F30R, New Hartford, Mint to Excellent Condition

theactor19

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I own a NH F30R and I gotta say, its my number 1 instrument. And I own Vintage Strat, Rickenbacker 12 string, Vox Continental Organ and Fender Rhodes, and this guitar is still my favourite.

I purchased my F30R because I really loved the tone of Paul Simon's acoustic guitar from the Simon & Garfunkel days in the '60s. This is this sweet, rich tone that is very beautiful. My fav strings on the F30R is La Bella Silk and Steel strings. It gives a very mellow, woody and dark sweetness. Very rich with warm harmonic overtones. I just love playing. In fact, I'm playing it right now.. works great for me as I don't use a pick, rather my finger nails and the tone it produces is very special to me. Will cherish this instrument for years to come, and hope you find yours too!

P.s. Don't get cutaway. Guild acoustic guitars are about the acoustic sound IMO, and a cutaway/pickup takes away from the pure acoustic sound
 

walrus

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P.s. Don't get cutaway. Guild acoustic guitars are about the acoustic sound IMO, and a cutaway/pickup takes away from the pure acoustic sound

This has been discussed before on LTG, and the consensus was that if this has any validity at all, it is negligible at best. At least to my ears (admittedly not what they used to be!) my F-30RCE sounds great!

Here's a thread where I asked a very similar question regarding pickups/battery packs in an acoustic guitar:

http://www.letstalkguild.com/ltg/sh...e-effect-on-unplugged-sound&highlight=f-30rce

The value of the cutaway is really about how you play, IMHO. I love mine, simply because I am sometimes playing chords and single notes down by the 12th fret and/or beyond. And if I am losing any "acoustic sound", I can't tell!

walrus
 

adorshki

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This has been discussed before on LTG, and the consensus was that if this has any validity at all, it is negligible at best.
Yes it's based on the known fact that the vast majority of sound is produced in the area of the lower bout below the bridge.
The upper bouts are practically dead.
But it's possible theactor does have sensitive enough ears to hear it so I left it alone when I first saw it.
Maybe a more empirical proof is in order:.
Guild's absolute top of the line archtop (or guitar, for that matter)was the Benedetto Artist Award.
Sure a cutaway's kind of mandatory for a jazz guitar but I humbly submit that it wouldn't sound any better without it:
rfenaq8v2dvybwrpfwv5.jpg

And while it's true a UST could block some vibration transmission to the bridge in "the bad old days", I humbly submit that current technology has also reduced that problem to virtually nil.
Having said all that, I suspect was a reason Guild used the F40 body as the basis for its extensive series of cutaway electric designs starting with the F47ce in the '80's.
I suspect they discovered it was the best suited size to give up the least acoustic tone for unplugged use.
Be assured my ownership of one of the family in no way influences my impartial input.
:glee:
 

chazmo

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Well, I'm going to dissent from that collective opinion. I've tried several cutaway models over the years (different brands) where I could compare, and I've always preferred the sound of the full-bodies.

Playability??? Convenience??? Sure. Well, there are many reasons to go for a cutaway, but my opinion is that there's some (negative) impact on tone. Can't speak about archies, though... No experience.
 

adorshki

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Pretty hard to prove one way or the other but I'm with you Chazmo

Initially supported by chladni pattern and laser interferometry analysis of where vibrations focus in a moving top, but when looking for images yesterday, couldn't find any for cutaways, and have to admit therefore that I can't present evidence that the cutaway doesn't actually affect what happens in the lower bout when part of the top bout's absent.
I now must revise my position back to "jury is still out" as far as physical evidence, unless I finally find some pics of cutaways under the same analysis.
I could offer my perception that it certainly doesn't seem to hold my F65ce back and it's even shallow depth besides.
 

bobouz

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As I believe it to be true with almost any line of a given guitar model, generalizations re tone have limited use as reference info, rather than hard fact. There are so many individual factors effecting tone, that separating them out and forming a conclusion based on a few examples is probably not going to tell the full story - even with something that seems as structurally major as a cutaway vs non-cutaway.

Play as many as you can of the model (or models) under consideration, and buy the one that sounds best to your ears.
 

F312

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You must admit, there is something missing in a C, minor or not.

Ralph.
 

adorshki

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You must admit, there is something missing in a C, minor or not.

Ralph.

yeesh yer on a roll!!
:glee:

Ok, here's an example of what chladni patterns show is happening in a moving guitar top, all the action's in the lower bout:
chladni-guitars.jpg

As I mentioned, though, I haven't seen anything for cutaway bodies and I realized that for all I know the absence of some portion of the upper bout may well affect what happens in the remaining area.
Whether it's significant might be one of those "subjective" issues, depends entirely on how we define "significant".
Then there's this:
airresonance3.jpg

From here:
http://polettipiano.com/Pages/airresengpaul.html
 

Grassdog

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The cutaway design may in fact have negligible effect on the sound, but I think the aesthetic of the instrument during the 1960's when Paul Simon played one (the quintessential F-30 look, if you will) plays a part in why some people are drawn to the instrument without a cutaway. Sometimes we want to play the same guitar our biggest musical influences played and I don't think there's anything wrong with that.
 

walrus

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The cutaway design may in fact have negligible effect on the sound, but I think the aesthetic of the instrument during the 1960's when Paul Simon played one (the quintessential F-30 look, if you will) plays a part in why some people are drawn to the instrument without a cutaway. Sometimes we want to play the same guitar our biggest musical influences played and I don't think there's anything wrong with that.

Agreed. As a huge Beatles fan, I used to have two different Epiphone Casinos. Still have a VOX amp.

Luckily though, there are only a few Simon and Garfunkel songs I can listen to, so the cutaway is OK for me!

walrus
 

Grassdog

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Agreed. As a huge Beatles fan, I used to have two different Epiphone Casinos. Still have a VOX amp.

Luckily though, there are only a few Simon and Garfunkel songs I can listen to, so the cutaway is OK for me!

walrus

Big Beatles fan here too Walrus. Yeah those Casino's are nice. I remember wanting one of the sunburst J-160E's that John and George played in the early days but none of those I ever played sounded good to me. But I did finally end up with a slope shouldered Gibby SJ that has been wonderful.

I think what got me interested in Guilds when when I saw Tom Petty playing a D212M or D25-12 on SNL (on the track Into The Great Wide Open as I recall). Somehow, up to that point, I had never really been interested in Guilds. And I don't even think Tom was that big of a Guild guy (I think Mike Campbell bought that guitar). Looking back on it, it shows how seeing an artist (a powerful artist like Petty in particular) playing a particular guitar can have a big influence on what gear we want to play.
 

Rich Cohen

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Hey GuildinAtlanda! I apologize if you are swamped by all the good vibes and info that our fellow LTGers are providing you as a newcomer! For you guys, I'm the one who directed GuildinAtlanta to join LTG.
Rich
 

GuildInAtlanta

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Hey GuildinAtlanda! I apologize if you are swamped by all the good vibes and info that our fellow LTGers are providing you as a newcomer! For you guys, I'm the one who directed GuildinAtlanta to join LTG.
Rich

I truly appreciate all the advice and support.

As a small gesture, during my search I came across a NOS GSR F40 that can be had for a very good price. As far as I can tell there's nothing wrong with the guitar, and it's actually very beautiful. Since I've decided to stay focused on finding the right F30 for me, I thought I'd pass this information along to anyone in the hunt for an F40...or maybe a deal on a great new Guild!? :smug: If you want details just send me a personal message.
 

adorshki

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Hey GuildinAtlanda! I apologize if you are swamped by all the good vibes and info that our fellow LTGers are providing you as a newcomer! For you guys, I'm the one who directed GuildinAtlanta to join LTG.
Rich
Some fraternities subject pledges to hazing such as heavy drinking.
Most of us being a little old for such activities but still frat boys at heart in many ways, we engage new members in epic veers as a sign of good will.
:biggrin-new:
 

GuildInAtlanta

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Are there other F30 Guild owners in Atlanta?

I've realized my knowledge of the F30 tone, or any New Hartford guitars, is limited to the only one that I've played. Is there any chance I could meet some Guild players in the Atlanta area who may own a F30 from New Hartford, other New Hartford models, or a great sounding F30 from another factory?

I'm trying to determine if there's a certain tonal thumbprint that can be attributed to all New Hartford guitars. At this point I'm positive there are great guitars which have come out of every US factory, but my gut tells me each factory may have a overall sonic signature across their lines.

If you're interested in meeting to let me hear your prized Guild please let me know! I'm sure I can come up with a beverage of your choice to celebrate the moment. :smug:
 
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I have had many Guilds over the years -- mostly Westerlies -- and IMHO, the New Hartford builds are the highest quality. My D40 has red spruce top and bracing, scalloped bracing, high end open back Gotah tuners -- just a gorgeous guitar that competes with all the modern boutique guitars out there in the over 3k range. I can't make that claim about Westerlies I have known (though the 1974 F-212 I just bought is outstanding!)....
 

Rayk

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Are there other F30 Guild owners in Atlanta?

I've realized my knowledge of the F30 tone, or any New Hartford guitars, is limited to the only one that I've played. Is there any chance I could meet some Guild players in the Atlanta area who may own a F30 from New Hartford, other New Hartford models, or a great sounding F30 from another factory?

I'm trying to determine if there's a certain tonal thumbprint that can be attributed to all New Hartford guitars. At this point I'm positive there are great guitars which have come out of every US factory, but my gut tells me each factory may have a overall sonic signature across their lines.

If you're interested in meeting to let me hear your prized Guild please let me know! I'm sure I can come up with a beverage of your choice to celebrate the moment. :smug:

I have the F30r no F 30 and 5.5 hrs a way give or take but what I can tell you is two or three of one's I tried out were excellent one of them was beyond excellent in tone .
 

GuildInAtlanta

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Thanks again to everyone for your thoughts and feedback.

At this point I've decided to narrow my search a bit more. Although I'm still in the hunt for a New Hartford F30R, I've decided to pass on cutaway versions in the near term. In reality I just don't need a cutaway for most of the music I play, and generally I gravitate to the standard OM shaped guitars anyway. My dream version would be one with great sunburst top, but open to natural tops as well. Below is a link to the one that I played, although it's no longer for sale.

http://www.maplestreetguitars.com/show_item.php?dep=28&cat=UAE&item=F-30R STD AB

If you have it's identical twin please send me a message and lets talk!
 
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