Why does my D-55 have a sticker over the original serial number?

[The Retro Rocker]

I didn't mean to take the label off and KEEP it off. Don just seemed to want more information about his guitar, and I was simply suggesting something he COULD do. I tried calling AND emailing MIRC on both my guitars at different times and never received a response. But, you may have better luck!
And, I don't know what info might be gleaned by viewing the numbers lurking beneath anyway. Maybe the year or month...or nothing. Guilds' records seem a little inconsistent, especially for Corona and Tacoma.

On my Epiphone EJ-200, I was able to determine the month and year it was built (the first 4 numbers of the Serial#) after removing the MIRC label. The other numbers were scratched thru, but I found out what I needed to know, and put the sticker back on.

And Epi does not stamp the serial # on the back of the headstock...so it was very lightly stamped "USED"...much like Don's Guild.
Apparently Tacoma didn't stamp the serial number on the back of the headstocks either. At least not on Don's D-55.

And I agree, that is a beautiful guitar! Play the beejeebers out of it!

 

[davismanLV]

Can be fixed with little blue pills.

LMFAO!!! Now THAT'S funny, Chazmo!!! :tongue-new::very_drunk:

I think the demographic on this forum is generally USED..... there are a few exceptions.....

 

[adorshki]

Guilds' records seem a little inconsistent, especially for Corona and Tacoma.

They're not "inconsistent", they're practically non-existant as far as Fender's concerned.

Getting back to your earlier question, yes Tacoma was in production from early '05 to mid '08.
D55's were in production for all of Tacoma period.
Build date in Tacoma was encoded in s/n, so without s/n build date can't be determined.
I'd be surprised if there wasn't an s/n on label and headstock as the odds are very good that it is a liquidated overstock item.
In another 3 pages I'll be sure to repeat all this info again for folks who might have missed the first coupla pages, in keeping with the spirit of the thread.
Yeesh.

 

[Bill Ashton]

I had a Tacoma D55 that I bought in August of '08, that IIRC was built in June of '07. There was no serial number on the headstock, but on the paper label inside the guitar the serial number started with "T."

My recommendation to the OP is just sit tight, date of manufacture really does not matter if you like the guitar, its just a curiosity...trust me I understand, I just bought a pristine Dual 1009 turntable and there is not a label to be seen, and I cannot work out it's lineage...but it does not matter. Then, sometime down the road, if the white label seems to be pulling up on the left side, and around a string change, see if you can lift it slightly (on the left) and the next letter after T will be the year...next two or three will be the day of the year in the Julian calendar...and if it all comes off then the next three will be the number off the line on that day :tongue-new:

But have PATIENCE, young Gedi...in time, all will be known...:beguiled:

 

[Bill Ashton]

ALSO...the guitar came from the factory with D'Addario EXP medium strings, and was probably set up for those unless MIRC made some change. I personally would start with those...others that members (and I) have liked here are GHS Bright Bronze and John Pearce 80/20's. The strings I have on mine right now, and I never would have believed it, are Ernie Ball Earthwood 80/20's...they have lasted a real long time and I want to change them because I want to change them, not because they don't still sound good...they were the only-port-in-the-storm at the time, if you know what I mean.

But start with the EXP's, Mediums!

 

[williawd1955]

I will give them a try..

 

[chazmo]

*cough* John Pearse uncoated Phosphor-Bronze... *cough*

 

[adorshki]

ALSO...the guitar came from the factory with D'Addario EXP medium strings, ....
But start with the EXP's, Mediums!

Bill, are you sure about that, on Tacomas?
Didn't think they went to mediums/coateds until NH, when they re-engineered the guitars, including the top radius.

 

[Bill Ashton]

Well, the little coloured string balls on my first string change don't lie...but then, I suppose the strings could have been changed by the store...she was a wall-hanger for 9 months to a year or so.

The issue concerning the G-string size is so noted :tongue-new:

 

[adorshki]

Well, the little coloured string balls on my first string change don't lie...but then, I suppose the strings could have been changed by the store...she was a wall-hanger for 9 months to a year or so.

The issue concerning the G-string size is so noted :tongue-new:

Not sure if you recall that TXBumper and I have a feud more contentious than the Hatfield/McCoy death struggle about whether one should string up a guitar intended for lights with mediums. :biggrin-new:
But the changeover from an .025 G to an .024 in Fender's final iteration of the L350 string set (.012-.053 uncoated PB) after they moved away from D'Addario was never an issue between us.. :glee:

Note to Willi:
Above comments are a sort of an inside joke but I'm better than 99.9% positive a Tacoma spec sheet for their D55 will show Guild L350 as the installed and suggested strings for 'em.
I don't think Guild installed anything else on their regular production dreadnoughts between at least '96 until close of Tacoma.
Medium coated strings were a surprise to me when they were announced as the new standard string in NH, as the represented a return to D'Addario who had been the original maker of the L350's but who they hadn't used since around '03 or so.
As a loyal D'Addario fan that got my attention so I'm pretty sure of my memory about what was used when, on that one.

 

[williawd1955]

This video amazed me....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kuScTu6vE0

and supposedly he is using Martin Retro .012-.054" light gauge.

 

[JohnW63]

Good to know on the strings.

 

[dapmdave]

I may have missed this as I perused the thread, but remember that if you are dissatisfied with the guitar for any reason, GC has a 45-day return policy on used guitars.

That being said, I wouldn't be too worried about a Guild that came through MIRC. They usually do a good job, and as it was a Tacoma Guild it may have been flawless to begin with.