New vs Old
- Thread starter superdave
- Start date
Walter Broes
Enlightened Member
Not just you. They nailed it on that Korean X175, I love that neck profile too. It's very very close to a '60 X175 used to have (that neck was even better), and a 1960 Capri I own right now.
I haven't played any Westerly made ones with a neck profile I really loved - perfectly nice guitars, absolutely, but the neck profiles I've played felt flat, wide, and generic to me.
superdave
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Well I was on the fence about this choice of either a 1999 Westerly X150D or the new NS A150 so I went down to Elderly today to play the X150. Some how I was not Wowed with the tonal qualities of the guitar unplugged or plugged in ! I really wanted to like it but something about the neck as others have mentioned here just did not feel right as well. The only NS Guild they had on the floor was a T50 slim and from what I read on the Guild web site has the same neck profile as all the other models ? Well I instantly bonded with this little guitar ! Even though it's not what I'm looking for playability and feel was all there ! Even tone wise it had a little something going for it. If the A150 I ordered is anything like this guitar I'm sure I will be pleased. More to come next week after I receive my Savoy.
Dave
Dave
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SFIV1967
Venerated Member
I think the high gloss acoustic guitars in Westerly and Corona always used Nitro (with the exception of the handrubbed finishes).
The Bluesbirds starting in the 90ies as one example had a Polyurethane finish.
As did other hollow bodies like the X-150 or X-170 and others.
So Westerly sprayed Polyurethane on plenty of solid bodies and archtops and I seem to remember it started in the late 80’s already. So Nitro and Polyurethan were used in parallel depending on model and the FMIC purchase of Guild in 1995 didn't change that.
I guess Hans will tell us more in the upcoming Volume II of his book.
Ralf
I think you'll like it. I did change the strings on mine to a slightly lighter gauge round wound.
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I just bought an X-150D and it is definitely Nitro. I has a few few of the same finish cracks that my 62 J-45 has, and you can see that the finish is very thin. I played the A-150 at a local music store and really liked it unplugged. I wasn't hot on the sound of it through the Marshal Slash amp they had at the shop though. I was also a bit hesitant about the pol finish on the Newark St. models.
I tend to keep guitars forever, and I love the way a good nitro finish ages. It isn't really logical, but I really prefer lacquer finished instruments.
My father has a Westerly d-52 acoustic, and it is the absolute best acoustic I've ever played. He had a Martin 28, but we sold it because nobody ever reached for it next to the Guild. The A-150 payed beautifully, and the tone was superb unplugged; even with the foam under the bridge. But the X-150 has something that the poly Korean guitar didn't. It has that next-level feel to it. Like my Dad's 52. Maybe it's perception, but perception is reality.
I tend to keep guitars forever, and I love the way a good nitro finish ages. It isn't really logical, but I really prefer lacquer finished instruments.
My father has a Westerly d-52 acoustic, and it is the absolute best acoustic I've ever played. He had a Martin 28, but we sold it because nobody ever reached for it next to the Guild. The A-150 payed beautifully, and the tone was superb unplugged; even with the foam under the bridge. But the X-150 has something that the poly Korean guitar didn't. It has that next-level feel to it. Like my Dad's 52. Maybe it's perception, but perception is reality.
SFIV1967
Venerated Member
Welcome to LTG! It might depend what year it is from, Hans Moust (http://www.guitarchives.nl/guitarsgalore/contact.php) can tell you what year your guitar is from by serial number and what finish your X-150D guitar has. The >1998 re-issues had polyurethane finishes, not nitro.
Ralf