Guild Jazz

Hi
Greetings from the UK!
I am after a Guild jazz guitar, a good one...
What models are still made in the USA?

regards to all

Short answer - none. Guild was purchased by Cordoba Guitars and the factory is being set up in Oxnard, California as we speak. Stay tuned!

However, there's plenty of used Guild jazz guitars out there for the having. The Westerly X-series models (X-700, X-500, X-170, X-150) are all great for jazz; although you might want to avoid the ones that had the Guildsby option. Put some flat wounds on them and you're golden.
Also, the Hoboken and New York archtops with the Franz pickup(s) are wonderful.
And if you really want to splurge, find yourself an Artist Award/Johnny Smith/Benedetto model from any age.

I use both my X-170 and CE-100 for jazz and love them.

There are also 'new' Guilds made shortly before the company was sold by Fender, such as the GSR and American Patriarch models to be found on eBay and in some dealers.

I also use my X-170 (made in the late '90s), which is an excellent hollowbody jazz guitar.

Hello again
Sorry, I confused the issue a little
What I meant was, what Guilds archtops actually on the market at the moment, are not made in America. The GSR-X180, for instance. Is that made in the USA?

I think anything above the Newark St. line were made in the use and can still be found in stores as new. I think that would include the GSR series. Some one should be around to correct me , if I am wrong.

The GSR Guilds are definitely made in the US and were limited editions. The only archtops made overseas were the Newark Street (NS) X-175, NS Starfires III, IV and V, the NS CE-100D, and the NS A-150.

Acorn,

What is the concern with bigsbys?

dh/hf

For pure jazz, (and I'm thinking more traditional, not Mike Stern, John Mclaughlin, etc. fusion type jazz.), you don't really see them. Not a rap against Guildsbys themselves, O hatted one.

There are the odd Fender-made X-180 Park Avenues that pop up now and then - note: this is a very different beast than the GSR X-180.

I recently bought an X-180 Park Avenue, choosing it over an older X-170 only because an insanely low-ball offer I left on the X-180, something I expected to be immediately rejected, was immediately accepted. I do not regret the purchase. I do regret that I could not afford both, however.

What I can say about the X-180 Park Avenue?

The pickups are not distinctively Guild in sound. They do look like HB1s, but they do not sound like them. If I had to categorize the sound, I would say that they are more of an indeterminate Gibsony nature, lacking the clarity and depth of the Guild pickups, leaning more towards a warmer, fuzzier, dirtier sound (comparatively speaking only as they are not inherently super distortion or anything even close to that nature). If one is willing to accept them for what they are and work with them, the X-180 Fender/Guild pickups are very nice, yes. But I do say again, that they are not really anything like the pickups in the older X-170.

The X-180 is a larger guitar, a bit deeper and heavier - probably slightly less comfortable to spend hours behind if you are a smaller person. It also has no sound post, which, together with the larger size, gives it a more archtopy and less solid body-ish sound - this would most likely also make the guitar more susceptible to feedback.

The X-180 has, I think, a slightly wider and shallower neck profile - something I particularly like about the guitar.

The X-180 has, I think, a polyurethane finish rather than the traditional nitrocellulose lacquer. The nitrocellulose finish is time tested - it is known how it ages. The polyurethane less so.

The X-180 Park Avenue shows all the attention to detail and craftsmanship that one would expect from a well-made Guild guitar - Fender did not slouch here.

It is a lovely guitar, I think.

The X-170, well.... , nothing I could say here would add anything to the deserved praises heaped upon it. If you find one in good condition, I don't think you could go wrong.

The biggest stumbling block for the X-180 Park Avenue, I think, for a true die-hard Guild affectionado would be the Fender/Guild pickups. To replace these now with gold HB1s or to have them rewound to emulate HB1s would add greatly to the cost of purchase.

Acorn,

Oh, I see. Yes, there are very few bigsbys to be found on the guitars of my favorite jazzers.

hf

Houseisland,

Are the GSR 180's not very good?

hf

Darryl Hattenhauer said:

Houseisland,

Are the GSR 180's not very good?

hf

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I can't say. I have never seen one other than on the net. I just know from reading that they are quite different again.

Darryl Hattenhauer said:

Houseisland,

Are the GSR 180's not very good?

hf

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I've played it, the neck was too slim for me, slimmer than any archtop Ive ever played in fact. The tone was good, should be a fine guitar for jazz.

I know plenty of people would disagree, but Franz pickup is not ideal for jazz IMO. It's way too bright, and even though you can work with tone controls on the guitar or amp to make it sound jazzier, a humbucker would be more natural choice, especially HB-1. There's GSR x150 that I also played briefly, and it has those, I liked it better over x180. Despite Bigsby, it would be awesome jazz box. If you don't mind shallow necks, of course.

Darryl Hattenhauer said:

Houseisland,

Are the GSR 180's not very good?

hf

Click to expand...

The GSRs are "Guild Special Release" IIRC and were produced in limited numbers. So they should be quite nice indeed, although I haven't had the good fortune to play one myself.

I should clarify that the X-180 Park Avenue does not have a neck that could ever be called "slim." It definitely falls into the traditional chunky category. It is just a bit shallower and wider, I think, than the X-170 neck.

Default said:

Guild was purchased by Cordoba Guitars

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Sorry to say Steve, I have to correct you.

The Guild brand was purchased by Cordoba Music Group (CMG) in Santa Monica/CA and NOT by Cordoba Guitars!

Cordoba Guitars is just one of the five brands currently owned by CMG. Cordoba Guitars has nothing to do with Guild except that both are owned by CMG.

We as LTG members should be correct when telling info to others.

Ralf

NYWolf said:

I've played it, the neck was too slim for me, slimmer than any archtop Ive ever played in fact. The tone was good, should be a fine guitar for jazz.

I know plenty of people would disagree, but Franz pickup is not ideal for jazz IMO. It's way too bright, and even though you can work with tone controls on the guitar or amp to make it sound jazzier, a humbucker would be more natural choice, especially HB-1. There's GSR x150 that I also played briefly, and it has those, I liked it better over x180. Despite Bigsby, it would be awesome jazz box. If you don't mind shallow necks, of course.

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And I would be one of those in disagreement. :shocked: I currently own the new AP X-500, and I find it fantastic for jazz, and for most other types of music as well. Previously I owned a 1956 CE-100 with a single Franz, and a 1961 X-175 with dual Franz pups. Both of those produced incredible jazz tones as well, and if I could have afforded to keep those with the two AP's I wound up getting I would have. I think more than the pickup, it perhaps depends on the amp and that amps settings. I use a Henriksen Jazz Amp 112, and for pure jazz it can't be beat! Archtops clearly work best through this amp, but I can get a functional jazz tone with my NS Aristocrat, and with my Strat as well.

Darryl Hattenhauer said:

Houseisland,

Are the GSR 180's not very good?

hf

Click to expand...

I have also played one, and I found the playability and tone to be excellent. The neck is a bit thinner than those on my AP archtops, but it did not bother me. As for how the GSR X-180's tone compares to that of the original X-180, I can't say as I have never had the opportunity to play the original. With everything else it comes down to preference. Everyone has a different idea of their preferred neck size, body size, and tone. Maybe it is like the GSR Starfire VI...very different as compared with the original SF VI, but an excellent guitar in its own right.

Yes, people have different preferences in what looks good, sounds good, and feels good. Like eyesight, hearing varies. So do hands and fingers.

Hatted Frau has spoken.

NYWolf said:

I know plenty of people would disagree, but Franz pickup is not ideal for jazz IMO. It's way too bright, and even though you can work with tone controls on the guitar or amp to make it sound jazzier, a humbucker would be more natural choice, especially HB-1.

Click to expand...

I think it's how you play, that dictates the use of a pup. After all, Guild made their name, in part, on their jazz archtops in the 50s, all of which had Franzes. Pair it with the right amp, and keep the gain within reason, and there's plenty of jazzy goodness. Also, I tend to play pickless, so it never gets too bright; but with my 99J or Princeton Reverb, my single Franz equipped CE-100 is just YUM!

As with everything, it's all a matter of personal taste. Almost all pups have tons of versatility (except maybe EMGs :adoration: ), and I've heard some great jazz come from Teles and Strats, which do not usually bring the adjective warm to mind.

Not taking offense, or trying to offend with my views, just offering up.