NGD Not Sure???

Cougar

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...I sing solo mellow songs, it overpowers my singing, bass is huge...

Sing louder. :tiger:

OK, seriously, it sounds like everything is darn near perfect. IOW, a keeper. I sometimes go with just my index finger, too. Make sure your nail's cut back? I love a guitar in like-new condition.
 

bobouz

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I once played a Martin 000 that was extremely loud, and at first I was rather impressed. But after playing it for a while, my perception of it's tone began to shift to the point where "harsh sounding" might be the best way to describe it.
 

Rayk

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I once played a Martin 000 that was extremely loud, and at first I was rather impressed. But after playing it for a while, my perception of it's tone began to shift to the point where "harsh sounding" might be the best way to describe it.

Never thought of it that way , I'm Still trying to bond with the Blueridge 283a and though I feel it's not broke in what I'm hearing could be your harsh description.
Interesting , I guess time will tell . 😐
 

theactor19

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To the OP, listen to me when I say this, keep your F-30R. I have the same guitar.. allow me to share my story as I too had second thoughts after receiving it.

I purchased my Guild F-30R several years ago, bought online, so I did not get to play it before hand. When I received it, I loved the way it looked. But upon playing it, it felt a bit lack lustre. Really wasn't in love.. at least at that point. I took it in for a set up to see if that would help but they returned the guitar to me saying no setup was needed. So at that point, I was really unsure.

Over time, I learned how to do my own truss-rod adjustments which is key to having a good sounding/playing instrument. When that neck is at the perfect spot, everything sounds better, players better, more harmonic overtones. So that would the first step to making this guitar better, but I still wasn't in love with it.

So then came time to try different strings. I went through many kinds. One day I was looking at an F-30R online and noticed the fingerboard looked darker than mine. Thats when it clicked. My F-30R must have been sitting in a warehouse for sometime and dried out. So I went and bought some lemon oil. After oiling up the frets, and putting La Bella Medium-Light Silk and Steel strings on it, I at that point fell head-over-heels in love with my F-30R!! With the guitar more humidified and the mellow sound of Silk and Steel strings, I was able to get the most beautiful tone I've ever heard. And the harmonic overtones were just stunning.. unbelievable really. The feeling of the neck, perfect.

I highly highly recommend you try these strings and lemon oil the frets before you sell yours, as I'm sure it'll change the entire guitar. I also prefer mellow singing and this set up is perfect. I've also tried the Thomastik infield plectrums and while they are good, they are a bit bright for my taste and rather expensive. Though they give ever more harmonic overtones, so it depends what you are looking for.

I bought this guitar because its closest to what Paul Simon played in the 60s with Simon and Garfunkel, and that acoustic guitar tone is beyond perfect. And they were signing very soft folk vocal harmonies, and the guild never got in the way of that or was too loud. So please, take my advice.. it won't cost much but could change your whole perspective on this fantastic guitar.

I'll leave you with this... my Guild F-30R is my number one guitar.... even my number 1 instrument and I own loads of vintage instruments. Everyone I play it for comments on how beautiful it sounds. It is so easy to play, it practically plays itself. Would never ever part with it and consider myself lucky to have purchased it brand new before Guild took it out of their catalog.
 

rwmct

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I have the hog back and sides 2011 F-30 Std., bought right here on this forum. Nobody is getting that thing away from me. Not until I kick the bucket.
 

walrus

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To the OP, listen to me when I say this, keep your F-30R. I have the same guitar.. allow me to share my story as I too had second thoughts after receiving it.

I purchased my Guild F-30R several years ago, bought online, so I did not get to play it before hand. When I received it, I loved the way it looked. But upon playing it, it felt a bit lack lustre. Really wasn't in love.. at least at that point. I took it in for a set up to see if that would help but they returned the guitar to me saying no setup was needed. So at that point, I was really unsure.

Over time, I learned how to do my own truss-rod adjustments which is key to having a good sounding/playing instrument. When that neck is at the perfect spot, everything sounds better, players better, more harmonic overtones. So that would the first step to making this guitar better, but I still wasn't in love with it.

So then came time to try different strings. I went through many kinds. One day I was looking at an F-30R online and noticed the fingerboard looked darker than mine. Thats when it clicked. My F-30R must have been sitting in a warehouse for sometime and dried out. So I went and bought some lemon oil. After oiling up the frets, and putting La Bella Medium-Light Silk and Steel strings on it, I at that point fell head-over-heels in love with my F-30R!! With the guitar more humidified and the mellow sound of Silk and Steel strings, I was able to get the most beautiful tone I've ever heard. And the harmonic overtones were just stunning.. unbelievable really. The feeling of the neck, perfect.

I highly highly recommend you try these strings and lemon oil the frets before you sell yours, as I'm sure it'll change the entire guitar. I also prefer mellow singing and this set up is perfect. I've also tried the Thomastik infield plectrums and while they are good, they are a bit bright for my taste and rather expensive. Though they give ever more harmonic overtones, so it depends what you are looking for.

I bought this guitar because its closest to what Paul Simon played in the 60s with Simon and Garfunkel, and that acoustic guitar tone is beyond perfect. And they were signing very soft folk vocal harmonies, and the guild never got in the way of that or was too loud. So please, take my advice.. it won't cost much but could change your whole perspective on this fantastic guitar.

I'll leave you with this... my Guild F-30R is my number one guitar.... even my number 1 instrument and I own loads of vintage instruments. Everyone I play it for comments on how beautiful it sounds. It is so easy to play, it practically plays itself. Would never ever part with it and consider myself lucky to have purchased it brand new before Guild took it out of their catalog.

i don't know what year you F-30 is, but I posted this before - it appears Guild did not oil the fretboard or the bridge of the F-30's out of NH. My '11 F-30RCE came with a bone dry fretboard and bridge. It actually sounded fine, but played and looked better once I oiled it up.

walrus
 

theactor19

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i don't know what year you F-30 is, but I posted this before - it appears Guild did not oil the fretboard or the bridge of the F-30's out of NH. My '11 F-30RCE came with a bone dry fretboard and bridge. It actually sounded fine, but played and looked better once I oiled it up.

walrus

Yeah mine is also from NH. Never thought of oiling the bridge (wood piece). Should I do that? Would it make any different to the tone or purely aesthetic?

Yeah, oiling the fretboard turned it from a good sound to a great one
 

adorshki

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Yeah mine is also from NH. Never thought of oiling the bridge (wood piece). Should I do that? Would it make any different to the tone or purely aesthetic?

Yeah, oiling the fretboard turned it from a good sound to a great one
Suspect the oil wouldn't add enough mass to affect tone but does have aesthetic appeal and helps prevent bridge from drying out which can contribute to cracking and lifting.
Similar issue with fretboard, a dried out board does actually shrink and can let fret ends protrude.
Beware of "lemon oil", most of it's got barely any lemon oil in it at all, in fact the stuff's actually a highly efficient solvent thus the use in "cleaning polishes" like "Lemon Pledge", and most of those contain silicones which impart nice shiny buffing but are very bad for NCL finishes: if they contaminate the wood through finish cracks any future finish touch-up or refinishing would be problematic if not downright impossible.
Also said to be bad for glue joints, lowers the adhesive bond over time.
Guild recommends boiled linseed oil: The oil itself has enough aromatics to evaporate quickly and nicely, boiling it polymerizes it which means it won't get rancid or turn into a gummy mess as it ages.
A lot of folks have other favorites but there's the core of what you want in a conditioner for your fretboard and bridge and why you want to avoid silicones in polishes.
 
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chazmo

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I use very sparse amounts of bore oil, a product used on woodwind instruments. Boiled linseed, as Al suggested, is a good suggestion. What will happen is that a dry bridge (or rosewood fingerboard) will soak the stuff right up and darken considerably. Again, don't use much, just rub it in with your fingers and wipe off the bridge / fingerboard. Use tiny amounts. Once a year is more than enough for me too.
 

jgmaute

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NGD, used off Reverb. F-30R, NH 2011 Standard. Not sure I will keep it. :disturbed: Seller said excellent condition. Guitar is better condition that most new guitars. Not a scratch or smudge. Beautiful. There is a tiny tiny mark/indention lower left of soundboard.

This is the most powerful 000 I have played, leaves Martin's 000-28 and OM-28 in the dust. It sounds and plays more like a dreadnaught or jumbo. I'd have guessed it had an Adi top. I've always preferred sitka vs adi due to the sweeter more mellow sound of sikta, that's is what I expected. Feels like medium strings? I don't think extra light will change it much. I sing solo mellow songs, it overpowers my singing, bass is huge

There has been some discussions about the Specs on a New Hartford 2011 F-30R which this is. The nut width is 1 3/4", the body depth is just over 4 3/16" at the widest point of the lower bout, and 4 3/8" at the endpin. String spacing at saddle 1 6/32", at nut 1 1/2".

Your original post was March 2, do you still have it? If you're still looking for possible strings I'll suggest Martin Flexible Core SP Custom Lights, MFX130 Silk and phosphor. They are a silk and steel but have a mellow/bright sound since they are phosphor. I use them on my Martin 00-21NY and they are great. If you have made a decision about the guitar let us know what you decided and why.

Edit: I just saw you listed it here and sold it on Reverb.
 
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