 2016 and really love it, super comfortable to play and I dig the sound - it's definitely "woody" like you'd expect from a Mahog, but, different strokes and all.
 

jedzep

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I found my spruce top Oxnard M40 (F20) to have a better bottom end than I thought it would. Easy feel too. A very nice thousand dollar guitar.

In case anyone is looking for a rock bottom price on this model, I thought I'd share a listing I found. These quickly trended higher in cost shortly after being introduced. Good luck, if anyone is shopping.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/2017-Guild...up-OHSC-Spruce-M-20-Ren-Ferguson/183467686501
 

mavuser

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all 3-4 oxnardian M-20s i played sounded just like all 5-10 Hoboken M-20s ive played. there was one random one from 1965 or so that seemed like a dud, it just didn’t resonate like the others. tone has been super consistent though. one difference was the Oxnard M20s have a super chunky neck. like twice the neck of the Hoboken’s.

i will say for strings less is more with these guitars. 11s sound great. 12s can sound constrained (boxy). not trying to start a debate, but the strings are proportional to the top. the top of an M20 is half the size of the top of an F50, so the same strings on one of each will yeild very different results. the best stirng for one, is not necessarily the best for all. you wouldnt wear a size 12 shoe if you were only a 10...i mix up string brands and gauges depending on the guitar and even the season. strings make a world of difference in feel/playability and tone. i used to not even play acoustic because i hated acoustic strings. i found good strings on this forum and it was a game changer. also the M20 and F20 feel like an electric strapped on and standing, so with nice 11s i was hooked!
 

sitka.bc

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Did you by any chance record your guitar before selling it so we can hear?
 

ClydeTower

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Rayk

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Dang Clyde that bites .
How does compare the import sound which you hear here ?
https://guildguitars.com/g/m-120/

And this M-20


I need to record that old harmony I bought for my boy that’s boxy to but I kind of like it . Lol
 

ClydeTower

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Dang Clyde that bites .
How does compare the import sound which you hear here ?
https://guildguitars.com/g/m-120/

And this M-20


I need to record that old harmony I bought for my boy that’s boxy to but I kind of like it . Lol


Hi Ray,

In all honesty, I think the m20e was just not for me.

To be fair, I got it right after I received my '65 F30, which set the bar so high... there was just no comparison. The reason for the m20e was to have a small comfortable guitar for the couch. I also wanted to add a bluesy, vintage tone to my arsenal. And in the end, it's my Hobo F30 that took that spot. It hits the bullseye on all counts... and them some. Its sound has a vulnerability, a humanness, dare I say a soul... I just cannot say enough about this guitar. There was just no way the Ox M20 was gonna be able to compete with that. And as pretty as the guitar is, there was no way I was gonna keep it around just as eye candy so off it went. I'm glad I got to try it though.

To answer your questions more specifically: From what I remember, the bass response (specifically the 5th and 6th strings) sounded more muted on my version of the m20 than what you hear in the videos. And it also sounded way more "boxy", to the degree it sounded like a toy to my ears. However, the craftsmanship and feel of the guitar were excellent. If you consider that the guy I sold it too will be the 4th owner of this 2015 m20... the fact that the guitar has changed hands so often in such a short amount of time probably says something. There are probably better sounding m20s out there than the one I got.

fyi: My son also played my m20...didn't like it either.
 
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Bonneville88

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Have played a new M20 several times now over half a year, last time
was late last week - intrigued with it initially and hopeful, but IME, not one darn thing
compelling about it, to my ears. But, similar to Clyde's situation, both my
F20s, a Hoboken and a Westerly, are wonderful-sounding small guitars, each
with unique, resonant tones - different from each other but both enjoyable.
Unfair comparison - yes.
 

Rayk

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Hi Ray,

In all honesty, I think the m20e was just not for me.

To be fair, I got it right after I received my '65 F30, which set the bar so high... there was just no comparison. The reason for the m20e was to have a small comfortable guitar for the couch. I also wanted to add a bluesy, vintage tone to my arsenal. And in the end, it's my Hobo F30 that took that spot. It hits the bullseye on all counts... and them some. Its sound has a vulnerability, a humanness, dare I say a soul... I just cannot say enough about this guitar. There was just no way the Ox M20 was gonna be able to compete with that. And as pretty as the guitar is, there was no way I was gonna keep it around just as eye candy so off it went. I'm glad I got to try it though.

To answer your questions more specifically: From what I remember, the bass response (specifically the 5th and 6th strings) sounded more muted on my version of the m20 than what you hear in the videos. And it also sounded way more "boxy", to the degree it sounded like a toy to my ears. However, the craftsmanship and feel of the guitar were excellent. If you consider that the guy I sold it too will be the 4th owner of this 2015 m20... the fact that the guitar has changed hands so often in such a short amount of time probably says something. There are probably better sounding m20s out there than the one I got.

fyi: My son also played my m20...didn't like it either.

I hear ya and understand . That F30R NH burst at GC I went to play sounded the same as you discribe the M20.

One comment to me was “ that’s what it is suppose to sound like “ I just don’t know anymore as I hear old guitars sound boxy and others that don’t sound boxy at all from the same era .

The harmony has that boxy old school sound but that’s what expected it to sound like having ladder bracing .

Neither my CV or CO guitars sound boxy and when I bought and returned those few NH F30’s none of them where boxy at all .

My new Blueridge orchestra is not boxy in any way .

I know the 20’s are the smallest and the most likely to have some character of the boxy or hollow sound but having it as bad as discribe bites for sure .

I’d still like one haha . I did play the import version And was boxy as well and not to my liking . Odd that the Harmony sound is likable.

Here’s Mau playing his 1930’s refurbed Gibson L-00

 
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ClydeTower

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I just don’t know anymore as I hear old guitars sound boxy and others that don’t sound boxy at all from the same era .

The harmony has that boxy old school sound but that’s what expected it to sound like having ladder bracing .

Neither my CV or CO guitars sound boxy and when I bought and returned those few NH F30’s none of them where boxy at all .

My new Blueridge orchestra is not boxy in any way .

I know the 20’s are the smallest and the most likely to have some character of the boxy or hollow sound but having it as bad as discribe bites for sure .

I’d still like one haha . I did play the import version And was boxy as well and not to my liking . Odd that the Harmony sound is likable.

I know, its strange how some guitars with a boxy tone sound great and others don't. My F30 has a slightly boxy tone, but in a good, homey "vintage" way. If I had to explain it, I think a small body guitar needs a good thumpy 6th bass string as a counter balance to the mid-rangey boxy tone to sound good. When I play my F30 right after playing my F55, I still get that satisfying low end, even though the match up is like David vs Goliath in terms of size. The m20 I tried just had no low end whatsoever. The 6th string had no "oumf", just nothing behind it, even when you hit it hard.


Here’s Mau playing his 1930’s refurbed Gibson L-00




Very nice rendition and the Gibby sounds great also. I have never tried a L-00, but have it on my "list"
 
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Rayk

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I know, its strange how some guitars with a boxy tone sound great and others don't. My F30 has a slightly boxy tone, but in a good, homey "vintage" way. If I had to explain it, I think a small body guitar needs a good thumpy 6th bass string as a counter balance to the mid-rangey boxy tone to sound good. When I play my F30 right after playing my F55, I still get that satisfying low end, even though the match up is like David vs Goliath in terms of size. The m20 I tried just had no low end whatsoever. The 6th string had no "oumf", just nothing behind it, even when you hit it hard.

What year is the Hoboken F30 ?
 
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