Introduction/neck question

[MCharles]

Hey all!

First post here. Just wanted to introduce myself and ask a question.

Former owner of a '74 Guild D-25CH and an '80 F-30SB. I'm currently Guild-less following an interest in Martins of a number of years. Still love Martins but I am seriously jonesing to have a Guild back in the house. I really loved the two that I had. I'm particularly interested in a D-35 or D-40. Also, I'm interested mainly in Westerly instruments. I know a lot of the recent instruments are fantastic but I just want something very broken-in.

My requirement is that I love chunky necks with a fat C or U profile--the prototypical "baseball-bat" neck shape. My '80 F-30 had that kind of neck, whereas the D-25 had more a moderate C shape.

Is there a traceable history of Guild's neck shape changes? Or is it all over the map due to hand-carving (a la Martin's pre-CNC necks)? In my experience it seems that Guild's necks got very chunky from the late-70s into the early 80s. I played a c. '79 D-25M at an open mic the other night that had this kind of fat neck. Also one of the heaviest acoustic guitars I've ever picked up but it sounded great.

So I'd really appreciate it if someone could point me to a reference or info. on when Guild used certain neck profiles.

Thanks a lot. Good to be here!

Mike

 

[frettedstrings]

My 1975 D-35 has a chucky neck !

 

[MCharles]

My 1975 D-35 has a chucky neck !

Uh-oh.

What sort of tone quality does it have? Admittedly, my experience with Guilds is mainly with the arched-back models.

 

[Ridgemont]

Haven't played too many old Westerly Guilds but my D25 from '97 has a low profile neck whereas my '98 F30 is a fatty. While I have found comfort in playing all neck shapes and sizes thus far, I tend to prefer the thick neck as well. Wouldn't even mind having a modified V laying around.

 

[GardMan]

MCharles,
Welcome to LTG! I saw your post on the UMGF (or was it AGF?), and wondered when we'd see you over here.

From what I understand from past discussions here, shaping necks at the Westerly plant involved a lot of handwork with little in the way of templates, so there was quite a bit of variablility. The necks of my 7 Guild dreads (and another that I sold) range from slim ('92 D-55) to pretty chunky ('74 D-25, '76 D-50, and '78 D-35). However, despite their differences, they are similar enough that I have no trouble going from one to the other in one playing session. If I were to rank the necks of my dreads from slim to chunky, it would go:

Slim.... '92 D-55 < ('74 G-37 ~ '81 D-46) < '72 D-35 (very close to the G-37 and D-46)< '71 D-44 < ('76 D-50 ~'74 D-25) < '78 D-35 ....chunky. It's actually not that straightforward, since there are also slight differences in width (altho' all are 1-11/16" nuts), fretboard radius, and other factors that affect the "feel."

The only one I DIDN'T like (which played a role in getting it sold) was my wife's '78 D-35. Not only was it chunky overall, it had a strange taper... getting noticeably thicker as you moved up from the 7th fret or so. As you moved closer to the heel, it was downright fat.

So you might just have to try a few to find a neck to your liking... of the 8 I tried, 3-4 are fairly slender and really nice, 3-4 are a bit chunkier, but still nice, and only one didn't suit my fancy.

Good luck in your quest... looking forward to a report when you find your new old Guild!
Dave

 

[MCharles]

MCharles,
Welcome to LTG! I saw your post on the UMGF (or was it AGF?), and wondered when we'd see you over here.

From what I understand from past discussions here, shaping necks at the Westerly plant involved a lot of handwork with little in the way of templates, so there was quite a bit of variablility. The necks of my 7 Guild dreads (and another that I sold) range from slim ('92 D-55) to pretty chunky ('74 D-25, '76 D-50, and '78 D-35). However, despite their differences, they are similar enough that I have no trouble going from one to the other in one playing session. If I were to rank the necks of my dreads from slim to chunky, it would go:

Slim.... '92 D-55 < ('74 G-37 ~ '81 D-46) < '72 D-35 (very close to the G-37 and D-46)< '71 D-44 < ('76 D-50 ~'74 D-25) < '78 D-35 ....chunky. It's actually not that straightforward, since there are also slight differences in width (altho' all are 1-11/16" nuts), fretboard radius, and other factors that affect the "feel."

The only one I DIDN'T like (which played a role in getting it sold) was my wife's '78 D-35. Not only was it chunky overall, it had a strange taper... getting noticeably thicker as you moved up from the 7th fret or so. As you moved closer to the heel, it was downright fat.

So you might just have to try a few to find a neck to your liking... of the 8 I tried, 3-4 are fairly slender and really nice, 3-4 are a bit chunkier, but still nice, and only one didn't suit my fancy.

Good luck in your quest... looking forward to a report when you find your new old Guild!
Dave

Thanks a lot, Dave. Yeah, figured I'd come by here and get the info. right from the horses' mouths.

Based on your info., seems like the necks are pretty variable but usually on the chunky side. I'll have to look around a bit. I'll say one thing: There seem to be less and less Guilds sitting in local music stores vs., say, 10 years ago. Seemed like there was always an old 25/35/40 at the local GC and otherwise. I also used to see a lot of G37s locally, believe it or not. One of my favorite Guild dreds.

Since you saw my posts over on the UMGF, you probably know I've been trumpeting that Martin start putting out full-profile necks again, like the deep, rounded ones on a lot of their '70s guitars. As much as I love Martins I just can't deal with the low-profile necks. I have an OM-18V with a really nice modified-V neck, but I'm yearning for that fat, rounded neck shape. This is one big reason I'm considering Guilds again.

 

[bluesypicky]

Welcome back to Guild MCharles, and keep us in the loop!

 

[killdeer43]

Welcome home, Mike. Grab a Guild and stay a while.

Some might not think it's a very big deal but to me, the feel of the neck in your left hand (or right in some cases) is an important part of your overall guitar experience; and with the variability of neck sizes and shapes, nothing beats a hands-on appraisal of a potential keeper.

The only Guild that I've had in hand that was slightly less than comfortable is my 12 string, but that's possibly due to the need for more meat, if you will, to handle the extra string tension, wider to accommodate the extra strings, etc.
In the past, I have had occasion to take a belt sander (!) to the neck of one guitar (NOT a Guild) to take the deep V down to a more comfortable C. Worked out just fine, and it was another luthier learning experience for me. :wink:

If possible go hands-on for your new Guild, and best of luck finding the perfect Westerly!

Stay in tune,
Joe

 

[evenkeel]

My 1975 D-35 has a chucky neck !

Welcome to LTG land. I would not describe the neck on my '75 D-35 as chunky. As others have noted Guild neck shapes are not very consistant. My D-35 does fall into the heavy category, like the D-25 you played. That is a Guild trait that does seems to be pretty consistant. But, my D-35does have a terrific warm and woody tone, with plenty 0' volume and presence. Bang for the $$ a good D-35 is hard to beat.

 

[Scratch]

Welcome to LTG, Mike. Good luck finding the perfect Guild with the perfect neck. Lots of help here to get you through...

 

[MCharles]

Thanks a lot, all. I really appreciate the warm welcome. Guild was the first brand that clicked with me when I was getting serious about playing around 11 years ago; it's nice to be in that mindset again.

As for neck shape in the left hand, it is a big-time factor for me. I've come to feel, as my left hand has gotten stronger, that low-profile and shallow necks make the whole guitar feel weak to me in some way and also put stress on my hand. So I need a fat neck to be happy. I'm confident I'll find it in good time.

 

[curt]

My D46 has a very "chunky" neck, think 58 Gibson. As I age I've found that my fingers can't play a Rickenbacker profile for more than four or five minutes. My D40C is much slimmer than the 46 as a reference.

 

[adorshki]

HI MIke: Welcome Aboard! I myself like the slimmer type profile and curiosity about neck variations caused me to start asking a few folks for feedback about their necks, so I had an informal neck survey going.
First off let me confirm what's been said about variablity due to the hand-finishing of necks. But I think there must have been some "targets" available, probably as templates, because, over time, there did seem to be an evolution from "chunky" to "slim", with the "slims" appearing to come into favor in late '80's or so.
My final take on the subject, because the other half of the equation is the player, is that "Chunky is in the hand of the holder". :lol: