New to me Guild D70

mutantmoose

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I've been saving my nickels and dimes (and tens and twenties) for a couple years, in case an opportunity for a fine instrument came along. This one fit the bill - a 1981 D70NT, good condition, although the saddle and action are just crazy low, too low to be really playable without buzzing. I'll put a new saddle on and do some cleaning. Sadly, the foam on the neck rest in the case has eaten through the neck finish, so I need to address both the foam in the case and the finish itself.

But the important thing is the tone. Holy cow. This guitar sounds good at every volume, just amazing.

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txbumper57

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Beautiful D70! That is definitely worth saving your nickels and dimes for!:star:

TX
 

mutantmoose

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Update - I replaced the saddle yesterday, the old one was way too low. It turns out the old on also was rounded on the bottom, and was shimmed at one end with some mahogany scraps. It was also not square at the bottom, and appears to have been plastic.

I had noticed that the bass strings were way louder than the treble strings, and I had attributed that to the set of strings on the guitar. Nope. It was the saddle. The tone is now nice and even, the action is higher so that there is no buzzing, and I'm even happier. I also buffed out a bunch of white marks all over the guitar, and I'm very pleased with the condition of the finish.

The next issue is the frets. I'm surprised at how wide and flat they are, more like a 80's Les Paul than anything else. They may have been poorly dressed by someone in the past, and I'll probably go ahead and do a replacement job in the next year or so.
 

richardp69

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I agree, these D 70 models are superb. You seldom see them come up for sale so I think you made a really good score here. I'm not sure how many were ever made but I'll bet I've seen less than 10 for sale on the various sites over the last several years. Love the maple binding on these models.
 

GardMan

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I'm not sure how many were ever made but I'll bet I've seen less than 10 for sale on the various sites over the last several years.
SN lists suggest 280 D-70s were made between 1981-1985... given the notorious inaccuracy of Guild SN lists, it's probably fair to say <300 D-70s were made.
 

SFIV1967

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Sadly, the foam on the neck rest in the case has eaten through the neck finish,...
Congratulations on that nice guitar!
But are you sure that damage is from the foam of the case ??? I never heard that a case damages a guitar.
It looks exactly like the previous owner had the guitar always standing on a guitar stand that was not supposed to be used for nitro finishes!!!
Something like shown on the picture below is most probably responsible, not the case! Look at the position of the damage on the neck.
Any damage on the lower bout?

ac%20guitar%201%20smll.jpge8229191-0bdd-4fa3-a795-952b4ba1de0cLarger.jpg


Ralf
 

GardMan

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But are you sure that damage is from the foam of the case ??? I never heard that a case damages a guitar.

Ralf
I have exactly the same damage spot on the neck of my '72 D-35... and it was most definitely from the case. I bought my D-35 in early '73... and took it off to college in the fall of '73. It lived in its case when not being played... and the case was usually resting on its back, so the neck would be in contact with the neck support. I remember noticing the finish where the neck rested against the support in the case getting soft and gummy my freshman year at school, presumably from something outgassing from the foam padding or glue used in the case. I eventually just rubbed the gummy spot off with my thumbnail. For some reason, it didn't even occur to me to have it repaired under warranty (it was a Guild HSC).
 

mutantmoose

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Yes, I'm certain that it is the case, there is a piece of latex foam under the cloth at the rest, and latex is bad news for nitrocellulose. The rest itself shows decay, probably from the finish melting into it. The best evidence, though, is that the damaged spot rests right on that part of the case. I'll post pictures later.
My plan is to pull that piece from the case, remove all latex, and then install thick felt to rebuild the support. Otherwise, it is a great case, and the finish on the guitar is in really excellent condition. I spent some time cleaning off the numerous white marks from the back with some naptha and soft cloth, and it looks like it was made yesterday.
 
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Just found this site. I am the original owner of the 5th D70 made - SN# EF1000005. As a road musician, this guitar (along with my Guild F412) has been in all 48 contiguous states plus PR and the VI's. Best guitars ever! If you are lucky enough to own either model, you have a real treasure in your hands!
 
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This is a tiny bit of data for the community, since prior comments here and elsewhere, including data posted by Guild indicate some need. I have SN EF 100282 and the headblock stamp is February 4, 1986. Seems there must have been a certificate, but have not found that yet in the estate items.
 

Taylor Martin Guild

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The frets on your D-70 sound like the frets on my 2006 D-55.
They are wider than the frets on any other guitar that I have ever owned.
The frets also appear to be low but that maybe an illusion, due to how wide they are.
My guitar plays great. Feels very nice and no buzz.

You may want to have a Tech look at your D-70 to see if the frets are in need of replacement or not.
 
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