johnbiscuti
Member
Quick question - do any Guild flattop acoustics, new or otherwise, have a 1.75" nut width?
Thanks!
Thanks!
1.75" nut?
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learnintoplay62
Senior Member
Yep. The standards have the wider neck. Of course more opinions will follow :gorilla:
Neal
Senior Member
GAD 30/F-130 have them as well.
Neal
Neal
johnbiscuti
Member
I see that many Guild models have the wide nut, didn't realize that. Thanks!
Neal
Senior Member
The only New Hartford-made Guilds that I know of with the 1 3/4 nut are the F-30 Standard and F-30R Standard. The other Standards (D-40, D-50 and F-50) are 1 11/16.
So your choice is limited to two American-made F-30's and the Chinese made F-130 or F-130R.
Neal
So your choice is limited to two American-made F-30's and the Chinese made F-130 or F-130R.
Neal
Additionally, the A25 and A50 out of Westerly are 1 3/4" nuts. I think that most if not all of the "Contemporary" Series out of Tacoma were also 1 3/4". I think that's about it for the American-made Guild 6 strings.
JohnC
Member
Is there someplace that would summarize the models in the contemporary series? I'd like to know if there are any 1.75 nut on OM or 00 body sized US made Guilds. I've been all over the internet looking for some basic sizing information on the older/used models.
I'm far from an expert on these, but I know there was the CO range with an F30 sized body, and a CV series with an F40 sized body. Both of them came in combinations of spruce or cedar tops, combined with maple, mahogany, or rosewood bodies, with or without cutaway. There was even a dreadnought model, but there weren't many of them made. All appear to have 1 3/4" nuts.
JohnC
Member
Thanks. From what I think I know, the F30 body style seemed to change depth (lower bout width too?) from the 60s through today so I'm never quite sure what size any of those F30s really are. I believe the F40 is pretty much full dread size. I have a shoulder problem any time I can't comfortably tuck the guitar under it. Since I also prefer the 1.75 nut it doesn't seem to leave many old Guilds to fit me. But I'll continue to keep my eyes open and see what may be out there. I'm really loving my F130 and would love to try some of the old US made ones.
killdeer43
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You know, if you find the right guitar and you're up to the challenge, you can have a nice 1 13/16' nut.
That which was a 12 string became a 6 string. It takes a little time and patience but it can happen. Plus, it's a great bonding experience. :tranquillity:
Just sayin',
Joe
That which was a 12 string became a 6 string. It takes a little time and patience but it can happen. Plus, it's a great bonding experience. :tranquillity:
Just sayin',
Joe
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Westerly Wood
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You know, if you find the right guitar and you're up to the challenge, you can have a nice 1 13/16' nut.
That which was a 12 string became a 6 string. It takes a little time and patience but it can happen. Plus, it's a great bonding experience. :tranquillity:
Just sayin',
Joe
Joe, you converted an F112 to a 6? That is genius. How long did it take? What does it sound like? Very intrigued...and probably very late to this party.
Keep in mind the neck profile as well. I had a mid '90s F30 that, while having a 1&11/16" nut, had a large C-shaped neck profile that made the string spacing feel much larger than it actually was. So far, it was one of my favorite necks played. That neck, however, was placed on a body slightly more narrow and shallow than a standard Martin 000 size. That, paired with unscalloped bracing made for a fairly boring and weak guitar.
JohnC
Member
You make an excellent point. I've played some old Martin 00s that had 1 11/16 nut but because they had the chunkier V neck they did feel like a wider nut. Not up to a full 1.75 feeling but good enough that I thought the smaller nut with the chunkier neck could be acceptable to me. YMMV. They still wouldn't have the desirable string spacing at the bridge if that was also a requirement.
killdeer43
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Well, I don't know about the "genius" part but it was a fun project and just something I wanted to do. I did the conversion over one month, keeping in mind all the time involved with allowing various glues/stains, etc. to dry/set, etc.
Here it is on the day I called it done.
It sounds great with the deeper body and it's very comfortable to hold/fondle. It's the absolute best travel/camping guitar. Lots of the ever-popular mojo and no worries about new dings around the campfire. :tranquillity:
Joe
A BIG +1 to this. Unfortunately, 1.75" nuts was not something that Guild did very well IMO. I prefer wider nuts, and for my taste at least, nothing comes close to my Martin 000-17SM for great feel in that department. It also has a huge amount of projection for an otherwise small guitar (well, small to me anyway), but a lot of that is due to it being a 12 fret. It's the best finger style guitar I've played up to this point.
Neal
Senior Member
So, Joe. Obviously a new bridge and nut were required to convert a 12 to a 6, along with an adjustment to the truss rods to compensate for less string tension. But how in the world did you fill 6 holes in the head stock so I can't tell they were ever there?
Neal
Neal
Another reason why I got rid of the F30 and upgraded to a 000-18GE. I can do the 2&1/8" string spacing, but have to be sold on the tone to justify it.
Neal
Senior Member
Hey, Ridgemont, if you haven't done so, I suggest you try out a Tacoma and New Hartford F-30 Aragon with the red spruce top. Tone and volume you never would imagine getting out of an orchestra body. Every bit as deep and loud as my dreads. And while also having a 1 11/16ths nut like the dreads, I find the neck to be super and playability superb. My "new" '07 F-30SB is quickly becoming my favorite guitar for finger-picking and strumming.
Neal
'71 D-25BR
'73 D-35NT
'77 D-50NT
'81 D-212SB
'07 F-30SB
Neal
'71 D-25BR
'73 D-35NT
'77 D-50NT
'81 D-212SB
'07 F-30SB
Hey Neal,
Thanks for the tip. I have played a few different F30s and F40s (all new) from both Tacoma and NH over the years. They were nice…much nicer than the '90s F30s…but not my cup of tea. I did play an old deep bodied F30 that was nice although I can't remember whether it was a Hoboken or early Westerly.
Tone and playability are very subjective and I use that as a preface to my conclusion that Martin makes a better small body guitar for what I am looking for.
JohnC
Member
Neal, when you say deep are you referring to the sound or the depth of the body? And just how deep are those bodies? And how would you describe the neck relative to thin/flat vs round/thick?
Thanks.