P-240 memoir

Brad Little

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The February AG has a full page ad for the Guild P-240 Memoir, an MIC 12 fret slothead. Anybody played one? With a list of $695, street price could be ~$450, within my budget for a maybe, maybe not keeper. Don't see it listed for sale anywhere in a quick search. I'm always on the lookout for a nice 12/slothead, wonder if there are any plans to ad it to the USA made models.
Brad
 

JohnW63

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This could be interesting. I would assume the P might mean a parlor guitar, but I could be wrong.
 

FNG

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Its on the Guild website, demo video sounds nice.
 

SFIV1967

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First I thought it's a typo, but indeed, P-240 ! "P" for "Parlor". It's a very nice looking guitar I have to say.
One thing is strange, I always thought the 2xx series was supposed to mean it has an arched back. This one has not... It seems to have laminated back and sides, but has back bracing, so not arched.

Here's what the Guild website shows:

https://guildguitars.com/g/p-240-memoir/

Body shape: Parlor
Nut width: 1 3/4″ (44.5mm)
Fingerboard material: Pau Ferro
Fingerboard radius: 16″ (406mm)
Scale lenght: 24 3/4″ (628mm)
Neck finish: Satin Polyurethane
Body finish: Gloss Polyurethane
Bracing: Scalloped X
Body Width Lower Bout: 14″ (356mm)
Body Depth Lower Bout: 4 1/8″ (105mm)
Strings: D’Addario EXP16
Nut and Saddle: NuBone
Tuning machines: Guild Tuning Machine GBB2SH Slotted Head Butterbean 18:1 Nickel


"P-240 MEMOIR
Series: Westerly Collection

Here to help you write your own story—the P-240 Memoir. This small-bodied parlor guitar is built with a solid spruce top and mahogany back and sides with a sleek, gloss finish and a 12 fret-to-body neck. Compact but powerful, the P-240’s tone is clear and bright–perfect for finger and flatpicking. The mother of pearl rosette, vintage-inspired Guild Script Logo and slotted headstock pay homage to the classic styling of instruments from the 1920s. The P-240’s sound is instantly familiar and, despite its small size, full and precise—almost as if its tone has been perfected over years of fireside strumming and family jamming.


MSRP: $695"

P-240_Front.jpg

P-240_Back.jpg

P-240_Detail1.jpg
P-240_Detail2.jpg

P-240_Detail4.jpg






Ralf
 
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Walter Broes

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Hmmm...another generic "parlour-y" MIC guitar. Every other brand has one, so I guess Guild needed one too. meh.
 

Nuuska

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Hello

Can not see it on Guild website - maybe later . . .

It is bigger than my -57 Gibson - by 1 inch at lower bout.

Perhaps same body size as Songbird or ? ? ?


Is there a general size for parlour size guitars anyway?
I recall having seen many quite small guitars, that were old already at 1970.
I even have a back panel of unknown old guitar, that is slightly smaller than my -57 Gibson - waist is narrower and at lower position.
How about scale lengths - were they "normal" - or short?



A real good quality USA built Guild Parlour guitar with 14 fret fingerboard, 23 inch scale and 12-13 lower bout would be a treat. Gold hardware plus moderate bling.
Maybe choice of rosewood and mahogany - so I could buy both - one natural - one sunburst.

I would immediately sell my dear -57 Gibson LG 3/4 to finance those new Guilds . . . o h - please - please - please ! ! !

Ohhh happy day . . .

Am I dreaming or what ?
 
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At 14" the Guild is between the Martin 0 and 00 specs, and thus not, historically, a parlor size instrument.

FWIW, "parlor guitar" is a term that I first encountered at shows in the 1990s, where it applied to instruments smaller than the Martin 0, usually in the 12" range that was considered standard before 1920 or so. The scale length was also in the range of the old Martins--24.9-25.4". (A 23" scale would be very short--a Baby Taylor comes in at 22.75" and a GS Mini at 23.5".) So Martin 1 and 2 models and turn-of-the-century Washburns in the 100 range got called "parlor" models thanks to a rather inaccurate notion of who played them--ladies in parlors--when all kinds of photographic evidence showed them in the hands of working men. They were just then-standard size guitars, often the least expensive models. But Washburn, for example, built a range of sizes with labels like "concert" and "grand concert." Here's the kind I saw a lot of in my show-attending days--I have one very like it:

http://pickerssupply.com/vintage-instruments/c-1897-washburn-model-111-acoustic-guitar

And an example of a bigger, fancier model from 1906:

http://pickerssupply.com/vintage-instruments/1906-washburn-model-435-grand-concert-guitar

There are plenty of historical accounts of the evolution of the modern steel-string guitar that include details of body size, scale length, bracing patterns, naming conventions, and so on.
 
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Which doesn't make it an historically accurate usage.* A steel-string guitar with a form factor close to that of a classical guitar is just a smallish (by mid-20th-century standards) guitar. "Parlor" has become a marketing label attached to instruments smaller than, say, a 000 or dreadnaught. The actual guitars that inspired the guitar-show marketing label--ones that 19th-century middle-class ladies might have actually played in the drawing-room--were the then-standard-size models from Martin or Lyon & Healy.

Attaching "parlor" to smaller-than-size-0 guitars might have something to do with the fact that the music the ladies played was called "parlor music," compositions aimed at amateur players. (John Renbourn did a degree in this area--"Spanish Fandango" and "Sebastapol" were originally a parlor pieces that migrated into the folk tradition.)

Yes, I'm a fussbudget, but writers and teachers (I've worked as both) get to fuss.

* I know all about semantic shift--I used to teach basic linguistics.
 

sailingshoes72

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Attaching "parlor" to smaller-than-size-0 guitars might have something to do with the fact that the music the ladies played was called "parlor music," compositions aimed at amateur players. (John Renbourn did a degree in this area--"Spanish Fandango" and "Sebastapol" were originally a parlor pieces that migrated into the folk tradition.)

Here you go...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gejX1u7BipQ
 

beecee

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Nice,,,made me pull out the 12 fret Orph this morning.
 

Bill Ashton

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That looks almost identical to the MIJ Audition (Woolworth's house brand) I got in 1966 as my first guitar, she really does. Sadly that old girl went off to the knackers
long ago, but that might be a worthy replacement for sentimental reasons...
 

D30Man

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It seems like Larrivee played a pretty big part in bringing the “parlor” style guitar back to the guitar playing masses in the late 90’s..
Well either way, that Petros she is playing in the video is gorgeous. I want one. Though at 6 foot 4 inches it is bound to look more like a Ukelele on me..
 

Rayk

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The February AG has a full page ad for the Guild P-240 Memoir, an MIC 12 fret slothead. Anybody played one? With a list of $695, street price could be ~$450, within my budget for a maybe, maybe not keeper. Don't see it listed for sale anywhere in a quick search. I'm always on the lookout for a nice 12/slothead, wonder if there are any plans to ad it to the USA made models.
Brad

There's some deals out there on the Blueridge parlor models .
I got my eye on the BR 371
but there are lesser priced models .
 

D30Man

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There's some deals out there on the Blueridge parlor models .
I got my eye on the BR 371
but there are lesser priced models .

Ray musician's friend has an open box BR-371 for $777.. Not too bad.

https://www.musiciansfriend.com/guitars/blueridge-br-371-parlor-acoustic-guitar

I know I might raise a few eyebrows, but as much as I love MIC Guilds, Blue Ridge and Eastman seem to me to be about the best MIC's out there.. My opinion based on personal experience.. I have not picked up an Eastman or a BR that wasn't stellar..
 

Mark WW

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I did a search for 12 fret on Guild site and it showed up on page 3. Does not show up in Westerly Collection lineup. I love 12 frets but am pretty happy with my cheapO Recording King ROS-06 but...
 
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