Merry Christmas LTG'ers!!!!
Some of you know I purchased an F55 in early December on Reverb from Chicago Music Exchange. I let it acclimate for 24 hours, pulled it ouf the box / case to check it for damage and then put it under my xmas tree for safe keeping til Christmas... Much like a child would do..
Firstly, I got a really good deal on her. It was a scratch and dent they had listed for $2400 but I was able to get if for $2035.. There was supposed to be a slight discoloration on the binding at the 15th fret. No such discoloration was detected by me anyway. No scratches. No dents. Just glorious Oxnard craftsmanship.
Clydetower posted a review on this model back in April that has a ton more detail and some excellent pictures. Not to mention a really nice joint in which these photos were taken. Do not expect this level of quality from me.
Now to be clear I have minimal experience with Guild jumbos. I have played a few F-50's both maple and RW
at Guitar shows over the years, but that is all. And if you have ever been to guitar show in TX it is very difficult to hear anything over the sea of SRV imitators that can be found at these shows..
FIT AND FINISH:
Well lets just say this is prettiest guitar I have ever owned. This thing boasts a tightly grained sitka top and a beautifully patterned solid rosewood back. The v block abalone / mop inlays are as stunning as I imagined they would be and of course the premium G-shield logo headstock sets this aside as a guitar of distinction among the Guild US Line. The gold gotoh open back tuners turn with precision as expected from tuners of this quality. All in all just a stunning example of Oxnard craftsmanship. The SN is on the heel block as you can see from the picture. Really the right way to do it. The paper label from my D-35 was long gone when I bought the guitar.. Thanks goodness for the stamp on the head stock..
The only complaint I have is that there is nothing written on the TRC.. I was hoping for a "congratulations" or possibly for it to be gold-plated. A grill if you will.. This is by far the most expensive and nicest axe I have ever owned so something would be nice I know I am splitting hairs here and practicing in the medium of tedium..
SOUND AND FEEL:
Well.. If Don Williams ( RIP ) were originally sent to this earth as an acoustic guitar I imagine it would sound a lot like this.. The low end really sings on this one. I wouldn't necessarily call it balanced as the low end is the bigger voice. My D-35 has plenty of balance for both of them so not being balanced is not a bad thing. One thing I have noted is that it is a very focused low end though very present. Also a lot of wood in the tone which I dig. I will post some sound clips as well.
Truthfully I was concerned with the true 1 11/16 nut width but the string spacing is just right and it feels great. I can even form a nice three string A chord on this bad boy. The modern C shaped neck profile is extremely comfortable for me. I dig how easy this thing is to play. It came out of the box pretty much ready to go with action that is almost perfect. Also, it is super light which I love. It feels like it weighs half of what my D-35 weighs.
Here are some pictures of the F-55 as well as a phot of all three Guilds ( my D-35 & my S-300 ) and a photo of the cool neon sign my wife bought me for Christmas.. Enjoy..
Some of you know I purchased an F55 in early December on Reverb from Chicago Music Exchange. I let it acclimate for 24 hours, pulled it ouf the box / case to check it for damage and then put it under my xmas tree for safe keeping til Christmas... Much like a child would do..
Firstly, I got a really good deal on her. It was a scratch and dent they had listed for $2400 but I was able to get if for $2035.. There was supposed to be a slight discoloration on the binding at the 15th fret. No such discoloration was detected by me anyway. No scratches. No dents. Just glorious Oxnard craftsmanship.
Clydetower posted a review on this model back in April that has a ton more detail and some excellent pictures. Not to mention a really nice joint in which these photos were taken. Do not expect this level of quality from me.
Now to be clear I have minimal experience with Guild jumbos. I have played a few F-50's both maple and RW
at Guitar shows over the years, but that is all. And if you have ever been to guitar show in TX it is very difficult to hear anything over the sea of SRV imitators that can be found at these shows..
FIT AND FINISH:
Well lets just say this is prettiest guitar I have ever owned. This thing boasts a tightly grained sitka top and a beautifully patterned solid rosewood back. The v block abalone / mop inlays are as stunning as I imagined they would be and of course the premium G-shield logo headstock sets this aside as a guitar of distinction among the Guild US Line. The gold gotoh open back tuners turn with precision as expected from tuners of this quality. All in all just a stunning example of Oxnard craftsmanship. The SN is on the heel block as you can see from the picture. Really the right way to do it. The paper label from my D-35 was long gone when I bought the guitar.. Thanks goodness for the stamp on the head stock..
The only complaint I have is that there is nothing written on the TRC.. I was hoping for a "congratulations" or possibly for it to be gold-plated. A grill if you will.. This is by far the most expensive and nicest axe I have ever owned so something would be nice I know I am splitting hairs here and practicing in the medium of tedium..
SOUND AND FEEL:
Well.. If Don Williams ( RIP ) were originally sent to this earth as an acoustic guitar I imagine it would sound a lot like this.. The low end really sings on this one. I wouldn't necessarily call it balanced as the low end is the bigger voice. My D-35 has plenty of balance for both of them so not being balanced is not a bad thing. One thing I have noted is that it is a very focused low end though very present. Also a lot of wood in the tone which I dig. I will post some sound clips as well.
Truthfully I was concerned with the true 1 11/16 nut width but the string spacing is just right and it feels great. I can even form a nice three string A chord on this bad boy. The modern C shaped neck profile is extremely comfortable for me. I dig how easy this thing is to play. It came out of the box pretty much ready to go with action that is almost perfect. Also, it is super light which I love. It feels like it weighs half of what my D-35 weighs.
Here are some pictures of the F-55 as well as a phot of all three Guilds ( my D-35 & my S-300 ) and a photo of the cool neon sign my wife bought me for Christmas.. Enjoy..