Synchro
Member
I received my second Newark St. Guild two days ago, a natural finish A150 Savoy. First, a bit of history:
I have loved arch tops since I started playing in 1966. My first guitar was a Harmony Master, a 16" archtop, and I've owned a number of arch tops since. The high points were a Gibson Johnny Smith model, a Heritage Eagle and a Gretsch Country Club (which is a solid topped 17" arch top but still has cut-in pickups and a Bigsby).
The Johnny Smith was purchased new, back in the '70s and was a source of much disappointment. I never got the sound that I liked and it had recurring problems with the top. A dealer convinced Gibson (back in the Kalamazoo days) to replace the top, but the guitar I got back was not at all good sounding and I had enough of this instrument, which had developed problems almost immediately after I purchased it. The first Gibson authorized repairman that looked at it said that the wood was not properly aged or dried and I believe him.
The Heritage was the opposite, beautiful sounding and played well, but it did not age well and became a bit crotchety. I sold it some time ago, with a somewhat broken heart. Before it "got sick" it was an amazing guitar, a true rhythm cannon that I played acoustically. The OEM Heritage pickup was basically a joke. The output was puny and muddy at the same time. Because I didn't use it on stage I ended up swapping on the acoustic pick guard and kept it as a pure acoustic. I used round wound strings and actually used to for a Country recording in place of a flattop.
I've made it a point to play as many arch tops as possible, just to find out what was possible. I've been privileged to play a real D'Aquisto, a Denny Stevens (Seattle area luthier), any number of Gibsons, a Harvest (a beautifully crafted 17" carved top guitar made in a Chinese cello factory and house-branded for Melody Music in Denver) and any number of other arch tops. Of all the arch tops I have ever played there were three that stood out. The Harvest sounded like a good example of a Gibson Johnny Smith but lacked the somewhat annoying treble bias that some Smiths seem to have. I also played a Gibson Le Grand, basically the Johnny Smith model after Smith withdrew his endorsement, and this was quite good. I played an Artist Award, perhaps 10 years ago, that was sublime. All three of the guitars mentioned above, in my book, represented the ultimate archtop sound. All three were 17", carved top guitars with floating pickups and X bracing except on the Artist Award.
Anyhow, after selling the Heritage I went without a traditional Jazz axe, although I have a couple of Gretsches that'll do in a pinch. (Actually, the Country Club does a decent impression of Wes Montgomery's L-5.) After seeing the incredible value of the N.S. Starfire III that I recently bought I decided to move forward and get a Savoy, in natural. This was terra incognito for me, I don't know that I had ever even seen a Savoy in the flesh. But I chanced it and wasn't disappointed.
Balance is the first word that comes to mind. Even though this is a new archtop and will take time to break in, it sounds quite good right out of the box and the string to string balance is excellent. It's very solid, very easy to play and has great action. The pickup is a pleasant surprise. It's pretty well balanced, although it is somewhat bassy, a trait common to many floating pickup arch tops I've played. It's definitely a serviceable Jazz sound and, so far, I'm still using the OEM D'Addario Chromes, a string set that I find a bit on the dark side, compared to the Thomastiks I typically use.
It's a one trick pony and that trick is "mellow tones". It's good for Jazz and, perhaps, melodic solos on very soft Rock. The downside is feedback, it would be hard to play this anywhere approaching the stage volumes of the Country Rock band to which I belong. It might do alright for strictly rhythm duty, but it's not the guitar I would choose to play above coffee shop or small Jazz club volumes. Within the realm of its intended uses it does quite well and I marvel at the sound I get in return for the money spent.
The fit and finish are excellent and the wood was a pleasant surprise. The spruce top had nice straight grain and the maple laminate on the back and sides has lovely flame. Its a simple, straightforward version of a Jazz axe. It's something along the lines of the little brother to the Artist Award and there is a definite family resemblance to the sounds.
The Artist Award the captured my attention 10 years ago left a very good impression with me. It was one of the finest Jazz guitars I ever played. I won't claim that this Savoy is in the same league as an Artist Award, but it definitely deserves to be called Jazz guitar and I hope that I am blessed to make some serious music on this over the years to come.
As a final note, Stick n' Strings in Tucson, Arizona gave me a great deal on this guitar and even called a day later to follow up and make certain I was happy with my purchase. They are a fine example of a family owned music store that has held the visigoths at bay in spite of being only a few miles from the nearest GC. They take things seriously there, are wiling to deal and remind me of the way music stores used to be back in the day. They are a Guild dealer and have treated me well. They also have in stock one of very few M75s in black in case you know of someone that is looking for such an instrument. I have no affiliation with these folks but believe that a good dealer deserves a plug now and then.
I have loved arch tops since I started playing in 1966. My first guitar was a Harmony Master, a 16" archtop, and I've owned a number of arch tops since. The high points were a Gibson Johnny Smith model, a Heritage Eagle and a Gretsch Country Club (which is a solid topped 17" arch top but still has cut-in pickups and a Bigsby).
The Johnny Smith was purchased new, back in the '70s and was a source of much disappointment. I never got the sound that I liked and it had recurring problems with the top. A dealer convinced Gibson (back in the Kalamazoo days) to replace the top, but the guitar I got back was not at all good sounding and I had enough of this instrument, which had developed problems almost immediately after I purchased it. The first Gibson authorized repairman that looked at it said that the wood was not properly aged or dried and I believe him.
The Heritage was the opposite, beautiful sounding and played well, but it did not age well and became a bit crotchety. I sold it some time ago, with a somewhat broken heart. Before it "got sick" it was an amazing guitar, a true rhythm cannon that I played acoustically. The OEM Heritage pickup was basically a joke. The output was puny and muddy at the same time. Because I didn't use it on stage I ended up swapping on the acoustic pick guard and kept it as a pure acoustic. I used round wound strings and actually used to for a Country recording in place of a flattop.
I've made it a point to play as many arch tops as possible, just to find out what was possible. I've been privileged to play a real D'Aquisto, a Denny Stevens (Seattle area luthier), any number of Gibsons, a Harvest (a beautifully crafted 17" carved top guitar made in a Chinese cello factory and house-branded for Melody Music in Denver) and any number of other arch tops. Of all the arch tops I have ever played there were three that stood out. The Harvest sounded like a good example of a Gibson Johnny Smith but lacked the somewhat annoying treble bias that some Smiths seem to have. I also played a Gibson Le Grand, basically the Johnny Smith model after Smith withdrew his endorsement, and this was quite good. I played an Artist Award, perhaps 10 years ago, that was sublime. All three of the guitars mentioned above, in my book, represented the ultimate archtop sound. All three were 17", carved top guitars with floating pickups and X bracing except on the Artist Award.
Anyhow, after selling the Heritage I went without a traditional Jazz axe, although I have a couple of Gretsches that'll do in a pinch. (Actually, the Country Club does a decent impression of Wes Montgomery's L-5.) After seeing the incredible value of the N.S. Starfire III that I recently bought I decided to move forward and get a Savoy, in natural. This was terra incognito for me, I don't know that I had ever even seen a Savoy in the flesh. But I chanced it and wasn't disappointed.
Balance is the first word that comes to mind. Even though this is a new archtop and will take time to break in, it sounds quite good right out of the box and the string to string balance is excellent. It's very solid, very easy to play and has great action. The pickup is a pleasant surprise. It's pretty well balanced, although it is somewhat bassy, a trait common to many floating pickup arch tops I've played. It's definitely a serviceable Jazz sound and, so far, I'm still using the OEM D'Addario Chromes, a string set that I find a bit on the dark side, compared to the Thomastiks I typically use.
It's a one trick pony and that trick is "mellow tones". It's good for Jazz and, perhaps, melodic solos on very soft Rock. The downside is feedback, it would be hard to play this anywhere approaching the stage volumes of the Country Rock band to which I belong. It might do alright for strictly rhythm duty, but it's not the guitar I would choose to play above coffee shop or small Jazz club volumes. Within the realm of its intended uses it does quite well and I marvel at the sound I get in return for the money spent.
The fit and finish are excellent and the wood was a pleasant surprise. The spruce top had nice straight grain and the maple laminate on the back and sides has lovely flame. Its a simple, straightforward version of a Jazz axe. It's something along the lines of the little brother to the Artist Award and there is a definite family resemblance to the sounds.
The Artist Award the captured my attention 10 years ago left a very good impression with me. It was one of the finest Jazz guitars I ever played. I won't claim that this Savoy is in the same league as an Artist Award, but it definitely deserves to be called Jazz guitar and I hope that I am blessed to make some serious music on this over the years to come.
As a final note, Stick n' Strings in Tucson, Arizona gave me a great deal on this guitar and even called a day later to follow up and make certain I was happy with my purchase. They are a fine example of a family owned music store that has held the visigoths at bay in spite of being only a few miles from the nearest GC. They take things seriously there, are wiling to deal and remind me of the way music stores used to be back in the day. They are a Guild dealer and have treated me well. They also have in stock one of very few M75s in black in case you know of someone that is looking for such an instrument. I have no affiliation with these folks but believe that a good dealer deserves a plug now and then.
