Newark St A150 savoy vs X175

jimmyl51 · Sep 26, 2013

Ralph,

You will be happy regardless of which one you get.............problem is so if you get the A-150b, get it home, play it and then you say 'gee maybe I should have got the X-175'............and of course if you get the X-175, get it home, play it and then you say 'gee maybe I should have got the A-150b'...................:>) jim in Maine

southernGuild · Sep 26, 2013

Have a great time there in Seoul Ralph, It's a great city with so much to see and do all around there.
Good luck with your choice too. Looks like either way you'll win!

mbrindell · Sep 27, 2013

Hi Ralph, Sorry I am checking in on this topic so late, but I haven't been logged on much recently. I have the A150 savoy and though I play blues mainly it would make a fantastic jazz box. I love the sound from it's solid carved spruce top. And where else are you gonna find that at the price of this guitar. I also have an X175B but it is from 1961 so I couldn't compare the two. The '61 X175 has 50+ year old tone wood. But it is just a fantastic guitar for whatever you would like to play on it. But then again I have not compared the original Franz pickups with the new ones. I will say however that for Jazz or blues you just cannot beat the solid carved top of the A150B savoy, or the sunburst model. I absolutely love mine and for being an import guitar and for the price it is a very well made guitar. Hope this helps. MB

jimmyl51 · Sep 27, 2013

Mike,

Your new A-150b has a solid spruce carved top on it? Wow I didn't know that especially for that price point...............jim in Maine

mbrindell · Sep 27, 2013

Yes Jim, only the Savoys have solid carved spruce tops out of all the Newark models. But the originals did too. It's a great guitar for the money. A really good deal. The floating pickup ain't too shabby either.

Ralph · Sep 27, 2013

Mike, with that arsenal of guitars you own, having the thumbs up from you would be a pretty big deal!

I finally found out where the guitar dealers are in Seoul and will pay them a visit tomorrow, looks to be exciting!

Once again, thanks guys!

mbrindell · Sep 27, 2013

Best of luck and let us know what you ultimately decide.

jimmyl51 · Sep 27, 2013

Think about Mike and everybody else...........A jazz guitar with a carved spruce top for approximately $1200 out the door including a case in today's economy! This is something that Gibson needs to pay attention to! jim in Maine

jimmyl51 · Sep 27, 2013

Mike, I just looked at the Guild specs on their A-150 and its says: Body Top: Arched Solid Spruce I would bet that it has to be a non-carved top as I can't believe that Guild is having the Korean workers actually carve the tops...........on the other hand if that is what is happening hats off to Guild management regardless it is still a solid spruce top! ..................jim in Maine

mbrindell · Sep 27, 2013

It may not be carved, but it is definately solid. I may have been in err about that.

guildman63 · Sep 27, 2013

I do believe it is solid, but not carved. Regardless, the Newark Street guitars are very nice, and well worth their price.

Ralph · Sep 30, 2013

well guys seemed like I lucked out, didnt get to locate the dealer in seoul at the biggest music store here apparently.

I'll be writing in to the guys I'm getting the guitar from for further details before sealing the deal. Will update accordingly!

Ralph · Oct 2, 2013

Hey Guys,

Don't shoot me ok,but just when I decided upon the A150....I stumbled upon brands such as Peerless and D'angelico offering really nice looking archtops at a similar price range.Would appreciate any feedback on these brands compared to Guild.My max budget would be around 1.5k and thanks in advance!

guildman63 · Oct 2, 2013

Guilds are great guitars, but there are others that are worthy as well. I have never played any of the Peerless or D'angelico guitars in that price range, but I have heard good things about them. If to you there is something that you like better than the Newark Street Guilds by all means get it. We still expect pictures once you make your purchase, regardless of the brand. :encouragement:

Default · Oct 3, 2013

Video from the GDP.

Default · Oct 3, 2013

[video=youtube;kFOMgVBRXLg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=kFOMgVBRXLg[/video]

guildman63 · Oct 3, 2013

A very versatile guitar!

Bender 4 Life · Oct 12, 2013

i've had my Savoy for 3 weeks now, and have barely touched any of my 20some other guitars....it's an EXELLENT guitar at a crazy low price-point.
it "rings out" better than anything i've handled in 39 yrs of playing, and barely needs an amp....my playing is already improving due to the absurdly good playability of this guitar.
of course the sides/back are laminated, but if the top is, it's absolutely invisible in the f-hole cross section......it really sounds ALIVE !!
when I DO amp it, I use a Fender amp w/ NOS mid-'60s Mullard ecc82 preamp tubes (as opposed to 83s) for a cleaner tone when turned up.....and GT eL 84s for power.
this is my 1st Guild, and I realize a real Vintage Guild is a whole different animal....but the Korean factory sure has their act together !
I also have a 1st yr. DeArmond by Guild X-155 Jazzer that from the specs and dimensions, must have come from the same factory.

jimmyl51 · Oct 12, 2013

Can I ask which one did you buy the sunburst or the natural out of curiosity? Also can I ask what dealer did you purchase it from? Lastly how did the action come from the factory? I can't do it at this time but I really want to get one of their new Patriarch Artist Awards as it appears that the new AA model is as close as one could get to the original Johnny Smith Award Model without going back to 1957 IMHO..........I believe that Guild's efforts with all of their new models are going to set some major standards for the rest of the US guitar companies as the quality coming out of Asia is incredible these days...........my Ibanez GB-15TR although no longer in production beats ANYTHING Gibson put out in regards to overall playability and quality..............jim in Maine

southernGuild · Oct 12, 2013

^^^ Great report Bender, and great news there too. Those guitars have been tempting me since they were first announced, and now all this chatter is making me itch!
Welcome to LTG, enjoy that sweet Guild, and a BIG Thanks for all you do with/for the ASPCA. We do much the same here, and it's greatly challenging and yet rewarding. So much to be done. Raising awareness is a big thing too. A wonderful cause. Thanks.

Newark St A150 savoy vs X175

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