Guild D55

[AlanSam]

ok - I will bite the bullet! I have been looking at a used Guild D55 here in the UK. It is 2005 natural gloss, advertised as in mint condition. Prices do not translate well between US and UK markets because of the very different tax regimes (the UK is quite a bit more expensive) but it is 57% the price of the cheapest brand new D55 (a nitro finish I noticed) I can find. I know some people lay great store by the factory location where these guitars were made. Any advice/comments would be well received.

[Bert]

Guilds are normally very good guitars. 2005 should be ok.... not too old. Older Guilds often need a (difficult) neck reset. That's the big thing to watch out for. I did the neck reset on my 1971 F112, many luthiers don't like to take in Guilds.

There is Guild forum which might be of assist:

http://letstalkguild.com/ltg/forum.php

[AlanSam]

Guilds are normally very good guitars. 2005 should be ok.... not too old. Older Guilds often need a (difficult) neck reset. That's the big thing to watch out for. I did the neck reset on my 1971 F112, many luthiers don't like to take in Guilds.

There is Guild forum which might be of assist:

http://letstalkguild.com/ltg/forum.php

Bert - thanks

[Dmaples63]

What's the deal on the Guild neck resets?

[Bert]

Most of what I know came from the reset experiment I did with my 71' F112.  The guru of Guild history is a guy named Hans Moust (LetsTalkGuild), he confirmed what I thought.  The dovetail seam, where you pump in the steam varies from guitar to guitar.  Most builders put the seam directly under the 15th fret (14fret models).  You can see in my pic that's where I drilled the small hole and pumped the steam... damnit why won't this neck budge.  Trial & error til I found that bugga about a 1/4" away.

The first Guilds were built in the early 60s in Hoboken NJ, then moved to Westerly, RI around 1969-70.   Many crazy inconsistencies happened during those yrs in manufacturing.  There were at least three diff versions of the F112, mine was mfg in Westerly.  The irony is, of course, that they made some fab guitars during those nutzo times.

My dumb butt thought the Guild would make a perfect project guitar, turned out ok and still plays fine, but... %$(^@#+  Many luthiers over the years have had worse to say.  bert


still ticking

[AlanSam]

Bert is an engineer who has actually done a Guild neck reset, so he is the man! The luthier I recently bought my e8d from, when asked about this exercise also mentioned that the glues Guild used vary tremendously. A dour and taciturn scot, he didn't seem inclined to elaborate on what was clearly a sore point, and I didn't push it ha!

[Pura Vida]

Aside from a wide breadth of experience, Bert has an amazingly illustrative photo for nearly every conversation.

I've always wanted to get a guitar from my birth year (1971), and for a time, I thought that maybe I'd look for a Guild... until I heard how problematic their neck resets can be.  But I've got my hands full with new / new-ish guitars, and the E10SS/v has scratched the vintage itch, for now.

[Bert]

Thanks for the kind words.  Guild is a torn story with all the moves and business miscues.  They made guitars that were much like CFMs of the day but different, like the small jumbo and jumbo.  They have a fine legacy as far as good sounding guitars go.  They are currently owned by Cordoba and are being made in S. Calif, wish them well.

Many players focus on the vintage guitar market, lots of pot holes to avoid is my opinion.  Most Martin people consider vintage to be guitars 1969 and earlier.  Say pre-war and the price goes up up up.   Martin did not start putting truss rods in their guitars until 1985. No way I would buy a 1984 or earlier!!!

Acoustics from 5-20yrs old have many less pot holes is my thought.  If you can find a model you like in those years, they are probably played-in plus other benefits... if the neck is ok.

bert

[Pura Vida]

Yeah, it was more about the birth year, TBH.  I ruled out CFM for the reasons you state, plus the 70s Martins were considered to be overbuilt, as a reaction to warranty work on older models.  I planned on passing down at least one guitar to each of my kids, but maybe I'll look for a 2005 and 2008 for them.  

[Dmaples63]

Thanks for the response on the neck reset. Yes, not being in a standard place for steaming is an issue and nice to know about. I had not heard this in the past. Always nice to learn "fun facts!"