Bearclaw is certainly not a finish or tonal "defect". Lotsa high end builders have even been charging more for it it over the past decade or so, due to it's relative rarity, now. If one pays attention, it's actually fairly common to find bearclaw swirls & such in classic axes from the 50-60s including Martins, Guilds, & Gibsons. Actually, I never thought much about it, cosmetics make zero difference to me. Tone does. I tried out about 25 of every model of guitar I own, including my two guild keepers: a '70s F412 & D-40 before actually deciding on The Ones. (I'm a strong believer in patience as part of prudence in just about everything)
Just a coupla years ago, I happened to notice that almost every acoustic I've ever liked & now own has pretty pronounced bearclaw, including both Guilds. I just never noticed, because that's not how I pick guitars...but it certainly indicates that there not tonal problems, at least where I'm concerned. Then again, I mainly play my guitars & hardly ever just look at 'em.
Just a coupla years ago, I happened to notice that almost every acoustic I've ever liked & now own has pretty pronounced bearclaw, including both Guilds. I just never noticed, because that's not how I pick guitars...but it certainly indicates that there not tonal problems, at least where I'm concerned. Then again, I mainly play my guitars & hardly ever just look at 'em.