Guild GSR Acoustic Models and Production Numbers

merlin6666

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In addition to the two Renos, Tundra Music also still seems to have a GSR F40 Cocobolo in stock. I have been very tempted by this, as I bought an Orpheum 12 string from them and found out that they are quite flexible with their pricing.

https://reverb.com/item/3240799-guild-gsr-f-40-cocobolo-natural-new-hartford-usa-made

And possibly a GSR F30 CE Cocobolo:

https://reverb.com/item/5116642-guild-usa-orchestra-gsr-f-30ce-cocobolo-new-hartford-made-last-one
 
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SFIV1967

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In addition to the two Renos, Tundra Music also still seems to have a GSR F40 Cocobolo in stock.
I just wonder how the Reno's models came from them into Canada, so that Tundra sells them as new? And I think we had discussed this specific GSR F-40 Cocobolo previously as it has that wrong TRC from a Newark St. model on it.
Ralf
 

twocorgis

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Steve, since you started electrical GSRs in the acoustic GSR discussion, there are quite a few missing from your electrical list:
GSR X-150D Savoy------26
GSR X-180--------------20
GSR X-180 bigsby--------5
GSR X-500D Stuart------25
GSR M-85 II Bass-------25 (24 regular basses and one B-stock model)
GSR SF I Bass----------11
GSR SF II Bass----------9

To revive this, the number of GSR M85II basses that were actually manufactured is way less than 25. According to a conversation that I had with Kim K after getting mine, the number is more like 12. I'm not sure whether that number includes the one that Mavuser bought sans case from the New Hartford employee, which in that case would bring total production to 13. Of those, half of them were returned with broken headstocks, due to the relatively poor fit of the case, the large headstock on the bass, and I suspect some sub-par packing on the part of the shipping department. Kim told me that the less than planned numbers were mainly due to the difficulty in obtaining the necessary pickups from the guy that was making them, and part of the reason for that might have been that he knew that Fender might well reverse engineer them for the NS models, which I'm not 100% sure ever happened.

I follow searches on Reverb and eBay for GSR M85II basses to see if any of the ones with headstock repairs are getting resold, and have yet to see one. Not really sure if the returned ones ended up taking a visit to the band saw, but if that's the case, my M85II is one of six or seven.
 
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F312

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GSR models are limited runs and came with labels and certificates indicating they were GSR models.

My recollection, which is certainly subject to correction, is that the GSR acoustic models were made on the same machines and to the same specs as regular production instruments. A key feature is that they allowed Guild to use wood that was unusual, scarce, hard to get or just "different". I would expect tonal differences compared to production instruments but would attribute that to different wood choices and not to building technique or bracing or some other "mechanical" variable. If you choose to pay more for a GSR model it is because you want the tone of that particular wood or the exclusivity of owning one of a fairly small number.

I never saw a certificate for a GSR guitar, and the label is written in ink, (GSR), am I missing something?

Ralph
 

adorshki

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I never saw a certificate for a GSR guitar, and the label is written in ink, (GSR), am I missing something?

Ralph

Apologies for buttinksi, but I think he meant the labels do show them as "GSR xxx", whatever the particular model was, and "If I Remember Correctly" the certs were actually certificates of authenticity showing what number a particular instrument was, out of the total built.
 

SFIV1967

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I never saw a certificate for a GSR guitar, and the label is written in ink, (GSR), am I missing something?
"If I Remember Correctly" the certs were actually certificates of authenticity showing what number a particular instrument was, out of the total built.
It is correct that the New Hartford standard labels just had a handwritten "GSR" on them, like "GSR F-30CE" as example:

cu13zsjld2hzwpgxmfyd.jpg



However Ralph is right that no certificates were supplied with GSR models as far as I remember. The certificates started with the NH Custom Shop models only.

EDIT: The electric models sometimes had no GSR written on the label but the type of label and the model was unique. Example: GSR T-400:

ku7gut9ihhuqn4e7cqni.jpg


Ralf
 
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txbumper57

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The GSR Acoustic models didn't have what number of the run they were on the label I have seen of the 2 I have had the pleasure to own. They were just a regular New Hartford acoustic label with "GSR" written before the model description. I would imagine if you could ever find the Master Ledger from New Hartford you would be able to determine which on was which in the order of construction but to the best of my knowledge that Ledger hasn't surfaced since the close of New Hartford and no one seems to know it's where abouts.

My Corona Made 2003 D55 50th Anniversary has a slot for the number of the run on the label that states 10 of 50 but that is not a GSR Model.

On most of the New Hartford GSR Electric models I have seen they had a different Label fromt he acoustics that resembled Westerly's label design and they actually had a slot for what number of the run that particular guitar was along with the serial number. Also my New Hartford GSR X500D has the serial number on the back of the headstock like the Corona and earlier model Guilds.

Hope that info helps a bit.

EDIT: I see Ralph posted the same info while I was typing, LOL!

TX
 

fronobulax

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OK. I'll stand corrected. I can conflating the Custom Shop models with the GSRs when I made my incorrect statement about certificates of authenticity. Thanks.
 

fronobulax

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I am sure there are some people who know where it is. Just a teaser how it looked like in 2012:

2VOKBZU.jpg


Ralf

Note for the three days visible there were 8, 8 and 6 guitars finished. That reinforces the often stated belief that NH Guild production was less that 5,000 Guilds per year.

Source? I saw the book at the LMGs but they were pretty aggressive about not wanting people to photograph it (presumably because of what one could derive about production). I also don't remember anything that could have been the background but it's pretty obvious that my memory is not to be trusted :) Thanks.
 

F312

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...and the NH Custom Shop models came with a certificate, with no model or serial number to identify said guitar.

Ralph
 
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fronobulax

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...and the NH Custom Shop models came with a certificate, with no model or serial number to identify said guitar.

Ralph

The 60th Anniversary must be the Custom Shop exception that proves the rule. The label has a model designation, serial number and an x of y notation.
 

SFIV1967

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I also don't remember anything that could have been the background.
It was the carpet on the work benches like in the final inspection room where the book was.
Example:







...and the NH Custom Shop models came with a certificate, with no model or serial number to identify said guitar.
The 60th Anniversary must be the Custom Shop exception that proves the rule.
That is something that nobody will ever understand, especially as the 60th anniversary model was the very first custom shop model. To remove the "Serial #" and replace it with a "Date" under the left line was simply a big error for all other models afterwards. What does a certificate mean with simply a date on it! Who in his mind had that idea in NH? They should have really had two lines on the left for model number and serial #.

1940_guild_f_30_custom_shop_60th_anniversary_koa-11486-max.jpg
xgqaceznhijrhjk4pajq.jpg


Ralf
 
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F312

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My Custom Shop certificate reads, July 1, 2013. So now I know they're at least two dates out there.

Ralph
 

mavuser

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To revive this, the number of GSR M85II basses that were actually manufactured is way less than 25. According to a conversation that I had with Kim K after getting mine, the number is more like 12. I'm not sure whether that number includes the one that Mavuser bought sans case from the New Hartford employee, which in that case would bring total production to 13. Of those, half of them were returned with broken headstocks, due to the relatively poor fit of the case, the large headstock on the bass, and I suspect some sub-par packing on the part of the shipping department. Kim told me that the less than planned numbers were mainly due to the difficulty in obtaining the necessary pickups from the guy that was making them, and part of the reason for that might have been that he knew that Fender might well reverse engineer them for the NS models, which I'm not 100% sure ever happened.

I follow searches on Reverb and eBay for GSR M85II basses to see if any of the ones with headstock repairs are getting resold, and have yet to see one. Not really sure if the returned ones ended up taking a visit to the band saw, but if that's the case, my M85II is one of six or seven.


there may have been some miscommunication there, Sandy. I own the B-stock one, it is #24 of 25. It did not come with a case, but it came with a tag that is #24. How many were actually sold and/or returned/broken, I could not say. If the case was too small then yes, it could very well be in the single digits as a result. I customized a Cassady case for mine.
 
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twocorgis

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there may have been some miscommunication there, Sandy. I own the B-stock one, it is #25 of 25. It did not come with a case, but it came with a tag that is #25. How many were actually sold and/or returned/broken, I could not say. If the case was too small then yes, it could very well be in the single digits as a result. I customized a Cassady case for mine.

Thanks for that Eric. I guess yours might have read "25", but Kim told me that there weren't more than a dozen of them total due to pickup supply problems. I have no reason to doubt him on that either, if anyone would know, it would be him. It's one rare bird, right up there with the Orpheum 000 12 strings, and the GSR F-40 Macassar.
 

mavuser

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correction my GSR M-85 is #24 of #25. Some literature says the run was 25 pieces, some say 24. my understanding is mine was held back then became the “extra” one that it is today.

The one on Craigslist now has a serial number 30 days later than mine and must be #25. it appears the run was very spaced out. couldnt say how many were actually made other than it would appear to be 25. mine is Jan 8, 2014. the one on CL is February 7, 2014.

Sandy did Kim tell u the pickups are not actually Newerk Street pickups?
 

twocorgis

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correction my GSR M-85 is #24 of #25. Some literature says the run was 25 pieces, some say 24. my understanding is mine was held back then became the “extra” one that it is today.

The one on Craigslist now has a serial number 30 days later than mine and must be #25. it appears the run was very spaced out. couldnt say how many were actually made other than it would appear to be 25. mine is Jan 8, 2014. the one on CL is February 7, 2014.

Sandy did Kim tell u the pickups are not actually Newerk Street pickups?

He didn't, but I got the impression that whoever was making them wasn't happy with the deal he had with fender at the time, hence the short supply of pickups. I still don't have any reason to believe that there were 25 GSR M85II basses made. If Kim said there were probably a dozen, I would think that to be the case.
 

mavuser

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He didn't, but I got the impression that whoever was making them wasn't happy with the deal he had with fender at the time, hence the short supply of pickups. I still don't have any reason to believe that there were 25 GSR M85II basses made. If Kim said there were probably a dozen, I would think that to be the case.

I have no reason to doubt Kim or Sandy, and have only seen online documentation of maybe 5 or 6 or these, tops, including my own. Just a shame they are in such short supply. It is a wonderful bass! specs are totally different than any run of prior M-85s. Seems like bad timing, Fender likely had one foot out the door before the first GSR M-85 was even made.
 

twocorgis

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I have no reason to doubt Kim or Sandy, and have only seen online documentation of maybe 5 or 6 or these, tops, including my own. Just a shame they are in such short supply. It is a wonderful bass! specs are totally different than any run of prior M-85s. Seems like bad timing, Fender likely had one foot out the door before the first GSR M-85 was even made.

Very true. I only know of three GSR M85IIs out there, yours, mine, and Kim's. There are also five or six that came back with broken headstocks that were damaged in shipping, and Kim asked if mine was one when I told him I got it (it isn't). I haven't seen one with a repaired headstock yet, not even sure all of them were repaired. I agree that it's a wonderful, light (6.2 pounds) bass, and it's a shame there aren't more. Mine has one of the nicest finishes I've seen on any guitar, even in a crappy iPhone pic!

46559679695_4271a8f223_b.jpg
 
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