New Hartford D 40

richardp69 · Feb 24, 2019

I posted a thread on this site a while back saying I had picked this guitar up as a factory second. I have no idea why because it looks really good but there must be a finish flaw or something somewhere on the guitar that these old eyes just can't see.

Anyway, I digress. This is one of 4 D 40's I presently own and I think I'm going to list it for sale. Here's the question (yeah, I know it took me long enough to get here). There is no serial # on the soundhole label and of course, there isn't one stamped into the back of the headstock and as we know New Hartford also did not stamp a built date on the neck block. I have no idea what year the guitar was built. Any suggestions on how I could determine that?

Short of knowing that (and I should know this and don't) in what years were guitars built at New Hartford? At least I could narrow it down a bit.

JohnW63 · Feb 24, 2019

2008 - 2014 ?

Rayk · Feb 25, 2019

Interesting did you get it after the plant closed ? Wasn't there some discussion about NH not selling seconds ?
Maybe it was let go at or near the time the plant closed , just guessing lol ��

twocorgis · Feb 25, 2019

There's probably no way of knowing when it was made Richard. I have a good friend here that has an F50 that also has no serial number, and I have some theories on that that I won't get into here.

beecee · Feb 25, 2019

My D-40 is my fave...not that that helps you.

chazmo · Feb 25, 2019

Production in New Hartford was Jan 2009 through mid-2014. I don't know when the D-40s were introduced, but they were not first off the line (that was D-55).

Sadly, without the serial number label, we cannot help narrow it down.

Just checking, but there is no USED stamp on the back of the headstock, is there?

richardp69 · Feb 25, 2019

No, not stamped on the back of the headstock, only written on the soundhole label.

chazmo · Feb 25, 2019

Oh, but there is a label? Ah, well that's pretty interesting.

Yeah, I could conjecture on the origin of this, but it's just guess work. I think the lack of the USED stamp probably means this was *not* sold through reclamation by MIRC.

Sadly, this is the price we now pay (not knowing, that is, and not being able to authenticate) as a result of Tacoma and New Hartford jettisoning the physical branding on the guitar.

Westerly Wood · Feb 25, 2019

richard, why are you selling it?

F312 · Feb 25, 2019

This lack of proper identification is of serious consequences for the future. I would start calling it a flaw in the production of Guild guitars, get with it, Cordoba. Get your a$$ out of your head. I'm not buying one until I see some ID, and that's weird too.

Ralph

richardp69 · Feb 25, 2019

Westerly Wood said:
richard, why are you selling it?

hey there Wood. Selling because I've gone absolutely insane in the last 6 months buying gear. It's all good stuff and I think I got pretty good deals but there comes a time (even with 0 % financing) that I have tp come up with some cash to pay the bill. Plus, I do have 4 of the D 40 models and as much as I like the D 40 model it's hard to rationalize that. I've got 10 or maybe more, I'll be putting out for sale but I'd prefer to wait until the weather gets a bit more humane. Brutal here in NE Michigan right now, just brutal.

Westerly Wood · Feb 25, 2019

richardp69 said:
hey there Wood. Selling because I've gone absolutely insane in the last 6 months buying gear. It's all good stuff and I think I got pretty good deals but there comes a time (even with 0 % financing) that I have to come up with some cash to pay the bill. Plus, I do have 4 of the D 40 models and as much as I like the D 40 model it's hard to rationalize that. I've got 10 or maybe more, I'll be putting out for sale but I'd prefer to wait until the weather gets a bit more humane. Brutal here in NE Michigan right now, just brutal.

i can imagine the weather. so cold up there. terrible snow. total winter. good idea waiting till spring. and someone on LTG will get a great deal on a cool D40. I look at your reverb channel from time to time, you always have something cool in there

Br1ck · Feb 25, 2019

They must have just shelved their seconds in New Hartford. But I know they sold them off to dealers really cheap because I played a finish flawed D 55 I could have had for $1200. I believe no warranty, this is a second, here's your screaming deal price.

I'd pass it along just like that, priced accordingly. Plenty of folks would buy it. New Hartford second. Nothing more needed.

richardp69 · Feb 25, 2019

F312 said:
This lack of proper identification is of serious consequences for the future. I would start calling it a flaw in the production of Guild guitars, get with it, Cordoba. Get your a$$ out of your head. I'm not buying one until I see some ID, and that's weird too.

Ralph

Hey there Ralph. I don't know for certain of course, but this may well have been before Cordoba's time. Who knows. surely not I.

F312 · Feb 25, 2019

richardp69 said:
Hey there Ralph. I don't know for certain of course, but this may well have been before Cordoba's time. Who knows. surely not I.

Yeah, I think it started in Tacoma and should have ended there, IMHO.

Ralph

adorshki · Feb 25, 2019

F312 said:
This lack of proper identification is of serious consequences for the future. I would start calling it a flaw in the production of Guild guitars, get with it, Cordoba. Get your a$$ out of your head. I'm not buying one until I see some ID, and that's weird too.

Ralph

Oxnard-builts have the s/n on a plate on the front of the heelblock.
Better than paper in some ways.

richardp69 said:
Hey there Ralph. I don't know for certain of course, but this may well have been before Cordoba's time. Who knows. surely not I.

S/N's stopped appearing on headstocks in Tacoma.
They appeared on labels in Tacoma and New Hartford.
Lack of a number on that NH is a flag, but probably moot since warranty was for original owner only.

Br1ck said:
They must have just shelved their seconds in New Hartford.

We have seen MIRC re-furbs from NH; it surprised me the first time I saw it, and it was a finish issue "IIRC".
I'm about 95% positive that build flaws were not let out of the building but destroyed, but don't have time to search for confirmation.
(Think Chazmo was the source for both those details, either from an LMG meeting or from one of the "factory guys" a little later on)

Br1ck said:
< But I know they sold them off to dealers really cheap because I played a finish flawed D 55 I could have had for $1200. I believe no warranty, this is a second, here's your screaming deal price.

YES.
When NH was liquidating inventory, there was a dealer helping 'em out (think they bought a large lot of inventory) and either that dealer or NH posted a clear disclosure that some items were "B" stock and would not have warranty.
Perhaps they were readily ID'd as "B" stock by the lack of s/n on label.
Don't think that ever came up.

Br1ck said:
I'd pass it along just like that, priced accordingly. Plenty of folks would buy it. New Hartford second. Nothing more needed.

chazmo · Feb 26, 2019

F312 said:
This lack of proper identification is of serious consequences for the future. I would start calling it a flaw in the production of Guild guitars, get with it, Cordoba. Get your a$$ out of your head. I'm not buying one until I see some ID, and that's weird too.

Ralph

Ralph, your invective is misplaced. CMG has dealt with the problem appropriately. We can thank them for the etched plates that are installed at the base of the neck block on their models.

SFIV1967 · Feb 26, 2019

F312 said:
...get with it, Cordoba.

Incorrect Ralph. Oxnard made Guilds are perfectly marked like Martin guitars are marked:

Ralf

SFIV1967 · Feb 26, 2019

chazmo said:
Production in New Hartford was Jan 2009 through mid-2014. I don't know when the D-40s were introduced, but they were not first off the line (that was D-55).

The D-40 Bluegrass Jubilee started in 2009 shortly after the D-55 and F-50 models. June 2009 serial numbers exist for instance.
Ralf

F312 · Feb 26, 2019

SFIV1967 said:
Incorrect Ralph. Oxnard made Guilds are perfectly marked like Martin guitars are marked:

Ralf

Wiggles, I'm then saying they are two-piece instruments and still need an ID on the headstock, like originally vintage built, or buy a font number and letter stamping kit.

https://www.amazon.com/Stamping-Upp...51207481&sr=8-1&keywords=letter+engraving+kit

Ralph

New Hartford D 40

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