NGD - Guild CV-1

stormin1155

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A friend of mine, who is also a customer, has a couple of these, and I've worked on them, so when this popped up on Craigslist I didn't waste any time grabbing it. I love this guitar! The looks, the size, the way it plays, and the way it SOUNDS!

Guild calls this a Grand Orchestra, and I was always under the impression that they were between an OM and a dreadnaught. It's slightly thinner than a dread, and the upper bout slightly smaller, but the lower bout is actually wider. Great neck! I love the 1-3/4" nut!

When I got it, it had EJ16s on it and sounded a bit muted. Kind of had that Gibson thump. I put some EB Aluminum Bronze strings and some water buffalo bridge pins on it which brightened it up and gave it a bit more punch. I'll be experimenting with different strings, but I really like the way it sounds now. Just the few hours I've played it, it has really opened up. I don't think the previous owner played it much.

This is my third Guild. I also have a 1972 D-35 and a GAD25.

Guild-cv1-1.jpg

Guild-cv1-2.jpg

Guild-cv1-3.jpg

Guild-cv1-4.jpg
 

Stuball48

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Congratulations on a beautiful guitar. You description sounded like an excited new owner.
 

docfishr

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Beautiful guitar!
I have had 3 Contemporary Series Guilds and feel they are seriously underrated in the market. They have all been wonderful sounding instruments but those cedar top models are special. I have read of owners having trouble with the bolt on necks going whacky so they give up on the guitar. I have worked on several of those and find them very easy to correct unless the graphite neck block has broken (some folks try to over tighten the bolts).
I recently picked up a CO-2C for under $400 because it had a crack in the top from bridge to heel. It was an easy fix and is a great guitar.
Thanks for posting the great pics and enjoy that beauty.
 

adorshki

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A friend of mine, who is also a customer, has a couple of these, and I've worked on them, so when this popped up on Craigslist I didn't waste any time grabbing it. I love this guitar! The looks, the size, the way it plays, and the way it SOUNDS!
Congrats!

Guild calls this a Grand Orchestra, and I was always under the impression that they were between an OM and a dreadnaught. It's slightly thinner than a dread, and the upper bout slightly smaller, but the lower bout is actually wider. Great neck! I love the 1-3/4" nut!
It's an F40 body.
As far as I can tell, they made more variants of that size than any other in the line: 43 including the Contemporarys. (Pretty sure I got 'em all)
It's one of the reasons I keep griping about its current absence from the line.
 

stormin1155

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Congrats!


It's an F40 body.
As far as I can tell, they made more variants of that size than any other in the line: 43 including the Contemporarys. (Pretty sure I got 'em all)
It's one of the reasons I keep griping about its current absence from the line.

I'm confused. They DO have a F-40 in the current line, but it is a jumbo-sized body. And some pictures of "F-40s" are different still... the upper bout appears narrower than mine.
 

adorshki

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I'm confused. They DO have a F-40 in the current line, but it is a jumbo-sized body. And some pictures of "F-40s" are different still... the upper bout appears narrower than mine.
Yes, the current F40 is not a true F40 in my conceited opinion because it IS in fact a full 17" lower bout.
New owners Cordoba Music Group even acknowledge it's based on the very short-lived F48 in the description of it on their website.
Grrrrrr.....but Guild has always been somewhat arbitrary about changing specs on model numbers so it's almost a joke that they're simply maintaining that tradition.
They introduced a new model numbering system that now calls an F20 an M40, for instance.
Anyway, the original F40 was Guild's second acoustic flat-top to be introduced, after the F50.
F50 (known as the Navarre)=17" lower bout maple archback.
F40 (known as the Valencia)=16" lower bout maple archback.
THAT outline did change to what we a call a "mini-jumbo" more rounded shape circa early '70's, but the definitive spec was always that 16" (+/- fractions of an inch) lower bout width F body shape.
Here's a '56 in the original "Valencia" outline:
qex9v50ndfunbb5mkkjc.jpg

First F40 lasted from '56 (?-I'm embarrassed to say I can't remember and I don't have the reference guide handy)- '63 when the F47 derivative was introduced, using a 'hog flat back.
An F47 was used by Richie Havens' "lead guitarist" at Woodstock, behind Havens' Guild D40:
havens.woodstock.jpg

F47 lasted until '74 (IIRC) but they were already shipping the revived F40's using the new outline, like this, by '73:
raz0wyq4tqnpwtjosl1p.jpg
.
Around about '81-82 Guild decided the platform was ideal for a new line of acoustic Cutaway Electrics and the F45ce was born:
mgod1z2kln5ktomqsgdy.jpg

A couple of years later noted luthier George Gruhn was approached by Mark Dronge son of Guild founder Al Dronge and asked if he'd like to revamp 2 of Guild's flat-top outlines which yielded 2 new dreadnoughts and the F44 and F46....
I'll fast forward about a decade to this blurb in the '96 catalog regarding the then-latest/highest-end iteration of the "Fce" 's:
F65CE.jpeg

"Guild has designed the ideal guitar for those who are looking for a natural sound plugged or unplugged. The F-Series acoustic-electrics are unmistakably Guild.
The classic Guild Valencia body shape continues in these modern guitars.***
The body has been given a custom cutaway and an oval soundhole. The body depth has been reduced, but the feel and sound is still there. The F65 is the top of the line and it features the classic G shield on the small size headstock for better balance with the body. It comes with all the decoration appropriate for a top of the line Guild."

*** although technically it doesn't, LOL! It's still the "mini-jumbo".
But they did do a limited-edition 45th Anniversary model that used the true Valencia outline:
45thanniversary.JPG

F47 was also revived as a "ce" during this era and was continued on through Corona although actual F40's were on hiatus from about '82 all the way up until Tacoma when the model number was revived in both F40 form and as one of the first models to get the bolt-on neck associated with the "Contemporary Series".
Guild themselves acknowledged the F40 DNA in the Tacoma price list, drop down to the Contemporary Series acoustics for the 4 different "CV" iterations (including cutaway versions):
https://web.archive.org/web/2008091...celists/2008_summer_guild_MSRP_price_list.pdf
and welcome to the "F40" owners club!:

:friendly_wink:
 
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stormin1155

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Adorshki, very interesting and informative. Thanks for sharing.
 

adorshki

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Adorshki, very interesting and informative. Thanks for sharing.

You're welcome!
:friendly_wink:
In the spirit of keeping that post "manageable" I skipped over the "GF" series that evolved from the Gruhn-designed F40-bodies, but any Guild GF- model you come across will have the F40 DNA and might well have been the highest development of the model with all 3 tone woods and both back styles being represented.
Clapton with top of the line GF60R, rosewood flat-back:
4834592694_b1fa040f7d.jpg

TH GF's were succeeded by the revamped "F--ce" line-up:
zWsF6Ag.jpg

My personal "pipe dream" at the moment is a "true" F40 body, tonewood's negotiable but I've never owned any rosewood so could be interesting and would accept a flatback with that wood, could be a shallow body, cutaway not mandatory, with one of those 24-3/4" 24-fret necks with a 1-11/16 nut .
That spec's non-negotiable and I don't think Guild ever made one of those necks with the 1-11/16 nut unless somebody was able to special order it back in the Westerly era.
Since Doyle Dykes recently renewed his relationship with Guild I've got a glimmer of hope they might revive his signature DD6 model based on the F47, and at least give me a platform I could special order on.
IN the meantime if they don't make it I don't have to spend any money.
:glee:
 
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PAPADON

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Nothing less than stunning. Congrats and enjoy that puppy.
 

adorshki

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Nothing less than stunning. Congrats and enjoy that puppy.
Yep, and I keep forgetting to mention it looks like a legitimate triple-A top, too, look at that silking!
In fact I notice in that price list they don't say anything but "solid spruce top" on any of the domestic models, even the D55 and F50.
Wonder if that was their standard by then?
And just noticed the Willie Porter Signature which I'd forgotten all about.
46 variants on the F40. (forgot the M & R variants of the F47ce, too. )
:glee:
The original FX(X)ce's not only had 24 frets, but also 15 frets clear of the body, yeah??

By golly you're right, and I forgot to credit Ralf for posting that pic over here originally:
http://www.letstalkguild.com/ltg/sh...-acoustic-smaller-body-with-cutaway-to-choose
And final note on a subject near to both our hearts, assuming that note about the nut width is correct, these ALSO had a 1-5/8" nut when for years I thought they had the 1-11/16 (because the only nut spec I saw for 24-3/4 scale lengths was 1-11/16" in the '96 catalog, but those aren't the 24 fret necks.
And Acornhouse confirmed his F45ce had the 1-5/8 nut as well, so pretty sure that nut width spec is correct on those versions as well.
 
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Rayk

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Congrats and welcome to the club though I sold mine a new one is on back order in my mind
Seems the Contemporary line is catching on .
 
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